Staff Report.16488 Bonnie Lane
PREPARED BY: Maria Chavarin
Assistant 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: 9/24/25
ITEM NO: 3
DATE: September 19, 2025
TO: Historic Preservation Committee
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Consider a Request for Approval to Construct an Addition and Exterior
Alterations to an Existing Pre-1941 Single-Family Residence on Property
Zoned R-1:8. Located at 16488 Bonnie Lane. APN 532-02-014. Request for
Review Application PHST-25-017. Categorically Exempt Pursuant to the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15301:
Existing Facilities. Property Owner: Mai of Tran 2020 Trust. Applicant: Vu-
Ngan Tran. Project Planner: Maria Chavarin.
RECOMMENDATION:
Consider a request for approval to construct an addition and exterior alterations to an existing
pre-1941 single-family residence on property zone R-1:8 located at 16488 Bonnie Lane.
PROPERTY DETAILS:
1. Date primary structure was built: 1938 per County Assessor’s Database
2. Bloomfield Preliminary 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 County Assessor indicates that the residence located at 16488 Bonnie Lane was
constructed in 1938. The 1991 Bloomfield Survey estimates the construction date as the 1930s
and providing a rating of “historic and intact or worthy of special note” (Attachment 1). The
property is not within the coverage area of the Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps. Town records
indicate that a request for a 644 square-foot second-story addition, a 356 square-foot first-floor
PAGE 2 OF 3
SUBJECT: 16488 Bonnie Lane/PHST-25-017
DATE: September 19, 2025
addition, and new patios were approved by the Town in August 1989 (Attachment 2). The
applicant provided photos of the property, which are included as Attachment 3.
Other requests recently appeared before the Historic Preservation Committee on several
occasions, as outlined below (Attachment 4):
1. October 25, 2023: Consider a request to remove the pre-1941 property from the Historic
Resources Inventory. The Committee voted unanimously to deny the request.
2. April 24, 2024: Requesting approval for construction of a second-story addition exceeding
100 square feet. The Committee made a motion to continue the item to return to the
Committee with revised designs.
3. May 22, 2024: The application returned for review of the revised plans addressing the
Committee’s recommendations. The Committee made a motion to recommend approval
with a condition that the replacement windows be fiberglass-clad wood windows.
4. March 26, 2025: The applicant returned for review of design changes for the addition that
were not originally considered by the Committee. The Committee made a motion to
recommend approval with a condition that the applicant work with staff to find a window
manufacturer that produces fiberglass-clad wood windows. The Minor Residential
Development application was approved on April 24, 2025.
DISCUSSION:
The property is located on the east side of Bonnie Lane, between Shady View Lane and Shannon
Road. The applicant is requesting a formal recommendation by the Committee on a proposal to
construct an addition and for exterior alterations to the residence (Attachment 5).
The applicant proposes an addition on the west elevation, facing Bonnie Lane. The 234-square
foot addition would be located on the first floor, below a previously approved second-story
addition. The proposed addition would accommodate an expanded family room and result in a
3,270-square foot residence, which would comply with the maximum floor area allowed for the
property. The addition would include four new sliding windows, an entry door, and a six-panel
folding glass door system. All proposed exterior materials would match those existing and
previously approved, including the fiberglass-clad wood windows.
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:
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SUBJECT: 16488 Bonnie Lane/PHST-25-017
DATE: September 19, 2025
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 6).
CONCLUSION:
The applicant is requesting approval to construct an addition and exterior alterations to an
existing pre-1941 single-family residence on property zoned R-1:8. Should the Committee find
merit in the request, a recommendation of approval would be forwarded to the Community
Development Director. The project could be completed with a Building Permit, and if confirmed
through Planning review to be in substantial conformance with the Committee’s review and
recommendations, would not return to the Committee.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. 1991 Anne Bloomfield Survey
2. Town Records
3. Property Photos
4. HPC Action Letters
5. Letter of Justification
6. Section 3.9, Residential Design Guidelines
7. Development Plans
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