Attachment 3 part 2CQG
CANNON
DESIGN
GROUP
April 20, 2015
Ms. Erin Walters
Community Development Department
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95031
RE: 485 Monterey Avenue
Dear Erin:
ARCHITECTURE PLANNING URBAN DESIGN
RECEIVED
APR 2 0 2015
TOWN
LANNING DIVISION
I reviewed the drawings, and visited the site. My comments and recommendations are as follows:
Neighborhood Context
The site is located in an established neighborhood of single family homes. It also includes a couple of office buildings to
the south. Most homes are one -story in height or have second floors embedded within the roof form.
Photographs of the neighborhood are shown on the following page.
700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR. CA . 94939
I: e)
10/14/15 PC Staff Report
House to the immediate left
House to the immediate rear
Nearby house across Monterey Avenue
Nearby two -story home to the left on Monterey Ave.
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
April 20, 2015 Page 2
Existing building on the site
House immediately across Monterey Avenue
Nearby house across Monterey Avenue
Nearby one -story home ss the intersection
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA, 94939
101
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
April 20, 2015 Page 3
Concerns and Recommendations
In general, the proposed home design is well done. The front and side elevations facing the two corner streets are shown below
11
Proposed Monterey Avenue Front Elevation
Proposed Thurston Street Side Elevation
1. However, both Town staff and I believe that the bulk of the house would be very much out of character with the
other homes nearby. Those homes are either one -story in height, have significant second floor setbacks or have
the second floor embedded within the roof form.
Recommendation: Request the applicant to provide a design that is more sympathetic to the immediate neighbor-
hood.
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA . 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
April 20, 2015 Page 4
below are related to the current design, and may not be
2. The proposed metal roofs at the entry porch and on the rear of the house are very much out of character for this
neighborhood.
Recommendation: utilize the same roofing material as proposed for the remainder of the house. While using that
material for all roof surfaces would provide the most visual unity for the house, the use of metal roofing at bay
windows would be acceptable.
Recommended Front Elevation Changes
3. The porch roof is missing the traditional beam above the columns.
Recommendation: Add a wood beam at the entry porch,
rain
material
am
4. The upper arched window at the Master Bedroom on the rear elevation is large, and is crowding the soffit of the
gable roof.
Recommendation: Reduce the size of the arched window to allow more room between the window and the gable
eaves.
Recommended Rear Elevation Changes
window to
crowding
eves
nain
material
16
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
April 20, 2015 Page 5
5. I did not see any information regarding the height or design of the side fence along Thurston Street. It appears
�-- to be placed at the sidewalk line. Unless the fence is low and open, it would not enhance the pedestrian experi-
ence along Thurston Street.
Recommendation: Set the fence back from the sidewalk edge, and add landscaping at its base.
If it is to be a tall fence, design the fence with an open top and finished posts.
N%�
(See example photos below)
_!gym I�
.I
Erin, 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
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
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C12G
CANNON
DESIGN
GROUP
June 3, 2015
Ms. Erin Walters
Community Development Department
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95031
RE: 485 Monterey Avenue
Dear Erin:
ARCHITECTURE PLANNING URBAN DESIGN
RECEIVED
JUN 0 3 2015
TOV%IN OF LOS GATOS
pLANNiNG DIVISION
I reviewed the new design drawings, and the architect's cover letter to staff. My comments and recommendations are as
follows:
Neighborhood Content
The site is located in an established neighborhood of single family homes. It also includes a couple of office buildings to
the south. Most homes are one -story in height or have second floors embedded within the roof form.
Photographs of the neighborhood are shown on the following page.
700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA . 94939
TEL: 415.331.3795
CDGPLAN@PACBELL.NET
House to the immediate left
House to the immediate rear
Nearby house across Monterey Avenue
Nearby two -story home to the left on Monterey Ave.
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
June 3> 2015 Page 2
Existing building on the site
House immediately across Monterey Avenue
Nearby house across Monterey Avenue
Nearby one -story home across the intersection
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
June 3, 2015 Page 3
Issues and Concerns
The changes made to the design since my review in April are positive. However, I agree with staff that the bulk of the
house would still be very much out of character with the other homes nearby. I appreciate the desire of the applicant to
design the house in a style that is different from the Craftsman Style homes nearby, but the Town's Residential Design
Guidelines, while recognizing the benefits of architectural diversity, asks applicants to look at both older and newer
homes which have been designed with sensitivity to their surroundings. A number of elements of the new design are
working against the integration of the home into this immediate neighborhood including.
• The two -story tall bay window at the front of the house.
• The steep roof pitches which would increase the home's bulk and mass.
• Awkward roof conditions created by the gable and hip roofs combination.
• TO first floor ceiling heights.
• Awkward roof transitions on the north side of the house.
