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HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.2 • TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS June 5, 1995 Staff Report to the Planning Commission RE: SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT FOR A NEW RESIDENCE;LANDS OF GATES;25400 LA RENA DRIVE. FROM: Suzanne Davis,Planner RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission: Approve the requested Site Development Permit as submitted,subject to the attached conditions of approval. BACKGROUND The subject property is a flag lot located at the end of La Rena Drive. The property abuts a California Water district site. The property was created as part of a 23 lot subdivision (Tract 1707-Broadmoor Estates) recorded in 1957. There is a 20 foot wide utility easement along the panhandle of the property. DISCUSSION Site Data: Net Lot Area: 1.22 acres Average Slope: 16.6% Lot Unit Factor: 1.05 Floor Area and Development Area: Area Max. Prop. Exist. Incrs. Left Devel. 13,151 . 11,546 11,588 -42 +1,605 Floor 5,954 4,2631 3,138 +1,125 +1,691 i The applicants are requesting approval of a new single story residence. The existing house, cabana, driveway and other hardscape will be demolished and a new driveway and residence constructed. The existing pool will remain. The maximum height of the house will be 21 feet as measured from the existing grade. The new house will be constructed on the existing building pad. Exterior materials will consist of stucco siding and window reveals,wood windows,and clay barrel tile roofing. One small area of the house will have a flat roof which will have a tar and gravel surface, and two bay windows will have copper roofing. There are no skylights proposed. m Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 2 On-site parking will inclu e three spaces in the attached garage and one uncovered space in the dr veway. The present driveway is located only a few feet from the northerly prperty line. The new driveway covers less area, and will be at least ten feet fro the property lines (excluding the panhandle where the driveway will not be c anged). In addition,the backup area for the garage will be grass ring pavers. Grass ring is a plastic cell-like mat which is placed underneath sod. The structure is strong enough to allow vehicles to park or drive over the area, yet it will look like a lawn because it is 100% covered with grass. This will further reduce the appearance of development area on the site. There are a number of trees on the property,including a number of eucalyptus and various ornamental trees. The new house and driveway have been designed to preserve most of the existing trees. Some of the smaller trees around the present house may need to be removed to construct the new residence. Staff will visit the site once the grad ng and major constructiori has been completed to determine the extent of ne planting that will be required for screening, restoration of disturbed ar as and/or erosion control. If minimal planting is needed, staff will review to landscape plan. If more substantive planting is needed, the landscape plaii will be reviewed by the Site Development Committee, as determined by the Planning Director. The Engineering Departmnt has reviewed the plans and has recommended conditions of approval as pecified in Attachment 1. Grading volumes total 300 cubic yards (150 cu. yds. o cut and 150 cu. yds. of fill). The dirt from the excavation will be balance on the site,so no export of material will be necessary. There are two proposed lawn areas on the east side of the house. The area closer to the drivewlay will have a two and one-half foot high retaining wall and will require about two feet of fil to extend the area out from the existing fill slope. The second area will need four and one-half foot high wall and approximately four feet of fill in order to i crease the size of the level area by about 500 square feet. Disturbance of slope areas for large landscape features has been a recent concern of the Council and Commission. The applicants do have usable outdoor space on the opposite (wes ) side of the house with a'patio and pool area. The Planning Commission will need to decide whether the proposed alteration of the slope for the larger lawn area is acceptable based on the location,level of alteration to the hillside, and proximity of neighbors who might view the wall. If the Commission decides t at the lawn area should be modified, staff can review revised plans for conforma ce. There is a small portion of patio, steps and a spa shown within the 30 foot setback on the southerly si e of the house. The Zoning Ordinance allows decking or steps on grade t encroach five feet into setbacks. The spa may not encroach intoe the setback, nd will need to be relocated. The steps and patio area may not extend any furthe than five feet into the setback. A condition of approval has been include which requires the plans to be revised to meet these 1 . Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 3 requirements. Staff can review and approve the changes before construction drawings are submitted to the Building Department for plan check. The Town Geologist has conducted a review of the plans and geotechnical reports and has visited the site. The recommendation for approval of the project is subject to conditions (see Attachment 3). -The Fire Department has no recommended conditions. The Pathways Committee visited the site and recommends that a pathway easement be obtained over the driveway to the water tank site at the top of the hill. The City Attorney advises'against having a pathway over a driveway as it is a liability to the Town. Staff recommend that a 10 foot wide easement be granted along the shoulder of the driveway if it is feasible for a path to be located there. The hillside drops off quickly along the panhandle portion of the property; and there are some large Eucalyptus trees, so there may not be enough space to accommodate a path. The proposed project will leave 1,691 square feet of floor area and 1,605 square feet of development area remaining for future additions or-improvements. The .. applicants and their engineer and architects have met with staff on a number of occasions,and have developed a house which will fit the site and will not be obtrusive to neighbors. The project as proposed meets the requirements of the . Zoning and Site Development Ordinances, and staff is recommending approval. Staff is available to answer any questions.that the Commission or community may have. ATTACHMENTS: - 1. -Recommended conditions'of approval 2. Worksheet#2 3. Letter from William Cotton&Associates dated March 17, 1995 (three pages) 4. Pathways Committeerecommendation dated April 1, 1995 (one page) 5. Revised development plans: gradingplan,site plan,roof plan,floor plans, elevations (six sheets) cc: Bennett&Joan Gates 25400 La Rena Drive Los Altos Hills,CA:94022 Susan Roberts Maurice Camargo Giuliani &Kull Camargo &Associates 20431 Stevens Creek Boulevard,Suite 230. 3953 Yolo Drive - Cupertino, CA 95014 . --.San Jose,CA 95136 • Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 4 ATTACHMENT 1, RECOMMENDED C NDITIONS FOR SITE DEVELOPMENT PERMIT • FOR NEW RESIDENCE. LANDS 1F GATES-25400 LA RENA DRIVE A. PLANNING DEP a TMENT: 1. The plans sh.11 be revised so that any patios,.steps or decking does not encroach more than five feet into any setback areas. The spa must be reloc:ted so.that it does not encroach into any setbacks. A revised plan -hall be approved by the Planning Department,prior to acceptance of iilans for building plan check. Any other changes or odification- to the approved plans shall be approved by the �'lanning Dir•ctor or the Planning Commission, depending upon the scope of le changes. 2. The propert owner shall inform the Town of any damage and shall repair a y damage caused by the construction of the project to pathways,prate driveways, public and private roadways prior to final inspection and release of occupancy permits andshall provide he Town w th photographs of the. 'existing conditions of the roadways an. pathways prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. 3. Additional la dscaping may be required. Prior to final inspection ataff will visit the site to determine if additional plantings are needed to mit gate the new structure or to restore areas disturbed during constr ction. The Planning Director will also determine if the landscape plan may be reviewed by staff or by the Site Development Committee. A landscape deposit may be required to assure that and required landscaping is planted and maintained. 4. Any new out.oor lighting shall be approved by the Planning Department p, for to installation. The lighting plan may be 1.eviewed wit the landscape plan. Lighting shall be low level,low Wattage,and •hall not relect or encroach on surrounding properties. N. lighting may be placed within setbacks with the exception of o driveway or entry lights. 