HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.19.19 HPC Agenda Packet
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 19, 2019
AGENDA MEETING 4:00 P.M City Hall North, 1600 Truxtun Avenue, Bakersfield California First Floor, Conference Room B
A. ROLL CALL
B. PUBLIC STATEMENTS
C. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
1. Minutes of the October 15, 2019, meeting for approval.
D. CLOSED SESSION
None E. CORRESPONDENCE
None
F. PUBLIC HEARINGS
None
G. REPORTS
None H. OLD BUSINESS
CITY OF BAKERSFIELD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION MEETING OF OCTOBER 15, 2019 MINUTES
Vice Chair Montgomery called the regular meeting of the Historic Preservation
Commission to order on Tuesday, October 15, 2019, at 4:00 p.m. at Conference Room A, 1600 Truxtun Avenue. Roll call was as follows:
MEMBERS PRESENT: Stephen Montgomery
Susan Stussy Cathy Butler
Carolyn Long
Steven Humphreys
MEMBERS ABSENT:
STAFF PRESENT: Cecelia Griego
Christine Gutierrez
Joshua Rudnick
Christina Olesen
PUBLIC STATEMENTS:
Allen Ramirez introduced himself as a Bakersfield College student attending the Historic
Preservation Commission meeting as a requirement for one of his classes. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. Motion to approve minutes from the May 21, 2019 meeting.
Minutes approved: Motion made by Commissioner Stussy; Second by Commissioner Butler. APPROVED: All Ayes
CLOSED SESSION:
None
CORRESPONDENCE:
None
PUBLIC HEARINGS:
1. Public Hearing before the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of
Bakersfield to approve the building permit for the replacement of an external
staircase, the HVAC system and related electrical upgrades for property located
at 2030 18th Street, also known as the “Women’s Club of Bakersfield” listed on the
Bakersfield Register of Historic Places in the City of Bakersfield.
Cecelia Griego presented a background of the Women’s Club of
Bakersfield and indicated that staff is recommending approval. No
comments or statements against the recommendation.
Building permit approved: Motion made by Commissioner Stussy; Second
by Commissioner Humphreys. APPROVED: All Ayes REPORTS:
None OLD BUSINESS:
1. Community Outreach: The Commission discussed various activities for the upcoming year.
• Re-sending outreach letter since only one response was received through the first mailing. Suggestion made by Commissioners to hand-
deliver the letter for in person contact and answering any questions if needed.
• Recruitment of more property owners to join the Historic Register
• Continue with the update on neighborhood surveys: East Bakersfield
• Suggestion made by Commissioners to use volunteers to participate in
updating the surveyors, such as college students.
NEW BUSINESS
1. Selection of Historic Preservation Commission Chair.
• Commissioner Butler opened up the nominations with nominating
Commissioner Stussy. Motion made by Commissioner Long to
accept the nomination, Second by Commissioner Butler.
APPROVED: All Ayes
2. Selection of Historic Preservation Commission Vice Chair.
• Commissioner Butler opened up the nominations with nominating
Commission Montgomery to remain as Vice Chair. Motion made by
Commissioner Butler, Second by Commissioner Humphreys to
accept the nomination. APPROVED: All Ayes
3. Commissioners reviewed the goals:
• Mills Act Program: Joshua Rudnick gave a brief explanation of the
Mills Act to the new commissioners. This goal still remains top priority.
• Neighborhood Surveys: To continue with updating the surveys and
perhaps initiating a volunteer program to assist with surveys.
• Public Education/Historic Pride in Bakersfield: This goal is on-going
with attending community events and the organization of tours. To accomplish the update of the Rehabilitate Bakersfield Right
guidebook.
4. Goal #5 Erection of Historic Signage for Route 99 has been accomplished so it
will be deleted from the list.
5. All goals on list are still good and viable with the exception of #5 which has
been accomplished.
COMMISSION STATEMENTS:
• Commissioner Stussy, Commission Chair, stated that an HPC meeting is per
need, unless other circumstances that present itself a special meeting will
be in order.
• Commissioners as a whole, stated that moving the location of the monthly
meeting to the Development Services Building is noted.
• Commissioners welcomed a new staff member from the City Attorney’s
office, Christina Olesen. Christina will be replacing Viri Gallardo-King.
ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned at 4:57 p.m. by Commissioner Montgomery.
A D M I N I S T R A T I V E R E P O R T
Meeting Date: November 19, 2019 Agenda Section: New Business Agenda Item: I - 1
TO: Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Development Services Department
DATE: November 4, 2019
SUBJECT: Selection of Historic Preservation Commission Standing Committee members RECOMMENDATION:
To be determined by Commission: Group Vote.
Comment: Action requires a motion to select candidates and approval of the entire Commission.
BACKGROUND:
Section 5 of the By-laws of the Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission includes two
“Standing” committees to review ongoing issues. The standing committees have the following duties.
1. CULTURAL RESOURCE AND ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE
• The Committee shall review cultural resource inventory surveys and issues pertaining to
non-designated properties.
• The Committee shall review and investigate any building, structure or physical object in
the City which is under consideration as a designated cultural resource or historic district.
• The Committee shall also review demolition requests as they pertain to designated cultural
resources and historic districts.
• The Committee shall render advice and guidance, upon request of property owner or
occupant, on the restoration, alteration, decoration, landscaping or maintenance of any
eligible property.
• The Committee shall also develop guidelines for interpretation and preservation of the
architecture for a designated historic district or cultural resource.
• The Committee shall also review permit-required actions to designated cultural resources and historic districts as stipulated in the historic district or cultural resource architectural
review guidelines.
2. ORDINANCE AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE
• The Committee shall review and recommend amendments to the Municipal Code Section
15.72 (Historical Preservation).
• The Committee shall develop, monitor and amend bylaws of the Commission.
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A D M I N I S T R A T I V E R E P O R T
Meeting Date: November 19, 2019 Agenda Section: New Business Agenda Item: I - 2
TO: Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Development Services Department
DATE: November 4, 2019
SUBJECT: Amendment to the By-laws of the Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation: Approve By-law amendments as proposed by Staff.
BACKGROUND:
Staff recommends amendments to the By-laws of the Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission
to reflect the name change of the Development Services Department and to revise the business office and meeting location to the Development Services Department, First Floor Conference
Room at 1715 Chester Avenue. See attached redlined version for review and consideration.
S:\EDCD_Shared\ED Projects\ED HPC\HPC Meetings\2019\HPC 11.19.19\11.19.19 By-laws.docx
-- Page 1 of 11 Pages --
BYLAWS OF THE BAKERSFIELD HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION ARTICLE I THE COMMISSION
Section 1. Name of the Commission
This Commission shall be called the Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission
(“HPC”).
Section 2. Object of Commission
The object of this Commission is to promote the public health, safety, and general
welfare by providing for the identification, protection, enhancement, perpetuation,
and use of improvements of buildings, structures, signs, objects, features, sites, places
and areas within Bakersfield that reflect special elements of the City’s architectural,
artistic, cultural, engineering, aesthetic, historical, political, social and other heritage as
set forth in Bakersfield Municipal Code (BMC) Chapter 15.72 Historical Preservation,
Section 15.72.010 -- Purpose.
A. To safeguard the City’s heritage as embodied and reflected in such resources;
B. To encourage public knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the City’s past;
C. To foster civic and neighborhood pride and a sense of identity based on the
recognition and use of cultural resources;
D. To promote the enjoyment and use of cultural resources appropriate for the education and recreation of the people of the City;
E. To preserve diverse and harmonious architectural styles and design preferences of
periods of the City’s history and to encourage complementary contemporary design and construction;
F. To protect and enhance the City’s attraction to tourists and visitors (thereby
stimulating business and industry);
G. To identify as early as possible conflicts between the preservation of cultural
resources and alternative land uses;
H. To integrate the preservation of cultural resources and the extraction of relevant
data from such resources into public and private land management and
development processes; and
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I. To conserve valuable material and energy resources by ongoing use and maintenance of the existing built environment. (Ordinance 4460 § 1, 2007)
Section 3. Symbol of Commission
The symbol of this Commission shall be a likeness of the Baker Street Public Library.
Section 4. Business Office
This Commission’s business office shall be in the premises of City Hall North, City of
Bakersfield, 1600 Truxtun Avenue, Conference Room B the Development Services
Department, First Floor Conference Room, 1715 Chester Avenue, Bakersfield, CA 93301.
