TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a Mills Act Historic Property Contract with Ilsebill Wolfe, owner of 365 Temple Avenue, a qualified historic property in the Bluff Heights Historic District. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
The Mills Act Historic Property Contract for 365 Temple Avenue was recommended by the Cultural Heritage Commission on November 16, 2005, and approved by the Planning Commission on November 17, 2005 (see attached Planning Commission staff report).
The Mills Act was enacted as State legislation in 1972 and amended in 1984. The Mills Act Historic Property Contract is a contractual agreement between the City and a property owner allowing a reassessment and reduction in property taxes in return for maintaining and rehabilitating a qualified historic property. The economic incentive of the Mills Act fosters the preservation of residential neighborhoods and the revitalization of commercial areas. The Mills Act is the single most important economic incentive program in California for the preservation, restoration, and rehabilitation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.
To qualify, a property must be officially designated as historic, either as an individual landmark or as a contributing building in a historic district. In reviewing candidates for Mills Act contracts, the Cultural Heritage Commission seeks owners with a strong commitment to protect, preserve, and maintain their property in accordance with specific preservation standards and other conditions. The resulting tax savings from a Mills Act contract assists.
an owner with the financial burdens of preserving and restoring a historic building.
The subject property is a Craftsman bungalow that was built in 1919. It is a good example of the style and is a contributing property to the Bluff Heights Historic District, which was designated as such in 2004 by Ordinance No. C-7937. Since purchasing the house, the applicant has begun to rehabilitate the prop...
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