REPORT TO HISTORICAL AND LANDMARKS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Recommendation on the Architectural Review (PLN24-00521) for Demolition of the Existing 1,198 Square Foot One-Story Residence and the Construction of a New 3,817 Square Foot Two-Story Residence at 4435 Fillmore Street Located Within 200 Feet of Two Historic Resource Inventory Properties. CEQA Status: Exempt from CEQA per Section 15332 - In-Fill Development Projects.
Report
File No.: PLN24-00521
Location: 4435 Fillmore Street, a 6,250 square-foot property located on the eastern side of Fillmore Street, approximately 200 feet north of the intersection of Fillmore Street and 2nd Street; APN: 104-10-055; the property is zoned Single-Family Residential (R1-6L).
Applicant: Daniel Warren, Warren Design
Owner(s): GM & Fouzia Solaiman
Request: Architectural Review for a demolition of the existing 1,198 square-foot residence and the construction of a 3,327 square-foot five-bedroom and four-bathroom two-story residence.
PROJECT DATA
The Project Data and Compliance Table is included as Attachment 2.
POINTS FOR CONSIDERATION
• The project site is surrounded by one-story and two-story colonial revival, cottage, ranch, and vernacular style single-family residences.
• The project site is a 6,250 square-foot lot currently occupied by a 1,198 square-foot single story residence with an attached one car garage. The residence was built in 1961.
• Per the Santa Clara City Code 18.120.020.D.7, the request requires Architectural Review approval through a Development Review Hearing for the demolition of the existing structure and construction of a two-story structure.
• 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.
• The proposed project is to demolish the existing 1,198 square-foot residence and to construct a new two-story 3,327 square-foot five-bedroom and four-bathroom residence.
o The project also includes an attached 490 square-foot accessory dwelling unit (ADU) on the first floor. The proposed ADU is not in the scope of the discretionary architectural review. In accordance with Section 18.60.020, ADUs proposed on the first story can be reviewed ministerially through a Building permit application.
o The proposed design features a Mediterranean architectural style with white stucco, Spanish style roofing, and dark bronze decorative shutters, window and door frames, and gutters. The design also has architectural elements in keeping with the style such as a square bay window on the front elevation, windows on the garage door, and decorative columns for the front entry porch.
• The subject property at 4435 Fillmore Street is within 200 feet of 4406 Fillmore Street and 4433 Cheeney Street, which are both listed on the HRI.
o 4406 Fillmore Street is a Colonial Revival Cottage (J.M. Williamson House) built in 1925. It is a rectangular plan house with clapboard siding and narrow corner moldings with two rounded porch columns, hipped roof, and bay window.
o 4433 Cheeney Street is a Colonial Revival built in 1905. This residence has a rectangular floor plan with an L-shaped recessed porch, narrow overlap siding, front-facing gable, and a square bay window with modified hip roof.
• The subject property at 4435 Fillmore Street is not located on the same side of the street as 4406 Fillmore Street and is situated on a different block from 4433 Cheeney Street. Given that the historic resources are not situated on the same street frontage in a way that would affect the predominant frontage pattern, no impacts on the resources are anticipated.
• The proposed project complies with the City’s Single-Family and Duplex Residential Design Guidelines (2014), in that:
o The second floor is less than 66% of the first floor.
o The second floor is stepped back from the first floor on all sides by five feet or more resulting in an appropriate mass and bulk for a single-family residence.
o The architectural features of the proposed design are true to the proposed architectural form and style in that the materials include stucco with darker wood decorative shutters and garage door with windows, and brown Spanish tile roofing.
o The proposed hipped roof and front-facing gable are roof forms found in the neighborhood.
• 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 15332 (Class 32 - In-Fill Development Projects), in that the request is on a project site less than five acres, served by all required, and meets all zoning standards.
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 63 property owners and tenants within a 300-foot radius of the project site on April 23, 2026. As of the writing of this report, planning staff has not received public comments for this application.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Recommend that the Historical and Landmarks Commission find that the proposed project located at 4435 Fillmore Street will not destroy or have significant adverse effect on the integrity of the HRI listed properties within 200 feet of the subject property; that the proposed construction is compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and recommend approval of the Architectural Review at the Development Review Hearing.
Staff
Prepared by: Meha Patel, 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. Conditions of Approval
4. Development Plans