San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission Meeting - May 8, 2025
San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission Meeting - May 8, 2025
The Historic Landmarks Commission met on May 8, 2025, at 7:30 PM. The meeting included a proclamation for Historic Preservation Month, a planning referral for the Fountain Alley project (two development options), and a discussion on forming an adaptive reuse incentive committee. No consent calendar or public hearings were on the agenda. Seven commissioners were present (Commissioner Bainowal absent).
Proclamation
- Councilmember Michael Mulcahy presented a proclamation recognizing May 2025 as Historic Preservation Month in San Jose, with the theme "Harnessing the Power of Place." He highlighted San Jose's history as home to California's first historic landmarks commission (1945-46) and its nearly 230 historic landmarks, eight historic districts, and seven conservation areas.
Planning Referral: Fountain Alley Project (H24-050)
- Staff Report: Project managers Angela Wang and Kara Hawk introduced the site development permit for two options at 35 South 2nd Street. Option A (previously approved in 2022) is a 21-story mixed-use building with 194 residential units and office/commercial space. Option B proposes two 27-28 story buildings with 768 residential units, 10,697 square feet of ground-floor retail, and five levels of underground parking. The site is within the San Jose Downtown Commercial National Register District and within 100 feet of nine city landmarks, including the Bank of Italy. Staff sought HLC comments on design consistency with downtown design standards and guidelines regarding historic context and adjacency.
- Applicant Presentation: The applicant (West Bank) stated they are focusing on Option B, emphasizing a modern design that does not replicate historic buildings but uses materials (tinted GFRC) to nod to the terracotta of the Bank of Italy. They highlighted breaking up the massing, improving pedestrian experience with alleyways and a public plaza, and including public art. The project would provide 770 units and ground-floor retail, aiming to bring vibrancy to downtown.
- Commissioner Questions: Questions addressed the height limit (no strict limit, only FAA constraints), the distinction between design standards and guidelines (guidelines are not mandatory under state law for housing projects), the project's consistency with the 60-foot height guideline in the historic district, outreach to Bank of America, and the shift from office to residential. Some commissioners noted improvements in massing but expressed concerns about materials and the overwhelming scale relative to the Bank of Italy.
- Public Comments: Two speakers testified. Mike Sod expressed appreciation for the broken massing and material deference but said the project still does not adequately respond to the Bank of Italy; he suggested a design review subcommittee and adjustments to the ground-floor experience. Gail Frank stated the project is too massive and engulfs historic buildings, detracting from the historic district and walking tours.
- Commissioner Comments: Commissioners expressed mixed views. Some praised the improved massing and viewshed (Option B), while others criticized the glass and concrete design as incompatible with the historic district, overbearing to the Bank of Italy, and lacking harmony. Several commissioners requested an "Option C" with more masonry, terracotta, or other materials and a better ground-floor experience. The chair noted that this was an early referral, and no vote was taken; comments will be forwarded to the planning director.
General Business: Adaptive Reuse Incentive Committee
- The commission discussed forming a committee to explore adaptive reuse programs for historic buildings, inspired by Los Angeles' program. Commissioner Royer volunteered, and Commissioner Galandari also volunteered. However, staff (Deputy Director Manira Sandar) noted limited capacity due to budget constraints and existing work programs. The commission decided to defer the committee formation until the city has resources available, possibly linking it to future ordinance amendments.
Open Forum
- A member of the public asked about the schedule for the hardship committee meeting. The vice chair (Royer) indicated it will be scheduled soon.
Reports and Approval of Minutes
- The Design Review Subcommittee reported on a meeting held April 17, 2025, regarding a project at 445 North Sixth Street (a two-story, six-unit multifamily building on a vacant lot; a historic preservation permit will come before the full commission).
- The commission unanimously approved the action minutes from the March 5, 2025 meeting (7-0 vote).
Key Outcomes
- No formal votes on the Fountain Alley project; the commission provided early referral comments to the planning director.
- The adaptive reuse incentive committee was deferred due to staff capacity.
- The March 5, 2025 meeting minutes were approved 7-0.
Meeting Transcript
Landmarks Commission meeting. Following roll call during our summary of hearing procedure, we will review how the public may provide comment during today's session. We'll start with a roll call. Commissioner Galandari. Present. Commissioner Cohen. Here. Commissioner Camuso. Here. Commissioner Bainowal. Absen. Commissioner Arnold. Present. And Vice Chair Royer. Present. Chair Baim, I'm here. So we have a quorum. We can continue. The procedure for this hearing is as follows. After a staff report, applicants and appellants may make a five minute presentation. If you wish to speak on an item, complete a card and place it. Actually, you can bring it up to our historic preservation officer, Peak Edwards. And when she receives your your card, then she will forward it to me and we'll organize that way. Each speaker will be given up to two minutes for public testimony, and speakers using a translator will have up to four minutes at the discretion of the chair. The time allotted for each speaker may be changed depending on the number of items on the agenda and the number of speakers and other factors. Speakers using a translator will have double the time allotted. After a public testimony, the applicant may make closing remarks for up to an additional five minutes. Historic landmarks commissioners may ask questions of the speakers. Response to the commissioner questions will not reduce the speaker's time allowance. The public hearing will then be closed, and the historic landmarks commission will take action on the item. The commission may request staff to respond to public testimony, ask staff questions, and discuss the item. If a commissioner would like a topic to be addressed under one of the good and welfare items, please contact planning staff in advance of the commission meeting. All public records relating to an open session item on this agenda, which are not exempt from disclosure pursuant to the California Public Records Act that are distributed to a majority of the legislative body will be available for public emailing or for the public by emailing planning support staff at San Jose.gov. At the same time that the public records are distributed or made available to the legislative body. Before we begin, I want to remind our historic landmarks commission members and members of the public to follow our code of conduct at meetings. This includes commenting on the specific agenda item only and addressing the full body. Public speakers will not engage in a conversation with commissioners or staff. All members of the historic landmarks commission, staff and the public are expected to refrain from abusive language. Repeated failure to comply with the code of conduct, which will disturb, disrupt, or impede the orderly conduct of this meeting, may result in removal from the meeting. This meeting of the Historic Landmarks Commission will now come to order. So I want to welcome everyone. And I'd like to introduce our new planning deputy director, Manira Sandar. Welcome. Would you like to say a few words? Yes, thank you. Good evening, honorable commissioners. Uh Manira Santier, the you know, new kid on the block, the deputy director of planning. Uh, very excited and honored to take up this role with the City of San Jose. Uh I come with 18 years of experience in planning in various forms, including historic preservation, where I helped write the City of San Mateo's general plan policies, and you know, also led the environmental impact report effort for that city for preservation of historic policies. It was a big conversation up on the peninsula as well.
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