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Page 6 of 7 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />documented or studied as well as interest in updating the City’s historic preservation webpages with new <br />information and research thereby increasing access to Redwood City history. <br />EQUITY IMPACT STATEMENT <br />As stated in the HRAC’s mission statement, the HRAC seeks to “equitably safeguard the City’s past and <br />heritage.” The HRAC does this by supporting educational and promotion of historic preservation through <br />volunteering with the City’s downtown historic walking tour, volunteering with Union Cemetery tours, <br />supporting study and research of Redwood City history, and more. <br />The Mills Act Program was created for and remains open to all properties that meet Redwood City’s <br />historic designation criteria. Most of the Mills Act Contract properties are in a relatively concentrated area <br />of the City where older construction and notable architecture has been documented; however, the HRAC <br />has identified a need to further publicize the Program to a wider geographical reach of the city where the <br />tax benefits of the Program could be better served. This HRAC work plan includes a specific goal to explore <br />opportunities to increase awareness of the Mills Act Program to underrepresented areas of the City. The <br />HRAC recognizes the costly initial investment to hire a consultant to perform historical evaluations and <br />seeks to establish a less costly screening process to reduce initial investment that could result in a wider <br />application pool. <br />The Program will be further studied in 2026 when updating Historic Preservation Ordinance. Staff will <br />determine how best to assess equitable access and outcomes as part of that study. <br />FISCAL IMPACT <br />Staff time is required to administer the Mills Act Program, to update the Historic Preservation Ordinance <br />and to assist the HRAC in implementing their work plan. There is currently a fee of $780 to apply for a <br />Mills Act Contract. This fee is a partial recovery fee and as part of the Historic Preservation Ordinance <br />update, staff will evaluate full recovery fees. In addition, the consultant needed for the Historic <br />Preservation Ordinance update was funded in the FY 2025-26 budget. Staff and program costs not covered <br />by the application fee are funded by the General Fund. Finally, consultants are used for historic <br />evaluations of potentially historic structures, and these consultants are fully paid for by the property <br />owners. <br />ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW <br />The HRAC Work Plan and Mills Act Report Update are not considered projects within the meaning of the <br />California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) because they are considered an organizational or <br />administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect physical changes in the environment per <br />Section 150378 (b). <br />8.B. - Page 6 of 17 <br />247