Exhibit 7 - Consulting Architect’s ReportJuly 29, 2024
Mr. Sean MullinCommunity Development DepartmentTown of Los Gatos110 E. Main StreetLos Gatos, CA 95031
RE: 15349 & 15367 Los Gatos Blvd.
Dear Sean:
NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT
The site is located on Los Gatos Blvd. in an area largely dominated by commercial development. A
single family neighborhood is located immediately to the rear across Garden Lane. Photos of the site
and surrounding neighborhood are shown on the following pages.
EXHIBIT 7
15349 & 15367 Los Gatos Blvd.Design Review Comments
July 29, 2024 Page 2
THE SITE
Site Los Gatos Blvd. Frontage Recent office project immediately across Los Gatos Blvd.
Site: Garden Lane Frontage Single Family Neighborhood immediately across Garden Lane
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PROPOSED PROJECT
PROPOSED SITE LAYOUT PLAN
LOS GATOS BLVD. STREETSCAPE
GARDEN LANE STREETSCAPE
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ISSUES AND CONCERNS
The proposed development plan appears to maximize the development capacity within the framework of
its proposed three story townhome configuration and the framework of the application type. The need to
meet the site’s required minimum density and the constraints of the site do pose special challenges while still
building a project that respects the community’s expectations of new construction that will be sympathetic to
the town’s small scale and character. I would note that Los Gatos has become a highly desirable community
for individuals and families drawn to the town’s unique scale and character. While residential development
projects that might be out of the norm of those expectations may be possible under this proscribed approval
process, they may not achieve the applicant’s marketing goals if perceived to be at odds with the established
scale and character of the town.
This review will be focused on identifying issues and suggesting a range of examples that might be
considered in addressing those issues while remaining available to collaborate with staff and the applicant in
the further refinement of the project, if needed.
Some of the relevant issues include the following:
1. Guest Parking
The placement of all of the guest parking along the northern edge of the site is out of balance with the
site development. Pedestrian access to the individual unit entries is mostly funneled to the exterior street
frontages. Also the dead end parking aisle could pose turn around difficulty if all of the guest spaces
were occupied.
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2. Internal Pedestrian Circulation
The site development plan is organized around a common central landscaped open space which could
create a sense of neighborhood community. Unfortunately, the pedestrian linkages between the units
and that central commons area and between individual units is circuitous or awkward. Residents of all
units except those immediately fronting on the common area would need to walk around the full length
of a building and then across an auto drive aisle to reach the commons area. Alternatively, they could
exit through their garage to the auto drive aisle to reach the common area - a feature not very desirable
for residents accompanied by guests.
In addition, access from many units to the Los Gatos Blvd. sidewalk frontage is limited and circuitous.
3. Site Edge Landscaping
Currently the Garden Lane street frontage is dominated by a strong row of mature landscaping which
will be removed for the proposed project. While the existing single family neighborhood immediately
across Garden Lane is inward turning and would not seriously be impacted by the loss of this
landscaping, it will nevertheless change the mature wooded character of Garden Lane. Given the need
and desire for additional housing in the community this may be acceptable, but there should be at least
some focused attention on the details and character of both the new landscaping and the residential end
elevations facing Garden Lane.
4. Facade Massing
The proposed building are all composed of rectangular floor plates with some facade changes to provide
an implied breakdown in building mass.
However, the majority of residential street frontages along Los Gatos Blvd. and other major town
thoroughfares are single family homes on separated lots with more current higher density projects
comprised of separated small lot single family homes or connected rowhomes with substantial front
facade offsets to relate to the scale and appearance of the single family homes - see photo examples of
facing the North 40 Lark Avenue and Blossom Hill Road frontages below.
