Attachment 4ATTACHMENT 4
HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
OBJECTIVE STANDARDS
CHAPTER II. CONSTRAINTS ANALYSIS AND SITE SELECTION
A . Prior to Selecting a Building Site.
1. Constraints analysis.
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To ensure that new development is sensitive to the goal and objectives of the Hillside
Development Standards and Guidelines and respects the existing site constraints, the following
elements shall be mapped by appropriate professionals and taken into consideration when
determiningAaAsite’sALRD …
Topography, with emphasis on slopes over 30% ]:[
C . Selecting the building site.
Standards:
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4. Ridgeline View Protection.
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If a building cannot be sited below a significant ridgeline because the area away from it
is not the LRDA or is otherwise not suitable for development, the following shall apply:
a. The building shall not exceed 18 feet in height. ]:[
6. Avoid hazardous building sites . Building in areas with more than 30 percent slope or
areas containing liquefiable soil with poor bearing capacity, slide pote ntial, fault rupture
zones and other geotechnical or fire hazards shall be avoided unless no alternative
building site is available. ]:[
CHAPTER I I I. SITE PLANNING
A. Grading .
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Standards:
1. ]:[
Cuts and fills in excess of the following levels are considered excessive and contrary to
the objectives of the Hillside Design Standards and Guidelines. Grade to the min imum
amount necessary to accommodate buildings and to site structures consistent with
slope contours. These are maximum numbers and may be reduced by the deciding body
if the project does not meet other grading standards or is not consistent with the goals
and objectives of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines.
Table 1
Maximum Graded Cuts and Fills
Site Element Cut* Fill*
House and attached garage 8’** 3’
Accessory Building* 4’ 3’
Tennis Court* 4’ 3’
Pool* 4’*** 3’
Driveways* 4’ 3’
Other (decks, yards)* 4’ 3’
* Combined depths of cut plus fill for development other than the main residence
shall be limited to 6 feet.
** Excludes cellars.
*** Excludes excavation for pool.
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10. Grading shall not occur during the rainy season (October 1 to April 1) unless approved
by the Town Engineer. If grading is planned to occur between October 1 and April 1,
interim provisions for erosion and sedimentation control shall be in place before grading
begins.
C . Driveways and parking .
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Standards:
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3. When a gated entrance is provided, the gates shall be set back a minimum of 25 feet
from the right -of -way to allow vehicles to pull completely off the roadway while waiting
for the gates to open. Gated entrances serving more than one house may be requir ed to
have a greater setback. Gates should open away from or parallel to the street.
4. Driveways shall have an all weather surface in compliance with Fire Department weight
loading requirements (40,000 pounds).
5. The maximum slope of a driveway shall not exceed 15 percent unless it can be
demonstrated that a flatter driveway cannot be constructed without excessive grading
(more than 4 feet of cut or 3 feet of fill). Driveway slopes in excess of 15 percent require
approval by the Town Engineer and Santa Cla ra County Fire Department.
CHAPTER IV . DEVELOPMENT INTENSITY
A . Maximum Allowable Development
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Maximum allowed gross floor area. The maximum allowable gross floor area for homes subject
to the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines is determined using a floor area ratio
(FAR) adjusted for slope as provided in Table 1, below. However, achieving the maximum floor
area allowed is not guaranteed due to individual site constraints. The priority is to comply with
the standards and guidelines rather than designing to the FAR. The FAR is a numerical guide and
achieving the allowable square footage is not a goal. Greater weight shall be given to issues,
including but not limited to, height, building mass and scale, visual impacts, grading and
com patibility.
TABLE 1
REDUCTION OF NET SITE AREA ON SLOPING LOTS
Average lot slope Percent of net lot area to be deducted
10.01 – 20% 10% plus 2% for each 1% of slope over 10%
20.01 – 30% 30% plus 3% for each 1% of slope over 20%
Over 30% 60%
TABLE 2
MAXIMUM ALLOWED GROSS FLOOR AREA
Net Lot Area 1 Floor Area Ratio (%) Allowable Floor Area 3
11,000 sq. ft. and less 34.5 3800
u p to 12,000 sq. ft. 32.5 3900
u p to 1 3 ,000 sq. ft. 30.7 4000
u p to 1 4 ,000 sq. ft. 29.3 4100
u p to 1 5 ,000 sq. ft. 28.0 4200
u p to 1 6 ,000 sq. ft. 26.9 4300
u p to 1 7 ,000 sq. ft. 25.9 4400
u p to 1 8 ,000 sq. ft. 25.0 4500
u p to 1 9 ,000 sq. ft. 24.2 4600
u p to 20 ,000 sq. ft. 23.5 4700
u p to 21 ,000 sq. ft. 22.8 4800
u p to 22 ,000 sq. ft. 22.3 4900
u p to 23 ,000 sq. ft. 21.7 5000
u p to 24 ,000 sq. ft. 21.3 5100
u p to 25 ,000 sq. ft. 20.8 5200
u p to 26 ,000 sq. ft. 20.4 5300
u p to 27 ,000 sq. ft. 20.0 5400
u p to 28 ,000 sq. ft. 19.6 5500
u p to 29 ,000 sq. ft. 19.3 5600
u p to 30 ,000 sq. ft. 19.0 5700
u p to 31 ,000 sq. ft. 18.7 5800
u p to 32 ,000 sq. ft. 18.5 5900
32,001 sq. ft. and above 2 6000
1 Net lot area as adjusted for slope – see Table 1
2 For lots containing a net lot area of more than 32,000 square feet, the maximum gross floor
area shall be 6,000 square feet unless an e xception is granted by the Planning Commission in
compliance with subsection d. (Exceptions to maximum floor area).
