Mountain View will update and expand its historic places register with a list of new sites, though many property owners want their names off the list.
The Mountain View City Council unanimously voted to direct staff to set the criteria for historic property eligibility requirements, and for how properties could be listed or be removed from the register to update the historic register ordinance. A vote on the updates will be done in the new year.
Under the process, property owners could not opt to be removed from the register. Property owners would be able to apply for the register or apply for removal, with the City Council making the final determination whether the places would be on the register or not.
Mayor Ellen Kamei said the council was moving forward with the ordinance update to provide access for new sites and refine the process for access or removal.
“I still think that it can be a good thing because we are tackling a really thorny issue that we haven’t updated in quite some time, and so that’s how I’m couching all my thoughts,” she said. “The silver lining and the good news is we will be able to move forward.”
There were 93 properties that were put on the inaugural register when it was first developed in 2004. There are currently 46 properties on the register. The existing register does not include a complete list of properties that would require a historic preservation permit and owners are not aware of certain requirements when they submit a project to the city.
Historic registry can set best practices for updating properties and their features, which can be incorporated into project design. It can also protect historic structures. Buildings become eligible for access to the list after 50 years.
Staff determined that religious properties would not be listed without the consent of property owners, which was announced at the beginning of the meeting.
John Martinez, a resident of Mountain View for the last 39 years, said at the meeting he was featured on the list for the first time. He said he was seeking to remove himself from the list.
“My property is just age. I don’t see why I should be considered on a historic registry just because my property is old,” he said.
George Aviet, owner of the restaurant Chez TJ in Mountain View, said he was seeking to sell his property and retire. He said he would seek to have his property removed.
“Unfortunately, I’ve been listed on the historic registry without my permission,” he said.
