Neighbors seek help to preserve 1920s bungalow; public raises heritage-tree removal concerns

Mountain View residents urged the city on Feb. 25 to help preserve a 1920s bungalow on Loretto Street and to strengthen protections for heritage trees after public commenters said demolition and unpermitted removals have been frequent.

Melanie Kaye and neighbors presented historical photographs and research on the Palmita Park neighborhood, which they described as a 1920s-era bungalow district near downtown Mountain View. "Can the city assist in any way to preserve this house?" Kaye asked, noting a specific corner house whose building permit appears in final approval for demolition and replacement with a modern home. She said the owner has expressed willingness to support relocation of the house if funding and a site could be found.

Kaye and other speakers referenced a Page & Turnbull historic resources report commissioned by the city, and said there is currently "no mechanism for designating local historic districts in Mountain View," a limitation that they said restricts preservation tools available to neighbors and advocates. They asked whether the city can improve outreach to owners and coordinate to preserve historically valuable homes.

Separately, Celia Paymer, a Green Spaces Mountain View volunteer, told the council the existing "heritage tree" ordinance appears ineffective. "Over 90% of applications were approved for heritage tree removal," Paymer said, and she and other speakers noted roughly 200 trees removed annually and about 3,000 removed over the past decade, which they said undermines city goals to maintain an urban forest. She noted recent instances of removals without permits and asked staff to reassess ordinance language and enforcement.

Planning staff responded that the Page & Turnbull project will evaluate single-family houses currently on the Mountain View register or previously surveyed and that the city lacks a formal local historic-district designation tool. Staff said they would follow up on the neighborhood requests and the questions about the survey process and how properties get on the register; the Planning Department also indicated it would review the heritage-tree permit data as requested.

Ending: Council took no formal action at the meeting, but staff said they would follow up on the requests for options to preserve at-risk properties and to review the heritage-tree ordinance and permitting outcomes; residents said they will continue advocacy and research to find funding and placement options for potential relocations.