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Commission grants appeal; 16805 LMA Street removed from Los Gatos historic inventory
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously granted a property owner's appeal to remove 16805 LMA Street from the town's Historic Resources Inventory after reviewing new architectural and structural reports that found the house had lost key character-defining features.
The Los Gatos Planning Commission unanimously granted an appeal on Aug. 13 to remove a pre-1941 house at 16805 LMA Street from the town's Historic Resources Inventory.
The appeal was filed by property owner William Wundrum after the Community Development Director denied his earlier request to delist the 1929 single-family residence. Planning staff had recommended upholding the director's denial, telling the commission that the Historic Preservation Committee had voted 3—to—2 to recommend denial and that its report supported the committee's finding that the house retained sufficient integrity.
At the hearing, Wundrum and his consultants presented two technical architectural evaluations and a structural condition report. Preservation consultants for the appellant said archival photos and physical inspection showed replacement doors and windows, concealed rafter tails from contemporary gutters, and an addition that together meant the house no longer embodied the character-defining features of a Craftsman bungalow. Consultant Jen Hembrey of Page & Turnbull said the property contains only four of the 10 character-defining features she uses to evaluate Craftsman bungalows and concluded it was not individually significant.
Neighbors who testified were largely supportive of the appeal, saying the house is modest, outside a historic district, and had been altered. Planning commissioners focused their deliberations on the town's five required findings for retention on the inventory, particularly the criteria addressing distinctive characteristics and integrity. Several commissioners said the newly submitted expert reports clarified questions that had been unresolved when the HPC reviewed the matter.
Commissioner Barnett moved to grant the appeal, citing an inability to make the required findings under the town's residential design guidelines; Vice Chair Burch seconded. The motion passed unanimously. Staff read appeal rights at the conclusion of the item; the commission's decision can be appealed to the Town Council within 10 days.
The commission's action applies only to the inventory status of the property; future proposals for demolition or new construction would be evaluated under separate permitting and design review processes.
