Planning commission grants appeal to remove 647 North Santa Cruz from historic inventory

On Jan. 28 the Los Gatos Town Planning Commission voted 5–2 to grant an appeal and remove a pre‑1941 residence at 647 North Santa Cruz Avenue from the town's historic resources inventory, overturning the community development director's November denial of the owner's request.

The commission heard a staff presentation explaining the property's configuration — a two‑story office at the front of the lot and a 929‑square‑foot residence at the rear that the applicant's materials date to about 1924 — and the Historic Preservation Committee's (HPC) earlier 4–1 recommendation that the residence remain on the inventory.

The applicant presented an addendum report and a historic‑preservation consultant, Bonnie Bamberg of Urban Programmers, who testified that the house does not meet the ordinance's requirement of "special character." Bamberg said she reviewed the four standard significance criteria and concluded, "we did not find in this case a significant association" with notable events or persons and that later alterations (an enclosed porch, rear addition and neoclassical‑style columns) have diminished the building's architectural integrity relative to other Los Gatos examples. The applicant also submitted an inspection report, and the owner, Lance Tate, told commissioners the property had sustained deferred maintenance.

Opponents and neighbors urged preservation on character and neighborhood‑scale grounds. Resident speakers argued that even modest craftsman and bungalow houses help define the town's character and raised privacy and property‑value concerns should redevelopment follow removal from the inventory.

Commissioners debated how to apply the town's five evaluation factors (historic events, important persons, distinctive characteristics/work of a master, potential to yield information, and integrity). Several commissioners said the town considers those factors independently and emphasized that "integrity" in this context refers to the building's ability to convey architectural significance rather than whether a structure is currently habitable. Others said an expert evaluation should carry weight where it exists: "in this case it seems pretty convincing to me," one commissioner said, citing the consultant's report about the extent of alterations.

After roughly an hour of questions and deliberation, Vice Chair Barnett moved to grant the appeal and incorporate staff's revised findings; the motion passed 5–2. Staff advised that a dissatisfied party may appeal the commission's decision to the Town Council within 10 days; appeal forms and the filing fee are available from the town clerk.

The commission's action resolves only whether the property remains on the town inventory; any future development proposals for the site would be evaluated separately under applicable codes and design review procedures.