The owner of Orinda's only Frank Lloyd Wright house is seeking a major property tax reduction under the Mills Act. The act, which was designed to offset the cost of preserving historically designated homes, could help owner Gerald Shmavonian reduce his taxes by about $30,000 a year for 10 years. Shmavonian bought the home for $3.3 million in 2013 but does not occupy it, and some city leaders are questioning the public benefit of losing tax revenue when the home's survival is already ensured by a conservation agreement entered into by the prior owners. [Contra Costa Times; H/t SFGate]
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