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Item 4 - Staff Report with Attachments 1 through 5.14344 La Riconada PREPARED BY: Erin Walters Associate 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: 4 DATE: August 23, 2024 TO: Historic Preservation Committee FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Preliminary Reivew for Construction of an Addition and Exterior Alterations to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1:8. Located at 14344 La Rinconada Drive. APN 409-19-019. Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Request for Review Application PHST-24-013. Property Owner/Applicant: William Maynard. Project Planner: Erin Walters RECOMMENDATION: Requesting preliminary review for construction of an addition and exterior alterations to an existing pre-1941 single-family residence located at 14344 La Rinconada Drive. PROPERTY DETAILS: 1. Date primary structure was built: 1938 per County Assessor’s Database 2. Town of Los Gatos Historic Status Code: N/A 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? N/A 7. Considerations required? Yes BACKGROUND: The Santa Clara County’s Accessors Database lists a construction date of 1938 for the residence. The property was annexed into the Town in the 1970s. The property is not part of the 1991 Anne Bloomfield Historic Survey. Town records show no planning or building permits for the subject property. The applicant provided a summary of the property research (Attachment 1), as well as photographs of the property (Attachment 2). PAGE 2 OF 3 SUBJECT: 14344 La Rinconada Drive/PHST-24-013 DATE: August 23, 2024 N:\DEV\HISTORIC PRESERVATION\HPC Reports and Attachments\2024\09-11-24 SPECIAL\Item 4 - 14344 La Rinconada Drive\Staff Report.14344 La Riconada.docx DISCUSSION: The subject property at 14344 La Rinconada Drive is located on the east side of La Rinconada Drive, perpendicular to Wedgewood Avenue. The applicant is requesting a preliminary review by the Committee to provide feedback on a proposed one-story addition and two-story four-car garage addition attached to the subject one-story house. The project proposes a 120-square foot one-story addition located towards the rear of the existing one-story house at the southern elevation. The one-story addition would connect the existing house to a proposed 992-square foot, four-car garage. The existing one-story house is 16 feet in height with a hip roof with two Dutch gables. The four-car garage proposes a single Dutch gabled roof with a building height of 30 feet. The height of the attic space proposed above the four-car garage constitutes a two-story building per Town Code. The proposed materials consist of horizontal eight-inch reveal wood siding, wood trim, double hung vinyl windows, wood doors, and composition roofing to match the existing materials. The proposed project will fall below the Town’s demolition thresholds for historic residences. The applicant has provided a Project Description (Attachment 3) and Development Plans (Attachment 4). Town’s Residential Design Guidelines The Committee should consider the Sections 3.9 of the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines which provides recommendations for construction of additions to existing residences (Attachment 5). Including but not limited to the following recommendations: • The existing built forms, components and materials should be reinforced. Heights and proportions of additions and alterations should be consistent with and continue the original architectural style and design. • Additions should be subordinate, and compatible in scale and proportion to the historically significant portions of the existing structure. • When an addition or remodel requires the use of newly constructed exterior elements, they should be identical in size, dimension, shape, and location as the original, and should utilize the same materials as the existing protected exterior elements. CONCLUSION: The applicant is requesting preliminary review for construction of an addition and exterior alterations to an existing pre-1941 single-family residence. Located at 14344 La Rinconada PAGE 3 OF 3 SUBJECT: 14344 La Rinconada Drive/PHST-24-013 DATE: August 23, 2024 N:\DEV\HISTORIC PRESERVATION\HPC Reports and Attachments\2024\09-11-24 SPECIAL\Item 4 - 14344 La Rinconada Drive\Staff Report.14344 La Riconada.docx CONCLUSION (continued): Drive. A new second-story addition, if not triggering a technical demolition, is processed under a Minor Residential Development application. This application would return to the Committee for a recommendation to be forwarded to the Community Development Director and the application would continue through the Minor Residential Development process. CONSIDERATIONS: A. Considerations Sec. 29.80.290. Standards for review. In evaluating applications, the deciding body shall consider the architectural style, design, arrangement, texture, materials and color, and any other pertinent factors. Applications shall not be granted unless: For pre-1941 structures, the proposed work will neither adversely affect the