Staff Report.14335 La Rinconada Drive Parcel 1
PREPARED BY: Erin M. Walters
Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Planning Manager and Community Development Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6872
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 02/12/2025
ITEM NO: 4
DATE: February 7, 2025
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Consider a Request for Approval to Demolish and Existing Single-Family
Residence, Construct a New Single-Family Residence, and Site Improvements
Requiring a Grading Permit on Property Zoned R-1:8. Located at 14335 La
Rinconada Drive, Parcel 1. APN 409-14-046. Architecture and Site Application
S-23-028. Categorically Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303:
New Construction. Property Owner/Applicant: MGKG Properties, LP. Project
Planner: Erin Walters.
RECOMMENDATION:
Consider a request for approval to demolish an existing single-family residence, construct a new
single-family residence, and site improvements requiring a grading permit on property zoned R-
1:8, located at 14335 La Rinconada Drive, Parcel 1.
PROJECT DATA:
General Plan Designation: Low Density Residential
Zoning Designation: R-1:8, Single-Family Residential
Applicable Plans and Standards: General Plan, Residential Design Guidelines
Gross Parcel Size: 9,120 square feet
Surrounding Area:
Existing Land Use General Plan Zoning
North Residential Low Density Residential R-1:8
South Residential Low Density Residential R-1:8
East Residential Low Density Residential R-1:8
West Residential Low Density Residential R-1:8
PAGE 2 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
CEQA:
The project is Categorically Exempt pursuant to the adopted Guidelines for the Implementation
of the California Environmental Quality Act, Section 15303: New Construction.
FINDINGS:
▪ The project is Categorically Exempt pursuant to the adopted Guidelines for the
Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, 15303: New Construction.
▪ As required by Section 29.10.09030 (e) of the Town Code for the demolition of an existing
residence.
▪ The project meets the objective standards of Chapter 29 of the Town Code (Zoning
Regulations).
▪ The project complies with the Residential Design Guidelines for single-family residences not
located in the hillside area.
CONSIDERATIONS:
▪ As required by Section 29.20.150 of the Town Code for granting approval of an Architecture
and Site application.
ACTION:
The decision of the Planning Commission is final unless appealed within ten days.
BACKGROUND:
The subject 9,210-square foot lot is located on the west side of La Rinconada Drive
approximately 260 feet from the intersection of Wedgewood Drive and La Rinconada Drive
(Exhibit 1).
On September 13, 2022, the Development Review Committee approved a subdivision of one lot
to two lots, a front lot and a rear flag lot. The subject lot is the front lot.
On February 28, 2024, the Los Gatos Historic Preservation Committee approved a request for
the subject property to be removed from the Town’s Historic Resources Inventory (Exhibit 4).
The applicant submitted an Architecture and Site application for the construction of a two-story
single-family residence and associated site grading. The application has been forwarded to the
Planning Commission based on concerns related to neighborhood compatibility, as the
immediate neighborhood is predominately one-story.
PAGE 3 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A. Location and Surrounding Neighborhood
The subject property is 9,210 square feet, located on the west side of La Rinconada Drive
approximately 260 feet from the intersection of Wedgewood Drive and La Rinconada Drive
(Exhibit 1). The property has an existing 744-square foot one-story single-family residence
with a detached 400-square foot garage. Single-family residential development surrounds
the property with one- and two-story single-family residences.
B. Project Summary
The applicant proposes to demolish an existing residence, construct a two-story residence,
and site improvements requiring a Grading Permit (Exhibit 5).
C. Zoning Compliance
A single-family residence is permitted in the R-1:8 zone. The proposed residence is in
compliance with the maximum allowable floor area, building height, setbacks, lot coverage,
and on-site parking requirements for the property.
DISCUSSION:
A. Architecture and Site Analysis
The applicant proposes construction of a new 2,805-square foot, two-story residence with
an attached 703-square foot, two car garage with one tandem space. The height of the
proposed residence is 25 feet, six inches, where a maximum of 30 feet is allowed.
A summary of the floor area for the proposed residence is included in the table below.
Floor Area Summary
Proposed SF Maximum Allowed SF
Main Residence
Second Floor 1,191 --
First Floor 1,614 --
Total Countable 2,805 2,947
Attached Garage 703 810
The applicant has provided a Project Description and a Letter of Justification summarizing
the project (Exhibits 5 and 6), photographs of the existing site (Exhibit 7), a Materials and
Color Board (Exhibit 8), and Development Plans (Exhibit 14).
PAGE 4 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
B. Building Design
The proposed two-story farmhouse Craftsman style residence proposes the following
materials: white horizontal Hardie board siding; white board and batten siding; black
composition roof shingles; dark bronze metal standing seam roof at the front covered
porch; wood window trim; wood porch posts; and a Craftsman style garage door (Exhibit 8).
The upper floor of the residence includes the primary bedroom suite and two bedrooms.
