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Carlsbad Adopts the Mills Act
November/December 2022
 Traffic passes under the Carlsbad sign in front of the historic Twin Inns mansion that today houses a restaurant and a sportswear shop. (Charlie Neuman / San Diego Union-Tribune) |
Carlsbad is the latest city in San Diego County to offer owners of designated historic buildings the option of Mills Act contracts, as part of updating its historic preservation ordinance. The California program gives historic building owners a reduction in property taxes for 10 years, if they agree to put the same amount of money into restoring or maintaining the resource. The voluntary contract is automatically renewable and transferable to a new owner. San Diego, Chula Vista, Coronado, Encinitas, Escondido, La Mesa, National City, and San Diego County (for unincorporated areas) also have Mills Act programs.
SOHO celebrates this news, which arrives during the Mills Act’s 50th anniversary. This forward-looking act, sponsored by the late state Senator James Mills, a San Diegan and longtime SOHO member, is widely considered California’s best preservation incentive. Thousands of buildings have been saved, restored, and adaptively reused, thanks to this program. In 2001, SOHO gave Mills our highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement award, for his remarkably broad, innovative, and continuous support of historic preservation. Read the award citation and his his obituary.
“Creating carrots for historic preservation is one of the smartest things this community can do,” said Carlsbad Councilmember Peder Norby before the City Council unanimously approved the program in October 2022, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Read Carlsbad adopts Mills Act program to help preserve historic buildings.
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