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Planning commission grants appeal to remove 142 Wheeler Avenue from Los Gatos historic inventory
Summary
The Los Gatos Planning Commission voted 6-1 on June 24 to grant an appeal and remove 142 Wheeler Avenue from the town's historic resources inventory, citing extensive post-1941 additions and a town-defined "technical demolition" that compromised integrity. The property owner and consultant argued the house no longer conveys historic significance.
The Los Gatos Planning Commission voted 6-1 on June 24 to grant an appeal and remove the pre-1941 house at 142 Wheeler Avenue from the town's historic resources inventory.
Senior planner Erin Walters told the commission that the property was developed as a 1918 bungalow and that the Historic Preservation Committee first recommended denial of removal, then failed a motion to approve on a tied vote. The community development director denied the removal and the decision was appealed. Walters said staff received addenda and a consultant letter and that, by the town's criteria, the item is exempt from CEQA under the common-sense exemption, Guideline 15061(b)(3).
The applicant's representative, Bess Worsman of Studio 3, argued the house has been extensively altered. "Old does not justify historical integrity," Worsman told commissioners, pointing to Sanborn maps, tax assessments and material samples she said demonstrate later additions and different construction materials. She also cited a late consultant review from Urban Programmers (Bonnie Bamberg) concluding the property is not eligible for listing.
Commissioner Thomas moved to grant the appeal, saying he could make the required findings that the structure is not associated with events or persons of significance, does not retain distinctive construction characteristics, and that integrity is so compromised by additions that the house cannot convey significance. Vice Chair Barnett seconded the motion. Commissioners discussed the differences between town criteria and National Park Service/state standards and the limits of a windshield survey used in the Bloomfield study.
The motion carried 6-1. Staff advised that any interested person may appeal the Planning Commission's decision to the Town Council within 10 days.
The decision removes the property from Los Gatos's local inventory; it does not, by itself, authorize demolition. Appeal rights and permit processes remain available to interested parties and the property owners.
