Desk Item with Exhbit 8.Objective Standards
PREPARED BY: SEAN MULLIN, AICP and RYAN SAFTY
Senior Planner Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Planning Manager and Community Development Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6872
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 6/22/2022
ITEM NO: 3
DESK ITEM
DATE: June 22, 2022
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Review and Recommendation of the Draft Objective Standards to the Town
Council.
DISCUSSION:
Exhibit 8 includes suggestions from a Planning Commissioner for additions and modifications to
the Draft Objective Standards based on the Palo Alto Objective Standards, which were included
as Exhibit 7 to the June 22, 2022, Addendum Report.
EXHIBITS:
Previously received with the June 22, 2022, Staff Report:
1. Town Council Resolution 2019-053
2. Summary of feedback received during community engagement meetings
3. Draft Objective Standards
4. Public Comments received prior to 11:00 a.m., Friday, June 17, 2022
Previously received with the June 22, 2022, Addendum Report:
5. Staff response to Commissioner’s questions
6. Issues considered by the Objective Standards Subcommittee
7. Commissioner email regarding City of Palo Alto Objective Standards
Received with this Desk Item Report:
8. Suggested additions and modifications provided by a Planning Commissioner
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
JAB Proposed Considerations Regarding Town of Los Gatos based on City of Palo Alto Objective
Standards
1.Page 52 – Possible Introduction:
Housing development Development projects Projects are required to comply with objective
standards in order to take advantage of streamlined review pursuant to Section 18.77.073; .
However, applicants may choose to forgo one or more objective standards, in which case the
housing development project no longer meets the definition of a Housing Development Project
and will be evaluated to the spirit of the relevant intent statements based on Context‐Based
Design Criteria for the zoning district.
2.Page 55 – Hierarchy in Site Circulation and Access
18.24.030 Site Access
(a)Contextual Design Criteria Intent Statement
To provide facilities and accommodations for pedestrians, vehicles, cyclists, and transit users to
safely and efficiently access and circulate both within individual sites and in the site’s
surrounding context. Site access should include the following elements:
(1)Site circulation and access that presents a clear hierarchy and connectivity pattern both
within a project and to adjacent sidewalks and transit stops. This hierarchy should
prioritize pedestrians, bikes, vehicles, and utility/loading access in the order listed. This
hierarchy may provide separate access for vehicles and other modes, or demonstrate
how all modes are accommodated in shared access points.
(2)Connections to side streets, open spaces, mews, alleys, and paseos
(3)Vehicle, loading and service access that is integrated into building and landscape design
and located to prevent conflicts with pedestrians and cyclists, while also provided
convenient access to building entries.
(3)(4) Shared access agreements among property owners, where feasible, to reduce
3. Page 56 - Loading Docks
(4)Loading Docks and Service Areas.
Loading and service areas shall be integrated into building and landscape design and
located to minimize impact on the pedestrian experience as follows:
EXHIBIT 8
(A) Loading docks and service areas shall be located on facades other than the primary
building frontage: on alleys, from parking areas, and/or at the rear or side of building
if building includes these frontages. When only primary building frontage is
available, loading docks and service areas shall be recessed a minimum five feet
from the primary façade and shall be screened in accordance with Chapter
18.23.050.
(B) Loading dock and service areas located within setback areas shall be screened in
accordance with Chapter 18.23.050 and separated from pedestrian access to the
primary building entry to avoid impeding pedestrian movement and safety.
4. Pages 56-57 – Corner Buildings Less Than 40 Feet
(b) Objective Design Standards
(1) Treatment of Corner Buildings (less than 40 feet)
Corner buildings less than 40 feet in height and end units of townhouses or other
attached housing products that face the street shall include the following features on
their secondary building frontage:
(A) A height to width ratio greater than 1.2:1
(B) A minimum of 15 percent fenestration area.
5. Pages 57-59 – Corner Buildings More Than 40 Feet
(2) Treatment of Corner Buildings (40 feet and higher)
Corner buildings 40 feet or taller in height shall include at least one of the following
special features:
(A) Street wall shall be located at the minimum front yard setback or build‐to line for
a minimum aggregated length of 40 feet in length on both facades meeting at
the corner and shall include one or more of the following building features: (continued)
6. Page 76 – Entry Dimensions
(A) Building Entries Within Façade Design
(i) Primary building entries shall be scaled proportionally to the number of people
served (amount of floor‐area or number of units accessed). Building entries
inclusive of doorway and facade plane shall meet the following minimum
dimensions:
a. Individual residential entries: five feet in width
b. Shared residential entry, such as mixed‐use buildings: 8 feet in width
c. Commercial building entry: 20 feet in width
d. Storefront entry: six feet in width
(ii) Primary building entries (not inclusive of individual residential entries) shall
include a façade modulation that includes at least one of the following:
a. A recess or projection from the primary façade plane with a minimum depth
of two feet.
7. Pages 78-81 – More detailed objective standards for entries
8. Page 82 – Private Open Space
b) Objective Design Standards
(1) Private Open Space
If Private Open Spaces is provided, it shall meet the following standards:
(A) Floor area shall include a clear space with a minimum dimension of a circle with a
six‐foot diameter.
(B) Minimum clear height dimension of 8’‐6” feet
(C) Be accessed directly from a residential unit
(D) Balconies shall not be located within the daylight plane
(E) Notwithstanding subsection (a), ground floor patios shall meet the following
minimum requirements:
(i) RM‐20 and RM‐30 districts: Minimum 100 square feet of area, the least
dimension of which is eight feet for at least 75% of the area
(ii) RM‐40 districts: Minimum 80 square feet of area, the least dimension of which is
six feet for at least 75% of the area
(iii) Street facing private open space on the ground floor shall meet the finished floor
height for ground floor residential standards in section 18.24.040(b)(4)
(2) If Common Open Space is provided, it shall meet the following standards:
(A) Minimum size of 200 square feet
(B) Area shall include a space with a minimum dimension of a circle with a 10‐foot
diameter.
(C) A minimum of 60% of the area shall be open to the sky and free of permanent
weather protection or encroachments. Trellises and similar open‐air features are
permitted.
(D) Notwithstanding subsection (1), courtyards enclosed on four sides shall have a
minimum dimension of 40 feet and have a minimum courtyard width to building
height ratio of 1:1.25
9. Pages 120-122 - Streamlined Processing
18.77.073 Streamlined Housing Development Project Review Process
(a) Applicability
This section shall apply to applications for residential mixed‐use and multifamily housing
development projects, as defined in Government Code Section 65589.5(h)(2), that comply with
all objective standards in this code and thereby qualify for streamlining under Government
Code sections 65589.5 or 65905.5.
(b) Preliminary Board Review
Applicants are encouraged to seek preliminary review by the Architectural Review Board
pursuant to Section 18.76.020(c) prior to submitting a formal application.
(c) Public Study Session
(1) Prior to preparing a written decision, the Director may, in his or her sole discretion,
refer the application to the Architectural Review Board or to other advisory boards or
committees for the purpose of determining whether minor adjustments to the
application would result in closer adherence to the contextual design criteria and/or
objective design standards contained in Chapter 18.24. An application should normally
not be considered at more than one meeting of the Architectural Review Board.
(2) Notice of a public meeting to consider the application shall be given at least 7 days
prior to the meeting by mailing to the applicant and all residents and owners of property
2.b
Packet Pg. 120
*NOT YET ADOPTED*
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within 600 feet of the project. Notice shall include the address of the property, a brief
description of the proposed project, and the date and time of the hearing.
(d) Decision by the Director
(1) The Director shall prepare a written decision to approve the application, approve it
with conditions, or deny it.
(2) Neither the Director, nor the City Council on appeal, shall approve an application
unless it is found that:
(A) The application complies with all applicable and objective standards in the
Comprehensive Plan, the Palo Alto Municipal Code, and other City plans or
policies.
(B) Approving the application will not result in a specific, adverse, impact upon
the public health or safety, which cannot feasibly be mitigated or avoided in a
satisfactory manner. As used in this Section, a “specific, adverse impact” means a
significant, quantifiable, direct, and unavoidable impact, based on objective,
identified written public health or safety standards, policies, or conditions as
they existed on the date the application was deemed complete.
(3) Notice of the proposed director’s decision shall be given by mail to owners and
residents of property within 600 feet of the property, and by posting in a public place. The
notice shall include the address of the property, a brief description of the proposed project,
a brief description of the proposed director’s decision, the date the decision will be final if it
is not appealed, and a description of how to file an appeal.
(4) The Director’s decision shall become final 10 days after the date notice is mailed
unless an appeal is filed.
(e) Appeals
(1) Any party, including the applicant, may file an appeal of the Director’s decision in
written form in a manner prescribed by the director.
(2) An appeal seeking disapproval of a project or a reduction in density shall be limited
to the grounds that both of the following exist:
(A) The project would have a specific, adverse impact upon the public health or
safety unless the project is disapproved or approved upon the condition that the
project be developed at a lower density. And
(B) There is no feasible method to satisfactorily mitigate or avoid the adverse
impact identified pursuant to subsection (d)(2)(B)(i), other than the disapproval
of the housing development project or the approval of the project upon the
condition that it be developed at a lower density.
(f) Decision by the City Council
At the Director’s discretion, an appeal may be set for hearing before the City Council or may be
placed on the Council's consent calendar, within 45 days. The city council may:
(1) Adopt the findings and decision of the director; or
(2) If the item is on the consent calendar, city council may remove the appeal from the
consent calendar, which shall require three votes, and direct that the appeal be set for a new noticed
hearing before the city council, following which the city council shall adopt findings and take action on
the application.
(g) Final Decision by the Council
The decision of the council on the appeal is final.