Staff Report.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.
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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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