exterior architectural characteristics or other features of the property which is the subject of the application. B. Residential Design Guidelines Sections 3.9 of the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines offers recommendations for construction of additions to existing residences (Attachment 5). ATTACHMENTS: 1. Applicant’s Research 2. Photographs 3. Project Description 4. Development Plans 5. Section 3.9, Residential Design Guidelines This Page Intentionally Left Blank Below are the historical and architectural characteristics of 14344 La Rinconada Drive, Los Gatos, CA 95032 for your review. At A Glance ● The construction date of 1938 is incorrect; the correct date is at least 1940. The first proof I have of a structure is a 1948 aerial photograph from the California Room in the MLK library.. ● 14344 was originally a part of a different lot, likely 14330, that was split on May 15, 1939. ● Lewis & Myrtle Bird owned 14344 La Rinconada since at least 1970; other records were too difficult to locate. ● 14344’s original APN was 408-03-018, not the current value of 409-14-019. I am unsure why this is the case; the former value yields no results in any system I could find. ● The only permitted work on 14344 listed on the Property Record was the addition of the pool in 1998. ● Los Gatos did not have jurisdiction over 14344 La Rinconada Dr. until the ‘70s (around 1973?). Consequently, the Los Gatos library had no information on the property whatsoever, and the San Jose library had very few resources available that were of any use – just a single tax record and an aerial photograph in 1948. ● The original construction style was Craftsman. ● On Google Earth you can see that in May of 2011 the brick, siding, and front door were changed as well as new windows. In 2013 you can see the new siding on the front of the house. See pictures below. Data Points Sources Date Acquired Aerial Photographs UCSB aerial photography collection San Jose MLK California Room (1948 only) 2024.05.18 Side by Side Aerial Photographs Cropped and resized by Will Maynard 2024.05.18 Property Record Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office 2024.06.13 1989 Quitclaim Deed Santa Clara County Recorder’s Office 2024.06.13 ATTACHMENT 1 An aerial photograph from July 31, 1939 shows that there is no structure on the property. Contrary to government records, the house was not built in 1938. An aerial photograph from September 26, 1948 shows the main structure on the property. Side By Side Aerial Photographs 14344’s approximate property lines are highlighted in beige. The Property Record shows that the house was built in 1938. However, we know this is not the case from the previous photos. I was directed to the Clerk Recorder’s office so that I could build out an ownership history for the house. I tried to do this but hit roadblocks. The previous owners were Douglas Maynard (my father), Myrtle Bird, and Lewis Bird & Myrtle Bird (held in trust). The earliest record that appeared to be relevant I could find for the property with Lewis Bird was a Quitclaim Deed dated November 9, 1989. This includes a summary of a lot split on May 15, 1939. The measurements detailed in the summary seem to match our property: Portion of Lot 2 of Rinconada Acres Tract No. 106 Map of La Rinconada acres: filed May 15, 1939 Vol. 3 of Maps, page 58, Santa Clara County Records, described as follows: Beginning at a point in the Easterly line of La Rinconada Drive, said point being the common corner of Lot No. 2, and Lot No. 1 of the above described Tract, thence S.69°12’F. along the dividing line between Lot No.2 and 1, 266.68 feet to the Southeast corner of Lot No.2; thence along the Easterly line of Lot No.2, North 20°48’E., 81.47 feet to a point in the Easterly line of Lot No.2; thence N.69°12’W. 266.68 feet to the Easterly line of La Rinconada Drive, thence along said Easterly line S.20°48’W. 81.47 feet to the point of beginning. 14344 La Rinconada is attributed as built in 1938, but with the lot split, it didn’t exist as a separate parcel on its own at this time. While I’m not positive, I believe 14344 was originally part of 14330 – this would have made the original lot an even acre of land and would explain the oddly deep lots of both properties. Looking at the two aerial photos, we can see that the property at 14330 saw dramatic construction changes between 1939 and 1948. In 1939, there was nothing on the lot other than trees. By 1948, the currently-standing 1320 SF house was erected – according to Zillow, this was built in 1941. 