Attachment 1*GA16 TOWN OF LOS GATOS ITEM NO: 1
PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: March 11, 2015
PREPARED BY: Marni F. Moseley, Associate Planner
MMoseley(cD,loseatosca. eov
APPLICATION NO.: Architecture and Site Application S -14 -072
LOCATION: 15343 Santetla Court, Lot 7 (South side of Santella Court)
APPLICANT/
PROPERTY OWNER: Davidon Homes
CONTACT PERSON: Steve Abbs
APPELLANT: Dave Weissman
APPLICATION SUMMARY: Consider an appeal of a decision of the Development Review
Committee approving an Architecture and Site application to
construct a new single family residence on property zoned HR-
2' /z:PD. APN 527 -09 -016
RECOMMENDATION:
PROJECT DATA:
CEQA:
l
Deny the appeal and uphold the decision of the Development
Review Committee to approve the application.
General Plan Designation:
Zoning Designation:
Applicable Plans & Standards:
Parcel Size:
Surrounding Area:
Hillside Residential
HR- 2 %z:PD
PD Ordinance 2147
Hillside Development
Standards & Guidelines
Hillside Specific Plan
66,336 sq. ft.
Existing Land Use + General Plan =H--R ning
- -- — ut Single- Family Residential Hillside ResR -2% PD _ East : Undevelo ed —
_ - _- ._._.— :Hillside ResR- 2V2 -PD --
North Undevelo ed - -_.. -i _.. _..._. evelP Hillside ResiR- 2 /z:PD West ;UndevelopeHillside Resi-2%:PD
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared for the
Planned Development and was certified by the Town Council on
December 19, 2005. No further environmental analysis is
required for the individual lot development.
ATTACHMENT 1
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 2
15343 Santella Court — Lot 7/5 -14 -072
March 11, 2015
FINDINGS: That the project is consistent with the Hillside Development
Standards & Guidelines.
• That the project is consistent with the Hillside Specific Plan.
• That the project is consistent with Planned Development
Ordinance 2147.
CONSIDERATIONS: As required by Section 29.20.150 of the Town Code for Architecture
and Site applications.
ACTION: The decision of the Planning Commission is final unless appealed
within ten days.
EXHIBITS: 1.
Location map (one page)
2.
Planned Development Ordinance 2147 (30 pages) — Exhibit B,
Conceptual Development Plans not included
3.
Required Findings and Considerations (one page)
4.
Conditions of Approval (eight pages)
5.
Project data sheet (one page) received March 2, 2015
6.
Consulting Architect report (two pages), received February 13,
2015
7.
Arborist report: Pre - development plans (22 pages), received
January 16, 2014
8.
Arborist report: Post - development plans (27 pages), received
December 10, 2014
9.
Development Review Committee January 13, 2015 meeting
minutes (three pages)
10.
Appeal letter (one page), received January 13, 2015
11.
Applicant's response to Appellant's concerns, received February
18, 2015 (15 pages)
12.
Development Plans (12 sheets), received December 3, 2014
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is lot 7 in the Highlands of Los Gatos, a 19 -lot Planned Development (PD),
approved by the Town Council in 2005. The property is located towards the end of Santella
Court (see Exhibit 1).
The application was approved by the Development Review Committee on January 13, 2015.
The application was appealed on January 13, 2015.
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 3
15343 Santella Court — Lot 7 /S -14 -072
March 11, 2015
The following chart provides the data and current status of the other lots within the Highlands
development:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
A. Location and Surrounding Neighborhood
The project site is located on the south side of Santella Court (Exhibit 1). The property is
surrounded by residential uses.
B. Architecture and Site Approval
Architecture and Site approval is required for construction of a new residence.
C. Zoning Compliance
The total proposed floor area for the residence and garage is within the allowable floor area
for the property and the proposed residence complies with setback and height requirements
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 4
15343 Santella Court — Lot 7/5 -14 -072
March 11, 2015
of the approved PD. While the Town Code allows a maximum height of 30 feet in the HR
zone, the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines (HDS &G) is more restrictive
with a 25 -foot height maximum. A single- family residence is permitted on this lot by the
approved PD Ordinance.
ANALYSIS:
A. Architecture and Site
The proposed residence appears one story from the street and steps down to two stories at
the rear elevation. The proposed 3,003 square foot cellar is exempt and is not included in
the floor area total. The house is well articulated with varying roof forms and includes a
mix of materials to provide interest and break up the massing. A color and material board
will be displayed at the meeting.
The Town's Architectural Consultant reviewed the plans and visited the site, and
commented that the house is very well designed with a clear and distinctive architectural
style, authentic details to match the style, high quality materials, and interesting variety and
roof forms (see Exhibit 6). Story poles were placed on the site prior to the Development
Review Committee meeting to aid in the review of the project.
The project is in compliance with the HDS &G inclusive of grading and drainage criteria,
allowable floor area, and architectural and landscape design. General project data are
included in Exhibit 5.
B. House Size
The proposed residence and garage would be similar in size to other approved homes
within the Highlands development (refer to the table on page 3 of this report). The house is
well designed, is proposed to be set down into the site, and have a low profile from the
street. The rear of the house while potentially visible is proposed to be well screened by
existing trees, and does not qualify as a visible home per the HDS &G.
C. Green Building
The project was reviewed using the Build It Green standards adopted by Town Council on
June 2, 2008, and it was determined that certification requirements can be met. A
preliminary checklist completed by the applicant shows that the project will exceed the
minimum number of points (50) needed to achieve certification with a score of 71.
