Item 5 - Exhibit 07 - Consulting Architect ReportMarch 26, 2019
Ms. Jennifer Armer
Community Development Department
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95031
RE: 15925 Quail Hill Road
Dear Jennifer:
I reviewed the drawings, and evaluated the site context. I previously reviewed another home located at the top of this
sloping site. My comments and recommendations are as follows:
Neighborhood Context
The site is steeply sloped with an existing house located at the top of the slope. This proposal is for a new house to be
located at the base of the slope at the intersection of Shady Lane and Drysdale Drive. The site is shown on the aerial
photo below, and photos of the site and its surroundings are on the following page.
EXHIBIT 7
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 2
The Site looking Uphill
Aerial Photo looking South
The Site from Shady looking West
The Site looking Downhill
The Site from Shady looking East
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 3
Issues and Concerns
The proposed house has an identifiable architectural style with authentic details executed in high quality materials - see
proposed elevations below.
PROPOSED FRONT ELEVATION
PROPOSED REAR ELEVATION
PROPOSED LEFT SIDE ELEVATION
PROPOSED RIGHT SIDE ELEVATION
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 4
The proposed site for the house is at the bottom of the parcel adjacent to both Shady Lane and Drysdale Drive with
substantial landscaping proposed to buffer views of the house - see landscape plan below.
From a pure architectural design standpoint, it would be difficult to fault the proposed design. However, the proposed
architectural style is typically constructed on a flat building pad, and the structure may be difficult to reconcile with the
Town’s Hillside Development Standards and Design Guidelines. Some specific elements of the Hillside Development Stan-
dards and Design Guidelines which may not be adequately met by this design include the following:
E. Objectives of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines
The following objectives are intended to implement the Town of Los Gatos vision statement
for its hillside and to ensure that all development is in compliance with the goals, policies,
and implementing strategies of the General Plan.
4. Maintain the natural appearance of the hillsides from all vantage points including the
valley floor.
9. Ensure that development does not dominate, but rather visually blends and
achieves harmony between the natural and built environment.
V. ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
A. Design objectives.
The standards and guidelines in this section are intended to encourage architectural design
that is:
1. in harmony and visually blends with the natural environment,
3. compatible with the surrounding neighborhood and respectful of neighbors, and
4. respectful of the rural character of the hillsides.
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 5
E. Building height.
Standards:
1. The maximum allowed height for homes in hillside areas shall be 25 feet. Building
height shall be measured in compliance with provisions of the Town’s Zoning Ordinance.
2. The maximum height of a building’s tallest elevation shall not exceed 35 feet measured from
the lowest part of the building to the highest part, except buildings extending above a ridgeline
or that are visible from a viewing platform where the maximum height from the lowest to highest
points shall not exceed 28 feet.
Note: Vertical measurement shown on the applicant’s drawings may not conform to the Town’s
standards for vertical measurements.
F. Minimize building bulk and mass
One of the primary concerns of Los Gatos residents is that some new houses in the hillsides
appear overly large and bulky, resulting in high visibility from surrounding properties and the
valley floor. The design standards and guidelines in this section address this issue.
Standards:
1. Buildings shall be designed to minimize bulk, mass and volume so as not to be prominently
visible from a distance or from surrounding properties.
2. Buildings shall be designed to conform to the natural topography of the site and run
with the contours. Blending with the existing terrain reduces the appearance of bulk.
Guidelines:
1. The building design should incorporate but not be limited to, the following techniques to
effectively reduce the appearance of mass, bulk and volume:
b. Avoid architectural styles that are inherently viewed as massive and bulky.
d. Minimize volume; avoid large volume buildings.
G. Roofs.
Standards:
1. Roof forms and roof lines shall be broken into smaller building components to reflect the
irregular forms of surrounding natural features.
2. The slope of the main roof shall generally be oriented in the same direction as the
natural slope of the terrain.
Guidelines:
1. The use of large windows and glass doors should be kept to the minimum to reduce the
daytime glare and nighttime lighting emanating from large glazed areas, and to increase
heating and cooling efficiency. Of particular concern is glare that impacts neighboring
properties and is visible from the valley floor.
2. The use of architectural features that increase visual prominence should be avoided.
Massive, tall elements, such as two-story entries, turrets, and large chimneys should be
avoided. Such elements on the downhill facade of the house is of particular concern.
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 6
In fairness to the applicant, it should be noted that within the constraints of the general architectural style, the designer
has provided for some stepping of the building form down the hill slope, but the result may be more bulky than envi-
sioned in the Town’s Hillside Development Standards and Design Guidelines.
Specific features of the proposed house that seem most at odds with the Development Standards and Design Guidelines
include the following:
1. The general building form reads as three boxes stacked on top of each other.
2. The grand scale of the front portion of the house which would be 25 feet in interior height would increase the
structure’s visual bulk.
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 7
3. While there is a slight setback from the front facade for the second floor volume, it is likely not enough to avoid the
first and second floor facades appearing as a single large volume. This would be further emphasized by the tall entry
element and the elevated building pad relative to Shady Lane - see illustration below.
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 8
Recommendations
The primary issue is whether the proposed design or some modified version of it would be sufficiently consistent with the
Town’s Hillside Development Standards and Design Guidelines. In the past, the Town has welcomed architectural variety,
and much has changed in home size and household expectations in the fifteen years since the Hillside Development Stan-
dards and Design Guidelines were adopted.
The formal style of the proposed home makes modifications to more strictly conform to the standards and guidelines dif-
ficult without resulting in a distortion of the basic forms and details of the traditional style. There are a few modifications
that I can suggest that would maintain the spirit of the architectural style. They would include the following:
1. Increase the second floor setback, if possible.
2. Add continuous railings and cast stone friezes in lieu of the currently proposed three separated front elevation
forms.
3. Increase the window sizes on the second floor over the entry.
4. Enhance the second floor cornice to add more visual substance.
5. Deep set all wall planes and windows.
6. Add additional landscape buffering along the street edge.
15925 Quail Hill Road
Design Review Comments
March 26, 2019 Page 9
Jennifer, please let me know if you have any questions, or if there are other issues that I did not address.
Sincerely,
CANNON DESIGN GROUP
Larry L. Cannon
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