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Attachment 11March 30, 2017 Job No. 4130.50 Mayor Marico Sayoc Town Councilmembers Town of Los Gatos RE: 15215 Shannon Road PD-15-001 Dear Mayor Sayoc and members of the Town Council: We appreciate your consideration of the proposed PD rezoning of the Sahadi property to a prezone designation of HR 2.5 and acceptance of the related environmental documents. The proposed zoning designation will allow for the carefully planned and well integrated five-lot subdivision as shown on the preliminary development plans provided with our application. We are providing this letter to supplement our presentation and provide answers to questions that arose during the public testimony portion of the Town Council meeting held on March 21st. We have worked for three years developing and refining the project design, and evaluating all potential impacts to arrive at the best possible project that addresses all staff and agency comments. We developed a tremendous amount of detail even before we took the project to CDAC. We were provided positive and encouraging feedback then, and through much time and effort, earned staff support and approval recommendation when we took the project to planning commission. As we stated, the project is really only requesting one exception -to build a one- foot taller retaining wall so that we can align the access road in a favorable way to save trees . We have been transparent in disclosing all potential concerns so that informed and appropriate decisions can be made and will continue in the same manner in subsequent process. To clarify the process, following a favorable decision by Council, we will proceed with annexation of the property into the Town, allowing the prezoning designation of HR 2.5 PD to become effective. After the annexation process, a tentative map will be filed in conformance with the proposed lot configurations shown on the preliminary development plans. After tentative map approval, a Final Map and construction plans for the access road and utilities will be prepared for appropriate Town and agency approvals. Once those are approved, construction of the access road and utilities will take place. Lot development and architectural plans will be prepared for each lot in the future in accordance with the Town Architecture and Site application and approval process. Council members expressed concern during the council meeting with the uncertainty of associated impacts created with the future home site designs. With our application, we provided possible home site and driveway configurations for each lot showing minimal impact to trees, but again, only in a possible scenario. We have attempted to demonstrate that there is ample space for each home site that require minimal grading and very few tree removals to incorporate a custom, single-story home (18' maximum height). 1570 Oakland Road I San J ose, C aliforni a 9 513 1 I (408) 487-2200 I (408) 487-2222 Fax I www.HMHca.com ATTACHMENT 11 Page2of2 In order to address the Councilmembers' concerns, we offer for your consideration two potential conditions of approval, either or both of which would be agreeable to the applicant: Or, Potential Condition A To address the concern that designing a home, for Lot 1 in particular, would be likely to have sensitive environmental issues, but would not necessarily be presented to the Planning Commission pursuant to the Chapter IX of the HDSG, the PD rezoning could include a conditio n requiring the home design to be submitted to the Planning Commission for review, regard less of the size of the home. The same condition could apply to any other lot the Councilmembers agreed was uniquely sensitive compared to the parcels the HDSG was intended to apply to generally . Potential Condition B The PD Rezoning could include a condition to limit the area within which a home could be built on each lot. Attached are four exhibits, one for each lot, showing