Two -story projecting
bay window creates
strong vertical mass
out of keeping with
the immediate
neighborhood
Steep roof pitches creates
large mass not common to
the immediate neighborhood
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA . 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
June 3, 2015 Page 4
Recommendations
Staff and the Planning Commission may decide that substantial changes are required to bring the proposed design into
greater harmony with the immediate neighborhood. However, I looked at what I feel are the minimum changes that
would assist in bringing the design into better harmony with its surroundings without making significant changes to the
interior living space of the home. My recommendations include the following.
1. Limit the bay window height on the front elevation to reinforce the first floor eave line.
2. Reduce the roof pitch from 8:12 to no more than 6:12. An argument could be made to further reduce all roof
pitches to that of the porch which is 5:12, but I believe that the 6:12 pitch shown on the elevation diagrams
below would be acceptable.
3. Simplify the roofs at the second floor pop outs. While the simplification shown on the elevation diagrams below
would, I believe, be helpful, the design would be better and more visually unified without the pop outs.
Simplify roi
Reduce roof pitch
6:12 shown here
Limit bay window
height to reinforce
first floor eave line
_ "ty roof
4. Extend the front porch further along the north side elevation to reinforce the first floor eave line, and give the
house more presence on that street frontage.
extena porcn - --
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
June 3, 2015 Page 5
5. Check on -site conditions to better evaluate potential adverse privacy impacts on adjacent neighbors related to
windows on the south facade of the house and to potential impacts of the second floor deck on neighboring
homes to the south and west of this property. The applicant should provide a diagram to illustrate the location of
their proposed windows relative to the windows and outdoor private spaces of the homes to the south and west.
Simplify roof
iConsidei eliminating
pop out bay
Check on -site conditions
to determine if additional
measures are needed to
assure visual privacy for
neighbors to the side and
rear
If staff feels that there is substantial potential for privacy intrusions from the south facing windows, a condition
of approval could be established to require the windows on that facade to have sills located above interior eye
level. Since both of the bedrooms with windows on the south facade have significant windows on the front or
rear of the house, requirements for light, air and emergency window exiting could be satisfied.
The rear second floor deck issue presents more of a challenge. To eliminate it totally would result in a roof that
would extend up to the eave line, blocking out all windows on the rear elevation, as shown on the diagram below.
To keep windows on this facade would require either a flat roof in the deck area or the extension of the Master
Bedroom rear wall outward to approximately the line of the Master Bath. Since the deck would be mostly providing
visual exposure to rear or side yards, an alternative approach could be to evaluate the existing landscaping, and add
additional evergreen buffer landscaping to the side and rear of the lot, as needed.
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR. CA . 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
June 3, 2015 Page 6
6. Set the taller fence back from the sidewalk edge, and add landscaping at its base. Also, design the fence with an
open top and finished posts similar to other Los Gatos fences shown in the photos below.
Hold taller fence back from sidewalk and add landscaping
.7W .
----- ------- 27S
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Nil
IF
pswill If ������d_ /�i�1i
Erin, 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
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
CDG
CANNON
DESIGN
GROUP
August 18, 2015
Ms. Erin Walters
Community Development Department
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95031
RE: 485 Monterey Avenue
Dear Erin:
ARCHITECTURE PLANNING URBAN DESIGN
RECEIVED
AUG 19 2015
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING DIVISION
I have previously reviewed this project twice, and provided comments to staff. I reviewed the new design drawings and
the applicant's cover letter to staff. My comments and recommendations are as follows:
Neighborhood Context
The site is located in an established neighborhood of single family homes. It also includes a couple of office buildings to
the south. Most homes are one -story in height or have second floors embedded within the roof form.
Photographs of the neighborhood are shown on the following page.
700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR. CA . 94939
TEL: 415.331.3795
CDGPLAN @PACBELL.NET
House to the immediate lett
House to the immediate rear
Nearby house across Monterey Avenue
Nearby two -story home to the left on Monterey Ave.
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
August 18, 2015 Page 2
Existing building on the site
House immediately across Monterey Avenue
t i(rn«AInfll°ro� �tnuP
Nearby one -story home across the intersection
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
August 18, 2015 Page 3
June Review Issues and Concerns
The changes made to the design since my reviews in April and June are helpful in improving the home's fit within this neigh-
borhood. The issues identified in my June letter and the applicant's design responses are summarized below.
Issues Identified
• The two -story tall bay window at the front of the house.
• The steep roof pitches which would increase the home's bulk and mass.
• Awkward roof conditions created by the gable and hip roofs combination.
• Tall first floor ceiling heights.
• Awkward roof transitions on the north side of the house.
The changes that have been made in the design have reduced the overall height and bulk of the structure, and have
simplified many of the awkward roof relationships of the earlier design. The elevations reviewed for the June letter are
shown below along with the current revised elevations.