3 Accessory structures including garages larger than 400 sq. ft. are included in the maximum
floor area.
B . Exclusions from allowed floor area.
The following items are not included in the calculation of a structure ’s allowed gross floor area.
1. Cellars.
2. Garages up to 400 square feet in area.
3. Stables that are not fully enclosed.
4. Barns that do not exceed the applicable size shown in Table 3 below.
TABLE 3
MAXIMUM FLOOR AREA FOR BARNS AND STABLES*
Parcel Size (gross) Maximum floor area of accessory structure
Up to one acre 500 sq. ft.
Up to 2.5 acres 1,000 sq. ft.
Up to 5 acres 2,000 sq. ft.
Over 5 acres 2,500 sq. ft.
*All other enclosed accessory buildings are included in FAR.
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CHAPTER V . ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
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D . Design for fire safety – Standards:
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7. Attic and under floor vents shall be covered with corrosion -resistant mesh not to exceed
¼ - inch. ]:[
E . Building height .
Standards:
1. The maximum allowed height for homes in hillside areas shall be 25 feet. Building height
shallAbeAmeasuredAinAcomplianceAwithAprovisionsAofAtheATown’sAZoningAOrdinance.
2. The maximum height of a building ’s tallest elevation shall not exceed 35 feet measured
from the lowest part of the building to the highest part, except buildings extending
above a ridgeline or that are visible from a viewing platform where the maximum height
from the lowest to highest point s shall not exceed 28 feet.
3. Ridgeline and visible homes shall not extend more than 18 feet above the existing
grade.
4. The height of the lowest finished floor(s) of a structure, excluding cellars, shall not be
more than four feet above the existing grade to ensure that buildings follow slopes.
5. Three -story elevations are prohibited.
I . Materials and colors .
Standards:
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2. Exterior material colors for homes, with the exception of homes with any elevation that
is more than 24.5% percent visible from the viewing platforms, may use color averaging
of all exterior materials to meet the maximum light reflectivity value of 30 and shall
blend with the natural vegetation. Roof materials shall be calculated separately and
shall not exceed a light reflectivity val ue of 30. ]:[
CHAPTER VI . SITE ELEMENTS
A . Fences and walls .
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Standards:
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2. Fences and walls shall not exceed a height of six feet measured from the highest side of
the fence or wall and should be limited to those areas where fences and walls of this
height are necessary for protection of ornamental landsc aping, security, or play areas.
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4. Deer fencing up to a maximum height of eight feet shall be limited to areas around
ornamental landscaping. Larger areas shall not be enclosed unless specific reasons for
keeping deer out have been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the decision making
body. ]:[
B . Driveway entries .
Standards:
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2. Entry gates shall be set back from the edge of the adjacent street a minimum of 25 feet.
A greater setback may be required when a gated entrance serves more than one house.
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E . Accessory buildings, pools, and sport courts .
Standards:
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3. Due to topographic constraints, not every lot will be able to accommodate a pool or
sport court. Swimming pools and sport co urts are prohibited on slopes greater than 30
percent.
4. New caretaker units may be allowed when in compliance with the following:
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c. The maximum floor area for a caretaker unit shall be 900 square feet.
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CHAPTER VII . LANDSCAPE DESIGN
A . Landscape design concepts .
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Standards:
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2. ]:[
Irrigation shall be provided to ornamentals within 30 feet of the primary residence
and to establish newly planted natives.
A minimum vertical clearance of 13.5 feet shall be maintained over fire access roads and
driveways. ]:[
7. Plant species located further than 30 feet from the primary residence shall be
indigenous and appropriate for the immediate natural habitat (see Appendix A). ]:[
B. Plant materials .
Standards:
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2. Ornamental landscaping such as exotic, nonindigenous, nonnaturalized plant materials
are strongly discouraged. However, if used, ornamental landscaping shall not be located
moreAthanA30AfeetA(ZoneA1)AfromAtheAprimaryAresidence.A]:[
4. Turf grasses and high water using plants are prohibited outsid e zone 1 (within 30 feet of
the house). ]:[
CHAPTER VIII . SUBDIVISION AND PLANNED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
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C . Least restrictive development areas (LRDA)
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2. The least restrictive development areas within sub -areas 2 through 9 of the Los Gatos
Hillside Specific Plan shall be defined as those areas:
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c. With a 30 percent slope or less, and
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CHAPTER X. GLOSSARY
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Access road. A vehicular access roadway greater than or equal to 20 feet in width and serving
more than two single family dwellings. ]:[
Average slope. The rate of vertical change of ground surface averaged over the site and
expressed in percentage or degrees. Average slope is calculated as follows:
S= .00229 IL / A
Where:
.00229 is the conversion factor for square feet;
I = contour in terval in feet;
L = combined length of all contour lines within the parcel;
A = area of parcel in gross acres. ]:[
Cut -off standards. A standard of light emission wherein light rays emanating from a source are
shielded, reflected, or refracted at angles that direct and cut off the light at an angle less than
90 degrees. ]:[
Driveway. A vehicular access road less than 20 feet wide and serving not more than two single
family dwellings. ]:[
Scar. A visible cut in a hillside with a slope greater th an 1 ½:1 in which all topsoil has been
removed and vegetation will be unable to establish itself after a signification period of time
(five years). ]:[
Visible home. A single family residence where 25% or more of an elevation can be seen from
any of the Town’sAestablishedAviewingAplatforms.A ]:[
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