Until Dec. 9, the public is encouraged to pick up a draft of the guidelines and submit written comments in time for a Dec. 11 General Plan Committee meeting.

The document is written for property owners, architects and even Realtors who are interested in housing on the Los Gatos hillsides.

"They pick this up, and this tells them everything they need to know in terms of our vision for hillside development," said Bud Lortz, the town's director of community development.

The guidelines have morphed from seven pages, written in 1980 and revised twice, to a 72-page packet, complete with illustrations and maps.

For almost two years, the town's Architectural Standards Hillside Committee has been gathering comments from a panel of architects, local property owners and those frustrated with the town's development process.

What's emerged is a document that explains the town's policy on grading, limitations on home sizes and heights, appropriate landscaping and ridgelines.

It also spells out the requirements for prospective buildings in hillsides, such as viewpoints—"where people need to be taking pictures of their properties to see if their story poles are visible," Lortz said.

An added feature of the revised guidelines is illustrations. There are photos and renderings with captions such as "Do this/don't do this" and "Acceptable/unacceptable." That, Lortz said, is intended to save people money and make sure they are approaching building the way the town wants them to.

The document will be passed out to anybody that's even contemplating development, including Realtors who give it to prospective homebuyers, said Associate Planner Suzanne Davis.

"Hopefully, they will use these to grow their vision of what they want to build," Lortz said.

To obtain a copy of the draft, contact Davis at 408.354.6875 or visit http://www.town.los-gatos.ca.us/services/7g.html. All input must be received by 5 p.m. on Dec. 9.