REPORT TO HISTORICAL AND LANDMARKS COMMISSION
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Consideration of an Environmental Impact Report for the demolition of historically significant properties and the new construction of a data center at 1200-1310 Memorex Drive
Report
BACKGROUND
Skybox Development LLC filed an application on August 8, 2019 proposing to demolish the existing industrial buildings on-site and to construct a new four-story data center at 1200 Memorex Drive. The 9.18-acre subject project site was developed with three buildings: a three-story, approximately 350,037 square foot building, a two-story, approximately 45,986 square foot building, and a one-story, approximately 2,944 square foot building. The buildings are concentrated in the northwestern portion of the site adjacent to Memorex Drive and consist of a mix of architectural styles and materials typical of light industrial warehouse uses, including cinderblocks, stucco, and large windows.
A Historic Resource Evaluation completed by the Architectural Resources Group (ARG) in December 2019 determined that the project site is eligible for listing in the California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR) for its association with the development of the modern electronics industry and in the broader context of Silicon Valley's development in the 1960s and 1970s. The Draft EIR evaluates the potential for the project to impact the historic resource on the site. The Historic Resource Evaluation completed for the site determined that the property is eligible for listing in the CRHR under Criterion 1, Association with Significant Events. To be considered eligible for listing under CRHR Criterion 1, a property must be associated with one or more events important in a defined historic context. This criterion recognizes properties associated with single events, a pattern of events, repeated activities, or historic trends. The event or trends, however, must clearly be important within the associated context. Further,...
Click here for full text