Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Historic Preservation Mills Act topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Commission forms Mills Act subcommittees, accepts Group 1 progress reports and recommends renewals
Summary
Staff briefed the commission on multiple Mills Act letters of intent and a Group 1 progress report; the commission appointed subcommittees for properties at 1500 Rollins Street and 220 Orange Grove Avenue, continued one item due to conflicts, and voted to recommend renewal of Group 1 contracts to city council.
The South Pasadena Cultural Heritage Commission on March 19 moved forward on several Mills Act matters, appointing subcommittees to review applications and accepting a Group 1 progress report that staff recommended the commission forward to city council.
Tatiana Marine, presenting the Mills Act letter of intent for 1500 Rollins Street, described the 1910 Craftsman home and asked the commission to accept the letter and appoint a subcommittee to inspect the property. The commission agreed and appointed a subcommittee with Commissioners Appelo and Commissioner Karl (as recorded in the meeting packet) to conduct a site visit and review eligibility for a Mills Act contract.
Separately, the commission continued consideration of the Mills Act letter of intent for 1415 Milan Avenue because multiple commissioners disclosed conflicts of interest; staff will consult the city attorney and the item will return at a later meeting.
For 220 Orange Grove Avenue (a 1913 house with a status code indicating California Register listing), staff described drainage and framing issues and explained that any work already completed is ineligible for Mills Act tax-credit calculations. Vice Chair Severson and Chair Lopez were appointed to a subcommittee to inspect that property.
Staff also summarized Group 1 Mills Act contracts — properties that have completed the initial 10-year work plans — and presented proposed new 10-year rehabilitation and restoration work plans. Staff recommended that the commission receive and file the progress report, accept the proposed plans and recommend that city council continue renewing the contracts rather than issuing notices of nonrenewal. Commissioners asked about limitations on routine maintenance and whether contracts still receive tax benefits in years with no recorded work; staff confirmed retroactive work is not eligible and that approval of a renewal work plan does not require work items for each year.
Motions to create the subcommittees and to receive and file the Group 1 report passed by roll call vote.
Next steps: staff will arrange site visits with the appointed subcommittees and will prepare a recommendation package for city council on the Group 1 renewals later this summer.