14344 could not have been built before 1940. Lewis & Myrtle Bird owned the property since at least 1970. I attempted to track down past owners in hopes of finding more information about when the structure might have been completed, but was unable to trace anything beyond 1970. Records from 1970 onward are organized by grantee / grantor last names in alphabetical order. I used this information to find all records of Lewis & Myrtle Bird but didn’t see the acquisition of 14344 La Rinconada in these records - just the sale of it to my father in 1995. Records prior to 1970, however, are organized chronologically instead of by grantee names. Since I don’t know the dates of transfer, it seemed that the only way I’d track down the previous records was going to be to parse thousands of pages of microfilm looking for the Bird family. The APN changed at some point. The Property Record has an original APN of 408-03-018. This has a strikeout on the bottom right corner of the document and was replaced with the current APN of 409-14-019. The original APN yielded no results in any system I accessed. Perhaps this was the APN of the original property before the lot split. It’s more of a curiosity than anything else and doesn’t appear to be useful on its own at this time. Google street View May 2011 Google Street View 2013 Documents for your review. All will be uploaded and numbered. File # Filename Description Source Date Date Found 01 c-5750_285-91.tif Aerial Photograph of the neighborhood in 1939 Flight CIV-285-91 UCSB Aerial Photography 1939.07.31 2023.05.18 02 SCAN1085.JPG Scan of an aerial photograph of the neighborhood in 1948 Flight 2-173 San Jose MLK Public Library, California Room 1948.09.26 2023.05.18 03 civ-1956_6r-48.tif Aerial Photograph of the neighborhood in 1956 Flight CIV-6R-48 UCSB Aerial Photography 1956.06.09 2023.05.18 04 14344 Rinconada 1939-2024.png Side-by-side comparison of aerial photographs 1, 2, & 3 Google Maps Satellite image added for reference Images rotated, resized, and cropped with highlight of property Compiled by Will Maynard Various 2024.05.18 05 Polk's 1967 Hilton & Helen.jpg Photo of the 1967 Polk’s Los Gatos City Directory Shows Hilton & Helen Bird living at 14344 La Rinconada Dr. San Jose MLK Public Library, California Room 1967 2024.05.18 06 News_Article__Evening_News_publi shed_as_SAN_JOSE_NEWS___Sep tember_14_1961__p34.pdf Birth Announcement for Mary Alice Bird, Daughter of Hilton & Helen Bird Hilton lived at 14300 La Rinconada Dr. before 14344 San Jose Evening News 1961.09.14 2024.05.18 07 1978 Tax Roll.jpeg 1978 Tax Record showing Lewis & Myrtle Bird in 14344 Rinconada 1978 2024.05.18 08 Screenshot 2024-05-19 at 17.28.26.png Excerpt from a 1957 Mercury News article listing 14344 for rent 1957.04.14 2024.05.19 09 Los_Gatos_Times_Saratoga_Observ er_Mon__Jun_8__1959_.pdf Newspaper clipping showing a James Billingsley as the resident of 14344 La Rinconada; whether tenant or owner is unknown 1959.06.08 2024.05.19 100 News_Article__San_Jose_Mercury_ News_published_as_San_Jose_Mer cury- News___April_14_1957__p34.pdf Source for #08 1957.04.14 2024.05.18 Findings- ● Per aerial photography, the main structure at 14344 La Rinconada Dr. did not exist in 1939, contrary to the information available on sites like Zillow listing construction as 1938. ● The structure did exist by 1948. ● The home was purchased from Myrtle Bird in 1995 by Douglas Maynard, my father. ● Lewis & Myrtle Bird owned the home since at least 1978, though they were in Campbell in 1961 [citation misplaced; news article mentioned them in Campbell] ● They had family in the area; Jack Bird & Hilton Bird. Hilton lived at the end of the street, at 14300 La Rinconada Dr. before moving into 14344. ● 14344 was a rental property for some time; at least in 1957. Occupied by James Billingsley in 1959. ● Because this area was annexed by Los Gatos in the 70s, Los Gatos Public Library had no documents relevant to the history of the home (Sanborn maps, etc.); visited the LG library on 7/12 and found nothing. 01. Aerial Photo of Neighborhood 02. Scan of Aerial Photo in 1948 03. Aerial Photo of Neighborhood 1956 04. Aerial Photos 05. Telephone Directory 06. News Article Evening News Published as San Jose News – September 14, 1961 07. Owners Names 08. Screenshot 2024-05-19 at 17.28 Los Gatos Times-Saratoga Observer (Los Gatos, California) · Mon, Jun 8, 1959 · Page 3 https://www.newspapers.com/image/696801232 Downloaded on May 19, 2024 Copyright © 2024 Newspapers.com. All Rights Reserved. 10. News Article San Jose Mercury News published as San Jose Mercury News- April 14, 1957 PHOTOS OF 14344 La Rinconada Drive FRONT OF HOUSE ATTACHMENT 2 REAR OF HOUSE RIGHT SIDE OF HOUSE LEFT SIDE OF HOUSE This Page Intentionally Left Blank -14344 La Rinconada– Project Description – Justification Letter We are proposing to build a 992 s.f. oversized garage to the existing home with a 120 s.f. laundry room that bridges the garage. (There will be a future project to add more house behind the existing garage and house). All the materials for the new addition will match the existing materials: Composition roof shingles to match 8” reveal wood siding to match 2.5” wood door and window trim to match Vinyl windows to match Wood exterior door to match Garage door will be a carriage style door to match the existing home style. We have taken the neighborhood pattern into consideration when planning this addition. As you will see below, this street has various placements . You will also notice that there is not a consistent style of home in this neighborhood or a consistent site of home. We propose to match the new garage to the style of the existing home and believe that it will compliment the style very well and it into the neighborhood nicely. Picture 1. Attached garage towards the back 14350 La Rinconada Drive ATTACHMENT 3 Picture 2 – no garage (there was likely a garage in the past) 14330 La Rinconada Drive Picture 3 – very large 3 car detached garage that is at the end of the culdesac and the focal point of the end of the street 14294 La Rinconada Drive Picture 4 – can not see the exact location of garage 14301 La Rinconada Drive Picture 5 - I don’t believe this house has a garage. 