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Attachment 2MTOWN OF LOS GATOS ITEM NO: 3 et PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT DESK ITEM Meeting Date: October 93 2013 PREPARED BY: Jennifer Savage, Associate Planner isavaee ,losgatosca.gov APPLICATION NO: Architecture and Site Application S -13 -049 LOCATION: 134 Loma Alta Avenue (approximately 840 feet southeast of Los Gatos Boulevard, between Cross Way and Redhead Lane) APPLICANT/ PROPERTY OWNER/ CONTACT PERSON: Donald J. Prolo, lI APPLICATION SUMMARY: Requesting approval to demolish a pre -1941 single - family residence and construct a new single - family residence on property zoned R -1:8. APN 532 -29 -033. EXHIBITS: 1 -8. Previously received with the Staff Report of October 9, 2013 9. Public Comments received through 1:00 p.m., October 9, 2013 (12 pages) REMARKS: The three attached written public comments (Exhibit 9) were received after the staff report was distributed. Pr ared by:— Je fifer L. S vage, AICP Associate Planner SLB:JS:ct A4 \DEV\PC REPORTSU013\LomaAlia134 desk.doex Sandy L. Baily Director of Community Development ATTACHMENT 2 This Page Intentionally Left Blank To: Jennifer Savage, Associate Planner jsavaee losaatosca.eov From: Karen Evenden karen2evenden.com RECEIVED Cc: Chris Evenden chrisQevenden.com r C 3 2013 Date: October 8, 2013 TOWN OF LOS GATOS Re: Planned new residential construction at 134 Loma Alta Avenue PLANNING DIVISION Jennifer Savage, Thank you for taking the time to review the proposed construction at 134 Loma Alta Avenue with me, and for explaining the planning process regarding this site. I, my husband, and our two children live at 132 Loma Alta Avenue which is adjacent to the site, on the downhill side. When we moved to California four years ago, we chose to live in Los Gatos as we are impressed with the way the town has preserved its heritage and community spirit. The neighborhood we live in is a prime example of these unique characteristics that are integral to life in Los Gatos. We are excited about the prospect of having new neighbors, and are generally in favor of a new family residence being built here. However, we do have some concerns regarding the proposed house based on the plans that have been submitted, and have recently been shared with us. In its current form we feel that this proposal is not consistent with, nor sensitive to, the neighborhood, and will negatively affect our quality of life. Overall mass of the structures The proposed residence will be the largest property in the immediate neighborhood, and the overall design is not sensitive to the increase in size. The plans show a two story residence (the current property on the site is one story), which stretches out to the extremities on both sides of the lot making the bulk at the front and side significantly greater than the adjacent homes. The second floor square footage is almost half of the total square footage of the residence. As the streetscape shows, when viewing the residence from the street it appears significantly larger than the other nearby properties, creating almost a "David and Goliath' scenario from a visual prospective. Our view is that this structure does not take into consideration sections 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 of the Town of Los Gatos Residential Design Guideline, which state that such large structures should be avoided when the adjacent neighbors have smaller, one -story homes. In addition to the proposed square footage of the residence, a large covered porch (essentially another room in and of itself), a second floor deck, and a large, tall double garage are planned which add to the overall bulk of the site. Roof height The roof ridge lines are significantly raised with the addition of a second story on the site. The adjacent residences on either side of 134 Loma Alta Ave are single story homes and, as the streetscape shows, the roof EXEMIT 9 ®[Attachment ridge lines of the proposed construction are substantially taller than the adjacent houses. This is particularly true when compared to 132 Loma Alta Ave as the street slopes down to our property, making 134 Loma Alta almost double the height with respect to our house, which is an unprecedented change of height for the immediate neighborhood. Loss of light There would be a significant loss of natural light to our home at 132 Loma Alta because of the proposed roof height change and overall mass increase for this site. In fact, the living space on this side of the property would lose almost all its natural light, requiring the rooms to have the lights switched on all day. As the shadow map clearly shows, any direct sunlight currently received by the living space on this side of our house would be lost. In addition, there would be a significant reduction of indirect light as we would be losing a large portion of visible sky with a two -story structure and this structure would create a very tall wall towering above our windows. We feel that the proposed structure is not in line with the