REPORT TO HISTORICAL AND LANDMARKS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
PUBLIC HEARING: Recommendation on the Architectural Review (PLN25-00065) for the Demolition of an Existing Uninhabitable Commercial Structure and the Construction of a New 2,598 Square-Foot Two-Story Residence with Four Bedrooms and Three and a Half Bathrooms Located at 1175 Lafayette Street within 200 Feet of Historic Resource Inventory Properties.
Report
File No.: PLN25-00065
Location: 1175 Lafayette Street, a 6,506 square-foot lot located approximately 50-feet from the intersection of Fremont Street and Lafayette Street
Applicant: Thanh Nguyen
Owner(s): 1175 Lafayette LLC.
Request: Architectural Review for the Demolition of an Existing Uninhabitable Commercial Structure and the Construction of a New Two-Story Residence with an Attached Two-Car Garage and an Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) at 1175 Lafayette Street, Located Within 200 Feet of Historic Resources.
PROJECT DATA
The Project Data and Compliance Table is included as Attachment 2.
POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION
• The proposed project is in a residential tract consisting of both one- and two-story residences. See Vicinity Map in Attachment 1.
• The site is currently situated with two uninhabitable buildings, one a storage shed at the rear of the parcel and the other a small commercial structure oriented toward the street.
• Per the Santa Clara City Code 18.120(D)1, the request to construct a new single-family home requires Architectural Review approval through a Development Review Hearing.
• The project is before the Historical and Landmarks Commission (HLC) in accordance with Historic Preservation Ordinance (Santa Clara City Code 18.130.070), which requires all projects within 200 feet of a Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) property requiring an Architectural Review through a Development Review Hearing to be first referred to the HLC.
o The HLC shall review the project for neighborhood compatibility and consistency with the City’s Design Guidelines and make a recommendation.
• A DPR 523 Form (Attachment 3) was completed due to the property being over 50 years old and deemed potentially historic by the City of Santa Clara. The DPR was completed by Kara Brunzell of Brunzell Historical and concluded that the property does not qualify as a resource as it lacks historical, cultural, architectural, or geographic significance.
• The proposal is to demolish the existing building and construct a new 2,598 square-foot four bedroom, three and one half-bathroom home with an attached two-car garage. The home is to be a two-story residence with horizontal siding, a hipped-roof, a distinct veneer stone wrapped porch, two-car garage, and a detached ADU at the rear of the parcel.
• There are four HRI properties within 200-feet of the proposed project.
o 936 Fremont Street, the Gould/South House, was built in 1937 in the Spanish Eclectic style and has a Mills Act and a small plaque.
o 908 Fremont Street, the Nuttman Residence, was built in 1939 in a Colonial Revival style and is a two-story home.
o 1115 Lafayette Street, the Robert B. Jones House, was built in 1913 in the Prairie Style and has a Mills Act and a small plaque.
o 1193 Lafayette Street, the Glendenning House, is immediately adjacent and was built in 1885 in the Pioneer Vernacular style and is a two-story home.
• The proposed project complies with the City’s Single-Family and Duplex Residential Design Guidelines (2014), in that:
o The front of the house is oriented toward the primary street frontage with an emphasis on the front porch or entry element toward the street by architectural design and landscaping treatment.
o The architectural features of the proposed design including the wood siding at the front of the structure, asphalt shingle roofing material, a prominent small front porch are true to the architectural form and appropriate for the neighborhood.
o The project proposes both a hipped roof form on the house reducing the bulk of the second story and mirroring roof forms seen in the area.
• The proposed project meets the required findings set forth in Santa Clara City Code 18.120.
• There are no active City code enforcement cases for this property.
• A neighborhood notice was distributed within a 300-foot radius of the subject site for this project review.
CONDITIONS OF APPROVAL
Conditions of approval are proposed for the project and are contained in Attachment 3.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The action being considered is categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (Class 3 - New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures), in that the proposed project is for the construction of a new single-family residence on a vacant lot, which meets Class 3 exemption requirements.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Historical and Landmarks Commission agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
A public hearing notice was mailed to property owners within a 300-foot radius of the project site on March 20, 2025. As of the writing of this report, planning staff has not received public comments for this application.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Determine the project to be categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) formal pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303 (Class 3 - New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures), and Approve the Architectural Review for the demolition of an existing structure and the construction of a new 2,598 square-foot four bedroom, three and one half-bathroom two-story residence with a two-car garage and a detached accessory dwelling unit (ADU) at 1175 Lafayette Street, subject to the findings and conditions of approval.
Staff
Prepared by: Daniel Sobczak, Associate Planner, Community Development Department
Reviewed by: Rebecca Bustos, Principal Planner, Community Development Department
Approved by: Lesley Xavier, Planning Manager, Community Development Department
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity Map
2. Project Data and Compliance Table
3. DPR 523 Form
4. Conditions of Approval
5. Development Plans
6. Development Plan Renderings
7. Map of HRI Properties Within 200-Feet of Project