Item 2 - Exhibit 05 - Letter of JustificationDate:
Dec 16, 2019
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 1
Re: Olgaard Residence- Project Justification Letter
Site Address:15365 Santella Court; APN: 527-09-036. Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052.
Dear Planning Commissioners
Community Development Department. Town of Los Gatos
On behalf of Christian and Helen Olgaard, I am pleased to present this new sustainable
(green) design project, featuring net zero energy use. From the very beginning of our
collaboration with the Town of Los Gatos, your knowledgeable planning and engineering
staff helped us understand the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines and the
Town’s desire to preserve the natural hillside environment.
We consulted with your staff early on and through our frequent meetings, they prepared us
for this comprehensive compliance design review process. Our design team also had the
support and willingness of our clients to design a creative and innovative contemporary
sustainable home that brings the outdoor natural hillside environment, indoors in a seamless
way. As a result of this collaborative process we had minimal revisions to the overall original
design concept and are able to create a home design that meets all requirements without
any exceptions.
The proposed single-family home design to be developed on a vacant lot has two-levels, 4
bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths and a 3 car-garage, and has 5,840 sf. of countable floor area
including 756 sf below grade space (exempt from countable floor area), in an HR-2½:
Planned Development Zone
This letter details the factors that lead to this design, how it complies with the Hillside
Development Standards and Guidelines and addresses any specific concerns raised by
the planning staff. The attached building plans and additional exhibits are provided as
supporting information.
EXISTING PROPERTY DESCRIPTION
The site is a part of the planned development of Highlands of Los Gatos subdivision that
includes approximately 66 acres of custom hillside residential lots, accessed from Shady
Lane and Gum Tree Lane. This 2-acre vacant property, located on the north end of
Santella Court, presents great opportunities and some constraints that we carefully studied
and mapped before any placement of the proposed home was considered.
The project scope involves development of a downward sloping, south facing flag lot with
a natural setting of undulating hillsides and mature oak trees. In contrast to the other street
level homes on Santella court, this proposed house would be located substantially lower on
the hillside and accessed through a private driveway. From here, the lot widens to a
triangular shape spreading in the east-west direction. The site is surrounded by dense
clusters of mature coast live oak and blue oak trees along its slopes with a small relatively
clear and level area in the middle that extends to the rear. The tree inventory by the
arborist contains 44 trees (with some undocumented along inaccessible slopes) in either
good or fair condition, 4 trees in poor health, and one that fell due to natural causes after
EXHIBIT 5
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 2
the arborist report was prepared. The land tapers off to a steeper slope along the
perimeter of the property. Due to these steep 30% slopes surrounding the site, the LRDA is
limited to the level area in the midsection of the property.
DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED DESIGN
Site design
Given all the opportunities and constraints, and with considerable deliberation, we chose a
linear form for the house, and a winding sloped driveway. We chose these forms for their
adaptability to the shape of the site grading contours and to minimize tree removal.
The private driveway from Santella Court slopes down to the fire truck turnaround/visitor
parking area in front of the home’s garage. From here a winding stair path leads to the
front entrance located on the upper level. The visitor parking area also leads to a side yard
at the lower level that opens to a patio and pool towards the north-east side of the
property.
The site and hillside slopes are stable and geotechnically suitable for the proposed
structure as outlined in the geologist report, which has been approved through the peer
review.
Articulation of the building mass
We designed the linear form to start as a single story at the garage, and to rise to a two-
story volume towards the rear. This shape enables screening of the larger mass by tall trees
along the north and the west property lines, that form a dense cluster around the
building. There are 15 trees, including the 4 trees in poor health, mostly along the interior
of the site that shall be removed to construct the residence and driveway.
This low-profile home with a linear horizontal building form follows the site contours and
levels so that the structure appears integrated into the hill side. At the north end of the
property, as the site grading contours turn, so does the building form, creating a backdrop
for the terraces and patio areas to follow. This approach i.e. stepping the terrain along the
contours reduces the amount of grading required and integrates the building into the site.
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 3
Building Features
The building roof form picks up on the undulating site profile, combining sloped and flat
roofs in an alternating rhythm. The alternating flat roof sections as one continuous
sculptural unifying roof form, feature live green roofing and the sloped roof sections provide
for photovoltaics.
