REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION October 27, 2025 FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director Planning and Development Department BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, Assistant Director Planning and Development Department SUBJECT ..Title Consideration of request by property owner to enter into a Mills Act historical property contract pursuant to FMC 12-1706 for: 1. The Maria & JB Cella Home located at 3504 E Huntington Blvd (APN 46118201), in the Huntington Boulevard Historic District. ..Body EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The property owner has submitted an application and draft work plan, and provided final confirmation that they wish to enter into a Mills Act historical property contract. Staff has reviewed the application and determined that the property is a qualified historical property under FMC SEC. 12-1704 and that the submitted draft work plan meets the required contract provisions under FMC SEC.12-1705. RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission hold a public hearing and authorize the Director of Development to execute a Mills Act historical property contract for the subject property, pursuant to FMC 12-1706. BACKGROUND In California, the Mills Act legislation allows local governments to enter into contracts with owners of qualified historic properties providing that in exchange for the restoration and maintenance of these properties, owners receive a reduction in property taxes. Since the City of Fresno adopted the Mills Act Program, 33 properties have been enrolled. Three new applications were submitted for the Mills Act Program for the year 2025. The Maria & JB Cella Home located at 3504 E Huntington Blvd. (APN 46118201) is in the Huntington Boulevard Historic District. Designed by a San Francisco architect, Louis Franceschi, and completed in 1939, it is a two-story Italian Renaissance home with an asymmetrical plan on a corner lot, facing diagonally onto Huntington and 5th. The home is clad in stucco with a clay tile pitched roof, an external brick chimney on the north elevation, and various decorative elements. Its large eastern yard to the east of the home is enclosed in a high wall, and a hipped roof garage facing 5th Street and is connected to the home by an arched arcade. Originally built and owned by noted vineyard and winery owner JB Cella and his wife, Maria, it was later owned by local farmer and builder Larry Raven and his wife, Penny, for more than five decades. Both were notable contributors to the Huntington Boulevard community, and the home is reported to have been visited by a number of celebrity figures and political leaders under their ownership. ANALYSIS According to FMC Sec. 12-1704, to be eligible for the Mills Act Program, properties must meet the following criteria: a) "Qualified historical property" for purposes of this article, means privately owned property within the City of Fresno, which is not exempt from property taxation, and which meets either of the following: 1) The property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places or located in a registered historic district, as defined in Title 26 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 2) The property is listed in any state, city, county, or city and county official register of historical or architecturally significant sites, places, or landmarks. b) "Qualified historical property" for the purposes of this article, does not include "Heritage Properties" as defined by Fresno Municipal Code Section 12-1603(n). The property located at 3504 E Huntington Blvd. is in the Huntington Boulevard Historic District, and thereby qualifies under FMC Sec. 12-1704(a)(1). FMC Section 12-1705 requires the owner of a property with a historical property contract under the Mills Act to preserve and, when necessary, restore and rehabilitate the property to conform to the rules and regulations of the Office of Historic Preservation of the California Department of Parks and Recreation, the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and the State Historical Building Code. The draft work plan submitted by the owner commits the owner to conducting a series of projects to preserve the property and has been reviewed and confirmed by staff to meet the requirements of FMC Sec. 12-1705. Work shall be conducted according to the rules and regulations noted above, and the Department of Planning and Development shall be responsible for assuring performance of the contract including administration, extension, cancellation, and enforcement. FMC Section 12-1606, Duties and Powers of the Commission, provides that the Historic Preservation Commission shall evaluate, review and make recommendations on Mills Act Contracts, and hold a public hearing on each application for a historical property contract. After the hearing, the Commission shall recommend to the Director of the Department of Planning and Development that the application be denied, granted in whole or in part, or modified subject to such conditions as it deems appropriate. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS This is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS Based upon analysis of the application, staff concludes that the property is a qualified historical property under FMC Section 12-1704 and the submitted draft work plan meets the required contract provisions of FMC Section12-1705. CONCLUSION Based on the analysis of the application under the applicable sections of the Fresno Municipal Code, staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission hold a public hearing and authorize the Director of Development to execute a Mills Act historical property contract for the subject property. ATTACHMENTS: Exhibit A - DPR Inventory Form & Designation Resolution Exhibit B - Public Hearing Notice & Radius Map Exhibit C - Draft Mills Act Contract Exhibit D - Public Comment Received