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Exhibit 8 - Public comments received by 1100 am, Friday, August 8, 2025From: > Sent: Friday, June 27, 2025 10:43 AM To: Sean Mullin <SMullin@losgatosca.gov>; bill wundram <> Subject: 16805 Loma St Letter of Support [EXTERNAL SENDER] Hi Sean, Please find attached a letter of support for the Wundram family and their request to be removed from the Historic House Inventory listing as we went through this same process on the parcel immediately next to them. Any question, please feel free to contact me directly and I’d be happy to elaborate. 16801 Loma St EXHIBIT 8 June 27, 2025 Sean Mullin Town of Los Gatos, Planning Manager Dear Sean, Our family has lived at 16801 Loma St for the past 27 years and we are directly adjacent to 16805 Loma St. This property had been maintained as a rental property (mainly single person) during the entire time we’ve lived here. Our new neighbors, the Wundram’s are attempting to build a new house on their recently purchased property. They have proactively shown their plans to all of the neighbors and explained what their intentions are. We purchased a pre 1941 home in 1998 and went through this same approval process and were allowed to remove our home and build a new home back in 2000. At one point in time 16805 and 16801 Loma were one parcel. There was someone who implied our house was a barn back in the day but that is absolutely not true. It was a 3 bedroom, 1 bath house that we lived in for almost 2 years while we planned our new home. The house on the other side of us was almost a replica of the Wundram house and they, too, rebuilt their home shortly before we did. All of the homes immediately surrounding Bill and Brenna’s have also been rebuilt. They are surrounded by 5 two story homes. The plans for their new home will fit seamlessly in our neighborhood. The Town of Los Gatos’ Historic Preservation Ordinance wisely protects structures that contribute meaningfully to the town’s historic character—those with architectural distinction, historical context, or cultural value. But not every pre-1941 structure automatically qualifies. The Town Code clearly notes that for a structure to be considered historic, it must demonstrate significance through its architecture, history, or contribution to a historic district. I am obviously not an expert, but the home in question does not seem to meet that standard in any way, shape or form. It is NOT architecturally significant, it is NOT in a historic area, is it NOT associated with any notable event or figure NOR was it constructed by a master. It is, by definition, simply old, and it has barely been maintained throughout the time we’ve lived here. No one that I have talked to on our street or in our community feels this home meets that criteria. The majority of residents on our street are all old time community members of Los Gatos who have been active either within the town or in our school districts for decades. We are not “new blood” and we appreciate the historic houses within our community. We do not, however, believe that this house qualifies as one of those. Even our mail carrier couldn’t believe that the house would be considered historic and he has an intimate knowledge of the houses in our town! I attended the HPC meeting on April 23 and left really upset at the outcome. The committee was not unanimous in denying their petition to be removed from the register. It was a 3-2 split vote. It was clear the committee was confused about what deems a house historical as they openly discussed their frustration or lack of knowledge of the guidelines. They clearly stated that the guidelines are ambiguous. Many of the members stated they were confused and frustrated because of the lack of clarity and consistency and that their own language is contradictory. Please reference the minutes from the April 23 HPC meeting to truly see the confusion amongst the group. Instead of relying on clear, objective criteria that should be consistently applied to every property, it felt as though the committee let sentimentality guide their decision. In the absence of firm standards, they seemed to default to emotional attachments and nostalgia for a bygone era. One member openly stated this brings her to tears. But not every bungalow or farmhouse in Los Gatos automatically merits preservation simply because it evokes memories of the past. Bill and Breanna are building a home that suits their family’s needs, while respecting the character of the neighborhood. They already live in our community and understand the character of Los Gatos. They have been proactive in reaching out to our neighborhood and sharing their plans with all of us. Given the precedent on our street, I believe they should be allowed the same opportunity we and others have had. One of the HPC members actually stated that maybe they were more conservative than members from years past. The rules should be applied uniformly and fairly across all homeowners and not based on how conservative members of the HPC committee are at a given point in time. I respectfully ask you to support their request as it would be a huge improvement to our neighborhood and is the right thing to do based on the precedent of what others have been allowed. We welcome Bill and Breanna to our neighborhood and hope they will be allowed the freedom to build a home that meets their needs. Thank you for your consideration. 