Much of the home will be at the lower level with private spaces such as bedrooms, media
and family rooms and a wine cellar in addition to a garage. The upper level will have an
entry foyer, kitchen, dining and living spaces that offer spectacular views of the distant hills.
The contemporary home design with doors and windows that open to the outdoor spaces
merge them seamlessly with the indoors to take advantage of the natural beauty of the site
and the moderate weather we all enjoy in California. The house wraps around the entry
courtyard with operable windows situated to catch the summer breezes from the west to
naturally cool the house.
The exterior skin of the home consists of an insulated rain-screen system clad with sintered
stone panels. These earth toned panels run every 2 ft. with varying widths throughout the
home to emphasize horizontal nature of the building form.
The aluminum windows and door frames will feature a dark oxidized metal finish with similar
interplay of horizontal and vertical lines of the stone cladding system. The glazing will have
low light and heat reflective coating to reduce glare and increase the thermal
performance of the home.
Site grading
The driveway design became a critical factor in site layout, and was defined by the narrow
and steep terrain, existing trees, firetruck turnaround space requirements.
We took advantage of the level changes in the terrain to create floor levels that closely
followed the adjacent grades. As the land dipped and flattened out at the firetruck turn
around space, we set the lower floor garage height 4ft. (max. allowed cut) below grade to
reduce the appearance of a larger mass. Then as the terrain rose higher to towards the
rear of the property, we set the upper floor level close to the higher terrain level. A series of
serpentine shaped steps rise with the existing grade to access the upper level concealing
the lower level floor below and effectively making the building appear as a single-story
home.
As the terrain slopes more gradually on the east side of the home, we created terraces that
follow contour grades, that open to the lower floor level. The upper floor level was able to
access the outdoor deck set close to the higher terrain level on the west side of the home.
This approach reduced the cut and fill volumes and height of retaining walls.
Sustainable (green) design
As all sustainable efforts should begin with passive strategies our initial efforts focused on
the sustainable site design practices such as
•Building orientation, passive solar design and shading and cooling from existing
vegetation.
•High performance thermal envelope (insulated building skin),
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 4
•Low reflective, dual glazed, low E windows, and doors that allow natural light natural
and cross ventilation,
•Green roof to keep the home cool protect from forest fires and filter the roof rain
runoff.
In addition, our clients have set project goals for LEED Gold or Platinum (green building)
certification and a net zero energy use for the home. As these are highly ambitious goals,
we incorporated a photovoltaic system and a geothermal system combined with a ceiling
radiant heating and cooling system.
COMPLIANCE WITH HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS & GUIDELINES
In addition to what was identified above, the proposed home specifically addresses the
Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines as follows:
Justification for home size in the immediate neighborhood
The proposed home is both smaller in total size and smaller in appearance compared to
others in the neighborhood. This home area when below grade area is also considered, is
smaller than the neighborhood homes. To illustrate the point, we have attached a
neighborhood floor area comparison sheet that show the floor areas including below
grade area. For example, the home at 15310 Santella Ct. has 5,671 sf. Floor area, which is
smaller to the proposed home with 5,840 sf. of floor area. However, if the below grade
area is included the total home floor area for 15310 Santella Ct. is 7,425 sf. which is larger
than the total area of this proposed home of 6,596 sf.
This neighborhood home is on a relatively level lot and all of the home’s upper mass is
visible to the observer. Therefore, to reduce the appearance of a large home size, more of
the area was allocated to the below grade. See picture below (courtesy -Redfin website).
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 5
This proposed home would be located substantially lower on the hillside in contrast to the
other street level homes on Santella court. This home is on a sloped lot and the design
reduces the appearance of a larger home due to the home siting and the articulation of
the massing. (see rendering on previous page). This slender shape, split-level design and
low-profile home with the roof close to the ground, will appear smaller than a traditional
home with traditional hip and gable roofs, even with a large below grade area.
We have attached the neighborhood comparison data for your reference.
Siting of the home
After detailed evaluation of the site conditions, we situated the home further north than
the location indicated in the approved PD development plans. The image below shows
the original location shown in the PD development plans overlaid by our proposed home
location.
Below are several compelling reasons:
●Due to the flag lot shape and the narrow access exceeding 150 ft. in length, we
were required by the Santa Clara County Fire Department to create a fire engine
truck turn around space of 55 ft. X 75 ft. with the grade level of the turnaround
space not to exceed 5%.