Lark Avenue Blossom Hill Road
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5. Los Gatos Blvd. Frontage Setbacks
In addition to the street frontage massing noted above, the facade articulation and building setback along
Los Gatos Blvd. is of concern. As proposed the setback line is established at a uniform 10 feet. Other
recent similar multifamily developments along Los Gatos Blvd. have larger and more varied building
setbacks. The Laurel Mews project has a 17 front setback and the 371 Los Gatos Blvd. homes were
approved with individual setbacks which vary from 10 to 18 feet.
6. Facade Roof Slopes
The major roof slopes are relatively
steep but there are other smaller
masses with much lower roof pitches.
Other residential development in Los
Gatos has been strongly encouraged to
provided unified roof slopes throughout
a residential structure and is included
specifically as a guideline in the town’s
single and double family residential design
guidelines,
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7. Facade Articulation and Materials
It is clear that a lot of thought has gone into the articulation of the building facades. However, there is
one element where the massing and roof form seems to be less well integrated into the overall facade
design. That element is the small projecting first floor gabled masses adjacent to unit entries on many of
the front facades.
The other facade articulation and materials issue is much more nuanced. In the past the town has
emphasized the identification of individual units in multifamily rowhome and small lot detached home
developments as a priority, and has largely discouraged designs with more of an apartment building
character where the design does not emphasize individual unit identity. The proposed design appears
to be a single color throughout the project utilizing three different types and textures of hardboard
materials. The uniform color should help in unifying the appearance of each individual building but
the very activated distribution of materials seems like it would not, in most cases, articulate a sense of
individual townhomes. The diagrams below illustrate to distribution of the three proposed materials on
the front and rear facades of the five proposed buildings.
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RECOMMENDATIONS
1. Guest Parking and Internal Pedestrian Circulation
For enhancing a sense of neighborhood community, pedestrian circulation paths would benefit from
further refinement and connectivity. A resident should be able to walk out their front door and easily
travel to the front door of any other neighbor’s front door in the complex.
Improved linkages would also be beneficial in making the remote guest parking concentration more
convenient for serving all units in the complex.
One approach is shown on the illustration below.
Areas where paseos might be incorporated into a row of townhomes
could facilitate the pedestrian circulation system. While that approach
might entail some changes to the unit plans, the unit count and square
footage might be recovered by utilizing a small number of two story-
over-two story townhouses, similar to other that I have reviewed in the
Bay Area, and adding an additional residential floor within the roof
structure. This approach is shown in the San Mateo example photo below.
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2. Los Gatos Blvd. Frontage
Increased facade plane depth changes on the front facade would be beneficial.
Perhaps the easiest way to enhance the Los Gatos Blvd. frontage appearance and reinforcement of a Los
Gatos character would be through fencing and landscaping similar to other multifamily projects in Los
Gatos and San Mateo - see photos below.
3. Garden Lane Frontage
While the mature trees along the Garden Lane frontage are being removed, substantial new landscaping
is being added. One other change would be useful and that is the refinement of the building end
facades facing Garden Lane. This refinement would also be appropriate for all other end facades in the
project, especially the one facing Los Gatos Blvd.
Typical current end facads are shown below along with a couple of examples of more fully developed
facades.
Los Gatos San Mateo
BUILDING B BUILDING E
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4. Facade Roof Slopes
The low slope gable roofs, which are currently proposed at a roof pitch substantially lower than the
main roof slopes, would probably be better integrated into the overall building design if they utilized a
shed roof form instead of the current gable form.
One additional change that should be considered is the extension of these ground floor shed roofs over the
adjacent unit entries. That would produce a porch-like entry more typical of the residential development
along Los Gatos Blvd.
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5. Facade Articulation and Materials
The issue of facade articulation and materials placement should be discussed by the staff and the
applicant’s design team. Should staff feel that the previous emphasis on individual units identity that the
town has generally followed is appropriate for this project, they should collaborate with the applicant on
refining the project facades.
Sean, please let me know if you have any questions, or if here are any staff concerns that I did not address.
Sincerely,
CANNON DESIGN GROUP
Larry L. Cannon
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