Loading...
(a) This Chapter 71 implements the Mills Act, California Government Code Sections 50280 et seq. The Mills Act authorizes local governments to enter into contracts with owners of private historical property who will rehabilitate, restore, preserve, and maintain qualified historical property. As consideration for the rehabilitation, restoration, preservation and maintenance of the qualified historical property, the City and County of San Francisco may provide certain property tax reductions in accordance with Article 1.9 (commencing with Section 439) of Chapter 3 of Part 2 of Division 1 of the California Revenue and Taxation Code.
(b) San Francisco contains many historic buildings that add to its character and international reputation. Many of these buildings have not been adequately maintained, may be structurally deficient, or may need rehabilitation. The costs of properly rehabilitating, restoring and preserving historic buildings may be prohibitive for property owners. Implementation of the Mills Act in San Francisco will make the benefits of the Mills Act available to many property owners.
(c) The benefits of the Mills Act to the individual property owners must be balanced with the cost to the City and County of San Francisco of providing the property tax reductions set forth in the Mills Act as well as the historical value of individual buildings proposed for historical property contracts, and the resultant property tax reductions, under the Mills Act.
(Added by Ord. 191-96, App. 5/22/96; amended by Ord. 271-09, File. No. 091137, App. 12/18/2009)
(a) Qualified Historical Property. An owner, or an authorized agent of the owner, of a qualified historical property may apply for a historical property contract. For purposes of this Chapter 71, “qualified historical property” shall mean privately owned property that is not exempt from property taxation and that either has submitted a complete application for listing or designation, or has been listed or designated in one of the following ways on or before December 31 of the year before the application is made:
(1) Individually listed in the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historical Resources;
(2) Listed as a contributor to a historic district included on the National Register of Historic Places or the California Register of Historical Resources;
(3) Designated as a City landmark pursuant to Planning Code Article 10;
(4) Designated as contributory to a historic district designated pursuant to Planning Code Article 10; or
(5) Designated as Significant (Categories I or II) or Contributory (Categories III or IV) pursuant to Planning Code Article 11.
(b) Limitations on Eligibility. Eligibility for historical property contracts shall be limited to sites, buildings, or structures with an assessed valuation as of December 31 of the year before the application is made of $3,000,000 or less for single-family dwellings and $5,000,000 or less for multi-unit residential, commercial, or industrial buildings, unless the individual property is granted an exemption from those limitations by the Board of Supervisors. For the purposes of this section, "assessed valuation" shall not include any portion of the value of the property that is already exempt from payment of property taxes.
(1) The Historic Preservation Commission may recommend that the Board of Supervisors grant an exemption from the limitations imposed by this section upon finding that:
(i) The site, building, or structure is a particularly significant resource; and
(ii) Granting the exemption will assist in the preservation of a site, building, or structure that would otherwise be in danger of demolition, substantial alteration, or disrepair.
(2) The Board of Supervisors may approve a historical property contract not otherwise meeting the eligibility requirements set forth in this subsection (b) if it finds that the property meets the requirements of subsection (a) above and is especially deserving of a contract due to the exceptional nature of the property and other special circumstances.
(a) Who May Apply and Application Content. An owner, or an authorized agent of an owner, of a qualified historical property may submit an application for a historical property contract to the Planning Department on forms provided by the Planning Department. The property owner shall provide, at a minimum, the address and location of the qualified historical property, evidence that the property is a qualified historical property and meets the valuation requirements of Section 71.2(b), the nature and cost of the rehabilitation, restoration or preservation work to be conducted on the property, financial information necessary for the Assessor-Recorder to conduct the valuation assessment under the Mills Act, including any information regarding income generated by the qualified historical property, and a plan for continued maintenance of the property. The Planning Department, the Historic Preservation Commission, or the Assessor-Recorder may require any further information necessary to make a recommendation on or conduct the valuation of the historical property contract.