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 6
●The building location was pushed further north to accommodate the required the
firetruck turnaround space and driveway length at the maximum allowed 17%
grade slope.
●We chose a linear mass for the home to minimize the impact of the building
footprint on the existing tree locations. This enabled us to preserve many native oak
trees, increase the tree screening and reduce visibility of the home to the
neighborhood.
●The linear building form also followed the site grading contour levels to have the
house sit at a lower level, reduce site grading and overall building height. We
achieved this by partially building into the hill side to maximum depth of 4 ft. cut at
the exterior patios and driveways so that the structure appears as an integrated part
of the environment.
●The north south orientation of the home allows the maximum amount of solar energy
to be harvested.
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Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 7
Project visibility analysis
We have done an exhaustive study of the site, the surrounding topography, screening of
the matures trees in the vicinity, and the visibility of the project from the viewing areas.
Blossom Hill/LG Blvd. and Selinda Way/LG Almaden Rd. viewing areas were identified as
the two viewing areas nearest to the project from where the home could be potentially
seen.
Our initial studies with the computer model indicated that the project wouldn’t be seen
from Blossom Hill /LG Blvd intersection viewing area due to dense tree cover. This fact was
later confirmed by the subsequent pictures taken after the story-poles are installed.
We then focused on our study on the Selinda Way/LG Almaden Rd. viewing area. When
we studied the cross section of the topography of the hillsides and the ridges from the
Selinda Way/LG Almaden Rd., it became obvious why this project site wouldn’t be seen
from anywhere nearby. Due to a secondary ridge in front of the site, the home wouldn’t be
seen, unless the observer is a mile or more away. As shown in the illustration below, the view
is blocked when an observer comes within a mile of the project.
The property it is barely visible with a naked eye when seen from a mile away. This picture
below is taken from Selinda Way/LG Almaden Rd. intersection, which is further than a mile
away. To get an unobstructed view we took the 50mm lens picture (below) from the Lee
high school fence.
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 8
To clearly see this site, one would need 300 mm telephoto lens standing a mile or more
away, as it is not possible to see it closer due to the ridge in the front.
Our subsequent detailed analysis indicated that only a portion of the home that is less than
24% would be seen with a 300 mm telephoto lens. This fact was confirmed by subsequent
pictures taken after story-poles were installed as shown in the image below. Therefore, this
home would not be considered a visible home per the HDS&G.
A full and comprehensive visibility screening analysis is provided along with this letter.
Grading for driveway and visitor parking
As previously mentioned, the narrow and steep terrain at the entrance of the site effects
the configuration of the driveway.
•As the land dips and flattens out after the driveway, we utilized the shallow terrain to
create the firetruck turn around space, and guest parking. Staying close to the
terrain and utilizing the shallow grade allowed us to meet the fire truck turn-around
space clearances and grading slope (5% maximum) and the HDS&G cut and fill
requirements.
•The 5% slope of the firetruck turn around space enabled us to set the home’s lower
floor height 4ft. below grade to reduce the appearance of a larger mass.
•Then as the terrain rose higher to towards the rear of the property, we set the upper
floor level close to the higher terrain level.
•A series of serpentine shaped steps rise with the existing grade to access the upper
level masking the lower level floor below and effectively making the building
appear as a single-story home.
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 9
We requested a driveway slope of 17%, versus the typical 15%, for the following reasons;
•A driveway slope of 15% would cause the lower parts of the driveway at the fire
truck turnaround space to exceed the 3ft. maximum fill requirement of HDS&G.
•A driveway slope of 15% would also require the home to move further north due to
fire truck turnaround space requirements and that would encroach into the rear
setback area. A 17% slope brings the firetruck turn around space closer to the cul-
de-sac and locates it in the shallow existing terrain area (relatively free of mature
trees) and makes the grading compliant with HDS&G requirements.
•We met with the Fire Marshal early in the design process and have his consent for a
17% slope for the driveway, We worked with the lot #8 design team to facilitate a
lower desired driveway access level for their site, as it is shared with this neighbor.
Neighbor friendly, site design
•Privacy of the neighbors is protected by dense surrounding vegetation and the
additional landscape screening proposed along the north property line.
•All the upper level doors windows and outdoor areas face away from neighbors’
properties.
•Outdoor activity areas at the lower level are designed to face eastern side of the
property which is further away from the immediate neighbors. These outdoor activity
areas are also surrounded by dense vegetation.