5. Prior to begi 'ng any grading operation or construction, any significant tre s in the area of construction are to be fenced at the dripline. The ening shall be of a material and structure to clearly delineate the •ripline. Town staff must inspect and approve the Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 5 fencing prior to issuance of any building permits. The fencing must remain throughout the course of construction. No storage of equipment,vehicles or debiis shall be allowed within the driplines of these trees. 5. If any tree six inches in diameter or larger is removed to accommodate construction or if a tree is damaged or destroyed during construction,it may be required to be replaced. The replacement tree(s) shall bei equal in size to the removed or damaged tree(s), as determined by the Planning Director. 6. A grading and construction operation plan shall be submitted by the property owner for review and approval by the City Engineer and Planning Director prior to submittal of plans for building plan check. The grading/construction operation plan shall address truck traffic issues regarding dust, noise, and vehicular and pedestrian traffic safety on La Rena Drive, O'Keefe Lane and surrounding roadways; storage of construction materials; placement of sanitary facilities; parking for. construction vehicles; and parking for construction personnel. A debris box (trash dumpster) shall be placed on site for collection of construction debris. Arrangements must be made with the L(31 Garbage Company for the debris box, since they have a franchise with the Town and no other hauler is allowed within the Town limits. 7. Skylights, if utilized, shall be designed and constructed to reduce emitted light. No lighting may be placed within the skylight wells. 8. Paint color shall be chosen by the applicant and approved by staff in conformance with thel Town's adopted color board. Color samples shall be submitted to the Planning Director for approval prior to painting the exterior of the residence. 9. Fire retardant roofing is required for the residence. B. ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT: 10. As recommended by William Cotton & Associates in their report dated May 10, 1995, the applicant shall comply with the following: a. The project geotechnical consultant shall summarize the results of their plan review in a letter and submit it to the Town Engineer for approval, prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. \ j Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 6 b. The p oject geotechnical consultant shall describe the results of ins•ections and as-built conditions of the project in a letter to be s bmitted to the Town Engineering Department prior to fina inspection. For further d•tails on the above requirements, please reference the letter from W lliam Cotton&Associate dated May 10, 1995. 11. The site drai age associated with the proposed development must be designe• as surface flow wherever possible to avoid concentratio of runoff. The proposed drainage shall be designed to maintain tie existing flow patterns. Final drainage and grading hall be ins •ected' by the Engineering Department and any eficiencies corrected to the satisfaction of the Engineering Department prior to final inspection. 12. Any; and all, changes to the existing grading and drainage plan shall first be .pproved by the Town Engineering Department. No grading shall take place during the'grading moratorium between November 1 nd April 1 except with prior approval from the City Engineer. o grading shall take place within ten feet of any • property line -xcept to allow access to Fremont Road. 13. ikn erosion a d sediment control plan shall be submitted for review and approval by the Engineering Department prior to acceptance of �lans for buildt, g plan check. The contractor and the property owner Shall comply with all 'appropriate requirements of the Town's kPDES perm t relative to grading and erosion/sediment control. Any areas on the site that have the native soil disturbed shall be rotected for -rosion control during the rainy season and shall be eplanted prier to final inspection. 14. fill public util ty services shall be undergrounded. 15. The location, -levation and height of the new residence, decking �nd drivewa shall be certified in writing by a registered civil ngineer or licensed land surveyor as being in the locations, elevations an. heights approved by the Town and as shown on the Site Develop ent Plan. Planning Commission June 5, 1995 Lands of Gates Page 7 16. A 10 foot wide pathway easement shall be granted along th - . panhandle of the property, adjacent to the driveway,up to the water tank site. The applicant shall provide a legal description and plat and the Town will prepare the grant document. The signed, notarized document shall be returned to the Town, prior to acceptance of plans for building plan check. -17. All appropriate sanitary seer connection fees shall be paid to the Town prior to acceptance owf plans for building plan check. The new residence shall connect to sanitary sewer prior to final inspection. I : 18. Upon completion of the construction, a final inspection shall be P P P required to be set with the Planning and Engineering Departments two weeks prior to final building inspection approval. CONDITION NUMBERS 1, 2, 6, 10, 13 AND 16 SHALL BE COMPLETED AND SIGNED OFF BY THE PLANNING DIRECTOR AND THE CITY ENGINEER PRIOR TO ACCEPTANCE OF CONSTRUCTION PLANS FOR PLAN CHECK BY THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT. PROTECTIVE TREE FENCING SHALL BE INSPECTED AND APPROVED BY THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT PRIOR TO ISSUANCE OF BUILDING PERMITS. Properties residing within the Los Altos School District boundaries must pay School District fees before receiving their building permit from Los Altos Hills. The applicant must take a copy of Worksheet#2 to both the elementary and high school district offices,pay the'appropriate fees and provide the Town with a copy of their receipts. NOTE: The Site Development permit is valid for one year from the approval date (until June 5, 1996). All required building permits must be obtained within that year and work on items not requiring a building permit shall be commenced within one year and completed within two years. TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS 26379 Fremont Road • Los Alt* Hills,California 94022 • (415)941-7222 • FAX(415)941-3160 rPLANNING DEPARTMENT WORKSHEET #2 EXISTING AND PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT AREA AND.FLOOR AREA • TURN IN WITH YOUR APPLICATION • PROPERTY OWNER'S NAME C�ILA,.r e • PROPERTY ADDRESS 01 5400 Lt!I- R cp A . CALCULATED BY 6;to LA AAI i 4, wit) - I DATE. ►.4 - 5 ,q s i IZ libOD 5- !- 615 1. DEYELDEMENTAREA (SQUARE FOOTACE) • ExistingProposed Total CTD st R a`") (Additions i,-Deletion) eraa from Part B) �� "r a' fzse L)4S A. House and Gg ( B. Decking — .�-----_. C. Driveway and Parking -51-D (Measured 100'along centerline rix, -fi t? 349 o D. .Patios and Walkways .r3'O t(040 -A--.2-i %6 /-2.0;5O, A( e E. Tennis Courd F. Pool and Decking ° -i-11 1% / i� 173g G. Accessory Buildings (from art B) 5-1, H. Any other coverage .. TIP TALSI l 5 v� I1 5'-#'� 1 5` 'r!o Maximum Development Area : owed.- MDA.(from Worksheet.#1) L /3.! 3 1 1 2. FLOOR AREA (SQUARE FOOTA • Total Existing Proposed (Additions or Deletions) A. House and G age , -- 7 2_65 a. 1st Floor aa.Co 3 t- .3431 b. 2nd Floor 49- c. Attic-ancl-litasegiet,-ARA 5a5 $alp 5..Le B. Accessory Buildings l S a. =deer,root,K0 '____1_5_. -- e--- S .&- b. 2nd Floor . c. .Attic arid d Basement '' II� 424.3 . T•TALS .31 , 4aie5 , Maximum Floor Area Mowed - MFA (from Worksheet #1) 1 -'1.541-11 TOWN USE ONLY CHECKED BY , (A7�a nne. -bay lS I DATE 51 i) 9 �• 1 .,,,. ..•r uninttu:INALSIPt.ANNINC/Workshe t 12 - i William Cotton 330 Village Lane Los Gatos, California 95030 `4 and Associates (408) 354-5542 May 10, 1995 L3065 TO: Suzanne Davis Planner TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILUS 26379 Fremont Road Los Altos Hills, California 94022 SUBJECT: Geotechnical Review RE: Gates,New Residence 25400 La Rena Lane • At your request, we have completed a geotechnical review of applications for proposed site construction using: • Geotechnical Investigation (report) prepared by Cleary Consultants, dated December 18, 1992; • Site Development Plan (1 sheet. 20-scale) prepared by Giuliani and Kull, dated April 12, 1995; and; • Architectural Plans (3 sheets, various scales) prepared by Camargo & Associates, dated February 10, 1995. In addition,_we have reviewed pertinent technical documents from our office file and completed a recent site reconnaissance. DISCUSSION Our review of the.referenced plans indicates that the applicant proposes to remove the existing house and construct a new residence in approximately the same location. In addition, two retaining walls,;of approximately 2 to 4 feet in height, are proposed directly east of the new residence'to create a relatively level patio area. Total site grading includes approximately 300 cubic yards (combination cut and fill). • ENGINEERING GEOLOGY • ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SCIENCES • FOUNDATION ENGINEERING Suzanne Davis May 10, 1995 • Page 2 L3065 SITE CONDITIONS The proposed building site is located on the crest of a narrow, northwest trending ridge. Most of the proposed house site is on a relatively level pad in an area of apparent prevously cut gro nd. A small portion of the eastern part of the residence may extend over existing .hallow fill materials. Flanking native hillslopes are moderately steep (10° - 13° i clination). Drainage is characterized by sheet flow to the northeast and southwest. The proposed house ite is underlain at shallow depth by silty sandstone of the Santa Clara Formation. The bedrock is overlain on the fringes of the proposed house site by clayey sand to sans y clay (soil, colluvium and artificial fill) of moderate expansivity. The potentially .ctive Monta Vista fault is located approximately 0.3 mile southwest of the subject prop-rty. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDED ACTION 1 1 Proposed site develo?ment does not appear to Abe constrained by unusually adverse geotechnical conditions. Geotechnical design recommendations prepared by the project geotechnical consultant generally appear appropriate for apparent site conditions. However, we note that a large existing water!tank is located approximately• 90 feet northwest of the resid nce in an upslope position. '.Water tanks within the Town, and within several other co munities in California, have failed under seismic shaking conditions. Ifl nearby t nk should fail catastrophically, it is possible that the proposed newresidence may suffer some undetermined level of exposure. If the Town 1 or applicant would like to mo e fully determine the possible level of risk associated with rupture of the tank under sei mic conditions, then the project engineer should address this issue. Witli this understa I ding,we recommend geotechnical approval of permits for proposed construction with t e following conditions: 1. Geotechnical Plan Review - The applicant's geotechnical Consultant sha 1 review and approve all geotechnical aspects of the developm:nt plans (i.e., site preparation and grading, site drainage improvements and design parameters for foundations and driveway) to ensure that his recommendations have been properly incor orated. The proposed single energy dissipater location and d sign should be specifically evaluated for potential adverse geotec nical impacts. The results of the plan review should be summarized by the geotechnical c nsultant in a letter and submitted to the Town Engineer for r view and approval prior to issuance of building Permits. 2. Geotechnical weld Ins•ection -The geotechnical consultant shall inspect, test (a- needed), and approve all geotechnical aspects of the project con'truction. The inspections should include, but not necessarily be limited to: site preparation and grading, site William Cotton and Associates e • Suzanne Davis May 10, 1995 Page 3 L3065 surface and subsurface drainage improvements, and excavations for foundations and retaining walls prior to the placement of steel and concrete. The results of these inspections and the as-built conditions of the project shall be described by the geotechnical consultant in a letter sand submitted to the Town Engineer for review prior to final (as- built) project approval. Respectfully submitted, WILLIAM COTTON AND ASSOCIATES, INC. TOWN GEOTECHNICAL CONSULTANT Ted Sayrei Senior gineering Geologist %! 1 1 iam Cotton Principal Engineering Geologist CEG 882 WRC:TS:rb William Cotton and Associates T I Wn OY LOS Altos tiaLs 4/26/95 To: Planning Commission & Staff • From: Les Earnest, Path ays Committee Chair ee Subject: Pathway reques 26970 Arastradero; Land, of Willis: No request. 26101 Elena Road; Land . of Garces: Restore II-B path along Elena Road as needed and construct a II B path in the easement adjacent to I-280. 12012 Emerald Hill Lane; Lands of Goldberg: No request. 12033 Greenlfills Court; ands of Belden: No request. 24289 Hillview; Lands of Chawla: No request. 12380 Priscilla Lane; La • ds of Lin: No request. 25400 La Rena; Lands of Gates: Pathway easement over driveway leading f from La Rena o water tan at the top of the hill. Note: where construction or upgrading of paths to the II-B standard is recommended, this is to i clude irrigation at least 5 feet away from path and a non-slip surface on any crossing driveways. Where there is "no request" we recommend t at in lieu fees be collected where possible.