Section 5. Powers and Duties
Pursuant to BMC Chapter 15.72, Historical Preservation, Section 15.72.040 -- Powers and
Duties, the Commission’s powers and duties are to:
A. Establish criteria and conduct or cause to be conducted a comprehensive survey of
properties within the boundaries of the City, and publicize and periodically update
survey results.
B. Adopt specific guidelines for the designation of cultural resources, including
landmarks, landmark sites, and historic districts, as defined in Bakersfield Municipal Code Section 15.72.020.
C. Maintain a local register of designated cultural resources, historic districts and
designated areas of historic interest.
D. Review and correspond with the City Council and City departments as to matters as they relate to the cultural resources of the community.
E. Assist in recommending prescriptive standards to be used by the Council in
reviewing applications for permits to alter, remove, preserve, protect, reconstruct, rehabilitate, restore, or stabilize any designated cultural resource or historic district.
F. Recommend to the City Council the purchase of fee or less-than-fee interests in
property for purposes of cultural resource preservation and designation.
G. Investigate and report to the City Council on the use of various federal, state, local,
or private funding sources and mechanisms available to promote cultural resource
preservation in the City.
H. Preserve, restore, maintain, and operate designated cultural resources and historic
properties owned or controlled by the City.
-- Page 3 of 11 Pages --
I. Recommend for approval or disapproval, in whole or in part, applications for cultural resource, historic district or area of historic interest designation pursuant to
procedures set forth in this chapter.
J. Review and comment on applications for land use decisions as such applications may be referred to the Commission by the planning commission, the board of
zoning adjustment or the City Council. Comments and recommendations shall be
forwarded to the referring body.
K. Cooperate with local, county, state and federal governments in the pursuit of the
objectives of historic preservation.
L. Provide information, upon the request of the property owner, on the restoration,
alteration, decoration, landscaping, or maintenance of any cultural resource or
property within a historic district or area of historic interest.
M. Participate in, promote, and conduct public information, educational, and
interpretive programs pertaining to cultural resources, historic districts and areas of
historic interest.
N. Perform any other functions that may be designated by the City Council.
Section 6. Definitions
Pursuant to BMC Chapter 15.72, Historical Preservation, Section 15.72.020 – Definitions,
the following words shall have the meanings specified in this section, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
A. “Alteration” means any change or modification, through public or private action, or
any designated cultural resource or property within a designated historic district, which required a permit from the City.
B. “Area of historic interest” means geographic areas, places, structures, buildings,
improvements, sites or objects within the City which have distinctive character or special historic, aesthetic, architectural, cultural interest or value. Area of historic
interest can also mean a single location such as a place, structure, building, improvement, site or object within the City, which has distinctive character or
special historic, aesthetic, architectural, cultural interest or value.
C. “Designated area of historic interest” is an area of historic interest as defined above
that has been designated by the Commission.
D. “Bakersfield Register of Historic Places” means the official City list of designated
cultural resources.
E. “Commission” means the Bakersfield Historic Preservation Commission.
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F. “Cultural resource” means on site improvements, buildings, structures, signs, features (including significant trees or other landscaping), places, place names, interior
architecture features, landmark sites, historic sites, areas (including significant trees or other landscaping located thereon) or other objects of scientific, archaeological,
aesthetic, educational, cultural, architectural, or historical significance to the citizens of the City.
G. “Designated cultural resource” means a cultural resource that has been approved
by the Commission and designated by the City Council.
H. “Exterior architectural feature” means an architectural element embodying style,
design, general arrangement and components of all of the outer surfaces of any
improvement, building or structure, including but not limited to the kind, color and
texture of the building materials and the type and style of all windows, doors, lights,
signs and other fixtures appurtenant to such improvement, building or structure.
I. “Historic district” means any geographically definable urban or rural, small or large
area containing buildings, structures, sites and objects linked historically through
location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and/or association. The
significance of a district is the product of the sense of time and place in history that
individual components collectively convey. This significance may relate to
developments during one period or through several periods in history.
J. “Designated historic district” means a historic district, as defined in subsection I of the section that has been approved by the Commission and designated by the City
Council.
