CITY COUNCIL
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: INFORMATION REPORTS
Lead Department: Planning and Development Services
Meeting Date: June 8, 2026
Report #: 2604-6308
TITLE
439 Lincoln Avenue [26BLD-00812]: Notice of Demolition Application for a Significant Building within the Professorville Historic District
RECOMMENDATION
This report is provided for informational purposes only and does not require Council action.
BACKGROUND
The property located at 439 Lincoln Avenue is situated within the Professorville Historic District, one of the City’s oldest historic districts and one of its earliest residential neighborhoods. The residence at 439 Lincoln Avenue, along with its detached garage, was constructed in 1923, during the district’s period of significance. The design and architecture of the property reflect this early development period, and the property remains largely intact, retaining its early 1920s construction and character.
The City-retained historic consultant, Page & Turnbull, concluded that while the property at 439 Lincoln Avenue does not appear to be individually eligible for listing in the California Register under any criterion, it is considered a historic resource as a contributing property within the locally designated Professorville Historic District (Attachment B).
The owners of 439 Lincoln Avenue submitted a demolition permit application for the detached garage on March 27, 2026. The main residence is not proposed to be demolished. However, there is an associated development application for a new JADU, detached ADU, and attached garage.
ANALYSIS
The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, Palo Alto Municipal Code (PAMC) Section 16.49.070 states that any person wishing to demolish a significant building,1 other than in the downtown area, shall file an application for a demolition permit in accordance with the procedures 1 "Significant building" means any building, group of buildings, or site categorized on the historic inventory as number one or number two and all structures within historic districts.
established by PAMC Chapter 16.04 and said application and documentation of the structure shall be forwarded to the City Council as an information item.
The Chief Building Official may not take action on the application for sixty days following receipt of a completed application. During the sixty-day moratorium, the Chief Building Official shall refer the application to the Historic Resources Board (HRB) for recommendation on the historical and/or architectural significance of the building and the whether the moratorium should be extended. Tentatively this is scheduled for the June 11, 2026, HRB meeting.
The HRB, or any interested person may recommend that the Council extend the moratorium.
The Council shall agendize such a request and may extend the sixty-day period to a period up to one year. In the case of an extended moratorium, the Council, upon the recommendation of the HRB, may require that appropriate and reasonable public notice of the availability of the structure be provided by the applicant.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
All associated staff costs associated with processing this application are recovered through applicant-paid fees established in the Fiscal Year 2026 Adopted Municipal Fee Schedule.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Palo Alto Municipal Code requires notice of demolition applications involving significant buildings located outside of the Downtown area. In accordance with this requirement, a copy of the application and supporting documentation for the structure has been forwarded to the City Council as an informational item.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This informational report is not a project under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and does not require environmental review. The proposed demolition application of the one- story detached garage involves the issuance of a building permit, which is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15268 (Ministerial Projects). Section 15268 provides that the determination of whether a project is “ministerial” is made by the public agency based on its analysis of its own laws and regulations. In the absence of discretionary provisions governing the application, the issuance of building permits is presumed to be ministerial. Because the proposed project involves only a building permit, a ministerial approval, no environmental review under CEQA is required.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Demolition Application [26BLD-00812]
Attachment B: Documentation of Structure Proposed for Demolition APPROVED BY:
Jonathan Lait, Planning and Development Services Director