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Item 02 - 15343 Santella Ct, Lot 7 - Staff Report Exh.9-11July 28, 2015 Marni Moseley Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95031 Re : A&S Applicati on# S-14 -072 Desc ription of Changes Dear Ms . Moseley, (via overnight mail) RECEIVED JUL 2 9 201 5 TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING DIVISION On May 19th, Town Council remanded the A&S Application for lot 7 back to Planning Commission . Visibility of the home and the methodology used was the main topic of discussion. The following is a list of changes made to the design package and the Visibility Study based on the discussion at the Town Council hearing and subsequent discussion with staff. 1) Based on the Visibility Study, from 150' south of the Viewing Platform, slightly exceeding 25% visibility, the house was lowered by 1 foot. The garages remained at the same elevat ion . 2) In the Arborist Report, Deborah Ellis identified trees that have a potential of being "moderately or severely impacted by construction ". The Grading & Drainage Plan has been revised to incorporate the clearances as recommended for each tree . This provides additional assurance that the trees to be preserved will be properly protected and will continue to provide applicable screening from the Viewing Platform . 3) The Visibility Study has been revised based on discussions with staff and proposed methodology. Visibility remains less than 25%. These revisions have addressed questions & concerns raised by the Town Council. We look forward to presenting these improvements to Planning Commission on August 26th. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments. s Vice President, Site Development EXHIBIT 9 1600 SOUTH MAIN STREET, SUITE 150 , WALNUT CREEK , CALIFORNIA 94596-5394 TELEPHONE (925) 945-8000 • FACSIMILE (925) 256-0140 This Page Intentionally Left Blank .... . . --=~~\4i<-="!:!""'il.l-""""r.!::=~ Q AVIDON HoMEs -~MAitfi'BHl'.aii'J"'!...,. WAI.MIT~CA...,..,_. (nJ) ... ,... ('125)2S6-CINDF.U Tree #626 Tree #606 Tree #607 B V I S I B ILI TY S TU DY (300 MM ) LOT 7 T HE HI G H LANDS O F L OS GA T OS TOWN OF LOS GATOS. CALIFORNIA Basse ni an I Lagoni AltlllltUI! • Pl U I IOI •I IIIII DlS :-'.,.'=' ...... -:-::.r: -- 081.11207 ._KJtltW WADC~.aJmr:­ WAUNT~CA,...JJM (921)...,._ tal)~.,.. Tree #626 Tree #606 A Tree #607 B V I S I BIL I TY STUDY (300MM) LOT 7 T HE H IG H LANDS OF LOS GATOS TOWN Of LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA Bassenian llagoni UUIIIIIIU • PLAUIIS •lllllltll =-11=~-·---:-::.-:: ._ - 081 .11207 ...,.:.tnB .. ADft'l'U!IT • .nn~ WAUfVTc:a--.CA ..,...,.. ('n!)H,.._ ,..,~~ Visib ility VISIBLE AREA: 957 FT 2 TOTAL AREA : 3951 FT 2 e . . . = 24% VISIBLE Tree #626 Tree #606 A T ree #607 V I S I B ILI TY CA LCUL AT I O N (~OO MM ) LOT 7 THE HI G HL A N D S O F L OS GA T OS TOWN OF LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA 07 .27 .15 Bassen ian I Lagoni Al tiiiiCIIII • PLUII., •111111011 :!t='= ........ ~::..: -- 08 1.1 1 2 0 7 TOWN OF Los GATOS lln..LSIDE DEVELOPMENT STANDARDS AND GUIDELINES II. CONSTRAINTS ANALYSIS AND SITE SELECTION A. Prior to Selectin g a Building Site. 1. Constraints analysis . -. . ' Each deve lopment application subject to the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines shall be accompanied by a constra ints analysis when it is deemed necessary by the Town to identify the most appropriate area or areas on the lot for locating buildings given the existing constraints of the lot. This is a critical step in the overall planning and design of projects in the hillsides. When all constrained areas have been identified and mapped, the remaining area(s) will be designated as the "LEAST RESTRICTIVE DEVELOPMENT AREA " (LRDA). These are the areas most appropriate for development. To ensure that new development is sensitive to the goal and objectives of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines and respects the existing site constra ints, the following elements shall be mapped by appropriate professionals and taken into consideration when determining a site's LRDA: Topography, with emphasis on slopes over 30% • Vegetation such as individual trees, groupings of trees and shrubs, habitat types • Drainage courses and riparian corridors • Septic systems Geologic constraints including landslides and active fault traces • Wildlife habitats and movement corridors • Visib ility from off site • Areas of severe fire danger • Solar orientation and preva il ing w ind patterns • Significant Ridgelines Many of the above topics are cove red in more detail in Chapter II.B. and Chapter III. The accurate determination of the LRDA early in the planning process could avoid delays once an application has been submitted. Site specific studies such as geotechnical or other environmental evaluations, tree survey and/or topographic survey may be necessary to accurately determi ne the LRDA. 'IOOIIBIT 1 0 Page 12 T O WN O F Los GAT OS H ILLSID E D EVELOPMENT STAND ARD S AND G UID ELINES 2 . Consu lta tion wi th Neighbors . Before siting and designing the house and landscaping, the property owner, architect or builder should meet with neighbors to discuss any special concerns they might have . Resolution of issues early in the design process can save time and cost as well as reducing the processing time for applications . If a conflict occurs between a property owner's desire to develop their property and legitimate issues raised by a neighbor, a design solution will be sought that attempts to balance all issues or concerns that are raised by both parties. 