the LRDA, existing trees within the area of proposed improvements, a possible driveway alignment, and an "Allowable Building Area". With building foundations limited to be entirely within the limits shown for each lot, the direct impacts are now quantified. As proposed, home site development would only directly impact eight trees for all four residential building sites. With these controls in place, we hope that the Council will find more assurance in your project support and for the Mure processing of each home site's A&S applications. We believe that this proposal brings a unified, well planned, and environmentally-sensitive hillside home development to your Town. Thank you for you r consideration , HMH Engineers David Wilson President Enclos ures: Allowable Building Area exhibits CC: Fred Sahadi \ \ \ TreeTaa# 5 34 42 169 \ \ \.. AL LO·W'ABLE BUILDING AREA I t I I I I"--PROPERTY [INE_ DENSE TREES ~~ ·:·· .. ~ _..,. I I I I '~--- ---RDA" 46-500 SF~ . L .. ·· , . . \,.__;..;..-· - ,,.,.. -··- ·~ ---·-- / /I r; /I I // I --~20 • #022 B #o2~ • I / ~ - ~OJX: \! • 6 ,,,~ ... <!) ~ .·~ "'• •• ~ rf"i x2 :1!024 •• #023 • I I i e .........__.-ttO::Sr #033 9#o32 .. ..._ --· / •#037 .,,,,- ti -/ I --------1 LEGEND 'r1l ==.... l -........... .......__ z:z:. - -·-----·-....... --......: _;;---, ~ Possible Tree Removal Tree Size (lnl Tree Condition Convnon Name 13, 15 Fair Valley Oak 22 Fair/Poor Coast Live Oak 11,12,13 Fair Coast Uve Oak 19 Fair/Good Coast Uve Oak #0~ ~ ..... ____ . •....... ........, .. ---.:____ L ~n~t: "'-....... ~ "'-<··. · .. -~-·.. . -_J -LOT~ I I t«>TES: 1) THE HOUSE FOUNDATION SHALL FIT WITHIN THE ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA AS SHOWN. 2) TliE HEIGHT OF TliE HOUSE IS RESTRICTED TO BE 18 FEET. ··-x LRDA ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA POTENTIAL DRIVEWAY ALIGNMENT TREES TO BE REMOVED .,.ree information pro11tded by Arborist Report dated June 15, 2015. 3) A TOTAL OF UP TO FOUR (4) TREES MAY BE REMOVED FOR LOT 1 HOUSE AND DRIVEWAY. 0 3xDBl-I PER ARBORIST REPORT I I ---) (' I I I ....... , I ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA -· ·----\ -----------·· #15~ . ' #131 LANDS OF RE #129 0, • #132 #130 -··-.... 1133 l ~ ' #1 I ""' { ~ I '\__PROPERTY LIN~ ' LRDA: 30,500 SF . ' I ' I ' ( ', I /. I I ~ LOT3 'tf12~ ,134 1JW #119 ~ / \ A'fOO ;IJlllll"" Possible Tree Removal Tree Tag# I Tree Size (In) I Tru Corutltlon I Common Name NOTES: • #14~ #141 • #142 9 #143 #11' • • I L --·-----r---\ LEGEND ---, _J LRDA ' ) \ ( ' ~ ---l I \ ' \ ' \ ' ,_,\ I I ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA POTENTIAL DRIVEWAY ALIGNMENT 116 I 16 I Good I Coast Live Oak 1) THE HOUSE FOUNDATION SHALL FIT WITHIN THE ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA AS SHOWN. ••• x "Tree information provided by Arborist Report dated 2) THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSE IS RESTRICTED TO BE 18 FEET. June 15, 2015. 3) A TOTAL OF UP TO ONE (1) TREE MAY BE REMOVED FOR LOT 3 HOUSE AND DRIVEWAY. 0 TREES TO BE REMOVED 3xDBH PER ARBORIST REPOl~T ' ' ' \#121 ·· .. " #120" • ~17 ... /' I :ft~06ec. LRDP.: 60,300 SF~ #105 I I I :¥09Li • ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA '· #118 © ~91 • {!)6 #115 • -......q.114 ·~ \ \ ' \' -- 1 "' • \ '-. '. . ..~·· ,······--. #tso :··· ----... • #146 ••. 9#147 ........... #113 . • ........... ........................ .......... .......... / ._,,,. J I I -,92 --~ I #000 ,,.... -----.i. ---.......,.......,"""'=="""---#.!2_9~_<. -----• ~ 1 ---#088 --'407~ • l Possible Tree Removal TreeTaa# Tree Size (In) Tree Condition common Name 73 24 Good Coast Live Oak 79 18,13 Poor Coast Live Oak 86 36 Good Coast live oak *Tree information provided by Arborist Report dated June 15, 2015. • LOT4 NOTES: ........... ' 1) THE HOUSE FOUNDATION SHALL FIT WITHIN THE AU.OWABLE BUILDING AREA AS SHOWN. 