•All four adjacent neighbors have reviewed the design drawings and have no
concerns regarding the design.
Sustainable design
The sustainable design features of this home include a net zero energy design and LEED
certification. The homes orientation takes advantage of the clear area in front of the home
for integrating the photovoltaic system into the sloping roof. All the living and active spaces
at the upper level open to the south-southeast orientation to allow winter sun in and the
deep overhangs over openings protect them from summer heat gain. The home wraps
around the entry courtyard to capture summer breezes for cross ventilation. The clearstory
windows at the high level create a stack effect like a chimney to let warm air out while
drawing in cooler air from the lower level.
The home has a rainscreen wall system with sintered stone panel cladding. It breathes
much like our skin, with an airgap behind the exterior cladding to let moisture
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Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 10
accumulated within the building to escape outside while the inner layers of high-
performance insulation reduce building heat gain or loss.
The live roof will feature succulent plants that collect and filter rainwater, while keeping the
home cool. Once these plants are well established, they can survive with minimal irrigation.
To reduce the overall carbon footprint of the building, all systems shall be run only with
electricity, and no natural gas HVAC equipment shall be utilized. This 48,400 kwh/year
photovoltaic (PV) system for the home shall be designed to offset 100% of the anticipated
energy usage of the home its occupants, on an annual basis. In other words, the roof
mounted photovoltaic system will generate enough electricity for heating of domestic hot
water, pool and jacuzzi, cooking, heating /cooling of the house, lighting and other home
energy loads, and two electric vehicles.
The geothermal system utilizes the earth’s constant temperature of 60° F to pre-heat or cool
the water for the electric heat pump and domestic hot water. This pump further cools or
warms this water and circulates it throughout the house ceiling panels. This radiant heating
and cooling system is highly energy efficient.
Among all other stringent requirements for the LEED certification we are considering
rainwater harvesting and grey water for toilets & landscape irrigation. Our current
estimation of LEED V4 for Homes certification credits totaled 76.5 points, close to
certification thresholds for LEED Gold or Platinum.
Fire safety
The home design incorporates the following fire safety measures and complies with
stringent Wildlife Urban Interface standards and HDS&G;
•Fire rated exterior envelope with ceramic panel exterior cladding.
•All steel structure with concrete slab foundation and retaining walls.
•Fire sprinkler system.
•Tempered exterior glazing.
•Undersides of roofs and decks are either enclosed or protected with
noncombustible materials.
•Live green roof with succulent plants.
•The 100 feet defensible space for landscaping.
•An18 ft. wide firetruck access road and location of turn-around space deep into the
property for firefighting access.
•Drought tolerant landscaping with underbrush cleared.
Building height, bulk and mass
This home is on a sloped lot and can reduce the appearance of larger home due to the
home siting and the articulation of the massing. This low-profile home with slender shape,
split-level design and a continuous roof that stays closer to the ground, will appear like a
single-story home. The following design strategies are utilized to minimize bulk and mass:
•The linear form of the home starts at the garage as a single story and rises up to a
two-story volume towards the rear. This shape enables screening of the larger mass
18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga, CA 95070 ■ ph.# 408 507-8138 ■ www.srustiarchitects.com ■
Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 11
by tall trees along the north and the west property lines, reducing the impact of a
taller mass.
•The varying flat and sloped roof forms follow the hill slopes with deep overhangs to
reinforce horizontality, making the home appear smaller.
•The live roof blends with varied site terrain patterns in its form, color and texture.
•Most of the roof follows the site slopes at a 17 ft maximum height from the adjacent
grade. A small portion culminates as a clearstory element in the roof composition at
22 ft from the adjacent grade. This small clearstory roof area is only 15% of the
overall roof area and is setback from the exterior face. This is the only element of the
building that is higher than the rest of the roof but is very critical to the roof form,
massing composition and indoor air circulation.
Selective use of glazing
This contemporary home is designed to have a strong connection to outdoor spaces and
bring in the natural beauty of the site. The doors and windows with dark oxidized aluminum
frames are integrated with the rhythms and patterns of the exterior sintered stone panels to
articulate the exterior massing and make the home appear smaller, lighter, slender and
delicate. They are integral part of the exterior building skin and the architectural
composition. The solid surface of the exterior panels with low LRV surface material values is
punctuated by the window openings used selectively at critical locations. The solid form
with its projections, roof awnings and recesses reduces the continuity of the glazing. They
are deliberately placed to frame the views of the distant hills and away from neighbors to
protect their privacy. The dense tree cover and surrounding hill side ridges also shields them
from all lower level views.
