Benefits of Historic Districts

Our neighborhood of Carmel Heights Extension (Palm, Olive, Cooper and Gregory Streets) may qualify as an historic district;  in fact it was identified as a potential district by the San Diego Historic Resources Board  when the board did a walking survey of all of North Park a few years ago.:   http://www.sandiego.gov/planning/programs/historical/faq/index.shtml

To qualify as an historic district, at least 50% of the homes must “contribute” to the district.  A contributing home maintains it’s character defining architectural features–in our neighborhood, that means that when viewing the home from the street, it still looks like a 1920's-1930's Spanish, Craftsman or Art Deco house. 

Benefits:

Higher Property Values.  A recent USD study of San Diego Zip codes 92103 and 92104 showed that homes in an historic district have a 16% higher property value than older homes not in an historic district.(Andrew Narwold, 2008) .  There is a “halo effect” and the noncontributing homes of a district also enjoy a higher value.

Property tax reduction.  Contributing homes qualify for the Mills Act property tax benefit.  If you purchased your home in the last few years at an inflated price, that means a savings of thousands of dollars annually!!  If you bought many years ago and have low taxes, you would be taxed at the lower amount. 

Benefit when selling the home.  The Mills Act property tax transfers to the new buyer, therefore the buyer can qualify for a higher mortgage, since the tax burden is so much lower.  That means that you can sell it for a higher amount.

Preservation of the neighborhood.  The historic district provides protection against tear downs and building of “McMansions”.  The neighborhood maintains it’s original charm.

Prestige of living in an historic district (think Burlingame, Mission Hills)   The lower tax burden frees up money that can be used to maintain the home–discourages neglect.  If you have a contributing home you can get a brass plaque for the front of the home that identifies it as being historic.           

There is no requirement to open your home for a home tour or an inspection. 

There are no restrictions or rules on exterior paint colors, landscaping or the interior of the house.

The CA Historical building codes are grandfathered in.  They are actually more lenient than new building codes.  There are no CC & R’s.  Add ons can be done if they are done in a sensitive and appropriate manner and do not overwhelm the historic home.

Please sign up so we can meet and get more information!  Eva Miller, milleeva@gmail.com