Thank you, Chair.

We're ready to start when you are.

Good evening.

Welcome to the when Wednesday, October 22nd, 2025 meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission.

It's 5 30 p.m.

The meeting is now called to order.

Will the Kirk please call the roll to establish a quorum?

Thank you, Chair.

Commissioners, please unmute your microphones.

Vice Chair Merker?

Here.

Commissioner Ambacher?

Here.

Commissioner Burns.

Absent.

Commissioner Rika?

Here.

Commissioner Cross.

Here.

Commissioner McSlavin.

Absent.

Chair Nayer.

Here.

Thank you.

Chair, we have a quorum.

Thank you.

I'd like to remind members of the public and chambers that if you would like to speak on an agenda item, please turn in a speaker slip when the item begins.

You will have two minutes once you are called upon.

After the first speaker, we will no longer accept speaker slips.

We will now proceed with the land acknowledgement and pledge of allegiance.

Please stand.

To the original people of this land, the Nissanan people, the Southern Maidu, Valley and Plains, Newok, Pot to Wintoons people, and the people of the Wilton Rancheria, Sacramento's only federally recognized tribe.

May we acknowledge and honor the native people who came before us and still walk beside us today on these ancestral lands by choosing to gather together today in the active practice of acknowledgement and appreciation for Sacramento's indigenous peoples' histories, contributions, and lives.

Thank you.

Please remain standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Our first business item today is approval of the consent calendar.

Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak on this item?

Chair, I have no speaker slips on this item.

Thank you.

Are there any commissioners who wish to speak?

Is there a motion and a second for the consent calendar?

Motion to approve the consent calendar.

I'll second.

Okay, so I'm sorry, who who won that race?

Okay, all right.

Second by Commissioner Reek.

Okay, Commissioners, please unmute your microphones.

Uh Vice Chair Merker.

Yes.

Commissioner Ambacher.

Yes.

Commissioner Burns.

Absent.

Commissioner Rika?

Yes.

Commissioner Cross.

Yes.

Commissioner McSlavin.

Absent.

Enter Nayer.

Yes.

Thank you.

Motion passes.

Thank you.

We'll now proceed with the public hearings calendar or the discussion calendar.

First item is the old Sacramento Sign District Amendment.

Good evening, Commissioners.

My name is Henry Fuse, Preservation Planner for the City of Sacramento, and I'll be presenting the uh chapter 15.152, Old Sacramento Sign District Amendment, which is being presented to the Commission this evening with a request for review and comment.

The old Sacramento sign guidelines were adopted in 1983, and the old Sacramento Special Sign District was codified in 2005.

Both contain outdated provisions and subjective permitting processes that are no longer used or enforceable.

As a result, enforcement has been inconsistent and signage in old Sacramento has increasingly detracted from the district's historic character and visitor experience.

The concept documents summarize the direction of the proposed update, which would eliminate obsolete guidelines and incorporate clear objective standards into a Sacramento City Code Chapter 15.152.

The draft concepts to establish consistent uh content neutral rules on permitted sign types, science limits, materials, lighting, placement, and maintenance, while aligning old Sacramento with citywide permitting practices by removing outdated roles and clarifying review authority.

Changes include adding objective limits to ensure all businesses have equal opportunity for visibility and preventing excessive signage that undermines the historic character and visitor experience.

Requiring materials that reinforce the gold rush era feel of old Sacramento, while allowing modern techniques that replicate traditional appearances, allowing limited conduit and spotlights to provide flexibility without compromising the district's historic look, dictating sign placement to preserve historic architectural details, keep storefronts visible, and maintain pedestrian accessibility.

Establishing maximum size and clear dimensional rules to ensure consistency and fairness amongst occupants while maintaining compatibility with historic scale, placing restrictions on signs that are inconsistent with the historic character of the district, implementing uniform addressing standards and clarification of upkeep and maintenance requirements and enforcement processes that will align with citywide standards and processes.

The updated standards are intended to balance the need for business owners' effective visible signage with the city's responsibility to safeguard old Sacramento's historic setting.

