Historical home approval nears
by Elka Worner
A 1913 craftsman home in North Hermosa Beach may become the first residential property in the city’s history to receive a historic landmark designation.
“We’re going to recommend approval,” Hermosa Beach Senior Planner James Atkins said of the three-bedroom property located at 2204 Monterey Blvd.
The city council will address the nomination at their April 25 meeting.
When property owner Marsha Majka applied for the historic designation on April 7, 2022, she had no idea how lengthy and expensive the process would be.
“I’m doing the groundwork for future applicants, so they know what they’re getting into,” Majka said.
In 1998, Hermosa’s City Council approved the Hermosa Beach Historic Resources Preservation Program to encourage owners of historically significant homes and businesses to apply for Mills Act designation. The Mills Act was enacted by the State Legislature in 1972 to encourage cities and property owners to preserve historically significant buildings in exchange for property tax reductions.
Since the ordinance’s adoption, Mills Act designations have been awarded to the Bijou Theater, Bank of America, and the Community Center. But no homes have been recognized.
“Since there is no one on staff to analyze historic structures, the city retained the services of GPA Consulting,” Atkins said.
In their March report, which cost $8,371.25, the firm determined the property was eligible for designation as a Hermosa Beach Landmark. The Craftsman home “embodies distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction,” according to the report.
“While the Craftsman style is common throughout Southern California, not many intact examples remain in Hermosa Beach. The subject property embodies the style as applied to a modest, one-story house by an owner-builder.”
It is a “good and rare example of a modest Craftsman bungalow in Hermosa Beach,” the report said.
“Council approval will establish Hermosa Beach as a city that has historical structures worth preserving,” Atkins said.
The city allows fee waivers on a maximum of two Historic Resource Nomination applications per fiscal year.
For each application, the city waives 90 percent of the following fees, up to a maximum of $10,000 total: Historic Review, Nomination/Application Fee ($2,756); Legal Public Hearing Notice ($881); Categorical Exemption of the California Environmental Quality Act ($204); City Records Technology System Fee ($281.19); Outside Consultant’s Review ($8,371.25).
Majka said she paid $3,500 for the application.
“The fees are a bit excessive, but it’s money well spent,” she said.
Majka said she wanted to preserve her home for future generations because she loves Hermosa Beach.
“I hope there’s a resurgence of pride in our city and our past,” Majka said. “I’d like to be the first, but not the last.” ER