16801 Loma St From: Sent: Sunday, June 29, 2025 5:16 PM To: Sean Mullin <SMullin@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Subject: Neighbor support for the redevelopment of 16808 Loma Street. [EXTERNAL SENDER] To Sean Mullin, Los Gatos Planning Manager, My wife Michelle and I are writing on behalf of Bill and Brenna Wundram and other neighbors of 16805 Loma Street, Los Gatos, CA 95032. The purpose of this email is to show our strong support of the Wundrams and their proposal to redevelop the property noted above. We have lived at the corner of Loma and Englewood for 15+ years. Over the years, we have hoped that the property at 16805 Loma Street would be purchased and utilized to its full potential. The current structure, which is not in a historical district, holds neither historical nor architectural value. Furthermore, the property is now out of date with the rest of the homes on the street and in the neighborhood. have reviewed the proposed architectural drawings and believe that the home would be a great addition to the street. We hope that you and the town will support the Wundrams in their building endeavor. Regards, 16505 Englewood Avenue From: Sent: Sunday, July 6, 2025 9:42 PM To: Sean Mullin <SMullin@losgatosca.gov> Cc: bill wundram Subject: 16805 Loma St. Letter of Support. (Resending with original house picture) [EXTERNAL SENDER] July 6, 2025 Sean Mullin Town of Los Gatos, Planning Manager I hope this message finds you well. I’m writing to provide some background and clarification regarding the pre-1941 single-family residence located at 16761 Loma Street. My family has a long history with this property—my grandparents, , purchased the home in 1941. My mother lived there from birth in 1943 until 1965. After my grandmother’s passing in 1992, my family and I moved in and have lived there ever since. In 1998, in order to accommodate our growing family, we applied to demolish the original 3 bedroom, 1 bath home at 16761 Loma St. We were approved for demolition in June of 1999. I’d like to clarify that the home was never a barn, nor was it part of any designated historical district. I understand there may be some confusion due to a nearby structure—the only barn in the area during the 1940s was located around the corner on Ferris Avenue, where the Potter Court neighborhood now stands. That property belonged to the Hanson family and was later demolished to make way for the Potter Court subdivision. In my opinion, Bill and Breanna’s proposed home is well-suited to the character of our neighborhood and complements the surrounding properties. I respectfully encourage your support of their request, as this project would be a positive addition to our community. We warmly welcome both the development and their family to the neighborhood. Warm Regards, 16761 Loma St Sent from my iPhone From: Sent: Monday, July 7, 2025 12:58 PM To: Sean Mullin <SMullin@losgatosca.gov> Cc: Bill Wundram Subject: 16805 Loma St [EXTERNAL SENDER] Dear Sean, I have been a Los Gatos resident since 2010 and live on Shady View Lane and have known the Wundrams for about 15 years. I was in attendance at the Town Historic Preservation Committee meeting on May 28th when the Committee voted 3-2 to reject their proposal. I was shocked by the discussion and the “justification” the Committee used to reject the proposal as the facts presented in the documents, the presentation by the Wundram’s and the neighbors didn’t appear be a consideration and instead, the Committee discussion turned to an arbitrary set of information that was either untrue or irrelevant and the points were only made to help sway other members to reject the proposal without first determining the claims being made were factually correct or relevant. As evidenced by the documents submitted and attestation from the architect and neighbors, the house doesn’t meet any of the criteria that suggests the house may be worth considering to be preserved. Looking at the timeline and facts of the property, the original house was constructed in 1929 with no known documentation of what the house looked like or anything of the like. The aerial photo from 1948 shows a footprint of the home which is not consistent with the current roofline and footprint today. What happened between 1929 and 1948 is a complete unknown. The oldest photo of the front of the house is from 1967 where the facade and