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Page 3 of 7 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />Advisory Committee (HRAC), Planning Commission (PC) and City Council can also provide feedback on the <br />schedule of improvements. There are currently no minimum standards for the improvements that are <br />required as part of a Mills Act Contract. <br /> <br />MILLS ACT CONTRACTS OVER THE YEARS <br />The City has granted a total of 38 Mills Act Contracts. On average, the City grants one to two Contract <br />requests per year (See Location of all Mills Act Contracts Attachment A and List of all Mills Act Contracts <br />Attachment B.). This year, there are four proposed contracts that will be considered under a separate <br />agenda item. <br />Since the inception of the Program, only one property has had its Mills Act Contract cancelled. In 2021, <br />the property at 127 Finger (contract approved in 2018) had its landmark designation and Mills Act Contract <br />cancelled when the City approved a hardship application requested by the property owner. This process <br />was necessitated due to a fire having destroyed the interior of the home making it uninhabitable. <br />Annual Self Reporting and Inspections <br />Each Fall, staff sends a self-reporting form to each Contract owner inquiring on the status of their adopted <br />maintenance and improvements plans and any other completed work on the property. Letters for this <br />past year were sent out in November with a due date of January 16, 2025. Property owners must list and <br />describe all improvements that have occurred over the past year and if they are within their 10-year <br />improvement plans, list progress on their plans. <br />Of the 35 Contracts active in 2024 (note that there are currently 37 active Contracts but two were <br />approved after this self-reporting timeline), staff received responses from 28 property owners (or 80% <br />response rate). Of these 28 properties, all were found to be in compliance with their Contracts. The <br />remaining 7 Contracts are beyond the initial ten-year Contract period but are still technically required to <br />provide an annual status report on maintenance of the property. In addition, the Mills Act Program <br />stipulates that inspections occur at least once every 5 years. Staff conducted visual site inspections of all <br />35 contracted properties this year to determine current conditions. Inspections included confirming <br />exterior improvements and maintenance of property as listed in their specific contracts and completed <br />building permits as necessary. Interior inspections were not determined necessary based on the <br />conditions found at the property and documented information on record. As stated previously, there are <br />no requirements that additional improvement items be identified beyond the terms of the 10-year <br />Contract except for maintenance. <br />Staff observed that the upkeep of landscaping and the exterior painting conditions could be improved in <br />some cases. Staff did not find that these conditions warranted code enforcement action in any situation <br />but will reach out to remind property owners of their maintenance obligations to ensure that conditions <br />do not further deteriorate. <br />Staff’s ability to enforce the contract is currently limited to finding the property owner in breach of <br />contract and revoking the contract. As part of the Historic Preservation Ordinance update, staff will study <br />including language in new contracts that stipulate enforcement measures such as escalating fines, that <br />8.B. - Page 3 of 17 <br />244