There's a vacancy on the Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) waiting to be filled by someone passionate about historic preservation. Is that you? The deadline to apply for this and other board/commission vacancies is September 30, 2024. Submit your online application.

Members of boards, commissions, committees and any task force must attend meetings in-person. The public may attend virtually or in-person. Public comments are accepted only in-person. View meeting details on the HLC agendas wepage.

Historic Landmarks Commission 

The Historic Landmarks Commission (HLC) is established in accordance with the San José Municipal Code, Chapter 13.48 and Part 26.  

Members

Seven members are appointed by the City Council and are residents of San José, unless specifically authorized otherwise. View the Official Roster. Members bring a range of expertise related to historic preservation. For information about the application process for becoming a commissioner, please contact the City Clerk.

Roles & Duties

The HLC is a public hearing body, responsible for providing recommendations to the Director of Planning and City Council on:

• Historic Preservation Permits for alterations to a City Landmark or within a City Landmark Historic District (see also Design Review Subcommittee below);
• Nominations for a City Landmark, City Landmark Historic District, and/or Conservation Area;
• Mills Act Historic Property Contracts; and
• Preservation, exhibition, and protection of the History San Jose Museum.

HLC maintains the City's Historic Resources Inventory, using this to provide comments and recommendations on development proposals that may impact cultural resources. HLC may recommend adding properties identified through development proposals to the Historic Resources Inventory.

Decision-making authority is as follows:

• City Council - Final decision-making body on City Landmark designations, City Landmark Historic District designations, Conservation Area listings, and Mills Act Historical Property Contracts.
• Director of Planning - Makes decisions on Historic Preservation Permits. The City Council serves as the appellate body for these permit decisions. The Director of Planning is also the Secretary to the HLC. 
• Historic Landmarks Commission - Has authority to list properties on the Historic Resources Inventory without requiring Council approval. 

Meetings 

• 6:30 p.m., first Wednesday of every month
• Meetings are held in City Council Chambers
• See Agendas for information
• To view meetings go to the Video & Audio webpage under "Planning Meetings"
• Accommodation - To request an accommodation or an alternative format for printed materials, please call Support Staff at (408) 535-3505 or (408) 294-9337 (TTY) as soon as possible, but at least three business days before any hearing.

Contact

Dana Peak, Historic Preservation Officer: Dana.Peak@sanjoseca.gov - For inquiries to the Commission or about development proposals with a historic preservation component.

Design Review Subcommittee

The Design Review Subcommittee provides a public forum to discuss:

• Complex historic preservation permits early in the design process and prior to review by the Historic Landmarks Commission, and;

• Projects involving the rehabilitation of historic resources not reviewed by the full Historic Landmarks Commission.

Application review. Projects with the potential to benefit from discussion are referred to the subcommittee for review at the discretion of the Planning Director. Project managers coordinate the referral of the current historic preservation permit, development permit, and preliminary review applications that impact historic resources. Examples include:

• Alterations that may have a significant effect on the façade of a historic resource.
• Changes to a historic resource that might result in loss of integrity of character-defining features.
• Substantial expansion of a historic building.
• New construction in a historic district or conservation area.

The subcommittee focuses on compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties. Generally, a project that follows these standards:

• Is considered as mitigated to a less than significant impact on a historic resource that is eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources, the National Register of Historic Places and a candidate City Landmark, and;
  
  
• Retains the integrity of a resource listed on the City’s Historic Resources Inventory as a structure of merit or contributing structure to a conservation area, so that the resource can continue to become more significant with the passage of time.

Members

The Design Review Subcommittee comprises three members from the Historic Landmarks Commission. One member serves as chairperson.

Meetings

• 11:00 a.m., third Thursday of every month
• Meetings are held in City Hall Tower Room T-332
• See Agendas & Minutes for information
• To view meetings go to the Video & Audio webpage under "Planning Meetings"
• Accommodation - To request an accommodation or an alternative format for printed materials, please call Support Staff at (408) 535-3505 or (408) 294-9337 (TTY) as soon as possible, but at least three business days before any hearing.

To receive email notification when an agenda is posted, email: Commission support staff. You may contact the Planning Division at (408) 535-3555 the week of a public hearing to verify that an item will be heard and is not scheduled for deferral to a later date.