HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997-12-15 City Council (24)City of Palo Alto
City Manager’s Report
TO:
FROM:
DATE:
SUBJECT:
HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL
CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND
COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT2O
DECEMBER 15, 1997 CMR:501:97
FUTURE PROCESSING OF MILLS ACT CONTRACT REQUESTS
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council direct that no new Mills Act requests be accepted
until appropriate policies and procedures are examined as part of the new Historic
Regulations.
BACKGROUND
A Mills Act contract is a voluntary agreement between a qualified owner of a historic
property and the local jurisdiction that provides property tax relief in exchange for
compliance with certain preservation restrictions. The local government has the option to
choose the properties that are suitable for the incentive by evaluating various factors such as
the significance of the building to the community, development pressure on the site, and the
need for rehabilitation. A more detailed discussion of the Mills Act and its provisions is
contained on page 3 of the report to the Historic Resources Board, dated November 5, 1997,
and the draft Historic Property Preservation Agreement for the same report.
DISCUSSION
As referenced in the associated item regarding 420 Maple Street, no policy or procedures
currently exist in the City for the processing and implementation of Mills Act contract
requests. This issue is a part of the work program for the development of the new Historic
Regulations. Staff believes that a significant amount of public interest exists in the Mills Act
and that, as a result, additional requests are forthcoming.
Absent a coherent policy on this issue, staff expects that the questions raised by the Historic
Resources Board regarding 420 Maple Street will be revisited each time a new request is
received.
ClVlR:501:97 Page 1 of 2
PREPARED BY: George White, Senior Planner
DEPARTMENT HEAD:
KENNETH R. SCHREIBER
Director of Planning and Community Environment
EMIL-(~~soN -
Assistant City Manager
CMR:501:97 Page 2 of 2