I have no idea what that means and a precursory look at the City of Campbell website had no added information. That strikes as odd, as it seems the City would have information on an exact definition of this zone.
I mention this because I lived a bit north east of you in Benicia. A friend was going to do a remodel and was complaining of the 'red tape' as he lived in a "historical district". His issues were similar to yours (though not as in depth).
Long story short, he asked for and received a map defining the district's legal boundaries. His street was on the edge and the line was drawn down the middle of the street, he was thus not in the district itself.
If you have not investigated that aspect, or similar classification requirements, it may be worth doing so.
Yep, we’ve looked at the website for info about “Special Study Zones” and couldn’t find any information.
Being designated an “historical district” is the kiss of death if you ever want to make improvements.
The ironic thing is that all the paperwork seems to be directed at a developer planning a development rather than a puny little room add-on in an unused side yard. These people are like the hall monitors from junior high...just following the ‘rules’ and there’s no way on God’s green earth they will ever admit they are wrong or made a mistake....