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Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 12
Materials and colors
All materials colors and textures conform with HDS&G. See images above.
The two primary exterior sintered stone (like ceramic tile) cladding panels are of earth
tones and warm gray and oxidized iron colors and have only LRV values of only 17 and 12.
Stained concrete retaining wall have a LRV value of 13. All are maintenance free durable
materials. Exposed metal surfaces shall be painted to compliment adjacent materials or
anodized to a dark color. The glazing we specified is a low reflective and energy efficient
coating. The live roof system will have the same colors and textures of the native
vegetation. The cumulative LRV of the home is 13.
Landscaping & retaining walls
The landscape design plays a key role in creating the seamless merger of indoor-outdoor
spaces. The interior spaces open directly to the terraces covered with natural travertine
stone or wood decking. The terrace levels set closely to the existing grades minimize cut
and fill quantities and reduce the height of the retaining walls.
The driveway surface is asphalt up to the home’s entry gate, and then paved tile to
support the fire trucks and vehicular traffic in front of the home.
All site retaining walls are equal to or less than 4 ft in height. They will be constructed with
stained textured concrete walls that have a natural appearance and allow water to seep
through weep holes.
Most of the landscaping is specified to be native Californian, deer resistant and drought
tolerant. The landscaping is also designed to blend in with the native landscaping and
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Olgaard Residence-15365 Santella Court- Architecture & Site Application# S-18-052. 13
most of the property will kept in its natural state in perpetuity. The underbrush will be
cleared to reduce wildfire hazard including the creation of 100 ft defensible space for
planting. All outdoor spaces, seating areas and the pool are located away from the
neighbors to maintain privacy of the neighbors as well as the homeowners.
CONCLUSION
This design has been envisioned and developed from the beginning to enhance and
elevate the natural beauty of the hill side environment. The home is designed to integrate
into the land become part of the harmonious natural order. The design closely follows
Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines in its intent, scale, colors, massing and
overall design.
Sincerely
Hari Sripadanna AIA C-30730
Srusti Architects
P - 408-507-8138 hari@srustiarchitects.com
We collaborate to create sustainable spaces.
www.srustiarchitects.com
Neighborhood Compatibility- 15365 Santella Ct. (Lot 9)
Lot Address Date Approved House
Garage
Area
(400sf.
exempt)
Floor Area
Below
Grade
Area Current
Status
1 15685 Shady Lane 4/29/2014 4,457 504 4,961 3,191
Occupied
2 15672 Shady Lane 7/3/2012 4,652 337 4,989 1,490 Occupied
3 15644 Shady Lane 12/11/2013 4,796 1,172 5,568 3,224 Occupied
4 15657 Shady Lane 7/30/2013 4,169 1,120 4,889 4,519 Occupied
5 15615 Shady Lane 12/18/2012 4,658 340 4,998 2,370 Occupied
6 15315 Santella Ct. 7/30/2012 4,534 417 4,951 Occupied
7 15343 Santella Ct. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Vacant
8 15371 Santella Ct. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Vacant
10 15358 Santella Ct 11/03/2017 4,401 476 4,877 965 Under
Construction
11 15330 Santella Ct. 1/8/2013 4,625 346 4,971 2,566 Occupied
12 15310 Santella Ct. 2/13/2013 4,660 611 5,271 2,154 Occupied
13 15415 Santella Ct. N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Vacant
14 15574 Shady Lane 7/10/2012 4,574 384 4,958 2,583 Occupied
15 15588 Shady Lane 12/18/2012 4,508 402 4,910 3,190 Occupied
16 15602 Shady Lane 8/14/2012 4,331 550 4,881 1,429 Occupied
17 15630 Shady Lane 8/20/2013 4,712 286 4,998 2,390 Occupied
18 15685 Gum
Tree Lane
7/3/2012 4,590 407 4,997 2,048 Occupied
19 15675 Gum
Tree Lane
2/26/2013 4,602 365 4,967 3,039 Occupied
9 15365 Santella Ct. Proposed
Project 5,530 310 5,840 756 Pending
15500 Francis Oaks Way 11/06/00 5,897 512 6,409 790 Occupied