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Los Altos Council adopts new historic‑preservation rules and a Mills Act program
Summary
The Los Altos City Council on a 4–0 vote (Vice Mayor Fleger recused) adopted a new Historic Preservation Ordinance and a Mills Act program chapter, and repealed the prior preservation chapter. Supporters said recent citizen‑staff edits improve clarity; some residents urged additional review by the Historic Commission before adoption.
Mayor Pete Daly and a majority of the City Council on Thursday moved to adopt two linked ordinances aimed at updating how Los Altos protects historic resources and formalizing a Mills Act property‑tax incentive program.
The council voted to waive second reading and adopt an ordinance adding chapter 14.93 to the Los Altos Municipal Code (historic preservation), then adopted chapter 14.95 to establish the Mills Act program and repealed the former chapter 12.44. Each motion carried four to zero with Vice Mayor Fleger recused.
A number of residents and property owners urged the council to accept "blue line" edits — revisions that, they said, reflected detailed negotiation between staff and local Mills Act owners. John Bayer, who described the blue lines as the product of extensive discussions, told the council those edits were "important to people who are living this every single day and have contributed to our community." Several other commenters, including Robera Phillips and Kurt Riffle, urged acceptance of the negotiated changes.
Opponents and some preservation advocates sought a pause. Katherine Nunes asked the council to return the ordinance to the Historic Commission for formal review, saying "the council's action tonight to waive the second reading and adopt these ordinance[s] without a formal review by the Historic Commission" risked omitting key analysis. The city attorney reminded the public that staff reviews do not become binding law until the council votes and cautioned that substantive additions could require reintroduction.
Council members said they had reviewed the materials and that many blue‑line edits were already reflected in the packet. Council Member Meadows said she was satisfied the packet addressed most concerns and supported moving forward to provide regulatory clarity; Council Member Lang said he could "live with" the chosen approach. The motions were moved from the dais and seconded on the record; roll‑call votes were recorded as part of the meeting minutes.
What happens next: The ordinances become local law as adopted. Council also found that the amendments were exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act, citing the general statutory exemption noted in the record.
