GILROY
– As development of historic farms and fields in Silicon Valley
continues, county planners hope a new study will help them gain a
better understanding of their historic resources – and help them
make better-informed decisions about protecting and preserving
them.
And as the effort begins in earnest this month in South County,
they’re looking for the public’s help to carry out that task.
GILROY – As development of historic farms and fields in Silicon Valley continues, county planners hope a new study will help them gain a better understanding of their historic resources – and help them make better-informed decisions about protecting and preserving them.
And as the effort begins in earnest this month in South County, they’re looking for the public’s help to carry out that task.
The county commenced an update of its so-called Heritage Resource Inventory – and efforts to gain public assistance and support – with a kickoff meeting last weekend at Gilroy City Hall that 30 people attended.
The $15,000 study by consultant Dill Design Group seeks to help create a more solid body of research on the rural county’s historic resources, ranging from the ruins of cattle baron Henry Miller’s hillside home to the grounds of Morgan Hill’s venerable Emilio Guglielmo Winery.
“The intent is to get a better understanding of what we have in our inventory,” said Dana Peak, a county planner who is coordinating the project as the county’s Historic Heritage Commissioner. “It enables us to better facilitate our planning decisions when we have more accurate and in-depth information about (historic) properties.”
Under state environmental laws, the county, like cities, has to gauge the presence and effects of historic resources when it considers and approves land-use decisions, Peak said. Those reviews often involve the Historic Heritage Commission – which helps make recommendations to the Board of Supervisors – and enlist the help of the historic inventory list.
The county’s first inventory list initially was conducted as a “windshield” study of historical landmarks in the early 1960s, Peak said. The list includes over 50 properties in unincorporated Coyote, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and San Martin, ranging from several Gilroy-area wineries to the Coyote Grange Hall.
But while it was updated in the mid-1970s and again as late as 1999, planners say that inventory does not meet current statewide documentation and preservation planning standards.
“We don’t know what the consistency was of what was evaluated over the years,” Peak said. “The state criteria gives us a more consistent way to evaluate (properties) across the board.”
The current study is meant to help better understand how historic properties interact with state laws, and also can help clear up some existing gray areas in planning decisions.
For example, one problem is that the staff and commission may struggle with decisions on certain demolition, alteration or development decisions because the existing historic inventory is unclear about which buildings on a property are historic – and protected.
“Something may be listed as a grouping of buildings, and there may not be sufficient documentation that covers how other buildings on the site contribute to the significance of that property,” Peak said. “That’s one example of how (the study) could add to our understanding of a site.”
Another gray area decision-makers face concerns how much historic resources have been altered. A property’s historic significance may have changed if the building itself has undergone changes, ranging from large additions to replacement windows, Peak said.
“If already altered so much that it’s already unrecognizeable as far as having integrity, there may not be an impact” from surrounding development, Peak said.
Meanwhile, consultants are also verifying the current inventory is indeed accurate, Peak said. In at least one case, history has been incorrectly associated with a specific property when it was instead linked to another property down the road.
Specific deed research is a part of the research the consultant’s trained historians are conducting, Peak said. As they assess the current status of each property and conduct a professional analysis, other criteria include properties’ relation to historic events, the lives of people important to history, distinctive architectural characteristics and even archeological significance.
The consultant also will assemble an overall “historic context” report of South County to help with the analysis, Peak said.
The consultant will also research whether properties meet state and federal criteria for historic listings. Association with such lists can mean additional rules about protection as well as tax breaks, grants and other incentives for preservation.
And while the study isn’t designed to evaluate or add new properties or sites to the county’s list at this time, people are welcome to identify or propose them for future consideration, Peak said.
“From the property owner’s point of view, the intent is to facilitate the development process, have more in-depth information and better decisions,” Peak said. “In terms of the public, it’s a great educational tool to help make (residents) aware of the county and South County’s history …
“A lot of people may be new to the area, and I think it’s really important they understand the significance and value of their environment.”
While the consultant employs experienced historians, planners say local knowledge is crucial. Members of the public are asked to help out in several ways, ranging from hooking up historians with property owners to actually conducting oral history interviews. The South County phase is due to be completed by March.
Updating History
The county is looking for public assistance in updating its inventory of historic resources around unincorporated South County.
Here’s how to help:
• Provide local connections for contacting owners of historic properties. Many historic resources aren’t visible from the street, and consultants need invitations to visit and assess properties.
• Locate historical photographs of the area and listed historic resources in archives and private collections.
• Locate historical newspaper articles and similar local sources.
• Identify properties associated with historical themes or building types that aren’t well-represented in the current inventory.
• Conduct oral-history interviews to augment archival research.
For information, call Dana Peak, the county’s Historical Heritage Coordinator, at 299-5798 or e-mail her at da*******@pl*.us.