K. “Historic site” means any parcel or portion of real property which as special character or special historical, cultural, archaeological, architectural, community or
aesthetic value.
L. “Landmark site” means any site or improvement, manmade or natural, which has special historical, cultural, architectural, archaeological, community, or aesthetic
character, interest, or value as part of the development, heritage or history of the
City, the State of California, or the nation.
M. “National Register of Historic Places” means a national list of districts, sites, buildings,
structures and objects of local, state or national importance that are significant for
their historical, architectural, archaeological or cultural values. Properties less than
fifty years old ordinarily are not eligible for the Register unless they are of exceptional
importance. The Register is administered by the Keeper of the National Register, U.S.
Department of the Interior, and the nation’s official list of cultural resources worthy of
preservation.
N. “Object” means a material thing or functional, aesthetic, cultural, symbolic, or
scientific value, usually by design or nature movable.
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O. “Preservation” means the act or process of applying measures to sustain the existing form, integrity, and material of a building or structure, and the existing form and/or
vegetative cover of a site. It may include initial stabilization work, where necessary, as well as ongoing maintenance.
P. “Preservation plan” means a list of the proposed restrictions, height and area
regulations, minimum dwelling size, floor area, sign regulations, parking regulations
and any other proposed modification to existing development standards
appropriate to the proposed historic district.
Q. “Property owner” or “owner of property” or “owners of property” means the person
or persons shown as the record owner(s), as determined by a title search of the
property proposed to be designated as a cultural resource. As to property to be
included in a historic district and as to owners of property to be notified of any
hearing as to property other than their own, “property owners” means owners as
shown on the latest equalized assessment roll of the County of Kern.
R. “Protection” means the act of process of applying measures designated to affect
the physical condition of a property by protecting or guarding it from deterioration,
loss or attach, or to cover or shield the property from danger or injury. In the case of
buildings and structures, such treatment is generally of a temporary nature and
anticipates future historic preservation treatment; in the case of archaeological and
paleontological sites, the protective measure may be temporary or permanent.
S. “Restoration” means the act of process of accurately returning the form and details
of a property and its setting as it appeared at a particular period of time, or the removal of later work or the replacement of missing earlier work.
T. “Stabilization” means the act of process of applying measures designed to
reestablish a weather resistant enclosure and the structural stability of an unsafe or deteriorated property while maintaining the essential form as it exists at present.
U. “State Office of the Historic Preservation” means a division of the State Department
of Parks and Recreation which serves as the staff for the State Historic Preservation
Officer who is the official designated and appointed by the Governor to administer
the historic preservation program in California.
Section 7. Commission Members
The Commission shall consist of five unpaid members. Appointments shall be made by
the City Council. All members shall be residents of the City of Bakersfield at
appointment and may continue to be members only so long as they continue to be
residents of the City.
Members shall serve three-year terms. Members shall continue to serve until the City
Council appoints his or her successor.
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If a member resigns, ceases to act as a member, or moves his or her residence from the City, the City Council shall appoint a member to fill the unexpired term.
Any member may be removed from the Commission upon the Mayor’s
recommendation and approval by the City Council, as a result of any of the following:
A. Continued absences from meetings – Three consecutive absences per year. The
City Council may waive such removal for just cause.
B. Repeated disqualification as a result of economic interest in matters considered by
the Commission.
C. Unruly behavior, which continually disrupts meetings.
ARTICLE II OFFICERS
Section 1. Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson
The Commission shall elect, from its members, a chairperson and vice-chairperson to
serve for a one-year term. The Commission shall hold the election during its regular June meeting. If the position of chairperson or vice-chairperson becomes vacant
during the course of the year, the Commission members shall elect a replacement to serve for the balance of the year.
Section 2. Duties of Chairperson
The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Commission, shall appoint each
committee, and perform the duties necessary or incidental to the office.
Duties necessary and incidental to the office of chairperson include calling of special meetings and signing documents or instruments on behalf of the Commission.
Section 3. Duties of Vice-Chairperson
The vice-chairperson, in the absence of the chairperson, or when the chairperson is
unable to act, shall perform the duties of the chairperson.
Section 4. Temporary Chairperson
If both the chairperson and vice-chairperson are absent or unable to act, the
Commission shall elect one of its members to act as temporary chairperson.