June Issues
FRONT ELEVATION
bes creates
t common to
neighborhood
Revised design
June Issues
NORTH ELEVATION
June Elevation
REAR ELEVATION
Revised design
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR. CA . 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
August 18, 2015 Page 4
FMOZI
June Elevation
SOUTH ELEVATION
Remaining Concerns and Recommendations
Revised design
1. The applicant resolved the awkward porch and first floor cave height transition by raising the earlier 8 -foot porch
plate height to match the 10 -foot first floor plate height. This would, in my judgment, be out of scale with the
immediate neighborhood.
Recommendation: Lower the porch and first floor plate height to a uniform 9 -foot elevation.
2. The roofing material for the front porch has been changed to metal. This does not seem to be in keeping with
the other homes in the immediate neighborhood, and has been discouraged in the past for homes where it would
be the exception to the predominant roof materials nearby.
Recommendation: Match the porch roofing material to the other main house composition roofing.
3. The drawings which I reviewed called for wood shingle siding, which would be appropriate for a house of this
size so long as real wood shingles are used rather than manufactured composite shingles. There have been many
high quality homes with wood shingles constructed in Los Gatos over the past few years. Most have applied tradi-
tional high quality details. I noted that the elevations show corner boards, rather than mitered shingles.
Recommendation: Utilize mitered shingles at all corners to soften the appearance of this large house. See one
Los Gatos example ion the photo below.
Mitered shingle corners
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA. 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
August 18, 2015 Page 5
4. The casement windows show divided panes at the top of each window. I believe that you told me that the ap-
plicant is proposing metal windows.
Recommendation: Request the applicant to supply a sample window, and examine the details to ensure that the
divided panes are consistent with, or equal to, the photo example provided on page 48 of the Residential Design
Guidelines.
Erin, 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
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199. LARKSPUR . CA . 94939
485 Monterey Avenue
Design Review Comments
August 18, 2015 Page 6
Hold taller fence back from sidewalk and add landscaping
.r ----------
PER
CANNON DESIGN GROUP 700 LARKSPUR LANDING CIRCLE . SUITE 199 . LARKSPUR . CA . 94939
August 26, 2015 RECEIVED
Mr. Larry L. Cannon AUG 2 2015
Cannon Design Group
700 Larkspur Landing Circle TOWN OF LOS GATOS
Larkspur, CA 94939 PLANNING DIVISION
Re: 485 Monterey Avenue
Zoning Change Application: Z -15-001
Arch & Site Application: S -15 -018 C�
Dear Mr. Cannon:
Studio 3 Design has reviewed the above referenced planning comments (dated 8.18.2015). The following is an
itemized response letter addressing the comments.
Remaining Concerns and Recommendations:
1. First floor /Porch plate height — Most current two -story projects have a 9 -foot first floor and 9 -foot second
floor plat height. The proposed design of a 10 -foor first floor and 8 -foot second floor plate height would
still have the same overall building height. The finished floor level has been reduced by 6" as well,
lowering the overall house on the site, and well within the allowable maximum height. Details such as the
broader wrapped entry porch, heavy columns at the base, upper level bay window seat bump outs that
are not stacked on first floor bays all help to reduce the overall bulk and mass and anchor the house to
the site. The roof pitch as also been reduced to provide a more consistent look with other "Craftsman"
styled homes in the neighborhood.
2. Roofing Material — The current design proposes a metal roof detail at the porch areas only, drawing
attention to this lower and more transparent element. This design detail is consistent historically with a
"Shingle Style" inspired aesthetic, and is also consistent with current interpretation of a more updated
"Craftsman" aesthetic as well. The change in materials lends further character to the home, separating it
as custom rather than spec in nature by the use of more robust and unique materials.
3. Siding —The use of mitered shingles will be incorporated as part of the design. The exterior elevations
have been revised, eliminating the corner boards.
4. Windows - The windows on the house incorporate a simple mullion pattern at the top of the windows
only, again lending a more custom look and giving the building some detail. The windows will me
aluminum clad exterior / painted wood interior, JeldWen type or similar.
If you have questions or require additional information, please contact our office at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Bess Wiersema
Principal + Owner
STUDIOTHREEDES' ESN
EXHIBIT 1 0
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BLACK RESIDENCE
485 MONTEREY AVENUE
RECEIVED
AUG 2 8 2015
LOS GA I US, CA 95030 TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING DIVISION
MATERIALS BOARD =- 15 -Gnl STUDIO THREE DESIGN
s- I5 -dry,
ROOFING
COMP. ASPHALT
STANDING SEAM
METAL ROOF
SIDING
CEDAR SHINGLES
(STAINED)
WINDOW TRIM
COLOR
WHITE
WHITE EXTERIOR
WOOD TRIM
(WOOD INTERIOR)
STONE VENEER
STACKED STONE
FJQPi11
10/14/15 PC Staff Report
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,-,
w