Chattel collaborated with staff of the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources (OHR) to host a Mills Act Workshop on Saturday, April 26, 2014 at the Barnsdall Art Park Gallery Theatre in Hollywood. Over 100 people, including applicants, consultants, and staff of multiple Southern California cities, attended this informative event. The program focused on the Mills Act Contract review and approval process, common issues faced by applicants, and tips for preparing successful application materials. Presenters included Lambert Giessinger, AIA of OHR, Patricia Johnson-Conner of the Los Angeles County Assessor, and Robert Chattel, AIA and Shane Swerdlow of Chattel, Inc.
Shane Swerdlow of Chattel, Inc. explains Mills Act application requirements.
The Mills Act Program is California’s leading financial incentive for historic preservation, providing potential property tax reduction to owners of qualified historic buildings. Owners must commit to a substantial scope of rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance work described in a Mills Act Contract that is executed with a local city or county government. 716 diverse single- and multi-family residential, commercial, and industrial properties in the City of Los Angeles have Mills Act Contracts. Chattel is entering its fifth year providing consulting services to OHR to process these Contracts and has performed pre-approval inspections of over 200 buildings. 72 property owners are applying for new Contracts this year.
Robert Chattel, AIA of Chattel, Inc. discusses the Mills Act program with an applicant.
The goal of the Mills Act Workshop was to engage property owners early in the application process to establish expectations and improve knowledge of the program. Chattel looks forward to continuing to serve as a liaison between OHR and applicants as the review process progresses.
Download the Mills Act Workshop Presentation (PDF).
Questions and answers from the Mills Act Workshop are available on the OHR website.
Lambert Giessinger, AIA of OHR, Robert Chattel, AIA of Chattel, Inc., and Patricia Johnson-Conner of the Los Angeles County Assessor answer questions from applicants.