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CITY COUNCIL
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: CONSENT CALENDAR
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: June 8, 2026
Report #: 2604-6292
TITLE
QUASI-JUDICIAL. 405 Kipling Street [25PLN-00322] Approval of a Record of Land Use Action to Upgrade the Property Located at 405 Kipling Street From a Category 4 Resource on the Local Historic Inventory to a Category 2 Resource. CEQA Status: Not a Project Pursuant to Public Resources Code Section 21065.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff and the Historic Resources Board (HRB) recommend that City Council reclassify the building from a Category 4 resource to a Category 2 resource on the Palo Alto Historic Resources Inventory.
BACKGROUND
This report and Record of Land Use Action (Attachment B) provide background and support for the HRB’s April 9, 2026, recommendation to upgrade the two-story residential building, located at 405 Kipling Street, from Historic Inventory Category 4 to Category 2. The HRB staff report1 included the consultant’s assessment and inventory form. These documents are also available on the project webpage (Attachment C).
The property at 405 Kipling Street is situated on a flat rectangular corner parcel that is 112 feet deep and 53 feet wide in the Downtown North Neighborhood. The two-story residential building was built by H.L. Upham in 1897 and exemplifies the early Palo Alto Two-Story Square Box building type with stylistic elements of Queen Anne. The property appears to have been minimally altered from its original style, form, and massing.
The building at 405 Kipling Street, was first evaluated and added to the local historic inventory in 1985 as a Category 4 resource for its architecture. While originally constructed as a single- family residence, the property has undergone several changes in use. By 1901, rooms were rented to lodgers and Stanford University students. Around 1955, William P. Wreden converted 1 Link to April 9, 2026 HRB staff report with consultant assessment and inventory form:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=19597
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the property to commercial use for his antiquarian bookstore, though it is unclear whether the entire building was used or if any residential use remained. By 1970, Chimaera Books and Music occupied both floors. In 1999, Chimaera relocated to Redwood City. Since that time the building has been used for residential use.
ANALYSIS
On April 9, 2026, the HRB reviewed the applicant’s proposal to reclassify the subject building from the current Category 4 designation on the Historic Inventory to Category 2. A Category 2 resource is a building or group of buildings of major regional importance, meritorious works of the best architects or an outstanding example of an architectural style or the stylistic development of architecture in the state or region. A major building may have some exterior modifications, but the original character is retained. The HRB voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council reclassify 405 Kipling Street to Category 2.
The analysis concluded that the qualities and values of 405 Kipling Street are considerably more significant than the Municipal Code’s definition of the qualities of a Category 4 building. The HRB staff report included three detailed findings for the consistency of the qualities of 405 Kipling Street with the Municipal Code definition of a Category 2 building. The analysis found the building retains its historic integrity and represents outstanding and regionally important architecture consistent with the definition of a Category 2 resource in the Municipal Code Chapter 16.49.
The HRB discussed its support for the reclassification to a Category 2 resource. The applicant and the property owner participated in the review of the proposed reclassification and support this recommendation. The language of the three findings for reclassification that HRB adopted are provided in the attached draft Record of Land Use Action (Attachment B). Each of the three findings reflect the language of the Municipal Code’s definition of Category 2.
Reclassification from a Category 4 to a Category 2 resource at the local level could allow for participation in the Floor Area Bonus/Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) program for qualifying rehabilitation projects. The Floor Area Bonus/TDR program is available for qualifying rehabilitation projects for local inventory Category 1 and 2 resources that are zoned CD (Commercial Downtown) or other criteria. The property owner has submitted a proposed historic and seismic rehabilitation project that, contingent upon reclassification of the property to Category 2, could allow bonus floor area to be transferred and sold for use in the Downtown area rather than utilized on-site.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
There is no significant fiscal or resource impact associated with this application. The City’s consultant costs and staff time to process this application were paid for by the property owner.
There is potential incremental value from property redevelopment at this location or through 9 8
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the transfer of development rights to another site, reflected in reassessed property tax revenues; however, that value cannot be quantified at present.
PUBLIC COMMENTS
As of the writing of this report, no written project-related, public comments were received. One member of the public spoke in support of the redesignation at the HRB hearing.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Maintenance of historic designation of a property or reclassification of historic designation of a property is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act and CEQA Guidelines Section 21065 because it will not cause a direct change to the physical environment nor a reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Location Map
Attachment B: Draft Record of Land Use Action
Attachment C: Project Plans
APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director