Attachment 3Town of Los Gatos
1.6 HOW TO READ YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD
A speci21 workbook has been prepared to assist property owncts and
their design professional in looking at their neighborhoods when
assessing appropriate design plans, styles and details. In addition to
the neighborhood patterns and details noted in the workbook, con-1
sideration must be given to ensure that privacy and shadow impacts
on properties within and outside the immediate neighborho od a.re
evaluated. The hope is that a greater awareness of one's immediate
neighborhood will bring inctcased design sensitivity to the design
of both additions and new homes.
The workbook also provides some guidance as to the context that
will be used by the deciding body in reviewing the appropriateness
of design proposals to neighborhood compatibility. The greatest
attention will be given to the immediate neighborhood where nearby
home owners are most likely to be confronted with the new house
or addition on a daily basis, and where other residents driving by
are most likely to see the new structure in the context of the nearby
homes.
Recognition will be given to the fact that a house design which is
appropriate in one neighborhood may not be appropriate in another
neighborhood. Some neighborhoods have a distinctive character and
scale while others are much more mixed and tnnsitional. In addi-
tion, some houses wcte constructed with little consideration to the
neighborhood architectural style or its site chuacteristics. Others
were remodeled with little sensitivity to the existing architectural
style. These aberrations will not be considcted when analyzing a
neighborhood. The presence of significantly different h ouse styles
or large scale houses located at a greater distance from the applicant's
site will be given less weight than the immediate neighborhood.
Common sense should be used when applying the diagram be-
low to a specific site context. H in doubt, please consult with Town
staff for guidance
The diagram below illustrates the Town's intctpretation of the
immediate neighborhood in standard subdivisions. There arc sev-
eral factors in determining an immediate neighborhood when this
diagram may not be applica~le. These factors include, but are not
limited to, loe1.tion and visibility of the building (e.g., terrain of the
lots, lots with multiple frontages and divcr~ty of parcel size).
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Interior Pan:•I Corner Parcel _________ ___..._ _______ ____,
Immediate Neighborhood definition
Residential Design Guid elines
INTRODUCTION
1
GENERAL DESIGN PRINCIPLES
The folkilPlllg pmtapkJ haw been 11mJ m
the det1tlop111ent of thm gutdeli11e.r, and Mii
be u.red by thd Ton to 1val#at1 plans Olla
d11tgt1J that arr llO/ eoflmd b)i a sptajk
4m~ !J'ldeline
• Encourage a diversity of arch.t-
tectural styles consistent wtth the
neighborhood context
• Design t:o blend into the ncighb01-
hood rather than samd out
• Remforce pi:cvaihng neighborhood
development patterns
• Design street setbacks wtth sens1ttv-
1ty to the predominant street front
chara.ctcl
• Matnmin home cotcles with a sttoog
vtsual connection to the street
• Avoid garages and carports that
doOllrulte a home's 5tteet frontage
• Rdate a dructw:c'fl size and bulk to
those in the llllll#diat8 11nghborhood
• U tihze roof forms and pitches
sunilar to those 10 the immediate
11eighborhood
• Design with attlutcctwal 10tegttty
on all sides of the sttucture
• RelB.te 11.wahary structures to the
style and dCbil of the main. house
• Use matet12ls that arc consistent
or compatible with the neighbor-
hood
• U'Je quality matcnals and work-
manship
• Select colors to blend with the
neJghbothood
• Preserve mature landscaptng when-
ever possible
•Design structure!! to be energy
and water effiaent and which take
nwwnum advantage of renewable
energy resources, where appropn-
ate
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