Item 2 - Staff Report with Attachments 1 through 4.15116 Blossom Hill Rd
PREPARED BY: Jocelyn Shoopman
Senior Planner
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6874
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
HISTORIC PRESERVATION
COMMITTEE REPORT
MEETING DATE: 09/11/2024
ITEM NO: 2
DATE: August 23, 2024
TO: Historic Preservation Committee
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Requesting Approval to Remove a Pre-1941 Property from the Historic
Resources Inventory for Property Zoned HR-1. Located at 15116 Blossom Hill
Road. APN 527-16-001. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15061
(b)(3). Request for Review PHST-24-012. Property Owner/Applicant:
Gamaleldin Elsayed. Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman.
RECOMMENDATION:
Requesting approval to remove a pre-1941 property from the Historic Resources Inventory for
property zoned HR-1 located at 15116 Blossom Hill Road.
PROPERTY DETAILS:
1. Date primary structure was built: 1940 per County Assessor’s Database
2. Town of Los Gatos Historic Status Code: ✓?, historic & some altered but still contributor to
the district if there is one
3. Does property have an LHP Overlay? No
4. Is structure in a historic district? No
5. If yes, is it a contributor? N/A
6. Findings required? Yes
7. Considerations required? No
BACKGROUND:
A request to remove the pre-1941 property from the Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) was
reviewed by the Committee on July 24, 2024. A motion to forward a recommendation to the
Community Development Director to keep the property in the inventory passed with a 4-1 vote.
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SUBJECT: 15116 Blossom Hill Road/PHST-24-012
DATE: August 23, 2024
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DISCUSSION:
The applicant is requesting removal of the pre-1941 property from the HRI. The Santa Clara
County Assessor’s Database lists a construction date of 1940 for the residence. The property is
not within a historic district or LHP overlay or located on the Sanborn Fire Insurance maps;
however, it is included in the 1990 Anne Bloomfield Survey (Attachment 1).
The applicant has provided an informational packet with their application, which includes the
research conducted as a part of this request (Attachment 2).
A review of Town records yielded Building Permit records for 1988 (patio cover and screen
enclosure), 2003 (reroof permit), 2013 (vinyl siding on the east wall of the sunroom), and 2016
(water heater replacement) (Attachment 4).
The existing residence is a two-story farmhouse style structure with a composition roof. In
August 1988, a Building Permit was issued for an enclosed patio cover to the rear and side
elevations that is also visible from the front elevation (Attachment 4). No additional building
plans are available for the property.
In response to comments provided by Committee members at the July 24, 2024, meeting
regarding the structure’s historic integrity, the applicant provided additional pictures stating
that the 1998 addition of the patio cover and screen enclosure is large and well over half of the
existing square footage of the 1,300 square-foot home, the addition is visible from the front
elevation, and the addition modified the roof line and architecture of the home. The applicant
has also claimed that the existing siding on the home is weatherproof vinyl and is not original to
the home as weatherproof vinyl was not a material available at the time of construction in 1940
and became more readily available in the 1970’s (Attachments 2 and 3).
The applicant’s letter concludes from their research that the structure is not associated with
any significant events or persons of significance, the architectural style of the structure does
not exhibit distinct characteristics of a particular period, and the structure has been
compromised through alterations over the years. (Attachment 2).
CONCLUSION:
The applicant is requesting approval to remove a pre-1941 property from the Historic
Resources Inventory for property zoned HR-1 located at 15116 Blossom Hill Road. If the
Committee can make the findings for removal from the Historic Resources Inventory based on
the information provided by the applicant, a recommendation of approval should be forwarded
to the Community Development Director. Once removed from the Historic Resources
Inventory, any proposed alterations would not return to the Committee.
PAGE 3 OF 3
SUBJECT: 15116 Blossom Hill Road/PHST-24-012
DATE: August 23, 2024
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Blossom Hill Rd.docx
FINDINGS:
A. Findings - related to a request for a determination that a pre-1941 primary structure has no
historic significance or architectural merit.
In evaluating a request for a determination of historic significance or architectural merit, the
Historic Preservation Committee shall consider the following:
1. The structure is not associated with events that have made a significant contribution to
the Town;
2. No Significant persons are associated with the site;
3. There are no distinctive characteristics of type, period or method of construction or
representation of work of a master;
4. The structure does not yield information to Town history; and
5. The integrity has been compromised such that the structure no longer has the potential
to convey significance.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Anne Bloomfield Survey
2. Applicant’s Submittal Packet
3. Property Pictures
4. Town Permit Records
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15116 Blossom Hill Rd,
Los Gatos, CA, 95032
07/30/2024
Dear Members of the Historic Preservation Committee,
We are writing to formally request the removal of our house, located at 15116 Blossom Hill Rd,
Los Gatos, CA, 95032, from the city's historic inventory. After conducting thorough research into
the history and architectural significance of the property, We believe that it meets the criteria for
removal as outlined in the city's regulations concerning historic structures. I presented a
previous request on 07/25/2024 (PHST-24-011), which made the case that 1) the house is not
associated with significant events or persons. 2) lack significant and distinctive characteristics.
3) its historic integrity is compromised through renovation and alteration (one of which is a large
alteration and addition done in 1988).
The committee has agreed to 1 and 2, yet there was a disagreement among committee
members on point 3) whether the alternation in the house done by the previous owner in the 80s
has changed any significant characteristic. The committee did not find sufficient evidence on the
hearing on July 25th, thus we follow up on this request with additional research gathering
evidence supporting point 3 above.
We present the following additional findings:
1.Square footage area of addition is large: The permitted addition to the house area is very
large (over than 800 sq ft). Note that the total house area is around 1300 sq ft. So, this addition
is > 50% in size compared to the house (See addition plan).
2.Addition is largely visible from the street view: The entryway to our house is visible from
the street (see attached picture). The addition is so large that it also not only covers the rear of
the house but also our entryway view visible from the street (See attached picture). In total the
addition square footage placed only in this area is 12x25=300 sq ft.
3.Addition largely changing the roof lines and structure: The addition changed the house
roof line and architecture (see attached picture). Also, house siding and walls were altered to
give entry to the addition (See attached pictures). Further, the addition windows look all glass
modern style.
4.Addition of a large retaining wall completely changed the house view. Retaining walls of
this house collapsed and had to be redone completely with new material. A new retaining wall
with concrete, steel and modern stone was added in 1986 to the house front completely altering
the street view (see attached).
ATTACHMENT 2
5.All sidings in the house are not original: We examined all sidings of our house and found
that they are made of weatherproof vinyl. This material was not used in houses in the 1940s and
was only more widely used starting in the 1970s (See Bradtmueller and Foley 2014). We
researched this finding and found evidence obtained from the previous owner that all house
sidings are not original. The old siding was completely damaged and had to be replaced. The
previous owner hired Sears company to replace all sidings (See attached receipt and pictures of
the modern house sidings). We found also evidence in the city of los gatos records of the
corresponding permits of changing the sidings.
Based on this additional evidence, I respectfully request that the Historic Preservation
Committee considers my application for the removal of my house from the historic inventory.
The property does not meet the threshold for preservation based on its historical or architectural
significance as defined by the city's criteria.
Enclosed with this letter are copies of the research findings and supporting documents that
substantiate the conclusions drawn regarding the property's historical and architectural context.
I am available to provide any additional information or documentation that may assist in your
review process.
Thank you for considering my request. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look
forward to your response.
Sincerely,
Owners of 15116 Blossom Hill Rd, Los Gatos, CA, 95032
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ATTACHMENT 3
ATTACHMENT 4
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