(b) Application Deadlines. The annual application deadline for a historical property contract shall be May 1. Application for a historical property contract may be submitted to the Planning Department between January 1 and May 1 of each year.
(Added by Ord. 191-96, App. 5/22/96; amended by Ord. 271-09, File No. 091137, App. 12/18/2009; Ord. 190-12, File No. 120528, App. 9/11/2012, Eff. 10/11/2012)
(a) Assessor-Recorder Review. The Planning Department shall refer an application for a historical property contract to the Assessor-Recorder for review and recommendation. Within 60 days of the receipt of a complete application, the Assessor-Recorder shall provide to the Board of Supervisors and Historic Preservation Commission a report estimating the yearly property tax revenue to the City under the proposed Mills Act contract valuation method and under the standard method without the proposed Mills Act contract and showing the difference in property tax assessments under the two valuation methods. If the Assessor-Recorder determines that the proposed rehabilitation includes substantial new construction or a change of use, or the valuation is otherwise complex, he or she may extend this period for up to an additional 60 days by providing written notice of the extension to the applicant, the Historic Preservation Commission, and the Board of Supervisors. Such notice shall state the basis for the extension. If the Assessor-Recorder fails to provide a report and recommendation within the time frames set forth here, the Historic Preservation Commission and Board of Supervisors may proceed with their actions without such report and recommendation.
(b) Historic Preservation Commission Review. The Historic Preservation Commission shall have the authority to recommend approval, disapproval, or modification of historical property contracts to the Board of Supervisors. For this purpose, the Historic Preservation Commission shall hold a public hearing to review the application for the historical property contract and make a recommendation regarding whether the Board of Supervisors should approve, disapprove, or modify the historical property contract within 90 days of receipt of the Assessor-Recorder's report or within 90 days of the date the report should have been provided if none is received. The recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission may include recommendations regarding the proposed rehabilitation, restoration, and preservation work, the historical value of the qualified historical property, and any proposed preservation restrictions or maintenance requirements to be included in the historical property contract. The Planning Department shall forward the application and the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission to approve or modify a historical property contract to the Board of Supervisors. Failure of the Historic Preservation Commission to act within the 90-day time limit shall constitute a recommendation of disapproval for the purposes of this subsection, and the Planning Department shall notify the property owner in writing of the Historic Preservation Commission's failure to act; provided, however, that the Board of Supervisors by resolution may grant an extension of time to the Historic Preservation Commission for its review. If the Historic Preservation Commission recommends disapproval of the historical property contract, such decision shall be final unless the property owner files an appeal with the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 10 days of the final action of the Historic Preservation Commission or within 10 days of the Planning Department's notice of the Historic Preservation Commission's failure to act.
(c) Budget Analyst Review. Upon receipt of the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission or upon receipt of a timely appeal, the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors shall forward the application and Assessor-Recorder's report to the Budget Analyst, who, notwithstanding any other provision of this Code, shall prepare a report to the Board of Supervisors on the fiscal impact of the proposed historical property contract.
(d) Board of Supervisors Decision. The Board of Supervisors shall conduct a public hearing to review the Historic Preservation Commission's recommendation, the Assessor-Recorder's report if provided, the Budget Analyst's report, and any other information the Board requires in order to determine whether the City should execute a historical property contract for a particular property. The Board of Supervisors shall have full discretion to determine whether it is in the public interest to enter into a historical property contract regarding a particular qualified historical property. The Board of Supervisors may approve, disapprove, or modify and approve the terms of the historical property contract. Upon approval, the Board of Supervisors shall authorize the Director of Planning and the Assessor-Recorder to execute the historical property contract.