3 . Pre-applicatio n meeting/staff con su ltation/s ite vis i t. Before designing a project, the property owner/architect/builder is strongly encouraged to meet with Town staff to consider a building location that best preserves the natural terrain and landscape of the lot and positively add resses the objectives of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines. On heavily wooded lots, or on lots where trees may be impacted by proposed development, an arborist's report shall be prepared which evaluates potential tree impacts. The report shall be prepared at the applicant=s expense. B . View Analy sis. 1. Vi ew in g platforms. Each development project with the potential for being visible (see glossary for definition) from any established viewing platform shall be subject to a view analysis. ("Potential " is defined as capable of bei ng see·n from a viewing platform if trees or large shrubs are removed, significantly pruned, or impacted by construction.) The view analysis shall be conducted in compliance with established Town procedures using story poles that identify the building envelope. After installing the story poles, the applicant shall take photographs of the project from appropriate established viewing platforms that clearly show the story poles and/or house and subject property. Visual aids such as photo simulations or three dimensional illustrations and/or a scale model may be required when it is deemed necessary to fully understand the impacts of a proposed project. The locations of the viewing platforms are shown on the map on the next page, and are as follows: 1. Blossom Hill Road/Los Gatos Boulevard 2. Los Gatos-Almaden Road/Selinda Way (across from Le igh High School) 3. Hwy 17 overcross ing/Los Gatos-Saratoga Road (H ighway 9) 4. Ma in Street/Bayvi ew Avenue 5. Other location(s) as deemed appropriate by the deciding body P age 13 TOWN OF Los GATOS HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT STANDARD S AND GUIDELINES The following steps shall be taken in completing a view ana lys is: • Install story poles per adopted policy • After the installation of story poles, photographs of the project shall be taken from the appl icable viewing platforms * using 50 MM and 300 MM lenses A photograph with a 50 MM lens will represent the v isibility of the proposed residenc e from the naked eye • A photograph with a 300 MM lens will represent an up-close perspective and help identify any visible story poles, netting, trees, and/or shrubbery ** • If determined necessary, three dimensional illustrations or photo simulations of the structure may be required • A visible home is defined as a single-family residence where 25% or more of an elevation can be seen from any of the Town 's established viewing platforms *** * Other location(s) as deemed appropriate by the deciding body may be chosen in addition to the existing viewing platforms ** Existing vegetation and/or landscaping proposed to be removed entirely or partially shall not be included in the view analysis *** Percentages shall be rounded to the nearest whole number Page 14 TOWN OF Los GATOS HILLSIDE DEVELOPMENT S TAND ARDS AND GUIDELINES 2. Determination of significant ridgelines. Significant ridgelines include: a. Aztec Ridge; b. The ridge between Blossom Hill Road and Shannon Road; c. Other ridgelines as determined by the approving body C. Selecting the building site. Standards: 1. Locate buildings within the Least Restrictive Development Area. 2. Preserve views of highly visible hillsides. Views of the hillsides shall be protected from adverse visual impacts by locating buildings on the least visible areas of the LRDA. 3. Reduce visual impact. The visual impact of buildings or portions of buildings that can be seen from the viewing platforms shall be mitigated to the greatest extent reasonable by reducing the height of the building or moving the structure to another location on the site. Providing landscape screening is not an alternative to reducing building height or selecting a less visible site. 4. Ridgeline view protection. Whenever possible within the significant ridgeline areas, no primary or accessory building shall be constructed so as to project above the physical ridgeline (not including vegetative material) as seen from any viewing platform. A significant ridgeline means any hill or mountain, the uppermost part of which forms the skyline visible from any established viewing platform . Refer to the Blossom Hill Comprehensive Open Space Study If a building cannot be sited below a significant ridgeline because the area away from it is not the LRDA or is otherwise not suitable for development, the following shall apply: a. The building shall not exceed 18 feet in height. b. Landscaping shall be provided to screen the building from view to the greatest extent possible. Page 16 Town of Los Gatos Hill side Area and Viewing Platform Map LEGEND VIEWING PLATFORM LOCATIONS HILLSIDE AREA Page 15 ......