The lower floor of the residence includes a kitchen, dining room, living room, great room,
additional bedroom suite, and the attached two-car garage with a tandem parking space. A
covered patio is located off the rear elevation adjacent to the kitchen and great room.
The Town’s Consulting Architect reviewed the proposed residence in September 2023 and
noted that the neighborhood contains a predominance of one-story homes with a linear
cluster of two-story residences at the end of La Rinconada Drive (Exhibit 9). The Consulting
Architect noted that the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines encourages that new homes
in predominately one-story neighborhoods emulate the one-story height of their neighbors
or accommodate the second floor within the main roof form, as is common with Craftsman
Style homes. Section 2.3 of the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines includes guidance for
the accommodation of larger homes, as noted in the Consulting Architect’s report.
The Consulting Architect made seven recommendations to bring the design into greater
compliance with the Town’s Residential Design Guidelines. In response to these
recommendations, the applicant made modifications to the design of the residence,
summarizing the changes in a written response (Exhibit 10). The Consulting Architect’s
issues and recommendations are provided below, followed by the applicant’s response in
italics.
Issues and Recommendations:
1. Replace second floor metal roof with shingles to match the adjacent roofs.
• The upper-level roof has been revised to be the same composition shingles as the
adjacent roof. See Sheet A3.1 of Exhibit 14.
2. Increase the size of the entry porch columns.
• The entry porch columns have been increased in size. See Sheet A3.1 of Exhibit 14.
3. Ensure that the fencing details shown on the front elevation are carried consistently
around all the property boundaries.
• The fence detail shown at the front elevation is to be used consistently at property
boundaries. See Sheet A1 of Exhibit 14.
4. Provide a second story floor projection at Bath 2 or work with staff to find alternative
means of breaking up the two-story wall on the right-side façade to be consistent with
PAGE 5 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
Residential Design Guideline 3.3.3. Alternatively, staff could request the applicant to
revise the second-floor plan layout to provide a setback along the right-side façade.
• Refer to the right-side elevation that incorporates a 2x wood “belly band” to break
up the two-story wall. The second-floor bathroom and stairwell project from the
bedroom wall, breaking up the second floor. See Sheet A3.1 of Exhibit 14.
5. Add a traditional chimney to the fireplace to be consistent with the Residential Design
Guideline 3.10.4.
• The Town of Los Gatos reach Code(s) do not allow for wood burning or gas fireplace.
The revised plan uses an electric fireplace appliance that extends into the interior
space. The proposed exterior results in a build-out bay that will have a shed roof with
an eave. See Sheet A3.1 of Exhibit 14.
6. Eliminate the applied second floor roof gable on the left side elevation.
• Please refer to the revised exterior elevations that incorporate a simple roof design,
which is more consistent with the proposed architectural style.
7. Add the proposed first floor roof element on the rear elevation.
• The shed roof at the rear elevation has been shown. A rear porch roof has been
included to further break up any wall massing.
The applicant responded to the Consulting Architect’s issues and recommendations through
design revisions with the exception of meeting the following recommendations:
• Recommendation 5 - Add a traditional chimney to the fireplace to be consistent with the
Residential Design Guideline 3.10.4.
• Recommendation 6 – Eliminate the applied second floor roof gable from the left side
elevation.
C. Neighborhood Compatibility
The subject front flag lot has a lot size of 9,210 square feet and the maximum allowable
floor area is 2,947 square feet for the residence and 810 square feet for the garage. The
maximum allowable FAR for the residence is 0.32. The table on the following page reflects
the current conditions of the residences in the immediate neighborhood based on County
records.
PAGE 6 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
FAR Comparison – Immediate Neighborhood Analysis
Address Zoning Residential
SF
Garage
SF
Total
SF
Lot
Area
SF
Residential
FAR
No. of
Stories
14317 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 3,228 768 3,996 10,721 0.30 2
14301 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 640 0 640 11,683 0.05 1
14333 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 1,216 0 1,216 19,407 0.06 1
14345 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 1,359 440 1,799 11,079 0.12 1
14355 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 2,044 576 2,620 9,416 0.22 1
14294 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 2,363 748 3,111 9,147 0.26 2
14300 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 2,495 484 2,979 8,276 0.30 2
14314 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 2,367 491 2,858 7,840 0.30 2
14330 La Rinconada Dr.
Parcel 1 (Front) R-1:8 1,320 0 1,320 8,225 0.16 1
14330 La Rinconada Dr.
Parcel 2 (Rear) - vacant R-1:8 -- -- -- 13,484 -- --
14334 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 1,280 0 1,280 21,280 0.06 1
14350 La Rinconada Dr. R-1:8 1,752 316 2,068 8,100 0.22 1
14335 La Rinconada Dr.
Parcel 2 (Rear) - vacant R-1:8 -- -- -- 9,094 -- --
14335 La Rinconada Dr.
Parcel 1 (Front) (E) R-1:8 744 400 1,144 9,210 0.08 1
14335 La Rinconada Dr.
Parcel 1 (Front) (P) R-1:8 2,805 703 3,503 9,210 0.30 2
* Residential square footage includes the residence and detached accessory structures, except
garages.
