Woodside house demolition: Steve Jobs withdraws appeal Woodside house demolition: Steve Jobs withdraws appeal (December 12, 2001)

**But he still wants to tear down Jackling house.

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

At the last minute, representatives for Apple Computer and Pixar CEO Steve Jobs withdrew an appeal over the demolition of a 1926 estate house on Mr. Jobs' Woodside property.

Mr. Jobs still wants to demolish the main house and several smaller structures that were part of the former Daniel C. Jackling estate on Mountain Home Road. However, rather than appeal the Woodside planning director's decision not to issue a demolition permit, he has decided to work with the town to come up with measures for mitigating the loss of the house, said his land use attorney Doug Aikins.

The appeal was scheduled to be heard at the December 5 Planning Commission meeting; the letter withdrawing the appeal was delivered on December 4.

David Rizk, the planning director, said he could not issue a demolition permit because the house appears to be historically important enough to be protected by state law. According to town regulations, the Architectural and Site Review Board would have to review the demolition application and determine the home's historic worth.

The house was designed by noted architect George Washington Smith to resemble a medieval Spanish village. Mr. Smith also designed the estate's Spanish-style stables known as the Champagne Paddocks, which are now owned by Netscape founder Jim Clark.

Rather than quibble over whether Mr. Rizk is authorized to issue the permit, Mr. Aikins said he and his associates are working on a proposal for mitigation measures that will make the house's demolition acceptable to the town.

Under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a project that would have a significant, negative effect on a cultural or historic resource must propose an appropriate remedy. In CEQA-speak, they are "significant impacts" that must be "mitigated" to reduce the impacts to a "less-than-significant" level.

One of two reviews of the project must then be conducted. If mitigation measures are proposed that would render the negative impacts "less-than-significant," Woodside's planning department would prepare a "mitigated negative declaration." If town planners don't feel the mitigation measures are sufficient, then a full environmental impact report __ a more expensive and time-consuming proposition __ would be required.

Mr. Aikins said he is preparing a list of mitigation measures that range from restoring rather than demolishing an adjacent aviary to repairing the stonework along the property's private road, and hiring an architectural photographer to compile a portfolio of views of the house before it is demolished and donating the portfolio to an archive accessible to the public.

Since the house is not visible from the road, a photo archive would give the public much more access to the house then they have ever had, said Mr. Aikins.

He said his mitigation proposals have not yet been approved by Mr. Jobs, but that he is sure that an acceptable mitigation plan can be found and an environmental impact report will not be necessary.

"There are lots of alternatives on the table, but preservation of the structure is not one of them," Mr. Aikins said.

Mr. Rizk could not say what sorts of measures would acceptably mitigate the building's demolition, but that he was researching the matter.

There are no construction project permits associated with the demolition permit application, and there are no immediate building plans for the site that he knows of, said Mr. Aikins.

"The family's long-term interest is to use the property. It's a beautiful site on a knoll, surrounded by trees, and it's very private," he said.

Although President and Mrs. Clinton stayed at a guesthouse on an adjacent property when they were in the area at various times between 1993 and 2000, Secret Service agents occasionally stayed in the old Jackling estate main house. According to Mr. Aikins, the 17,250 square foot house is currently missing some doors and windows and is not very habitable.

Michael Corbett, the architectural historian hired to conduct a historical study of the estate, said that in spite of a 1931 addition, the 14-bedroom house is "an impressive example of the Spanish colonial revival style of architecture."

Underscoring Mr. Jackling's importance in the copper industry during the first half of the 20th century, the house includes striking copper accents such as light fixtures, rain gutters and downspouts, according to Mr. Corbett. The house appears to be eligible for the California Register of Historic Resources, he said in his report.

According to Mr. Aikins, the Jackling family essentially used the estate as a "party house" and said that the second-story bedrooms, which are accessible from an exterior staircase, are dark and narrow and resemble a Motel 6.

Mr. Aikins said he is arranging for the Woodside History Committee and the Architectural and Site Review Board to tour the house. In the meantime, Mr. Rizk said he will continue to work with Mr. Jobs' representatives on a mitigation plan and that the project would not be the subject of a public meeting until early next year.