Contra Costa Times
From the article:
PLEASANTON -- The iffy future of a century-old house has put plans for a new single-family home development on hold.
Despite a recommendation from the city staff to approve the plan for 4202 Stanley Blvd., the Planning Commission voted unanimously against the project at its Wednesday night meeting.
In October, Ponderosa Homes submitted a proposal to demolish the existing residences on the property, remove the 32 mobile home spaces and construct 14 single-family homes -- which has since been reduced to 12 new homes.
The biggest bone of contention is the future of the 1912 house that sits on the 2.1-acre plot.
"Our concern is the house and a plan or lack thereof," said Jennifer Pearce, who leads the commission. "We might have supported the project if the applicant had come back to us with a plan for the house."
She said that although the proposed craftsman and English cottage-style architecture is "great," the lack of a plan for the historic home is a stumbling block.
Ponderosa Homes originally wanted to rip out the old structure and build 14 houses, but the Planning Commission decided to first evaluate the home's historic significance. The evaluation is not yet complete.
"I feel the project and the application are premature," Pearce said.
Ponderosa Homes has since negotiated with the property owner to remove the old house from the purchase agreement and fence it off from the proposed development.