** The total square footage numbers do not include below grade square footage.
Four of the thirteen properties in the immediate neighborhood are developed with two-
story residences and nine are single story residences.
The property sizes within the immediate neighborhood range from 7,840 square feet to
21,280 square feet. Based on Town and County records, the residences in the immediate
neighborhood range in size from 640 square feet to 3,228 square feet. The FAR of the
residences in the immediate neighborhood range from 0.06 to 0.30. The applicant is
proposing a 2,805-square foot residence and a FAR of 0.30 on a 9,210-square foot parcel.
The proposed residence would be tied for first largest FAR with three other residences in
the immediate neighborhood. The proposed project would have the second largest floor
area in the immediate neighborhood.
The vacant rear flag lot property at 14335 La Rinconada Drive has a pending Architecture
and Site application and is under review by staff for a new two-story residence with an
attached garage.
PAGE 7 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
D. Tree Impacts
The Town’s Consulting Arborist prepared a report for the site and made recommendations
for the project (Exhibit 11). The project site, Parcel 1, contains five protected trees. Three
protected trees are proposed to be removed due the proposed location of the house and to
accommodate the new driveway. Arborist recommendations for tree protection have been
included in the Conditions of Approval (Exhibit 3).
E. Grading
The project includes site improvements with grading quantities exceeding 50 cubic yards,
which requires approval of a Grading Permit. The Town’s Parks and Public Works
Engineering staff have included a condition of approval requiring submittal and evaluation
of a Grading Permit in parallel with the required Building Permits (Exhibit 3).
F. CEQA Determination
The project is Categorically Exempt pursuant to the adopted Guidelines for the
Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, Section 15303: New
Construction.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
Story poles and signage were installed on the site and written notice was sent to property
owners and tenants located within 300 feet of the subject property. At the time of drafting the
report, no public comments have been received.
CONCLUSION:
A. Summary
The applicant is requesting approval of an Architecture and Site application for the
demolition of an existing residence, construction of a new two-story single-family residence,
and site work requiring a grading permit.
The project is consistent with the Zoning and General Plan Land Use designation for the
property. The project is in compliance with the objective standards of the Town Code
related to allowable floor area, setbacks, lot coverage, height, and on-site parking
requirements.
The proposed residence would be tied for first largest FAR with three other residences in
the immediate neighborhood. The proposed project would be the second largest floor area
in the immediate neighborhood.
PAGE 8 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
The project was reviewed by the Town’s Consulting Architect who provided
recommendations to address the consistency of the project with the Residential Design
Guidelines. The applicant responded to the Consulting Architect’s issues and
recommendations through design revisions with the exception of meeting two
recommendations.
The application has been forwarded to the Planning Commission based on concerns related
to neighborhood compatibility, as the immediate neighborhood is predominately one-story,
and the applicant has not met two of the Consulting Architect’s recommendations.
The applicant provided a summary of neighborhood outreach (Exhibits 13). The applicant
provided a Project Description and a Letter of Justification for the proposed two-story
residence (Exhibits 4 and 5).
B. Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission consider the request and, if merit is found
with the proposed project, take the following steps to approve the Architecture and Site
application:
1. Find that the proposed project is Categorically Exempt pursuant to the adopted
Guidelines for the implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act, Section
15303: New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures (Exhibit 2);
2. Make the findings as required by Section 29.10.09030(e) of the Town Code for the
demolition of existing structures (Exhibit 2);
3. Make the finding that the project complies with the objective standards of Chapter 29 of
the Town Code (Zoning Regulations) (Exhibit 2);
4. Make the finding that the project complies with the Residential Design Guidelines
(Exhibit 2);
5. Make the considerations as required by Section 29.20.150 of the Town Code for
granting approval of an Architecture and Site application (Exhibit 2); and
6. Approve Architecture and Site application S-23-028 with the conditions contained in
Exhibit 3 and the development plans in Exhibit 14.
C. Alternatives
Alternatively, the Commission can:
1. Continue the matter to a date certain with specific direction; or
2. Approve the application with additional and/or modified conditions; or
3. Deny the application.
PAGE 9 OF 9
SUBJECT: 14335 La Rinconada Drive – Parcel 1/S-23-028
DATE: February 7, 2025
EXHIBITS:
1. Location Map
2. Required Findings and Considerations
3. Recommended Conditions of Approval
4. Historic Preservation Committee Action Letter, February 28, 2024
5. Project Description
6. Letter of Justification
7. Site Photographs
8. Materials and Color Board
9. Consulting Architect’s Report
10. Applicant’s Response to Consulting Architect
11. Consulting Arborist’s Report
12. Applicant’s Response to Consulting Arborist
13. Applicant’s Summary of Neighborhood Outreach
14. Development Plans
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