Item 6 - Staff Report with Attachments 1 through 7.34 Pleasant St
PREPARED BY: Ryan Safty
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: 12/18/2024
ITEM NO: 6
DATE: December 13, 2024
TO: Historic Preservation Committee
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Requesting Preliminary Review for Construction of a New Second-Story
Addition to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned
R-1D. Located at 34 Pleasant Street. APN 529-26-018. Exempt Pursuant to
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301: Existing Facilities. Request for Review
Application PHST-24-023. Property Owner: Michael Hyman. Applicant: Maia
Gendreau. Project Planner: Ryan Safty.
RECOMMENDATION:
Requesting preliminary review for construction of a new second-story addition to an existing
pre-1941 single-family residence on property zoned R-1D located at 34 Pleasant Street.
PROPERTY DETAILS:
1. Date primary structure was built: 1920 per County Assessor’s Database
2. Town of Los Gatos Historic Status Code: + rating, historic and intact or worthy of special
note.
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? No
7. Considerations required? Yes
BACKGROUND:
The Santa Clara County’s Accessors Database lists a construction date of 1920 for the residence.
According to the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, the property was vacant until the 1928-1944
map update. The footprint on the 1928-1944 and 1928-1956 maps shows the house in its
current condition (Attachment 1).
PAGE 2 OF 3
SUBJECT: 34 Pleasant Street/PHST-24-023
DATE: December 13, 2024
The property is included in the 1991 Anne Bloomfield Historic Survey (Attachment 2), showing
that the bungalow style residence has an estimated construction date of the 1920s and has a
preliminary rating of “historic and intact or worthy of special note.”
Town records only show a re-roof permit from 1982 (Attachment 3). The applicant provided a
summary of the property research (Attachment 4), as well as photographs of the property and
surrounding neighborhood (Attachment 5).
DISCUSSION:
The subject property at 34 Pleasant Street is located on the east side of Pleasant Street, across
the street from Los Gatos High School. The applicant is requesting a preliminary review by the
Committee to provide feedback on a proposed remodel at the back of the house, rear addition,
and second-story addition to the existing one-story house.
The project proposes an internal remodel at the rear of the house, and a 521-square foot one-
story addition to the rear. The project also proposes a new 740-square foot second-story
addition towards the back of the residence, with the beginning of the second-story being
placed approximately 20 feet behind the front wall of the existing residence (Attachment 6).
The existing one-story house is approximately 14 feet, nine inches in height with two front
gables. The entire existing front façade would be maintained with this proposed project. The
existing house has stucco siding, wood frame windows, and a membrane roof.
The proposed residence would be 24 feet, nine inches in height and would maintain the stucco
siding. The roof would be composition shingle, and the windows would be replaced throughout
the home with new fiberglass frame windows to match the existing windows.
The proposed project would fall below the Town’s demolition thresholds for historic residences.
Town’s Residential Design Guidelines
The Committee should consider Section 3.9 of the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines , which
provides recommendations for construction of additions to existing residences (Attachment 7).
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.
PAGE 3 OF 3
SUBJECT: 34 Pleasant Street/PHST-24-023
DATE: December 13, 2024
• 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 remodel to
an existing pre-1941 single-family residence located at 34 Pleasant Street. 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
Section 3.9 of the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines offers recommendations for
construction of additions to existing residences (Attachment 5).
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps
2. Anne Bloomfield Historic Survey
3. Building Permit Records
4. Property Research
5. Pictures
6. Project Plans
7. Section 3.9, Residential Design Guideline
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
ATTACHMENT 1
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
cflnne. !B[oom(ie.£J
ARCHITECTURAL /CULTURAL S URVE Y
LOS GATOS RE S EARCH
File address 3 ~/ P /e/r.~ £; ·• -r
----~-----------------------
ARC H ITECTURAL HI STORY
141 S l 922· I 063
2229 WEBSTER STREET
SAN FRANC ISC O . CA 94 I I 5
PARCEL MAP INFORMATION
Parcel # 5;;__'7 -~~ -J '1> Lot size: 60
15" "2-
fron t f t . x /'Is -ft . d e e p
Lo t shap e : Re c tangl ~ L __ _ Rectangle with small rear jog___ Oth e r ____________________ __
Location: N S E /w side of P St Ave / Ot her ______ _ c . 35'0 -----:-r----------?.2 /1J i Y'
di s tance to cross s t: E/6~ ft. N __ S /E __ W ___ f rom /VC:< { '/?•
at NE NW SE SW corner of. __________ _
HISTORIC INFORMATION ON PARCEL MAf~ ~
~ ~(/ff!);o'..C . • .
y ., ._.ff' '1"1 1' Old tract or subdivision name ~-;~;. 'd nr ' ' ..; Old Block # ____ Old lot # __ 1....::0~---
FIELD SURVEY INFORMATION (handwritten in red)
Preliminary rating + Estimated age /'f.;.;~)-; -:;;.-: Style ..D u~ # s tories_
Alterations~---------------------------------------------------------------
Other ____________________________________________________________________ ___
JUNTY ASSESSOR--PROPERTY CHARACTERISTICS (paste on copy) EFFective date ·---------
OWNERSHIP SHOWN ON MAPS
Source Source Source Location of property, or Lot Owner
Name Date Page Old :tract/block/lot Size Name -------
I ! 1891
Blk Book 1908
Survey 1944
I
I
MISCELLANEOUS PHOTOS: Roll /frame #~.tJ .· ~
National Register listed date ________________ _
County Inventory 1979 ___________ ~~-----------
Town of Los Gatos: Designation __ Recognition __
District Name -------------------------------
Previous Survey
Gebhard: page # illustration page #
Butler/Junior League ----
ATTACHMENT 2
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
ATTACHMENT 4
1928 Sanborn Map – 34 Pleasant Street shows no building.
1944 Sanborn Map – 34 Pleasant Street shown in the approximate current shape
Homes on Pleasant Street, Los Gatos, CA
34 Pleasant – THIS PROJECT
Immediate neighbors:
36 Pleasant 26 Pleasant
ATTACHMENT 5
Other homes on the street:
22 Pleasant 40 Pleasant
75 New York Across the street is a building on the High School
Campus
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 7
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