-- Page 7 of 11 Pages --
Section 5. Secretary and Administrative Staff
The City Manager, or designee, shall serve as administrative staff to the Commission. The community Ddevelopment Services Ddirector shall assign a representative to serve
as Ssecretary to the Commission. The Ssecretary shall keep minutes of each meeting, record the official actions taken, record the vote on all official actions, certify each
official act and resolution of the Commission, maintain records of Commission
operations, and perform such other duties as the Commission assigns.
Section 6. Additional Personnel
From time to time, the Commission may, with City Council approval, employ or appoint
a consultant or other person.
ARTICLE III MEETINGS Section 1. Regular Meetings
The Commission shall hold its regular meetings on the third Tuesday of each month at
4:00 p.m. in the First Floor Conference Room of City Hall Norththe Development Services
Department, First Floor Conference Room, 1715 Chester Avenue1600 Truxtun Avenue, Conference Room B, Bakersfield, CA 93301. The Commission may hold its meetings at
any other place within the City, if so determined by Resolution. Meetings may be held at irregular intervals as determined by the City Manager or his or her designee. All
meetings shall be noticed and open to the public. Section 2. Quorum
Three Commissioners constitute a quorum. Section 3. Rules of Order
The Commission shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order, latest edition. Section 4. Order of Business
In absence of approval of an agenda to the contrary, the Commission shall pursue the
following order of business:
A. Roll Call
B. Public Statements
C. Approval of Minutes
D. Closed Session
E. Correspondence
F. Public Hearings
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G. Reports H. Old Business
I. New Business J. Commissioner Statements
K. Adjournment
Section 5. Public Statement
At regular meetings, the chairperson shall allow any member of the public to address
the Commission. The total time for public statements shall be fifteen minutes. No
individual speaker shall speak for more than five minutes. The chairperson, in his or her
discretion, may, for good cause, increase the time allotted for public statements.
Section 6. Guests
Any member may invite advisors, specialists, and other persons to attend meetings.
Guests shall not have the power to vote.
Section 7. Cancellation of Meetings
If the Commission has no business or if the secretary determines a quorum is not
available, the chairperson may cancel a regular meeting. The secretary shall give
timely notice of cancellation to all members and to all other persons to whom the secretary normally gives notices of meetings.
Section 8. Public Holidays
If a regular meeting falls upon a public holiday, the Commission shall not meet on that
date. The Chairperson may reschedule or cancel the meeting and the secretary shall arrange for delivery of proper notice.
Section 9. Adjourned Meetings
The Commission may adjourn a meeting for another date, time, and place.
Section 10. Special Meetings
The chairperson alone or four members jointly, may call a special meeting of the
Commission. The secretary shall give notice of a special meeting as required by law. In
a special meeting, the Commission may only deal with matters recited in the call.
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ARTICLE IV COMMITTEES Section 1. Membership
Standing committees shall have no more than two members.
Section 2. Meetings
Committee meetings must be open to the public. The Commission secretary shall give
notice of committee meetings as required by law. The committee, or any member
thereof, may invite individuals or groups to comment and discuss as part of the
committee meeting.
Section 3. Committee Appointments
The chairperson of the Commission shall appoint all committee members. The first
person appointed to the committee shall be that committee’s chairperson.
The members shall serve on the committees for one year. Members shall continue to
serve until the Commission chairperson appoints a successor. If a committee member
resigns or ceases to act as a member, the Commission chairperson shall appoint a
replacement to complete the unexpired term. Section 4. Ex-Officio
The chairperson of the Commission, or an assigned representative, may serve ex-officio to any standing committee. An ex-officio member cannot vote.
Section 5. Committee Types Defined
“Standing” committees review ongoing issues. “Ad hoc” committees have temporary
assignments and are disbanded when those assignments are completed.
The standing committees have the following duties. 1. CULTURAL RESOURCE AND ARCHITECTURAL COMMITTEE
The Committee shall review cultural resource inventory surveys and issues pertaining to
non-designated properties.
The Committee shall review and investigate any building, structure or physical object in
the City which is under consideration as a designated cultural resource or historic
district.
The Committee shall also review demolition requests as they pertain to designated
cultural resources and historic districts.