14335 La Rinconada Drive Picture 6- detached garage in rear 14345 La Rinconada drive Picture 7 – large garage as the entire frontage of the house. 14355 La Rinconada Drive Picture 8 - I don’t believe they have a garage 14365 La Rinconada Drive This Page Intentionally Left Blank Residential Design Guidelines 33 Town of Los Gatos BUILDING DESIGN3 3.8.3 Use traditional detailing •Treat openings in walls as though they were constructed of the traditional material for the style. For example, be sure to provide substantial wall space above arches in stucco and stone walls. Traditionally, wall space above the arch would have been necessary to structurally span the opening, and to make the space too small is inconsistent with the archi- tectural style. •Openings in walls faced with stone, real or synthetic, should have defined lintels above the opening except in Mission or Spanish Eclectic styles. Lintels may be stone, brick or wood as suits the style of the house. •Treat synthetic materials as though they were authentic. For example, select synthetic stone patterns that place the individual stones in a horizontal plane as they would have been in a load bearing masonry wall. •Select roof materials that are consistent with the traditional architectural style (e.g., avoid concrete roof tiles on a Crafts- man Style house.) 3.8.4 Materials changes •Make materials and color changes at inside corners rather than outside corners to avoid a pasted on look. 3.9 ADDITIONS/ACCESSORY BUILDINGS/SECONDARY UNITS •Site additions in the least conspicuous place. In many cases this is a rear or side elevation - only rarely is it a rooftop. •The existing built forms, components and materials should be reinforced. Heights and proportions of additions and alterations should be consistent with and continue the original architectural style and design. •Additions should be subordinate, and compatible in scale and proportion to the historically significant portions of the existing structure. •When an addition or remodel requires the use of newly constructed exterior elements, they should be identical in size, dimension, shape and location as the original, and Use stone or wood lintels over openings in stone walls Additions, accessory buildings and secondary units should match the form, architectural style, and details of the original house ATTACHMENT 5 Residential Design Guidelines34 Town of Los Gatos BUILDING DESIGN3 should utilize the same materials as the existing protected exterior elements. • When an addition necessitates the removal of architectural materials, such as siding, windows, doors, and decorative elements, they should be carefully removed and reused in the addition where possible. • The introduction of window and door openings not char- acteristic in proportion, scale, or style with the original architecture is strongly discouraged (e.g., sliding windows or doors in a structure characterized by double hung windows and swinging doors). • The character of any addition or alteration should be in keeping with and subordinate to the integrity of the original structure. • The amount of foundation exposed on the addition should match that of the original building. • Do not add roof top additions where the roof is of historic significance. • Second floor additions are discouraged in neighborhoods with largely one story homes. If horizontal expansion of the house is not possible, consider incorporating a second floor addition within the roof form as shown in the example to the left. • Second floor additions which are not embedded within the roof form should be located to the rear of the structure. • The height and proportion of an addition or a second story should not dominate the original structure. • Deck additions should be placed to the rear of the struc- ture only, and should be subordinate in terms of scale and detailing. • New outbuildings, such as garages, should be clearly subor- dinate to the main structure in massing, and should utilize forms, materials and details which are similar to the main structure. • Garages should generally be located to the rear of the lot behind the rear wall of the residence. One car wide access driveways should be utilized. Original structure Addition incorporated into the roof successfully adds space while respecting the integrity of the existing house and the scale of the neighborhood Placing a two story addition to the rear can minimize its impact on the historic resource and the scale of the neighborhood