This balance is critical to maintaining the district's role as both a cultural resource and a vibrant economic hub that attracts residents and visitors alike.

The preservation commission's feedback on the concept documents will help staff refine the proposed regulations and draft an ordinance before a draft ordinance is prepared for future city council's consideration.

This concludes my presentation.

Thank you.

Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak?

Thank you, Chair.

I have no speaker slips on this item.

Are there any commissioners who wish to speak on this item?

So should we move on?

Okay.

The James C.

Dodd and Associates Offices, National Register of Historic Places nomination.

Is there a city?

Yes.

Me again.

The James C.

Dodd and Associates' Offices, excuse me.

Good evening, Commissioners.

My name is Henry Fuse, preservation planner for the City of Sacramento, and I'll be presenting the JMC Dodd Associates' Offices National Register of Historic Places nomination, which is being presented to the Commission this evening with a request for review and comment.

The JMC Dodd and Associates' Offices, located at 2710 X Street was identified through the city as African American Experience Project and was recently listed on the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources.

As a certified local government, the City of Sacramento is committed to participating in the process of nominating historic resources to the California Register of Historical Resources and the National Register of Historic Resources, Historic Places.

When possible, draft national register nominations are brought before the Preservation Commission to allow for review and comment prior to consideration by the State Historical Resources Commission.

The California Preservation Foundation funded the preparation of the National Register listing as part of its underrepresented California grant program with document prepared by groundwork preservation planning consultants.

The James C.

Dodd and Associates Offices nomination is particularly significant because it stems from the city's African American Experience Project and highlights the professional achievements of Sacramento's first licensed black architect, James Dodd.

The property is also being listed as an important example of the international style.

Bringing this nomination to the commission provides an opportunity to affirm the importance of recognizing underrepresented histories within Sacramento's preservation program and to underscore the city's leadership in advancing more inclusive historic designations at the national level.

Staff recommends that the commission provide comments on the draft nomination and adopt a motion directing staff to attend the November 7th, 2025 State Historical Resources Commission meeting to make a statement in support of the nomination.

Doing so will reinforce the city's CLG commitment, elevate the importance of the property within local and state context and strengthen the case for national register listing by demonstrating unified community and into institutional support.

This concludes my presentation.

Thank you.

Um thank you, Chair.

I have no speaker slips on this item.

Are there any commissioners who wish to speak?

Go ahead, Ms.

Cross.

Very happy to see this moving forward and uh really support the listing at the national level of the Dodd office and also support the idea that staff should go and comment on this, you know, on on our city's behalf at the listing.

Um that's it.

Thank you.

Go ahead, Ms.

Lonbacher.

Um I'm just gonna kind of reiterate what Ella said that I'm really excited that this is going on the National Register.

Um, I think it's important, and some of the changes that are we're seeing that are occurring under CEQA, that getting these buildings actually listed and not just determined eligible is becoming more and more important.

Um, and so I fully support this, and I'm really glad that OHP and that it's gonna go to the state historical resources commission.

Any other commissioners who wish to speak?

Is there a motion for this item?

I'm I move to make a motion to support the national register listing of the James C.

Dodd office and the attendance of staff at the uh commission um meeting.

I'll go ahead and second that.

Clerk, will you please call a vote?

Yes, thank you, Commissioners.

Please unmute your mics.

Vice Chair Merker, yes, Commissioner Ambacher, yes.

Commissioner Burns, absent.

Commissioner Rika?

Yes.

Commissioner Cross?

Yes, Commissioner McSlavin, absent, Chair Nyer.

Yes.

Thank you.

The motion passes.

Okay, the next item is item four, the Preservation Commission 2025 annual report and 2026 work plan.

All right, good evening, Commissioner.

Sean DeCourcy Preservation Director.

Um, as you're aware, the city council rules of procedure require an annual report from all legislative bodies.

At your last meeting, you reviewed the draft annual report with no comments.

Uh, the final draft of the report is before the commission tonight for your recommendation to the PNP committee to adopt the final report or to forward a recommendation to city council to adopt the final report.

