Historic Preservation Committee - SPECIAL

TOWN OF LOS GATOS HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE REPORT MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING DECEMBER 18, 2024 The Historic Preservation Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a special meeting on December 18, 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. Absent: None VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION) 1. Draft Minutes of the September 11, 2024 Historic Preservation Committee Meeting 2. Draft Minutes of the October 23, 2024 Historic Preservation Committee Meeting MOTION: Motion by Committee Member Barnett to approve the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Committee Cheskin. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS (Up to three minutes may be allotted to each speaker on any of the following items.) 6. 34 Pleasant Street Request for Review Application PHST-24-023 Preliminary Review for Construction of a New Second-Story Addition to an Existing Pre- 1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1D. APN 529-26-018. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Michael Hyman Applicant: Maia Gendreau Project Planner: Ryan Safty. 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 DECEMBER 18, 2024 Ryan Safty, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened public comment. Maia Gendreau, Applicant − The proposed windows are fiberglass ones from Marvin. If you looked at the windows side by side, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. They perform very high in energy performance and have a traditional look to them. − This house has been in this owner’s family since it was built in the 1920s. This is a modest house, and the grandson, who now owns it, would like more space. We are proposing to keep the front the same, expand a little on the side of the house, keep the two bedrooms and living room, enlarge the kitchen so there is a dining room included, and add a staircase to the proposed second floor which would be the master suite. The majority of the addition would be at the back of the lot, attached to the back of the existing residence. − The building is currently sitting very low to the ground, so we are going to include a proper foundation and add a basement. In its new proposed position, the property would be a foot higher off the ground than it currently is. − We would want to keep the front stairs and brick to keep it looking the same. Around the side, there is a little access to the yard and the second floor would be pushed to the back so its further from the street. − We would add a deck outside the kitchen area and a deck on the second-floor master suite. Committee Members asked questions of the applicant. Maia Gendreau, Applicant − We have not thought of enlarging one side over the other because we are trying to keep the upstairs subsidiary to the downstairs. We can consider the material changes. − This house is pretty much going to stay in the same place. I would like to keep the interior finishes we can and are trying not to be invasive of the parts of the house that we are not taking down. We anticipate keeping the front and interior the same, but the back of the house will get modified and changed. Closed Public Comment. The Committee’s final recommendations for this project are: • Recommend fiber glass clad wood windows over pure fiber glass. • Although pushing the new addition to the rear is consistent with the Residential Design Guidelines, some of the members requested that the addition be pushed closer to the front façade to better integrate into the existing home. PAGE 3 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 • Look for strategies to differentiate the second story from the existing first story, including different exterior materials and ensuring whatever is done is consistent with the architectural style. • Consider replicating the existing front gables on the second floor or working the second-story addition into the existing roof form to decrease massing. • Appreciate them replicating the existing window lugs in the new replacement windows. • Carefully consider whether insulation is required on the existing house to remain and whether the existing stucco would need to be removed in the future. • Balancing windows at the rear and using windows to break up the blank mass. • If a front gable isn’t pursued, additional windows should be added to balance the second story front-facing façade. • Consider replacing the thin metal handrail at the front of the house with something more substantial. • Consider using a different material for the below-grade portion of the house if the house is raised more than a few feet. 7. 310 Tait Avenue Request for Review Application PHST-24-026 Preliminary Review for Construction of a New Second-Story Addition and Exterior Alterations to an Existing Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1D:LHP. APN 510-14-058. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Santiago Allende Applicant: Donna Chivers Project Planner: Erin Walters Committee Queiroz recused themselves due to living within 1,000 feet of the property. Erin Walters, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened public comment. Donna Chivers, Applicant − The existing size of the house presents big challenges. We hope to expand the house, so it is more livable while still maintaining the character of the house. The house is very close to the front of the property line and sits on the edge of the street. We are proposing to keep three walls intact completely. − We will be demolishing and moving the shed as it is on the neighbor’s property line and another shed on the property will be removed. − The project includes a lower level and second story addition. We will be removing the interior walls and replacing the existing windows of the walls that will stay intact. − The front elevation will remain the same except for the roof, which will be replaced. We are proposing to match current materials, in-kind. PAGE 4 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 Committee Members asked questions of the applicant. Donna Chivers, Applicant − When you look at the floorplans, we have modest sized bedrooms and two bathrooms. Without eliminating a full bedroom, it will be tight. Maybe we can add a couple of feet on one side. We can also look at how far back we can push the mass of the roof. Closed Public Comment. Committee Members discussed the project. The Committee’s final recommendations for this project are: • Take into account the roofing materials and low-pitched roof sections; • Consider adding architectural details to the side elevations; • Pay particular attention to the long pitch on the side elevation as it is not harmonious with the rest of the design; • Study the neighborhood carefully, especially the two-story houses in the immediate neighborhood, update this design to be more consistent with the neighborhood; and • Move the mass of the second floor to the back. PUBLIC HEARINGS 3. 