(Added by Ord. 191-96, App. 5/22/96; amended by Ord. 271-09, File No. 091137, App. 12/18/2009; Ord. 190-12, File No. 120528, App. 9/11/2012, Eff. 10/11/2012)
(a) The historical property contract shall set forth the agreement between the City and the property owner that as long as the property owner properly rehabilitates, restores, preserves and maintains the qualified historical property as set forth in the contract, the City shall comply with California Revenue and Taxation Code Article 1.9 (commencing with Section 439) of Chapter 3 of Part 2 of Division 1, provided that the specific provisions of the Revenue and Taxation Code are applicable to the property in question. A historical property contract shall contain, at a minimum, the following provisions:
(1) The initial term of the contract, which shall be for a minimum period of 10 years;
(2) The owner's commitment and obligation to preserve, rehabilitate, restore and maintain the property in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Office of Historic Preservation of the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the United States Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties;
(3) Permission to conduct periodic examinations of the interior and exterior of the qualified historical property by the Assessor-Recorder, the Department of Building Inspection, the Planning Department, the Office of Historic Preservation of the California Department of Parks and Recreation and the State Board of Equalization as may be necessary to determine the owner's compliance with the historical property contract;
(4) That the historical property contract is binding upon, and shall inure to the benefit of, all successors in interest of the owner;
(5) An extension to the term of the contract so that one year is added automatically to the initial term of the contract on the anniversary date of the contract or such other annual date as specified in the contract unless notice of nonrenewal is given as provided in the Mills Act and in the historical property contract;
(6) Agreement that the Board of Supervisors may cancel the contract, or seek enforcement of the contract, when the Board determines, based upon the recommendation of any one of the entities listed in Subsection (3) above, that the owner has breached the terms of the contract. The City shall comply with the requirements of the Mills Act for enforcement or cancellation of the historical property contract. Upon cancellation of the contract, the property owner shall pay a cancellation fee of 12.5 percent of the full value of the property at the time of cancellation (or such other amount authorized by the Mills Act), as determined by the Assessor-Recorder without regard to any restriction on such property imposed by the historical property contract; and
(7) The property owner's indemnification of the City for, and agreement to hold the City harmless from, any claims arising from any use of the property.
(b) The City and the qualified historical property owner shall comply with all provisions of the Mills Act, including amendments thereto. The Mills Act, as amended from time to time, shall apply to the historical property contract process and shall be deemed incorporated into each historical property contract entered into by the City.
(c) The Planning Department shall maintain a standard form "Historical Property Contract" containing all required provisions specified by this section and state law. Any modifications to the City's standard form contract made by the applicant shall be subject to approval by the City Attorney prior to consideration by the Historic Preservation Commission and the Board of Supervisors.
(Added by Ord. 191-96, App. 5/22/96; amended by Ord. 271-09, File No. 091137, App. 12/18/2009; Ord. 190-12, File No. 120528, App. 9/11/2012, Eff. 10/11/2012)
The Planning Department shall determine the amount of a fee necessary to compensate the City for processing and administering an application for a historical property contract. The fee shall pay for the time and materials required to process the application, based upon the estimated actual costs to perform the work, including the costs of the Planning Department, the City Attorney, and the Assessor-Recorder. The City may also impose a separate fee, following approval of the historical property contract, to pay for the actual costs of inspecting the qualified historical property and enforcing the historical property contract. In the event that the costs of processing the application are lower than the estimates, such differences shall be refunded to the applicant. In the event the costs exceed the estimate, the Planning Department shall provide the applicant with a written analysis of the additional fee necessary to complete the review of the application, and applicant shall pay the additional amount prior to execution of the historical property contract. Failure to pay any fees shall be grounds for cancelling the historical property contract.
(Added by Ord. 191-96, App. 5/22/96; amended by Ord. 271-09, File No. 091137, App. 12/18/2009)
On March 31, 2013 and every three years thereafter, the Assessor-Recorder and the Planning Department shall submit a joint report to the Board of Supervisors and the Historic Preservation Commission providing the Departments' analysis of the historical property contract (Mills Act) program. The report shall be calendared for hearing before the Board of Supervisors and the Historic Preservation Commission.