AgdaPkt 2008-11-24 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

On October 21, 2008, the Planning Commission made a unanimous recommendation that the Redwood City Council approve individual Mills Act Contracts for the subject properties in accordance with the Redwood City Historic Preservation Ordinance. 6.1E Page 2 The enclosed Planning Commission staff report of October 21, 2008 (Attachment 1) contains additional information details relating to the subject agreements. At the October 21 st meeting, the Planning Commission agreed with the recommendations of the Historic Resources Advisory Committee (HRAC) regarding the individual preservation work programs for each Mills Act Contract and unanimously recommended approval of all four contracts to the City Council (Attachments 2a, 2b, 2c, and 2d). No opposition has ever been received regarding Mills Act Contracts since the program was put in place 18 years ago. Discussion/Issues Prior to making their recommendation supporting the adoption of each proposed Mills Act Contract for the subject properties, the HRAC met on-site with the respective property owners to evaluate the exterior condition of each property. This detailed inspection resulted in the recommended site-specific long term preservation programs which contain all planned physical improvements for the proposed Mills Act Contract. General Plan and Zoning Compliance The implementation of Mills Act Contracts supports the long term preservation of the Community's historic resources which is one of the primary goals and objectives of the Historic Resources Element of the General Plan. Mills Act Contracts do not affect the zoning regulations which are currently applicable to the subject property. Their purpose is to encourage the improvement of the physical appearance and long-term viability of qualified historic resources which are typically more difficult and costly to maintain. Environmental Review The proposed historic preservation agreement seeks to insure the long term preservation of the subject resource which is exempt from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review, per section 15331, Class 31 of the CEQA guidelines. ALTERNATIVES 1. Deny one or more of the proposed Mills Act Contracts as described above. As a consequence of a denial, the implementation of many of the needed improvements anticipated for the subject property, would not occur within the anticipated timelines, if at all because there would be no formal verification process by the City in place to confirm that exterior improvements are done according to set standards. 2. Modify the Mills Act Contract. The work program outlined as "Exhibit C" of each Mills AC?t Contract could be modified, as desired by the City Council. FISCAL IMPACT Mills act Contracts are generally considered by over 100 communities in California as the best historic preservation incentive available. The contracts are relatively simple to put in place, the financial accounting work is done by the County Assessor's office on a yearly basis and yearly inspection of exterior physical improvements requires relatively little City staff time to manage. Mills Act Contracts encourage a property owner to channel funds which are already earmarked as property tax towards a set list of improvements. Mills Act Contracts will cause an estimated 40-60% reduction in the amount of property tax revenue that can be collected by the City for each assessed