2) THE HEIGHT OF THE HOUSE IS RESTRICTED TO BE 18 FEET. 3) A TOTAL OF UP TO THREE (3) TREES MAY BE REMOVED FOR LOT 4 HOUSE AND DRIVEWAY. ' LEGEND I L I LRDA _J I I ••• x 0 ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA POTENTIAL DRIVEWAY ALIGNMENT TREES TO BE REMOVED 3xDBH PER ARBORIST REPORT ......... / ......... ._,,, #073j =~iz ~ ··I ~4 ----, 1 · -'-,,--• ca . • • • • • J . I I /• ., ~ / ' ......_ ........... • ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA #07~ 0 #069 0#070 LRElA: S4,2CO SF ~ ----- .. / I ,, I ~··· ... ,... ~ cs ./ ., -1· • •• ~ ----'--· •' .,.. 1 '---PROPERlY LINE ~ ---1 v n LEGEND ~----~----......_ -==:i... --.....,.... ....... .,.. __ _ 01 " _ _J -~-.-~_..,... LOTS NOTES: 1) THE HOUSE FOUNDATION SHALL FIT WITHIN THE ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA /tJ3 SHOWN • 2) THE !EIGHT OF THE HOUSE IS RESlRICTED TO BE 18 FEET. I -I LRDA L_ _ _J I I ••• x 0 ALLOWABLE BUILDING AREA POTENTIAL DRIVEWAY ALIGNMENT TREES TO BE REMOVED 3xDBH PER ARBORIST REPORT Jennifer Armer From : Sahadi <sahadi@sah adi.net> Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2017 4:10 PM To: Rob Rennie Cc : BSpector; David Wilson Good afternoon Rob, At the end of the last Council Meeting, I tried to address the Council for the purpose of responding to legitimate questions that you and Barbara Spector raised during the course of the evening. Had Mari co allowed me a few minutes, I would have attempted to address both of your concerns. Early on before the matter was open for public testimony, you were seeking clarification on what the process was in relationship to a 5,000 SF house . You never received an adequate answer from staff on that question. Then, later on, you returned to the subject in expressing your concern clearly and concisely to Bart Hechtman, but again with a response even more ineffective than what had been communicated to you by staff. For that I am sorry. You said, "So what do I put in to make sure we don't wipe out the trees", etc. and then you said, "So you know, what should I put in?". You ended up by saying, "What do I do here?" David Wilson and I have thought long and hard about the time we have spent with you and how to respond in a clear, unequivocal manner to the legitimate questions that you have asked. Please consider the following as a carefully crafted response to the questions that you raised and your concerns generally. There are over 356 trees on the 13 acres. The square footage for the LRDA for Lot #1is46,500 SF, for Lot #3 , 30,500 SF, for Lot #4, 60,300 SF, and for Lot #5, 64,200 SF. The top of the ridge is flat and mostly free of trees. In trying to address your concerns and indirectly some of the concerns that Barbara Spector had, David devised a map for Lots 1, 3, 4, and 5 entitled, "Allowable Building Area". Attached are four exhibits, one for each lot, showing the LRDA, existing trees within the area of proposed improvements, a possible driveway alignment, and an "Allowable Building Area". We offer a condition for the project to include these exhibits to provide a limit for building construction. With building foundations limited entirely within the limits shown for each lot, the direct impacts are now quantified. As proposed, home site development would only directly impact eight trees for all four residential building sites. I hope the attached addresses with specificity your concerns. I believe that limiting the height limit to 18 feet as a condition of Council approval together with the attached maps may enable you to support this project. For your information, I attach a copy of a communication that I sent out to Barbara Spector paying attention to her concerns and suggesting that the Council condition approval on an absolute 18-foot height limit and that by developing the "Allowable Building Area" attached hereto that the combination of these two items gives service to your and Barbara's respective concerns. I sure hope so. Give me a call at 408-781-6488 for any suggestions or clarification that you may require. Thanks, Fred