Historic Preservation Committee - SPECIAL

TOWN OF LOS GATOS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 The Historic Preservation Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a special meeting on September 11, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 4:00 PM ROLL CALL Present: Chair Susan Burnett, Vice Chair Lee Quintana, Planning Commissioner Jeffrey Barnett, Committee Member Barry Cheskin, and Committee Member Martha Queiroz. VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION) None. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. 145 Tait Avenue Minor Residential Development Application MR-24-010 Requesting Approval for Construction of a Second-Story Addition Exceeding 100 Square Feet and Exterior Alterations to an Existing Contributing Single-Family Residence Located in the Almond Grove Historic District on Property Zoned R-1D:LHP. APN 510-18-029. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Jennifer McNellis Applicant: Eric Beckstrom Project Planner: Erin Walters Committee Member Queiroz recused themself from Item 1, 145 Tait Avenue, as their property is located within 500 feet of the subject property. Erin Walters, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Applicant presented the project. 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6874 www.losgatosca.gov PAGE 2 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Eric Beckstrom, Applicant - The Town was covered with 2000-year-old growth redwoods that were logged within a 15-year period. This is a newer house built in the 1920s. It is like other houses in the area. - In 1996, the previous owners renovated the house by adding a two-story section, and a one-story garage. - The previous owners added all new windows, which need to be replaced due to lack of care. All the windows will be replaced with Marvin windows. - In the back, behind the bay, new windows and a door will be added. The gable will go around to the other side of the home. - The home will remain looking historic and livable. Martha Queiroz, Neighbor - Concerned about bumping out the wall to be flush with the bay window. - The proposed windows are not wood. It is preferred to have wood or fiberglass/metal clad windows. - Concerned about the mass of the home with the height and shape of the proposed addition. The addition seems big when compared to the current addition. - Most of the garages in the area are detached, so the proposed addition of a one-car garage does not currently fit the neighborhood. Eric Beckstrom, Applicant - The fiberglass window does not have the same profile as historic. Wood tends to be high maintenance with paint upkeep, which is why aluminum clad was selected. - The house is narrow, so the addition is bumping out to where the original modification from 1996 and where the furnace is located. The design takes that same line to increase the size for the family room to be larger to allow space for furniture. - The owners are aware of concerns by neighbors regarding the trees in the area. They are adding a picket fence, more trees, and an ADU in the future. - This is the smallest house in the neighborhood. Committee Members asked questions of the Applicant. Eric Beckstrom, Applicant - The bay window will not be preserved. It was a house built in the 1920’s when people had one closet and three sets of clothes. Now we are in different world. The infill will be at the backside of the bay, so you won’t see this infill. - The proposed windows are aluminum clad Marvin. The proposed windows are more historically accurate to the house. - The proposed windows on the sides and inset will still match what is there now. Closed Public Comment. PAGE 3 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Committee Members discussed this matter. • The addition is 22’ 9”. This is the same height, correct? • The project is fine as is and the changes are minimal and still historic. • The proposed height is okay • The mass is consistent or smaller. • The footprint doesn’t change. • The garage roof is different from the house roof and the lights are different. • Concerned about them filling in the sides of the bay window • Concerned about the profile of the house on the proposed east elevation. Is the second story gable the same as the first story side gable? The shed roof and garage are different. • The front and back elevations are currently off balance. The proposed has one gable lower than the other on the right side of the house. The proposed is very asymmetrical. • The character of the roof and the southern roofline seems top heavy and out of proportion. • Can we have the Town Architect review the plans to ensure that it is consistent with our guidelines? • The proposed addition and exterior modifications are consistent with Design Guidelines and view from the street is acceptable. MOTION: Motion by Vice Chair Quintana to continue to a date uncertain and return to the Historic Preservation Committee after the completion of a review by the Town’s Consulting Architect. Seconded by Chair Burnett. VOTE: Motion passed 2-2, Planning Commissioner Barnett and Committee Member Cheskin opposed. Motion fails. Committee Members discussed the motion. MOTION: Motion by Chair Burnett to continue to a date uncertain and return to the Historic Preservation Committee after the completion of a focused review of the proposed roofline by the Town’s Consulting Architect. Seconded by Vice Chair Quintana. Staff provided clarification on the role of the Town’s Consulting Architect. Committee Members discussed the motion. ALTERNATIVE MOTION: PAGE 4 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Alternative Motion by Vice Chair Quintana to continue to a date uncertain and return to the Historic Preservation Committee after the completion of a review by the Town’s Consulting Architect. Seconded by Chair Burnett. VOTE: Motion passed 3-1, Committee Member Cheskin opposed. 2. 15116 Blossom Hill Road Request for Review PHST-24-012 Requesting Approval to Remove a Pre-1941 Property from the Historic Resources Inventory for Property Zoned HR-1. APN 527-16-001. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061 (b)(3). Property Owner/Applicant: Gamaleldin Elsayed Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman Jocelyn Shoopman, Senior Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Gamaleldin Elsayed, Applicant - Last time, we agreed that the house doesn’t have any unique architectural style or links to historic events. - Today, I will focus on the addition. The addition was done in the 80’s. The addition is 1,800 square feet, which is about as large as the house. - There was some confusion as to whether the addition was visible from the street. With the shared photos, you can see it from the street. - They want to highlight the change in the roof line. The original shape changed based on the addition to the house. The roof is very new and created new angles that don’t match the original design. - There was also a wall that was replaced due to it collapsing. It was replaced by new material, so it is no longer matching the original house. - The siding of the house was also replaced. Closed Public Comment. Committee members discussed the matter. • Should consider the square footage of the house (sunroom). • All the siding on the house is vinyl siding and was probably done without a permit. PAGE 5 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 MOTION: Motion by Chair Burnett to make a recommendation to the Community Development Director to remove the property from the Historic Resources Inventory List. Seconded by Committee Member Cheskin. VOTE: Motion passed 3 to 2, Vice Chair Quintana and Committee Member Queiroz opposed. 3. 134 Hernandez Avenue Minor Residential Development Application MR-24-013 Requesting Approval for Construction of a Second-Story Addition Exceeding 100 Square Feet and Exterior Alterations to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1:12. APN 510-21-002. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Jason and Janine Paul Applicant: David Kuoppamaki Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman Chair Burnett recused themself from Item 3, 134 Hernandez Avenue, as their property is located within 1,000 feet of the subject property. Jocelyn Shoopman, Senior Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. David Kuoppamaki, Applicant - There are going to be a few additions to the house along with a small addition to the detached garage. The new additions to the house are when facing it to the left, most of it will have a small addition in front of the kitchen area. We will continue with the roof lines being similar. The windows will be similar in style and will be wood clad windows to match. Committee members asked questions of the applicant. David Kuoppamaki, Applicant - One of the reasons we are putting the addition to the side is that there is a building that isn’t legally permitted per Los Gatos, so we are taking that out and we are now going to infill that with a legal residence. The back of the house is sloped a far distance, has a play area and pool, and has oak trees that would get in the way. - We chose a square window in the front because most of the bedroom windows were square. It wouldn’t be an issue to match it to the rounded one. Closed Public Comment. PAGE 6 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Committee members discussed the matter. • This is a good project and matches the original very well. • Consider matching that one window. MOTION: Motion by Committee Member Queiroz to forward a recommendation of approval of the above request to the Community Development Director with the following modifications: the front south elevation window be revised, if architecturally possible, to match the existing window on the right-hand side of the home and to match the wainscoting material to what is there. Seconded by Commissioner Barnett. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS (Up to three minutes may be allotted to each speaker on any of the following items.) 4. 14344 La Rinconada Drive Request for Review Application PHST-24-013 Preliminary Review for Construction of an Addition and Exterior Alterations to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1:8. APN 409-19-019. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner/Applicant: William Maynard Project Planner: Erin Walters Erin Walters, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Public Comment Opened. Michelle Miner, Designer, and William Maynard, Applicant - They are here because of the age of this house with some records showing the house was built in 1939, however aerial photography at that time show it was an orchard. Aerial photography taken in 1948 shows the neighborhood was more developed. The house as it sits today does not look like the original home. - We do not have record of what the original windows were. With the garage addition, it does align with the neighborhood as it varies greatly. The proposed addition and exterior materials will match the existing materials of the home. Committee members asked questions of the applicant. PAGE 7 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 Michelle Miner, Designer - They did consider pushing the garage back further. But it was the desire of the owner to preserve the rear yard. When reading the Design Guidelines, they thought they were supposed to take the neighborhood pattern into account when designing the project. If this home wasn’t historic, would the garage location be an issue? Staff: Erin Walters, Project Planner - If the house was not historic, staff and the committee would still be using the Design Guidelines to review the project, and this topic could still come up. Public Comment Closed. 5. 311 Johnson Avenue Request for Review Application PHST-24-015 Preliminary Review for Exterior Alterations and Construction of a New Second-Story Addition to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1:8. APN 532-28-017. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Nishita Biddala Applicant: Abhay Reddy Project Planner: Suray Nathan Suray Nathan, Assistant Planner, presented the staff report Public Comment Opened. Abhay Reddy, Applicant - Last time a 239-square-foot addition at the rear of the house was requested. The reason being that the rear was added later. We are proposing to extend out an additional six feet with no changes to the main house. Committee members asked questions of the applicant. Abhay Reddy, Applicant - There is a blank wall at the side of the house because our houses are close together. We want to keep the windows to the rear for privacy for both the neighbors and us. - The roofline was deigned to replicate the neighborhood style. Public Comment Closed. PAGE 8 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 11, 2024 REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT The Director’s decisions have all aligned with the recommendations by the Committee from prior meetings. COMMITTEE MATTERS - The Committee would like window samples and/or guidelines on windows on historic homes. - Status of 202 Miles Avenue: There was a stop work notice in place due to an accident on site, but work has now resumed. - Welcome to Planning Commissioner Jeffrey Barnett. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:00 p.m. This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the September 11, 2024 meeting as approved by the Historic Preservation Committee. /S/ Sean Mullin, AICP, Planning Manager