Exhibit 14 - Public Comments received by 1101am FridayNovember 12, 2024
Town Planning Division
Ms. Erin Walters
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Subject: Objection to Building Proposal at 15411 National Avenue
Dear Members of the Town Planning Division,
We are writing to formally express our strong objection to the proposed building plans for the
flag lot located at 15411 National Avenue. As adjacent neighbors, we are deeply concerned about
the scale, mass, and bulky design of the proposed structure, which we believe is out of character
with the surrounding neighborhood. After careful consideration of the plans, we feel that this
proposal is not only inappropriate for the area, but that it will have negative and long-lasting
consequences on the quality of life, as well as property values, views, and privacy, for those of us
who live in close proximity to the site.
First and foremost, the proposed three-level, sprawling building is far too large and voluminous
in relation to the surrounding homes, specially given that it is located in a rear/flag lot in the
middle of a city block. The sheer mass and positioning of the structure, towering over our
backyards, as well as the blunt design will overshadow neighboring properties, creating an
unharmonious and unbalanced feeling. This level of bulk is neither consistent with the existing
homes nor appropriate for the size and position of the flag lot.
In addition, the immense size and the flag lot positioning of the proposed building will block
sunlight from neighboring yards, creating shadows and darkening what were once sunny spaces
enjoyed on a daily basis by adjacent families.
Moreover, the scale of the project will likely lead to undue increased noise and disruption after
its construction, which will negatively impact the peaceful and residential nature of the area. The
excessive size of the building and the stated intent to build multiple dwelling structures in the
same flag lot as well as the adjacent one on the front of the property is likely to result in much
higher traffic volume, disrupting the balance of the neighborhood. In evaluating the size of the
proposed single family residence, it is important to factor all the proposed dwellings
The fact that this proposed house is in the middle of the city block, makes its enormous size
clash with the surrounding area, but even if it where on the street, it would still be too massive,
bulky and not in line with the rest of the residential neighborhood.
Additionally, the proposal does not adequately address important concerns about privacy, light
and landscaping for neighboring properties. More specific concerns about this as well as
proposed solutions are included in separate, individual letters from each of the neighboring
property owners listed below.
EXHIBIT 14
Another critical concern is the potential decrease in property values. With such an out-of-scale
development in such close proximity overlooking all our backyards, we fear that the alteration of
the neighborhood’s character will make our properties less attractive to future buyers. Homes of
this size, especially when they disrupt the overall harmony of the area, tend to have a detrimental
effect on surrounding property values.
We kindly ask that you carefully consider the above concerns and that you take into account the
potential adverse impact this proposal could have on the character, environment, and quality of
life of our harmonious community. We strongly believe that the applicants need to scale back the
design to something more appropriate for the neighborhood.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Concerned neighbors at
Los Gatos, November 11, 2024
Ms. Erin M. Walters
Los Gatos Community Development Department
Dear Ms. Walters,
As the owners of the property located at in Los Gatos, we are writing to you
to express our various concerns about the current application and intent to build on the flag lot
at 15411 National Avenue, Los Gatos.
1) Size and position of the proposed structure:We believe the proposed structure's large
massing and bulky style does not harmonize with the other houses in the neighborhood
surround it, including ours, especially given its position in the flag lot, in the middle of the city
block. The very large size of the side of the structure facing NNW into our property (see Fig.1
below) is not shown in the provided 3D views (see Fig.2) but it can be appreciated better by the
(sagging) story poles. Decreasing the size of the structure to achieve a massing which is more
harmonious with all the single-family houses surrounding it (see Fig.) is our first suggestion.
We feel it is important to note that this flag lot at 15411 National Avenue is a recent subdivision
created in 2020 from the lot at 15415 National Avenue by the applicants, who now own both
(sub)lots. We believe the size of the original lot at 15415 National Avenue (before the
subdivision) would have been more adequate for the dimensions of the proposed structure and
the intended additional structures (ADUs) to be built to form a multi-dwelling complex, and it
would have allowed for greater flexibility in their positioning to alleviate our privacy concerns
(see section #2 below).
Note also in Figure that the hospital building located at 15400 National Ave is completely
outside the view from any of the surrounding houses and thus does not contribute to the area
around this flag lot, contrary to one of the arguments in the project approval request in favor of
such a large structure.
Figure 1 – Side of the house facing NNW into our property
1 |Page
Figure 2 – 3D views of the proposed house (NNW-facing side not shown)
Figure 6 – Aerial view of all the single-family houses around the proposed house. General area.
Lot not precise.
2) Privacy concerns:The proposed three level structure raises serious various privacy
concerns for us. Our houses face back. Since it is positioned in the center of the city block and
given its very large size, it has numerous windows on its second and first floors facing our
backyard, with direct visibility into three of our bedrooms and other outdoor and lower-level
indoor living areas (family room). Additionally, we are concerned that the privacy concerns will
worsen in the future due to the owners’ stated intent of converting their flag lot into a
multi-dwelling complex by subsequently adding (at least) two ADUs. The numerous windows
facing upper- and lower-level indoor living spaces in our property in the proposed design
correspond to two upstairs bedrooms, one upstairs bathroom, an upstairs storage room, and the
downstairs garage, as shown in Figure 7.
2 |Page
Figure 7 – Windows in the structure raising privacy concerns
The most optimum solution to address our privacy concerns would be to move Bedrooms #2
and #4 to the downstairs space directly below, currently shown as a “guest room” and as a very
large “garage storage room.” This would also decrease the size of the upstairs level and
partially address our strong concerns about the size and massing of the structure described in
section #1 above. Alternatively, these windows could either be eliminated or re-positioned. The
details of our privacy concerns are as follows:
A. The windows in Bedroom #2, Bedroom #4, and the upstairs bathroom currently facing
NNW have a direct line of sight into our master bedroom & bathroom upstairs, our
bedroom upstairs, our bedroom downstairs, and our kitchen/family room.
B. The two windows facing NNW in the upstairs Storage Room have a direct line of sight
into our master bedroom & bathroom upstairs, our bedroom upstairs, our bedroom
downstairs, and our kitchen/family room.
3 |Page
C. The two windows currently facing NNW in the garage downstairs have a direct line of
sight into our bedroom downstairs, and our kitchen/family room.
4 |Page
3) New trees: The current application shows the intent to plant privacy trees along the fence
facing the property at , but not facing our property at .
Additionally, note that the drawing included on the application shown in Figure 8 below is
erroneous since it shows our property with “existing trees,” although we
currently have no trees in our backyard. We request that privacy trees of the appropriate type
and height be added to the applicant’s side of the lot, with their drip lines fully on their property
and thus with no maintenance requirements for us. Such trees should be high enough to
address privacy concerns, but not too high in order to minimize blocking sunlight into our
backyard. We would like to ensure that the location and the type of these privacy trees be
enforceable, regardless of any future application for an additional ADU, which is the applicant’s
stated intent. Additionally, we would like to ensure that the maintenance of such trees by our
neighbors be consistent and enforceable, given some concerns raised by past interactions
while repairing our common fence and the generally poor state of maintenance by the current
owners of the former structures on the flag lot (see Fig. 9).
Figure 8 – Drawing erroneously showing existing trees on our property at
Figure 9 – View of the prior structures at 15411 National Avenue from our master bedroom
(photo taken in May 2024, showing unrepaired storm damage on the roof from February 2024)
5 |Page
We thank you for your attention to this matter and are available to provide any further
information or clarification.
Best regards,
Christian Urricariet and Hellen Martinez-Visbal
6 |Page