REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
November 24, 2025
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
CONTINUED FROM OCTOBER 27, 2025
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 deny the application for 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. Four 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.
HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION HEARING
On October 27, 2025, the Historic Preservation Commission held a noticed public hearing to consider this application and continued it to November 24, 2025. The Commission requested staff to review and report back on: 1) whether adaptive reuse of a garage to an ADU is permitted as an activity under Mills Act regulations; 2) the current permit status of the solar installation; 3) confirmation that the current ownership is reflected in the Mills Act contract; and 4) whether zoning regulations prevent short-term rental use of the property.
Staff provides the following information in response:
1) The Mills Act and the City of Fresno’s Mills Act Ordinance both obligate the owner “to preserve, and when necessary, to restore and rehabilitate the property to conform to the rules and regulations of the Office of Historic Preservation of the Department of Parks and Recreation, the United States Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, and the State Historical Building Code” (Gov. Code § 50281.1; FMC Sec. 12-1705). ADUs are allowed within a historic district, subject to objective standards that do not unreasonably restrict their creation (Gov. Code § 66311).
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation provide that “a property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces and spatial relationships” (page 28). As such, conversion of a garage to an ADU would be an acceptable component of a Mills Act work program, provided that the work undertaken meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
2) Two applications for building permits were submitted related to the installation of solar panels at the subject property: 1) a re-roof permit, for the purpose of installing solar; and 2) a PV solar permit. The re-roof permit underwent review by Historic Preservation staff, and was approved with the condition that “All maintenance or replacement shall be done in-kind (LIKE-FOR-LIKE: size, shape, materials, appearance, etc.). The solar array shall be installed using the ‘picture frame’ method. Clay tiles shall be re-installed over the composite shingles so that the composite shingles are not visible, or minimally visible where necessary. No additional work shall be done that will alter the appearance of or character-defining elements of the building.” The solar installation was completed on November 13, 2025, with methods that were not in compliance with the condition applied to the re-roof permit, nor with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards regarding roof rehabilitation (Exhibit F and Exhibit G).
3) The most recent grant deed recorded on January 22, 2025 reflects Ke Jing Huang as the owner. Ke Jing Huang is the owner identified on the draft Mills Act contract. A preliminary title report prepared on October 28, 2025 also indicates that as of January 22, 2025, ownership was transferred from Yosemite Cultural Creative Group LLC to Ke Jing Huang. A complete Title Report was requested, but had not been received as of the date of preparation of this report.
4) The City of Fresno allows property owners to rent property, or a portion thereof, to a guest(s) on a short-term basis, subject to requirements including a Short Term Rental (STR) Permit. An STR Permit is required before the home or room(s) can be rented or advertised for rent and the permit holder must be the property owner. To obtain an STR permit, owners first need to apply for a Zone Clearance to confirm that residential use is permitted on the property. Short-term rentals are permitted in districts zoned for single-family homes.
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. However, the submitted draft work plan, which includes installation of solar panels, does not meet the required contract provisions of FMC Section 12-1705 because the work already completed does not conform to Secretary of the Interior Standards.
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 deny the application for 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
Exhibit E - Opposition Letter Received
Exhibit F - Roof Photos
Exhibit G - Secretary of the Interior Standards Regarding Roof Rehabilitation