By Khalida Sarwari
A recently published consultant’s memo may have strengthened the case for designating the Gardner neighborhood as a historical area.
The memo revealed that Gardner was the first neighborhood annexed by San Jose. As a result, the San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission suggested at its Feb. 7 meeting that the City Council deem the neighborhood historical.
In December, the commission recommended that the North Willow Glen area be designed historical but didn’t take a position on Gardner. Although staff noted then that many of the homes in the Gardner area had been altered, a group of neighbors argued that shouldn’t make a difference. They contended the houses still retain “sufficient historic fabric that would enable these properties to become contributors through rehabilitation.”
Franklin Maggi, the consultant assigned to study the issue, said several factors in addition to annexation went into his decision that the neighborhood should be considered historic, community-based advocacy being one of them.
“Mandated use of the single-family house permit process could reverse the process of disruption to the historic fabric of the neighborhood, and in the long term potentially return much of the historic character to this area,” his report states.
It’s been a long process up to this point, but there’s a longer way to go, said San Jose’s historic preservation officer, Susan Walsh. The commission will next take up the issue in May, when Maggi returns with an updated Greater Gardner Context Survey that should include the Gardner neighborhood as a conservation site. The issue eventually will go before the City Council.
But even if the council agrees, three public hearings must be held before the historic designation can be finalized, Walsh said.
“What it means to residents is that these properties will be preserved” if declared historical, Walsh said. “When there are any proposals for remodeling or demolition, they will be required to obtain a single-family house permit and meet historic design guidelines. So it’s an important thing for the residents to ensure that their properties will be protected as historic resources.”
The neighborhood encompasses a little more than 240 residences, one school, one park, a community center and an unoccupied commercial building.
Link:
Bid to name San Jose’s Gardner neighborhood a historical area picks up steam
