History Committee approves plaque design, urges historical records for 1937 Raleigh Road house and votes to prune apricot trees

The Los Altos Hills History Committee unanimously approved a simplified bronze design for a 12-by-12 plaque to mark a designated historic property and agreed to ask the Planning Commission to request historical information for a 1937 house on Raleigh Road.

The committee’s co-chair, Carol Gottlieb, said the plaque would be placed "on the property at the entrance showing that this was a historical house," and discussed using an owner-provided photograph simplified for bronze casting. A volunteer presented a mock-up and said he would cover fabrication costs if the design stayed simple (trees removed). The committee approved the design as shown and agreed the owner could supply the final image for production.

The meeting also considered a house built in 1937 on Raleigh Road that is not on the town’s historic inventory. Jonathan Fox of the Planning Department told the group that the planning commission will consider a site development permit and a variance because the owner plans to retain a portion of the garage while demolishing and rebuilding the main house. The committee agreed to submit a recommendation that the planning commission include a condition of approval requiring the applicant to supply any available historical information and photographs for the town’s files.

Members passed a separate motion requesting that the acting city manager authorize town maintenance staff, under Michael’s guidance, to prune the committee’s apricot trees and native garden areas prior to January 31. Committee members stressed the seasonal pruning window and that staff would either perform the work in regular hours or through authorized overtime. The motion was seconded and approved unanimously.

Votes at a glance: - Committee approved the plaque design as presented (outcome: approved; tally: yes 5, no 0, abstain 0). - Committee recommended that the Planning Commission require the applicant for the Raleigh Road project to provide historical information and photographs (outcome: recommendation forwarded; tally: unanimous consensus to submit to staff for packet). - Committee motion requesting staff pruning of apricot/native trees by Jan. 31 (outcome: approved; tally: yes 5, no 0, abstain 0).

Next steps: Committee staff will prepare the written recommendation for the planning commission packet and accept the owner’s photo files for plaque design. The chair said she will follow up on arranging photography and a staff memo for the pruning request.