That concludes my remarks on this item, and I can answer any questions you may have.

Are there any comments from the public on this item?

Um, I have no speaker.

Sure, I have no speaker slips on this item.

Are there any commissioners who would wish to speak?

Do we have a motion?

I will move to uh forward the annual report and work plan to the committee as noted.

Do we have a second?

I'll second.

Okay, thank you.

Commissioners, please unmute your mics.

Uh Vice Chair Merker.

Yes.

Commissioner Ombacher, yes.

Commissioner Burns, absent.

Commissioner Rika?

Yes.

Commissioner Cross, yes.

Commissioner McSlavin, absent, and Chair Nyer, yes.

Thank you.

The motion passes.

Thank you.

The next item is the director's report.

Alright, thank you.

Again, Sean DeCourcy Preservation Director.

I have just a few items for the director's report this evening.

Um I did want to note that uh as I mentioned last month, we uh recently hired two interns, Hannah and Hazel, who both started this week.

And I wanted to acknowledge that Hannah is in the audience tonight.

Um she has uh just worked a long day, and uh and I invited her to come down so you could uh put a face to the name.

Uh Hazel's in a class this evening, so she couldn't attend.

Uh both Hannah and Hazel are enrolled in the public history program in Sacramento State, and they're currently enrolled in the class that Henry and I are Henry Fuse and I are teaching this semester.

Um next, you've gotten emails from the clerk's office regarding your ethics training and your Form 700 filing, uh, which are currently due.

So make sure that uh you you complete those required items.

And then lastly, I wanted to note uh I mentioned last at the last meeting that 19 uh new MILS Act contracts were on their way to city council for approval.

City council did approve all 19 contracts to be executed, so we're in the process of executing those.

Um we're starting to this is the highest number of mills act contracts that we've executed since 2018 when the program was enacted, and um we're starting to get some numbers back on what property owners are are saving as a results of this program.

And um best case scenario, property owners are saving up to 60% on their property taxes.

Um that percentage goes down the longer someone has owned their property, so some property owners are not saving that much, but um some of these properties that are entering the program are seeing very significant tax savings, which you know are being reinvested into the property's maintenance and upkeep.

So it's uh it's really starting to pay dividends.

With that, it concludes my director's report, and I can answer any questions from the commission.

Okay, next item.

Oh, sorry, go ahead, Mr.

Rika.

But I think.

I just was gonna say, is there a floor on the percentage that's usually, you know, deducted from the property tax bill.

The way that the way the Mills Act program works as specified in the state law, the property tax assessor for the county takes three different methods to evaluate the property for tax purposes.

Um, one of those methods is the standard method under Prop 13, and then the other two methods are intended to uh reduce the property owners' taxes because Prop 13 limits the the amount taxes can go go up each year to 1.5 percent property owners who've purchased their property a long time ago and and paid relatively little for it as adjusted for uh property inflation.

The um the the they won't save as much when they're recalculated, and because the tax assessor has to take the lowest the lowest property tax assessment, sometimes the Proptor 13 rate is the lowest.

So some property owners who've owned their property for a really long time won't save very much on their taxes, if anything at all, but newer property owners tend to save the most, and so what we've been seeing is we've been seeing a lot of a lot of commercial properties who are recently renovated.

The developers have realized that this is a uh beneficial program and are applying for these Mills Act contracts as part of that.

We're also seeing new property owners who buy houses which are very expensive now, and and applying for Mills Act contracts or even nominating their buildings to be listed, and um sorry, kill them.

And uh, and um they'll they'll nominate their buildings to be listed and then uh and then receive the benefit of the Mills Act program after the properties listed.

Got true, okay.

Next item is commissioner comments, ideas, and questions, or are there any commissioners who'd like to speak?

Okay, the last item is public comments and matters not on the agenda.

Clerk, are there any members of the public who wish to speak?

Thank you, Chair.

I have no speaker slips on this item.

Okay, this concludes today's agenda.

Thank you, everyone, for your participation.

This meeting is adjourned at five forty nine PM.