Just seven years after Beverly Hills began taking steps to preserve its historic fabric with the creation of the Cultural Heritage Commission in 2012, the City is poised to dramatically augment its stock of historic properties following the Dec. 17 City Council vote to create a permanent Mills Act program. The City now has 42 properties that have received an historic property designation.
The Mills Act Program (Government Code Section 50280) is regarded by the state’s Office of Historic Preservation as “the single most important economic incentive program in California for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic buildings by private property owners.” Administered and implemented by local governments, a Mills Act Preservation Agreement allows the owner to receive a reduction in property taxes in exchange for the property owner’s commitment to repair, restore, rehabilitate, and/or maintain the historic property.
