2 new applications would put city over revenue loss cap
Benicia Historic Preservation Review Commission on Thursday will hear what could be the last two requests by homeowners for Mills Act contracts.
Another applicant will ask the panel’s approval of replacing wood-framed windows with those that have vinyl cladding over wood, and the commission will continue its discussion on design review in the city’s historic districts.
Suzanne Thorsen, associate planner, wrote the commission Sept. 4 that Aud Olsen, who owns 153 West G St., is seeking a Mills Act contract that would reduce the amount of property taxes Olsen would pay in exchange for restoring and keeping the 1895 Queen Anne cottage in historically appropriate condition.
Thorsen wrote that Olsen has met all the requirements for the program, and the house, a contributing building in the Downtown Historic District, is eligible for consideration.
“The city collects 26 percent of paid property taxes,” Thorsen wrote, and according to the Solano County Tax Assessor’s office, the property owner would receive a tax savings of approximately $1,792 in Fiscal Year 2016-17.
“The city would receive $265 per year from property taxes, which is a loss of approximately $466 annually,” she wrote.
In exchange, Olsen would be required to replace a non-historic window in a bedroom, repair or replace the cement walkway that lets water in the home, replace or repair a deteriorated wood kitchen window and replace the non-historic aluminum kitchen door with a wood door.
Another Mills Act contract request has come from Larry and Kim Miller, who own 180 West H St., a 1927 Craftsman-style home that also is a contributor to the downtown district.
If the contract is granted, the city would lose $959 annually from its share of Solano County property taxes, Thorsen wrote, and would receive $325 as its share in exchange for the Millers’ agreement to restore the property appropriately.
In exchange for those reduced taxes, the Millers would need to replace a front door, determine whether cellar vents need to be installed, replace front porch railings and restore the fireplace for seismic security, Thorsen wrote. All the changes would be needed to keep the building’s historic qualities intact, she wrote.
Benicia has had a Mills Act program since 2003, and capped its annual revenue loss at $35,000 from such contracts, Thorsen wrote.
However, if both contracts are approved, the city’s combined Mills contract tax losses would exceed the cap.
“Due to the fluctuation of property values from year to year, which affects the city revenue loss, staff anticipates that approval of the proposed contracts be the last contracts approved under the current threshold established by the City Council,” Thorsen wrote.
Another property owner, Kim Osburn, and applicant Marcus Burget, of Paul Davis Restoration, will ask for HPRC’s endorsement of replacing three wood windows with wood windows clad with vinyl at 181 West H St.
Unlike the two Mills Act requests, for which Thorsen has recommended approval, she is suggesting the commission deny this request.
One of the windows is on the front façade, and two other windows are on the east side. The home is a contributing building to the Downtown Historic District, she wrote.
The house is a single-story Craftsman bungalow that was damaged by fire Jan. 8, Thorsen wrote. “The extent of property damage necessitated replacement of the three windows that are the subject of this application,” she wrote.
Burget received a building permit April 1 to replace the three wood windows with three new wood windows, she wrote. In conversations with Burget at the time, city employees explained the design review exemption requirements of the Downtown Historic Conservation Plan, Thorsen wrote.
“During discussion, the significance of window material was emphasized,” she wrote. “Planning approval was issued based upon notes on the permit drawings which (said) that new wood windows would be installed to match existing.”
But in July, employees were asked about the materials of the replacement windows, Thorsen wrote, and during an inspection, the applicant was told that design review would be required if the new windows were to remain on the house.
“The new vinyl-clad windows are one-over-one, double hung, consistent with the historic appearance and style of the home,” she wrote.
“Vinyl-clad windows are finished with wood on the interior and the wood is clad with a vinyl finish on the exterior to be more resilient from weather,” she described. “The result is that vinyl-clad windows have the appearance of a vinyl window from the exterior.”
She wrote that the Alameda Architectural Society has stated that in the type of window installed in the home, wood-framed windows often are less expensive than vinyl-clad ones, and that wood windows of this type are readily available from major manufacturers. The vinyl-clad windows “negatively affected the integrity of fenestration,” and aren’t consistent with the Secretary of Interior’s Standards, Thorsen wrote.
Since the proposed windows don’t comply with the guidelines of Benicia’s own Downtown Historic Conservation Plan or the Secretary of Interior Standards, Thorsen is recommending the commission deny the design review request.
Also Thursday, the panel will continue its review of the Downtown Historic Conservation Plan, this time focusing on design review.
The commission raised several questions during its July 24 meeting about what triggers a design review on minor projects, particularly those for non-historic buildings and for cases in which owners want to change features back to more historically appropriate materials and appearances.
At its Aug. 28 meeting, the commission addressed requirements of the Benicia Municipal Code and the Downtown and Arsenal historic conservation plans, which have some differences in requirements.
Thorsen wrote that city employees have suggested the commission establish a subcommittee to evaluate historic design review procedures and develop a written request to the City Council about modifying those procedures.
The Historic Preservation Review Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at the Commission Room of City Hall, 250 East L St.