guidelines that are laid out in section 3.11.1 of the Town of Los Gatos Residential Design Guidelines, which states that shadow impacts on adjacent properties should be minimized, including "locate structures to minimize blocking sun access to living spaces and actively used outdoor areas on adjacent homes ". Loss of privacy The proposed second floor balcony in the rear directly overlooks the backyards of both our property and our neighbor's at 136 Loma Alta. In addition to blocking direct sunlight, if this second floor balcony were constructed, it would have a direct view over our dining area in the backyard. Our view is that this does not adhere to the Residential Design Guidelines which state in section 3.11.2 that "....second floor balconies and decks should be used only when they do not intrude on the privacy of adjacent neighbors ". Also of concern is the possibility of being able to look into a couple of skylights on that side of the building that are in bathrooms. I contacted Donald Prolo after our meeting on Thursday, October 3 and we were able to discuss this project with him on Sunday, October 6 (The Logans at 136 Loma Alta Ave were also present). We raised our concerns about the project with Mr. Praia and request that direction be given to the owner to work with the neighbors on adjustments to his plans that reduce the overall mass and impact of the residence. We hope that a resolution that is amenable to everyone can be found as we do want to be able to support a new construction on this site. Many thanks for considering these comments, and please submit these concerns to the Planning Commission. Regards, Karen Evenden The Logan Fatuity 136 Lorna Alta Avenue Los Gatos, California 95030 October 7, 2013 Planning Commission of Los Gatos Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 Dear Members of the Planning Commission: We support the staff recommendation of denial for the Architecture and Site Application 5. 13.049 for 134 Loma Alta Ave. due to the scale the proposed project and other elements which are not compatible with the Immediate neighborhood. The proposed structure would negatively Impact the quaint, historic quality of the neighborhood located just blocks from our downtown village. As the adjacent property owners on the uphill side at 136 Loma Alta Avenue, our home has been in the Logan family for over 50 years. Our 91- year -old, one story house sits on a slope, and was remodeled about 15 years ago to add square footage by incorporating a basement with a water abatement system. We feel so blessed to live in this historic Los Gatos neighborhood so close to the downtown with friendly and supportive neighbors. We appreciate Mr. Prolo's intention to improve the property that has sat vacant, stripped of mature landscape plants, and in disrepair since December 2012, but we cannot support the project as proposed. We support the demolition of the existing structure, and believe the design is in the Spanish Eclectic style of the original house. However, we concur that the new structure would be more compatible with the architectural enhancements suggested by our neighbor Steve Piasecki, a former planning department director. The proposed project does not meet the intent nor goal of many of the Town of Los Gatos' Residential Design Guidelines. It lacks compatibility with the Immediate neighborhood. The overall size and mass of the home and accessory building are too large for the lot size, especially with the request for reduced setbacks. • As staff has recognized, the proposed house will be the largest in terms of square footage in the area. • The immediate neighboring homes are one -story with parking areas that provide for larger side setbacks on at least one side of the home. • The height and configuration of this two -story design with minimal setbacks on both sides is inconsistent with the Town of Los Gatos Residential Guidelines: - As stated in section 2.3.1, "for neighborhoods dominated by one -story homes, an effort should be made to limit the house to one -story in height..." - And in 2.3.2, "Avoid structures with height and bulk at front and side setback lines which are significantly greater than those of the adjacent homes." - The roof line is "substantially toiler than the adjacent houses" with almost half of the bulk on the second floor, which is in direct contrast to section 3.3.2. • Although there are other two -story homes in the larger neighborhood area, the topography, history, and configurations of those lots are very different from this property. • The accessory building is one of the largest in the greater neighborhood area with minimal setbacks at the side and rear, and the inclusion of a full bath is not in keeping with the use of the building as a garage. The proposed project will have negative Impacts on our quality of life. Because of the mass and height of the second floor in addition to the large rear balcony, our views, sky exposure, and privacy both from the indoor and outdoor living spaces will be severely impacted. As