⌂ GRAHAM LARKIN

City of South Pasadena Landmark Designation

Overview

The City of South Pasadena has outstanding policies and practices supporting historic preservation. With a population of just over 25,000, it has more than 50 local landmarks and 5 historic districts. The Cultural Heritage Ordinance (1992, rev. 2017) adopts incentives promoting the preservation and rehabilitation of historic structures, including the appointment of a 5-person Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC). The CHC registers historic resources in the South Pasadena Register of Landmarks and Historic Districts. It also advises and guides property owners’ requests for restoration, alteration, decoration, landscaping or maintenance of landmarks and historic districts.

Landmarking renders properties eligible for the tax incentives outlined in the final section below. In South Pasadena landmarking can apply to individual properties or to historic districts. 

Landmarking Procedure / Timeline

The process for registering landmarks and historic districts is outlined in Section 2.63 of the City code. A landmark is a cultural resource that has been designated by the South Pasadena city council, on the recommendation of the Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC). A key component of the designation process is a report in the form of a “DPR 523 Series form” written by a qualified architectural historian. The report must include a context statement establishing a clear relation between the physical environment of the landmark or historic district and its history; it must indicate a period of significance; and it must meet other specified criteria and standards. There are a number of further requirements for the establishment of historic districts.

Once the application for designation has been submitted, there are a number of protocols involving the CHC, a 2-person landmark subcommittee. There is a maximum waiting period of 180 days before the submission of applications for design review. The Commission must send notification to the owner 20 days prior to the public hearing on the designation, and it must make a public announcement at least 10 days prior. Within 15 days of the hearing the commission must render a decision, approving or disapproving the application in whole or in part. This gives the owner time to set forth any objections to the decision prior to the meeting of the city council, which will be addressed in a hearing within 30 days. Designated cultural resources are then registered in the city inventory of cultural resources.

Mills Act Incentives

The City of South Pasadena Cultural Heritage Ordinance lists a number of incentives for historic preservation. For property owners, the main incentive for historic designation in South Pasadena is eligibility for Mills Act tax benefits. The Mills Act is a California state law that allows local governments to offer property tax relief to owners of qualified historic properties who agree to restore, maintain, and protect them, as specified in approved 10-year (minimum) contracts.

In South Pasadena Mills Act eligibility is limited to “landmarks; contributing properties of local historic districts; properties listed on the National Register; properties listed on the California Register; and properties that the commission, with concurrence of the city council, may identify as appropriate for a Mills Act contract.”

Proposals for Mills Act contracts are ranked according to the following criteria (here paraphrased for brevity):

  • Financial Investment, with the estimated tax benefit not expected to exceed the applicant’s proposed financial investment in the cultural resource over the first 10 years of the contract;
  • Public Benefit, by rendering the property more practicable through rehabilitations and upgrades; by preserving, maintaining or reinstating the property’s character-defining features;
  • Retroactive Limitations. The estimated tax benefit will not be used for any work completed or initiated before the approval of the contract, unless the work was necessary for public health or safety following involuntary damage or destruction.
  • Limitations on Maintenance. The estimated tax benefit will not be used for routine maintenance work except for exemplary or exceptional properties that have financially burdensome maintenance requirements.
  • Limitations on Interior Work. The estimated tax benefit will not be used for work within the interior of a cultural resource unless the commission determines the following exceptions should be made: the interior work is necessary to improve the structural integrity of the property; the interior work is necessary to preserve and maintain character-defining features within the cultural resource that are specifically identified as part of the official landmark nomination; and/or the interior work is necessary to preserve and maintain character-defining features of the property that were discovered subsequent to its landmark designation. The commission must first determine that those interior features are character-defining based on substantial evidence provided by the applicant.
  • Limitations on Landscaping. The estimated tax benefit will not be used for landscaping work unless it will be used for specific landscape features that were identified as part of the official landmark nomination.

There are numerous required provisions for Mills Act contracts in South Pasadena, including protocols for renewals, cancellations, and periodic inspections. Proposals are accepted in the first quarter of each calendar year, and the Commission renders a decision on the proposal before the end of September. Unlike most municipalities, the City of South Pasadena does not have a valuation cap, meaning all designated historic properties are potentially eligible for funding.

See the City’s Mills Act application form to learn more about the process, and contact me if you need a qualified architectural historian to help determine your property’s eligibility, or to prepare a Rehabilitation, Restoration, and/or Maintenance plan.

Who Benefits from the Mills Act?

Participation in the Mills Act program is voluntary and is restricted to owners of designated historic properties. Property owners with comparatively low property taxes, such as those benefitting from Proposition 13 limits on assessed value change over time, will not likely benefit from a Mills Act contract because the assessed value under the Mills Act will likely be higher than the current base-year value of the property. In general, owners who benefit most from a Mills Act contract are those who have acquired their properties in the last 10 years.

Further Advantages of Historic Assessment

Beyond Mills Act eligibility, there are other potential benefits to having a property formally assessed by a qualified historian. Uncovering the property’s story —including its architects, builders, occupants and renovation timeline, as revealed in a range of textual and visual records — can be helpful for:

  • Establishing historic significance for buildings of note, thereby facilitating heritage designation; access to preservation resources including restoration grants and tax incentives; and protection from unwanted alterations;
  • Guiding restoration efforts by ensuring that the materials, construction methods and style are historically appropriate, thus preserving the property’s character and maintaining or increasing its value;
  • Adding market value by demonstrating its association with significant people (e.g. architects, builders, owners, occupants) or events;
  • Legal and planning benefits including facilitation of zoning issues, building permits, or disputes about property modifications, especially in historic districts.

I’m a Pasadena-based architectural historian who has written hundreds of assessments for a wide variety of property owners throughout Los Angeles County. I’m a qualified historian, meaning I meet the standards required by the City of South Pasadena for architectural assessment.

If you own a property that is more than 50 years old, schedule a consultation to find out whether historic designation is right for you.

If any of the above links are broken or incorrect, or if you would like to suggest other resources for preservation in South Pasadena, please let me know.

Not in South Pasadena? Click on a link below for historic designation in
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