Carmel City Council approves property tax break for Frank Lloyd Wright house owned by Patrice Pastor.

It was very close, but Monaco developer Patrice Pastor got his historic home tax break, known as the Mills Act, on the Mrs. Clinton Walker House, a world-famous home on the beach designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. 

On Tuesday, March 5, the Carmel City Council voted 3-2 in favor of entering into a Mills Act contract with Pastor's company, Esperanza Carmel, which means the company will earn a property tax reduction in return for renovating and maintaining the home on the National Register of Historic Places.

The act was passed by the California Legislature in 1972, as a way to preserve historic homes and buildings by giving owners a break on taxes so they could use the money to preserve the buildings.

The vote could have swung the other way. Councilmember Alissandra Dramov was clearly pained in her decision to vote "yes" along with Mayor Dave Potter and Councilmember Bobby Richards.

Earlier in the meeting, Dramov voted "yes" on another Mills Act contract with a different property owner. 

"I'm torn here. I just voted for the other one so it's going to look very hypocritical if I say no," she said, adding that she was still concerned it appeared they were giving the wealthy Pastor a gift.

The council balked at making a decision on the contract in January, when Dramov and councilmembers Jeff Baron and Karen Ferlito said they were concerned over the fairness of Esperanza Carmel receiving a property tax reduction that would mean a decrease in revenue for Carmel Unified School District.

The council directed staff to go back and negotiate with Esperanza Carmel representatives before coming back for another vote.

Pastor, it seems, wasn't going to negotiate, and he said so in a rare appearance via Zoom from Monaco, his home country, on March 5.

"I will not accept this negotiations in my wonderful village," Pastor said in a thick French accent, referring to Carmel.

"I'm under no illusion, because this is not a technical subject, and because this subject wins unanimous support amongst those with an unpolluted mind," he said, taking a dig at councilmembers and residents who have opposed the contract. He said he had no intention of taking legal action against the city, should he lose.

"I can confirm you that my intention is to maintain this wonderful house in perfect condition even if only to continue to bother those jealous people who will never have access to it," Pastor said.

He purchased the home a year ago for $22 million.

Pastor also made light of a recent SF GATE article that quoted one resident as saying people are "terrified" of Pastor and his growing collection of Carmel properties.

"I would like to inform those who feel terrified by my presence that I will be in town between 21 and 24 of March. I suggest they either take a vacation during this period or come and meet me for a relaxation class," Pastor said.

Near the end of the discussions, Richards said he was supporting the contract because Esperanza Carmel had met all five criteria for the Mills Act. Until the city's policies about the contracts changes, "we have to judge these projects based on the property and based on if they meet the findings," he said. 

On Dec. 5, the council voted 5-0 to enact a temporary moratorium on all new Mills Act applications for a review of the city's ordinance and policies. Esperanza Carmel's request, along with two others, were already in the city's pipeline and are not impacted by the moratorium.