windows differ from the current structure. The property was not part of the Town until 1999 and was therefore unincorporated Santa Clara County and was not part of any Los Gatos planning or permitting processes during that time. Furthermore, the Committee is chartered to focus on homes prior to 1941 which there is no documentation for. The justification the Committee discussed was preserving a California bungalow. A California bungalow could have a very broad interpretation as it is an arbitrary term that could entail any small ranch house. However, with respect to 16805 Loma, there is no documentation or information about the house, so what exactly does the Committee wish to preserve? What about this house requires it to be preserved under the rules of the Historic Preservation Committee? Seems like any further proposals would be subject to whimsical and arbitrary opinions of what the Committee thinks it should look like rather than having a defined set of criteria and specific aspects that should be preserved. It is bothering to me that the Committee is using such arbitrary, misleading information to make decisions which impact resident property owners in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. In addition, Loma St had a number of small ranch houses on it and all the other structures were approved for demolition. The structure is a simple farm house and doesn’t look like other true examples of a California Craftsman in Los Gatos. Finally, the neighbors are in support of the demolition and proposed structure. As a long term resident, I urge the committee to reconsider its conclusion and revisit the justification used for denying the proposal. Best Regards, 16464 Shady View Lane From: Sent: Tuesday, August 5, 2025 10:05 AM To: Sean Mullin <SMullin@losgatosca.gov> Subject: 16805 Loma Street [EXTERNAL SENDER] Hey Sean, I'm sending you this letter of support for Bill Wundrum as an immediate resident in the neighborhood versus a design professional. Best, M. M. Rowe Britt-Rowe MAR MICHAEL/GINGER ROWE Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Mr. Sean Mullin Planning Commission Members Town of Los Gatos Planning 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 RE: Mr. Bill Wundrum 16805 Loma Street Los Gatos, CA 95032 Mr. Mullin & Commission Members, I/We are writing this letter of support of Mr. Wundrum’s project, not as an architectural design professional in the community, but as nearby neighborhood residents. My wife and I have owned our home on Englewood Avenue for just over 33 years. Needless to say, we have witnessed a multitude of older homes which were noted to have been constructed prior to 1941, demolished and rebuilt throughout our neighborhood over the many years. It is disconcerting how the subjective opinion of a handful of Historical Preservation Committee members can shape OUR neighborhoods, when in fact, no historical lineage can be provided, no historical listing on any register can be noted and no historical event has ever taken place there. The older home in question is not historical. It is simply a leftover, forgotten & neglected example from a past moment in time built in an architectural style that was and still is very abundant across our state and the rest of the country. During the HPC Meeting, the members “struggled” with trying to make the distinction between a Historical Home and a Landmark. They failed to do so based on the criteria NEEDED to deny this application in the first place. They also made a very troubling public comment that “previous Historical Preservation Committees may have been less conservative than us…..”. That in itself proves they are making decisions based on their personal emotions & subjectivity versus establishing the necessary historical criteria required to make such a finding. As a longtime resident of the immediate neighborhood, I find this statement and their decision to deny Mr. Wundrum’s application very discriminatory. What makes this home more historically significant than the many Pre-1941 homes awarded permission for demolition before it? Was it the current mood and perspective of the HPC only? If so, that is outside the lines of their community responsibility. It is in our opinion as immediate neighborhood residents that this house, like many others which have been provided demolition permission in the past, is no different, nor is it historically contributory to the preservation of the Town of Los Gatos’ overall architectural character. It is the responsibilityof the Planning Commission to protect the “best interest of the community”. Well, here we are as literal neighborhood residents hoping for a common sense decision by the Planning Commission and to allow Mr. Wundrum to move forward with his project. Thank you for allowing us to express our support for this application. Best, Michael &Ginger Michael/Ginger Rowe This Page Intentionally Left Blank