TITLE
Recommendation to authorize City Manager to execute a Mills Act Historic Property Contract with Shalla Callahan, owner of 395 Wisconsin Avenue, a qualified historic property in the Bluff Heights Historic District. (District 2)
DISCUSSION
The Mills Act Historic Property Contract for 395 Wisconsin 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 forthe 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 an intact turn-of-the-century Queen Anne-inspired residence that was built in 1903. It is a very good example of the idiom and is a contributing property to the Bluff Heights Historic District, which was designated as such by Ordinance No. C-7937 in 2004. Since purchasing the house...
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