Exhibit 6 - Letter of JustificationUNIQUE HOME DESIGNS
Residential Design and Land Planning
499 Chinook Lane San Jose, CA 95123
(408) 972-8594
September 6, 2024
Town of Los Gatos
Community Development Department
Civic Center
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, California 95031
Letter of Justification
Mr. and Mrs. Gera, the owners of the property located at 14335 La Rinconada Drive
Parcel 1 in Los Gatos are proposing the construction of a new two story single family
residence. The property has an existing 744 square foot single story residence, a 400
square foot detached garage and a 93 square foot accessory building that will be
deconstructed and removed.
The existing neighborhood is a mix of single story and two story homes. Homes in the
neighborhood range in size from 640 square feet to 3,228 square feet.
The proposed architectural style is Farmhouse which incorporates horizontal siding,
board and batten siding, wood window trim, mutli- layer composition shingle roof, and
metal standing seam roofing. All of the proposed materials shall be high quality and
low maintenance to last a lifetime. The proposed home will be built using experienced
contractors with pride of workmanship.
The existing neighborhood is comprised of several architectural styles and a mix of
single story and two story homes. The proposed residence will not be the only two
story home in the neighborhood. The proposed design will not be the largest home in
the neighborhood, and will not be the tallest two story in the neighborhood.
The maximum allowable floor area for the subject property is 2,947 square feet.
The allowable garage area is 810 square feet.
The allowable lot coverage is 3,684 square feet – 40%
EXHIBIT 6
The proposed floor area is 2,800 square feet.
The proposed garage area is 703 square feet.
The proposed entry porch is 212 square feet.
The proposed rear patio is 132 square feet.
The proposed lot coverage is 2,667 square feet – 28.9%
The proposed maximum height is 25’-6”
The proposed home design reduces two story massing by incorporating a single story
roof at the garage and front entry porch. Horizontal siding is being used to further
reduce vertical elements and two story mass. A metal standing seam roof at the entry
porch and at the shed roof awning are supported by heavy wood timbers.
The upper level bedroom windows do not encroach onto the privacy of the immediate
neighboring homes. Side yard setbacks at the living area have been increased beyond
the minimum that also provides privacy to the neighbors. The existing property has
numerous mature redwood trees along the perimeter of the lot that provides additional
privacy to the neighboring properties.
The proposed two story design allows for a much smaller footprint on the site than a
single story home of a similar size, and a two story design creates less impact to the
existing trees and allows for greater separation to neighboring homes. The generous
setbacks being proposed along with all new good neighbor fencing provides for a
higher quality of privacy and noise control.
The proposed four bedroom home was designed with a moderate master bedroom
suite, and the secondary bedrooms are all only modest in size. Each bedroom has a
bathroom. To reduce the number of bedrooms, the size of bedrooms or the further
reduction of living space would not be adequate for an active family of four or five.
The property is zoned R-1:8, and the proposed home complies with all of the Town of
Los Gatos Zoning Ordinances, and conforms to the General Plan.
The proposed home has been designed with simple wall massing, the proposed
design also incorporates simple roof lines using composition shingle and standing
seam roofing. The proposed home will be built using the highest quality building
materials, and the highest quality of workmanship.
The proposed home will be compatible with the homes in the neighborhood.
We hope that this letter will provide sufficient evidence for justification of our new
proposed single family residence.
Sincerely,
G. Zierman
Greg Zierman
Unique Home Designs