demonstrated in the photo simulations in Exhibit A, the views and sky exposure from nearly every window on the side of our home that faces the project are almost completely occluded, which seems contrary to Section 2.5.2 of the Town of Los Gatos Residential Guidelines, '...additions to existing homes and new houses should be planned with an awareness of the impacts which they will have on the views, sky exposure, sun access and privacy of neighbors.' The rear balcony will have a significant negative impact on the privacy of our outdoor living spaces including our patio dining area and our rear deck lounging area (see Exhibit B). The window placement on the southeast elevation accompanied by the rear balcony creates a serious privacy concern for our main bathroom, main -floor bedroom, dining room, and kitchen dining area. The proposed project will have negative impacts on our neighbors. In addition to the negative impacts on downhill views of our neighbors uphill at 138 Loma Alta and the loss of privacy from the rear windows and balcony to 205 Johnson Ave., we have grave concerns about the negative impacts to the immediate neighbors at 132 Loma Alta: • The shadow study clearly demonstrates a significant loss of light in the Evenden home. • The rear balcony and large rear facing windows will result in a severe loss of privacy in the outdoor living space of this property. in our neighborhood, garages are accessed through a public alleyway. The story poles do not match the plans. They demonstrate the garage will be close enough to the alleyway that it will not provide sufficient space for a vehicle to fully park in the concrete driveway and out of the alleyway. The presence of a full bathroom in this accessory structure presents the possibility of its use as an unpermitted living space, which could have additional impacts on parking in the alleyway. There can be a solution that works for everyone. It is possible to create a site plan for this property that minimizes negative impacts and is in harmony with the neighborhood. Prior to September 27 when the story poles were erected, there was no communication from Mr. Prolo about this project. We are grateful that he responded to Karen Evenden's request to meet on October 6, and believe that with Mr. Praia's collaboration, we can work together to find workable solutions. We respectfully request that you deny this application, and ask Mr. Praia to work with his neighbors to create a project that is compatible, respectful, and allows us all to continue to enjoy the qualities that make Loma Alta such a truly wonderful place to live. We look forward to working with Mr. Prolo. Thank you for your consideration, George and Lezl.i Logan 136 Loma Alta Avenue Los Gatos, CA 95030 xeo l oga n Coco m cast. net Exhibit A Photo Simulations of the views from our windows factng the proposed project. These simulations are intended to show building mass using the position of the story poles, and do not Include any architectural details such as windows, or lower roof areas. Itshould be noted that the story poles from the forside of the property are seen in some of the current view photos, and the nearside roof line is above the top of the window. The color of the existing stucco was used In the simulations to show mass. Photo A2 • Simulated view of the project from the Dining Room near the front of our home. Almost all sky views are eliminated. N Photo A4 — Simulated view of the project from the Upper Pane of the Bathroom Window further demonstrates the loss of sky views and privacy. 6 — Simulated view of the project from our daughter's bedroom window. This clearly Iihsq plate loss of sky views, and because of the windows that will be located on this side of the the lose of privacy. S project than the other windows. Photo AS — Simulated view of the project from our kitchen eating area. Exhibit B Photo Simulations of the views from our outdoor living spaces towards the proposed project, These simulations are intended to show building mass and rear balcony location using the position of the story poles, and do not include any architectural detuihs such as windows, orlowgr roof areas. The color of the existing storm was used in the simulations to show mass. " back yard. Photo 82 —Simulated view of the project from our patio dining table in the backyard. The shaded grey area represents the area on the rear balcony of the project where railing, people, furniture, umbrellas or awnings could potentially further impede views. This clearly Illustrates the lose of privacy in this portion of our outdoor living space. 7 Photo 83 - Current view of the project from our rear deck lounge area, where we often eft and watch the sunset. Photo B4 - Simulated view of the project from our rear deck lounge area. The shaded grey area represents the area on the projects rear balcony where miffing, people, furniture, umbrellas or awnings could potentially further impede views. This clearly illustrates the loss of privacy In this well -used portion of our outdoor living space.