Condition #9 requires the project to be certified as green prior to issuance of building
permits. The checklist must be completed by a Certified Green Building Professional at
time of building permit application.
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 5
15343 Santella Court — Lot 7/5 -14 -072
March 11, 2015
D. Neighborhood Compatibility
A home size and FAR comparison has not been provided since the PD is a separate project
that does not relate directly to any of the existing homes around the periphery of the
Highlands development. Outlying homes are a significant distance from the project site.
Due to distance, existing tree and vegetative cover, and topographic separations, only a few
surrounding homes will have a partial view of the proposed residence. Lot sizes within the
PD range from 1.09 to 4.18 acres. Approved home sizes are shown in the table on page 3
of this report; the proposed living and garage floor area are within the ranges of those in the
neighborhood.
E. Tree Impacts
Prior to preparation of the development plans, the site was reviewed by the Town's
Consulting Arborist (Exhibit 7). Then as part of the Development Review Application, the
development plans were reviewed by the Town's Consulting Arborist, Deborah Ellis, and a
report was prepared (Exhibit 8). The impacted area of the site (and adjoining properties)
contains 26 trees, 20 coast live oaks, and six blue oaks. Seven trees are proposed to be
removed in order to accommodate the proposed residence, all of which are in fair /good to
poor condition (Exhibit 8). Eight additional trees may be impacted by construction.
Replacement trees are required to be planted to mitigate the loss of the trees that are
removed. A conceptual landscape plan is provided (Sheet L.1 of Exhibit 12) but is only
conceptual in nature; additional planting may be provided and/or required.
F. CEOA Determination
An Environmental Impact Report was prepared for the Planned Development and was
certified by the Town Council on December 19, 2005. No further environmental analysis
is required for the individual lot development.
G. Development Review Committee
The Development Review Committee (DRC) held a public hearing for the proposed
Architecture and Site application on January 13, 2015 (Exhibit 9). Written public hearing
notices were sent to surrounding property owners and tenants (minimum of 30).
Dave Weissman, a nearby property owner on Francis Oaks Way, was present at the DRC
hearing and discussed concerns regarding the project's compliance with the HDS &G.
The DRC found that the application was in compliance with the HDS &G and the approved
PD Ordinance, and that the proposed residence was in the most appropriate location on the
site considering its constraints.
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 6
15343 Santella Court —Lot 7/S -14 -072
March 11, 2015
H. Appeal
The application was appealed by Dave Weissman (Exhibit 10). The appellant's concerns
are that the application does not comply with the HDS &G because:
1) Four heritage Oak trees are proposed to be removed near Santella Court;
2) The house will be visible from the valley floor; and
3) Alternatives exist to locate the house to the west on the lot (and effectively save some
of the protected Oak trees).
The applicant has provided responses to the appellant's concerns which are included in
Exhibit 11. The applicant's responses are summarized below:
1) The four oak trees proposed to be removed are located within the building envelope and
three of the four trees are in fair /poor health as determined by the Town's Consulting
Arborist. The fourth oak tree is in fair /good condition but would be the most difficult
to keep due to its location and potential building locations on the site.
2) The proposed home is only 21.9% visible from the established viewing platform at Los
Gatos Boulevard and Blossom Hill Road (not a visible home as defined by the
HDS &G). While the HDS &G discuss limiting visibility from the valley floor, a specific
requirement is not in place.
3) The applicant has provided exhibits showing the impacts of moving the residence to the
western side of the lot (see Exhibit 11). Due to slopes on that side of the lot and height
constraints, the result would be a more visible home than the proposed residence and
would require additional grading to accommodate the residence. In addition, the
resulting residence would be more of a box which would be harder to articulate and out
of character with the rest of the homes in the development.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION:
A. Conclusion
The project is in compliance with the HDS &G, the Hillside Specific Plan and PD
Ordinance 2147. The proposed residence is well designed, is an appropriate size for the
lot, and would be compatible with surrounding homes in the Highlands development.
While siting the house solely to the western edge of the property is potentially feasible, the
impacts to grading, visibility, and architecture would be significant. Staff recommends that
the application be approved as outlined in the recommendation section below.
Planning Commission Staff Report - Page 7
15343 Santella Court -Lot 7/S -14 -072
March 11, 2015
B. Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Planning Commission take the following actions to deny the
appeal, uphold the decision of the DRC and approve the Architecture and Site application:
1. Find that no further environmental analysis is required (Exhibit 3);
2. Find that the project is consistent with PD Ordinance 2147 (Exhibit 3);
3. Find that the project is consistent with the HDS &G and Hillside Specific Plan (Exhibit
3);
4. Find that the project is consistent with the considerations for approval of Architecture
and Site applications; and
5. Approve Architecture and Site application S -14 -072 subject to the conditions in Exhibit
4 and the development plans (Exhibit 12).
Alternatively, the Commission may take one of the following actions:
1. Grant the appeal and remand the application to the DRC with direction for revisions; or
2. Modify the conditions of approval in Exhibit 4 as deemed appropriate; or
3. Continue the application to a date certain with direction to staff and the applicant for
desired revisions; or
4. Grant the appeal and deny the Architecture and Site application.
Q
Prepared by:
Mami F. Moseley, AIC
Associate Planner
LRP:MM:cg
Approved b} - v ✓'
Laurel R. Prevetti
Assistant Town Manager/ Director of
Community Development
cc: Steve Abbs, Davidon Homes, 1600 S. Main Street, Suite 150, Walnut Creek, CA 94596
N: \DEV\PC REP0RTS\2015 \Santella 15343- HighlandsLot7- appeal.doc
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank