By Clarence Cromwell
Wherever people go in the West Valley, they can see the mountains that stand to the south, emerald green and dotted with houses. Planning officials want to make sure the mountainsides that make the valley such a pretty place will stay at least as pretty as they are now.
It took more than a year, but the five-way agreement--among Los Gatos, Saratoga, Monte Sereno, Cupertino and Santa Clara County--that details how each will protect the hills from dense development and garish mansions is nearly finished.
Most of the cities had already drawn a line on development near their city limits; Los Gatos has had an agreement with the county since 1978 that houses in the nearby hills must be unobtrusive. The newly adopted plan makes rules about development across the foot of the mountains that lie south of the West Valley cities uniform. It puts one agreement into writing for all the local planning departments.
West Valley cities and the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors adopted their Hillside Preservation Strategies at meetings during October and November.
In the past, some conspicuous buildings have sprung up in the hills. Hillside zoning laws vary from city to city and used to be somewhat lax in the unincorporated area of the county, making certain slopes a panorama of buildings."If you look up there and see all the white houses, it's in the county," said Los Gatos Mayor Randy Attaway. "If you have to strain a little bit to see the houses, it's in Los Gatos."
The new, uniform rules require county planning officials to review plans for any development proposed on high-visibility parcels, with an eye toward how new buildings will look to the communities below.
County supervisors are expected to adopt specific design guidelines for the areas Nov. 19. The proposed guidelines would limit floor areas, paint reflectivity and heights of buildings.
In some cases, the county will be able to apply small changes, like repainting in acceptable colors, to existing buildings, said county zoning administrator Jim Reilly. But the county would only do so if a landowner applies for permission to make major additions to a house, and then it would allow a period of time for the changes required under the plan. The new conditions, including height and size limitations, will apply to any additions to existing houses, he said.
A computer mapping system makes it possible for cities and the county to apply the rules to the correct areas parcels of property.
The computer pinpointed tracts of land that can be seen from a particular set of vantage points on the valley floor. Parcels that can be seen from the most vantage points will be most strictly regulated.
The map also delineates the urban limits of the West Valley cities. The cities won't allow dense development outside the thick, dotted line that marks their borders. Nor will they allow sewer or water mains to be extended out of the urban area. Those limitations will keep suburban tracts from sprawling up the hillsides.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, November 13, 1996.
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