202 University Avenue Minor Development in a Historic District Application HS-24-062 Approval for Modification (Siding Replacement) of a Previously Approved Project on a Contributing Single-Family Residence Located in the University-Edelen Historic District on Property Zoned R-1D:LHP. APN 529-04-001. Property Owner: Tyler and Kristine Shewey Applicant: Jay Plett, Architect Project Planner: Sean Mullin Sean Mullin, Planning Manager, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Jay Plett, Architect and Tyler Shewey, Owner − We are using the same reasoning as a previous property, 15 Chestnut, that was approved by the Committee, and it turned out beautifully. The siding is not rotten anymore, and the molding was put back like it was. We want to do the same thing with this property. The siding is nearly 120 years old now and really needs to be replaced. PAGE 5 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 When we got the siding touched up after purchase, the painters stated that the fixes would be good for a few more years. Due to the energy code, which is separate from the building code, we will have to insulate the entire house. We want to match the current home. We want to look at this like a restoration. Committee Members asked questions of the applicant. Closed Public Comment. MOTION: Motion by Susan Burnett to forward a recommendation of approval of the above request to the Community Development Director. Seconded by Barry Cheskin. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. 4. 50 Hernandez Avenue Request for Review PHST-24-024 Requesting Approval for Modification (Roof Material) of a Previously Approved Project on an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1:8. APN 510-20- 003. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Richard Archuleta and Chrissy Klander Applicant: Jay Plett, Architect Project Planner: Sean Mullin Susan Burnett and Maira Queiroz recused themselves due to living within 1,000 feet of the property. Sean Mullin, Planning Manager, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Richard Archuleta, Owner − We are requesting to change the material of a small section of our roof, which is at the back of the house. We want to change it to a standing seam metal roof. It was originally planned to be a composition roof at the advice of the Committee during a review of our concept design. Once we got into construction, and went out for bids, we couldn’t find a roofer who was willing to put a composition roof on the low pitch of this roof. After evaluating different roofing methods, we were unable to find something aside from the metal originally proposed during the concept discussion. PAGE 6 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 Committee Members asked questions of the applicant. Richard Archuleta, Owner − When we walked down to Hernandez and asked a neighbor behind us to see how they felt about the roof view, they stated there are no issues with the roof view. We asked another neighbor the same question to the right of us, and they also didn’t have an issue with the roof view. − Our priority is to maintain the exterior of the home as much as possible. Looking at the front elevations and where you see from the side, we tried not to touch any of that. Especially the windows and the size and location of them because it gave a nice perspective of the home. For some homes, there were bushes and a retaining wall that blocked the view of the back of the house. The wall failed, so we tore it down and removed the bushes. We will be replacing these, which will block the view of the roof again for those neighbors who do have concerns. Closed Public Comment. Committee Members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Jeffrey Barnett to forward a recommendation of approval of the above request to the Community Development Director. Seconded by Lee Quintana. VOTE: Motion passed (2-1). Barry Cheskin voting no and Susan Burnett and Maira Queiroz recused. 5. 311 Johnson Avenue Minor Residential Development Application MR-24-015 Approval for Construction of Exterior Modifications and 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/Applicant: Nishita Biddala Project Planner: Suray Nathan Suray Nathan, Assistant Planner, presented the staff report. Committee Members asked questions of the Staff. Opened Public Comment. PAGE 7 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 Abhay Karthik, Applicant and Owner − We purchased the house in June of this year and have been working to move in, but the rear of the house is not livable. We are trying to extend it by six feet and add a second story. The last time we were here, we received feedback that the windows were blank on the side and did not match. We have made sure the windows match now and added additional windows. We also complied with the consulting architect report we received. Anne and Joe Walker − We have lived where we are at for 30 years. We were originally told by the applicant that the construction that was going to take place was only going to be a kitchen remodel. Then, a couple of days ago, we saw story poles go up, and there are no setbacks on the second floor, and it is four feet from the property line, which is a real invasion looking in our windows from the second floor. − On Johnson Avenue, we are all worried about drainage issues. There should be something on this property to address the drainage issue. There is also a code violation on this property for the drainage issue. Abhay Karthik, Applicant and Owner − The story poles are part of the process that we had to go through and were required. We also posted the Minor Residential application sign for the public to see. We spoke to all the neighbors around the area who all seemed very supportive. − For the drainage system, it has a history with the previous owner, and we were made aware of it. We have agreed to fix the issue by having the water flow on the side to go to the storm drain, which is being reviewed by engineering. We can’t make changes until it is approved. − With the windows and privacy issue, the windows were added at the recommendation of the architect, but it is not a window that will be opened or used frequently. Closed Public Comment. Committee Members discussed the project. MOTION: Motion by Jeffrey Barnett t to forward a recommendation of approval of the above request to the Community Development Director. Seconded by Barry Cheskin. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. PAGE 8 OF 8 MINUTES OF THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMITTEE SPECIAL MEETING OF DECEMBER 18, 2024 OTHER BUSINESS 8. 2025 Historic Preservation Committee Meeting Calendar No action needed. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR Sean Mullin, Planning Manager • All decisions of the Director represent the recommendations of the previous meeting. • Staff would like to recognize Committee Member Cheskin as this is his last meeting and thank him for his years of service with the Committee. Thank you for all the time and commitment you have put into your work with the Committee. The Council appointed Alan Feinberg to the Committee and he will join us for our first meeting in January 2025. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 6:33 p.m. This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the December 18, 2024, meeting as approved by the Historic Preservation Committee. /s/ Sean Mullin, AICP, Planning Manager