By Brian CHERNICK

Glendale City Council convened on Tuesday to revisit a hearing on a home and its owner Sonia Montejano who is seeking its registration in the Glendale Historic Registry.

The Spanish Colonial Revival house located in in Montecito Park was approved unanimously by the Glendale Historic Preservation Commission in August and was presented to council the following month where it faced scrutiny for a front facing wall. The council returned the request back to the commission, which found that the wall had been added illegally without a permit. The date of the addition is unclear due to the lack of permits, but neighbors suggested it was built sometime in the 1980s or ’90s.

While the commission provided the option for council to approve the property with a condition to remove the wall, it decided on a 4-1 vote to deny Montejano’s request.

Councilmember Ara Najarian hoped to provide a compromise to the owner, offering to vote for the house to be in the Glendale Historic Registry, but not to approve a Mills Act contract. The Mills Act is an important economic incentive program in California for the restoration and preservation of qualified historic building by private property owners. The Mills Act Program is administered and implemented by local governments.

Montejano turned down the offer, stating she wanted both or neither.

“The highest level that we can confirm on a city level is the Mills Act,” Najarian said. “I just cannot get there.”

Najarian cited the number of changes to the home, stating that he could not vote for the home to receive a Mills Act contract that had “this many changes” without permits. A number of gates, railings and walkways had been added since the original construction, all without permits. The only permit that exists, according to the HPC report, is the original 1925 permit for the home.

Councilmember Paula Devine failed to get another councilmember to move the motion to a vote and was the only member to vote against the motion to reject the property owner’s request.

  Brian CHERNICK