San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission Meeting – November 13, 2024

The San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) met on November 13, 2024, with four commissioners present (Commissioners Galandari, Camuso, Arnold, Vice Chair Royer, and Chair Bain) achieving a quorum. The meeting included a planning referral for the proposed demolition of a candidate city landmark at 380 North First Street, a presentation on the draft San Jose Eichler Neighborhood Objective Design Standards, and open forum items.

Consent Calendar

• No items were presented for the consent calendar.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 3: 380 North First Street Residential Project

• Ben Leach (Preservation Action Council of San Jose) expressed support for the candidate city landmark determination and appreciated the opportunity to comment during the EIR period. He requested that the EIR document the impediments to adaptive reuse and suggested that the brick facade of the new building be brought down to the pedestrian level to better complement the adjacent historic building.
• Mike Sodergren (member of the public) questioned why the project had not been reviewed by the Design Review Subcommittee and suggested that a condition of approval could include funding for a full mid-century survey. He also requested more detailed explanations of financial infeasibility.

Item 5: San Jose Eichler Neighborhood Objective Design Standards

• Daniel Rosenberg (Fairhaven Eichler neighborhood resident) expressed concern that the draft standards allow second stories, which conflict with his neighborhood’s CC&Rs that prohibit them. He asked for language advising homeowners to check their CC&Rs and noted that if the standards do not match their restrictions, their neighborhood might forgo historic designation.
• Ben Leach (HPACS) praised the document and recommended citing state laws regarding ADUs and GADUs. He also asked about the threshold for adding other Eichler neighborhoods to the Historic Resources Inventory.
• Sally Zarnowitz (Fair Glens Addition resident, co-chair of the preservation committee) thanked staff and the consultant, noting that the community meeting had good outreach. She suggested that the standards make clear that projects not meeting the standards go to a public hearing, which would incentivize compliance.
• Mike Sodergren noted the unique design of Eichler homes and praised the guidelines. He expressed concern about enclosing carports with garage doors, which he said would be damaging to the public view, and noted that shallow lots limit second-story setbacks.

Discussion Items

Item 3: 380 N First Street – Planning Referral (File H23-007, ER23-075)

• Staff (Cora McNaughton, New Nguyen) presented the project: a proposal to demolish a 12,000-square-foot 1964 office building (candidate city landmark designed by Conrad Stiber in the New Formalism style) and build a 7-story, 118-unit apartment building with 6 very low-income units and a density bonus. The draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) identified significant unavoidable impacts to the historic resource. Five alternatives were considered: no project, relocation (rejected due to damage), preservation of the existing building with a 12-story tower (providing ~108 units), and a reduced-density preservation alternative (~84 units). The project applicant (Tag of Studio T Square) presented renderings and argued that the preservation alternative is infeasible due to building code requirements (e.g., fire separation) and financial constraints (high-rise construction would be more expensive). Commissioner questions explored compliance with historic adjacency design guidelines, the number of units achievable under preservation (applicant said 59 rather than 84 due to code), and the financial feasibility of alternatives. Several commissioners (including Vice Chair Royer, Commissioner Arnold, and Chair Bain) expressed a strong preference for preserving the existing building and requested further analysis of feasibility and incentives for adaptive reuse.

Item 5: San Jose Eichler Neighborhood Objective Design Standards (DP 24-012)

• Staff (Dana Peake Edwards) presented the draft standards, developed with input from the Fair Glens Addition Preservation Committee and consultant Paige & Turnbull. The standards are intended to provide measurable, verifiable criteria for exterior changes to Eichler homes listed on the Historic Resources Inventory, replacing the generic “Your Old House” guidelines. The document covers roofs, cladding, carports, additions, setting, infill construction, and guidance for ministerial projects like ADUs and solar panels. The comment period closed November 8, 2024; final adoption by City Council is expected in February or March 2025. Commissioners expressed strong support for the draft, citing its clarity, organization, and specificity. Concerns raised included the need for homeowner education about the standards, the treatment of second stories (allowed but with setbacks), and how non-contributing properties are handled.

Key Outcomes

• 380 N First Street: The commission will forward its comments to the City Council, recommending further analysis of preservation alternatives, including financial feasibility and potential incentives for adaptive reuse. The commission also requested that a full mid-century survey be considered and that the Design Review Subcommittee review similar projects earlier in the process. No formal vote was taken.
• Eichler Objective Design Standards: The commission unanimously approved a motion (by Vice Chair Royer, seconded by Commissioner Camuso) to support the draft standards and recommend City Council adoption. The commission also suggested adding language to direct homeowners to check CC&Rs and noting that projects not meeting standards would require a public hearing.
• Future Agenda Items: The commission agreed to place on a future agenda two topics: (1) a proposal for a financial hardship review process for demolitions of historic resources, and (2) development of incentives for adaptive reuse of historic buildings, which could be recommended to the City Council.
• Open Forum: Updates were provided on the Grace Baptist Church designation celebration (November 30) and the relocation of the Ichi Sakaway House to History Park. Commissioner Arnold suggested adding street signage for the newly designated Shiley Alameda landmark district, which will be discussed at a future meeting.
• Commission Vacancies: Applications for commission seats closed at the end of September; status will be checked.
• Next Meeting: December 4, 2024.