Attachment 3ATTACHMENT 3
RESIDENTIAL DESIGN GUIDELINES
OBJECTIVE STANDARDS
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 APPLICABILITY
These design guidelines will be used by the Town staff, DRC, Planning Commission, Historic
Preservation Committee, and Town Council in evaluating changes to existing structures and for
new construction. They are applicable to all residential development wi thin the Town that
requires a discretionary approval or a building permit except for:
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b. Parcels containing more than 30,000 square feet which shall be subject to the gross
floor area requirements of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines.
c. Pa rcels with an average slope of 10% or greater outside of the Town of Los Gatos
Hillside Area which shall be governed by these guidelines and the following sections of
the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines*:
Constraints Analysis and Site Select ion excluding the standards for the visibility from
off site and ridge line view protection.
Site Planning for:
o Gradin g
o Drainage
o Driveways and Parking
o Geologic Safety
Site Elements for Retaining Walls
* The use of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines (HDS&G’s) is intended to
implement the Town of Los Gatos’ vision statement for its hillside and to ensure that all
development is in compliance with the goals, policies, and implementing strategies of the
General Plan. In reviewing an applic ation using both the Residential Design Guidelines and the
HDS&G’s, the standards and guidelines of the HDS&G shall both be discretionary. The deciding
body will need to take into account the character of the surrounding neighborhood and
environment when i mplementing a strategy or guideline.
MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA RATIO (FAR)
Maximum house and garage sizes are established by the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) standard set
forth in the Town of Los Gatos Zoning Ordinance .
Floor Area Ratio is defined as the total area o f the structure divided by the area of the site
(e.g., a 1,500 square foot house on a 5,000 square foot lot would have a FAR of 0.30).
The maximum allowable floor areas are established by the formulas below which will be used in
conjunction with the desi gn guidelines to determine allowable building sizes.
* A is the net lot area in thousands of sq. ft. (e.g., 7,500 sq. ft. is 7.5)
* Basements are included in the allowable FAR; Cellars are not (See Glossary)
All structures, excluding garages, on lots between 5,000 and 30,000 square feet
FAR = .35 - (A - 5)/25 x .20
Garages on lots between 5,000 and 30,000 square feet
FAR = .10 - (A - 5)/25 x .07
All structures (excluding up to 400 square feet of garage space) for lots smaller than 5,000
square feet
FAR = .40 - (A - 2)/3 x .05
E xceptions to the above calculations :
If a slope is greater than 10%, the net lot area sha ll be reduced according to the following
standard: Average Lot Slope
Percent of net site to be deducted
10.1 - 20% : 10% plus 2% for each 1% of slope over 10%
20.1 - 30% : 30% plus 3% for each 1% of slope over 20%
Over 30% : 60%
Parcels containing mor e than 30,000 sq. ft. are subject to the Hillside Development
Standards and Guidelines.
4.8 RESTORATION/REHABILITATION/RECONSTRUCTION
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4.8.15 Garages
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Garages should be detached and set back behind the front facade of the house. They
may be connected to the house with a breezeway. If garages cannot be detached due to
unique site conditions, the garage should be located behind the house or recessed as far
as possible from the plane of the front facade, and shall not exceed 50% of the combined
house and garage frontage. ]…[
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