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One major component of any proposal involving the demolition of a historic structure is the preparation of the necessary professional analysis to determine if a specific structure meets the criteria for protected status. Currently, when the need for such analysis arises, the project applicant is required to hire a City-approved expert to complete this analysis. The cost is usually about $5,000 and often can take 30 to 45 days to complete. The Task Force has concluded that completing a survey of all of the older homes in the Downtown to predetermine if this status would be a significant saving for applicants in terms of both time and money. Such a comprehensive survey would benefit from economies of scale and could be completed for approximately $100,000. 6. Incentives for Historic Preservation. The Downtown Specific Plan currently suggests that the City encourage participation in the Federal Historic Preservation Tax Certification Program to assist in the funding of historic preservation projects. However, such a program requires the creation of a National Register Historic District in Downtown Pleasanton, a proposal that is probably not consistent with current community desires or realistic in terms of the level of historic resources present in Pleasanton. Alternatively, the Task Force suggests that the City pursue establishment of a Mills Act Program, which could be accomplished with the creation of a local Historic District or an adopted inventory of historic resources. The program involves contracts between the City and the property owner whereby an agreed-upon list of preservation activities are agreed to in exchange for a reduction on the City's share of local property tax. ALTERNATIVES The City Council may want to consider alternatives to pursuing the entire package of efforts identified by the Task Force. While the potential combinations of various programs are extensive, the following is an attempt to group combinations of actions together that represent different levels of effort that make sense together. These Alternatives are listed in order of increasing levels of effort. Level 1. Implement basic improvements only (i.e., definition of demolition, clarify existing policies and guidelines, provide process flow chart). This approach would not add any significant new standards or regulations but would clarify the policies and regulations that already exist. Level 2. Partial implementation of Task Force recommendations (i.e., definition of demolition, design review for first-floor residential for historic buildings, clarify existing policies and guidelines, provide process flow chart, complete comprehensive historic resource survey). This would update the City's package of Historic Preservation policies and regulations and address some of the Task Force's concerns without creating a Historic District, new local standards of significance, or providing the Mills Act incentive. It would result in Page 8 of 10