-- Page 10 of 11 Pages --
The Committee shall render advice and guidance, upon request of property owner or
occupant, on the restoration, alteration, decoration, landscaping or maintenance of any eligible property.
The Committee shall also develop guidelines for interpretation and preservation of the
architecture for a designated historic district or cultural resource.
The Committee shall also review permit-required actions to designated cultural
resources and historic districts as stipulated in the historic district or cultural resource
architectural review guidelines.
2. ORDINANCE AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE
The Committee shall review and recommend amendments to the Municipal Code
Section 15.72 (Historical Preservation).
The Committee shall develop, monitor and amend bylaws of the Commission.
ARTICLE V AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS Section 1.
“Amendment” means a modification to an existing bylaw or an addition to the existing bylaws.
Section 2.
The Commission may amend these bylaws after the Ordinance and Bylaws Committee
reports proposed amendments to the Commission. The Ordinance and Bylaws Committee may receive referrals from the Commission for proposed amendments.
Section 3.
The Commission may amend these bylaws as provided in Section 2, above, when the
proposed amendment receives an affirmative vote of the majority of the total
membership of the Commission.
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I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Bylaws were passed and adopted by
the Historic Preservation Commission of the City of Bakersfield at the regular
meeting held on November 19, 2019 by a majority vote:
AYES: Chairperson Stussy, Butler, Humphreys, Long, Montgomery
NOES: None
ABSTAINING: None
ABSENT: None
________________________________________________
CHAIRPERSON, Historic Preservation Commission of the
City of Bakersfield
APPROVED :______________________________________ Christopher Boyle, Development Services Director
Development Services Department
_________________________________
Cecelia Griego, Economic Development Principal Planner
SECRETARY, Historic Preservation Commission of the
City of Bakersfield
_________________________________
Joshua Rudnick, Deputy City Attorney
GENERAL COUNSEL, Historic Preservation Commission of the
City of Bakersfield
A D M I N I S T R A T I V E R E P O R T
Meeting Date: November 19, 2019 Agenda Section: New Business Agenda Item: I - 3
TO: Historic Preservation Commission
FROM: Development Services Department
DATE: November 4, 2019
SUBJECT: Draft Letter of Support for Mills Act Program RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation: Review and discuss draft support letter.
BACKGROUND:
At the October 15th Historic Preservation Commission meeting, staff was directed to draft a
template letter of support for a Mills Act program. Attached to this report is a draft template letter for review and discussion.
S:\EDCD_Shared\ED Projects\ED HPC\HPC Meetings\2019\HPC 11.19.19\11.19.19 Mills Act.docx
[Date]
To: Honorable Mayor and City Council of the City of Bakersfield
Email: Mayor@bakersfieldcity.us
Email: City_Council@bakersfieldcity.us
Re: My historic property located at [Insert Address].
Dear Honorable Mayor and City Council of the City of Bakersfield:
The purpose of this letter is to inform you that I possess a property that is designated by the City of
Bakersfield as a cultural resource due to its cultural and/or architectural qualities that are significant to
the community.
The ______ was built ___ and was designated as a cultural resource in the City of Bakersfield because
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________.
In an effort to preserve Bakersfield’s various historic and cultural resources, I am sending this letter of
support for the City to consider adopting a Mills Act ordinance to support the continued rehabilitation,
restoration, preservation, and maintenance of Bakersfield’s historic properties.
As background, the Mills Act was enacted in 1972 to help preserve properties designated as cultural or
historical properties for the community at large, and provide tax savings that benefit the property owner
for the continued preservation and maintenance. In a Mills Act community, the owner signs a contract
that, in exchange for tax reassessment, agrees to maintain the quality of the property that resulted in its
cultural and historical designation.
Many of the communities that have a Mills Act ordinance have seen benefits to the overall increase in
property values with a corresponding increase in tax revenue to the community.
A Mills Act ordinance that encourages and incentivizes property owners to preserve their historic
properties fosters greater community pride by encouraging the citizenry at large to take care of their
property. Generally, citizens that have pride in their community take better care of both public and
private property thereby reducing costs, such as cleanup, code enforcement and removal of blight
expenses paid by the taxpayers of Bakersfield.
Sincerely,