David Pitzen submitted multiple drawings and proposals through the years, experiencing miscommunication with several organizations and receiving one rejection from the Los Gatos Planning Commission.

It wasn't until he whittled down the house sizes, however, that the commission finally approved his plans for four homes on the site. The units now range in size from 1,400 square feet to 3,000 square feet—a far cry from the original 2,200 square feet to 3,300 square feet.

Although neighbors protested that four homes were too many for the 1.44-acre lot and did not fit in with the rest of the area, commissioners said the number was appropriate.

"It represents a transition between the high-density apartment complex next door and the single-family homes on larger lots on its other border," said Commissioner Jeanne Drexel.

" 'Neighborhood' is very arbitrary. Who's defining neighborhood? We have a monolith behind us," Pitzen said, referring to the apartment complex. Pitzen pointed out that building less than three homes would decrease the number of homes that are currently on the site.

"We've been told that the town does not want to reduce the housing stock," Pitzen said. The town, Pitzen said, "wanted us to keep the housing price down as much as possible and also build a project that is going to be profitable."

The town also had, throughout the process, asked for four units, although the lot is zoned for more than four houses.

"The land is zoned high density. What we're doing is downsizing it," Pitzen said.

Each of the homes were custom-designed and will have two stories, although the smallest will have a one-story elevation in front. Pitzen also designed each with two-car garages, despite one neighbor's suggestion to build three-car garages.

Brickway Court resident Peter Levy said that while he was impressed with Pitzen's incorporation of neighborhood suggestions into the designs, he felt the traffic generated by four homes would pose a safety threat to the rest of the residences.

Levy also said the site was not large enough for the proposed homes. "My gut feeling is, 'Boy, that is a lot of squeezed room in there,' " Levy said.

Levy's neighbor, Monroe Court resident Alicia Barela, asked planning commissioners to approve three houses that would total 8,000 square feet.

"I want to urge you to take a second look at how close everything is together and beg you to approve three houses," said Jessie Prout, who lives on Monroe Court.

"We feel this is a great project that preserves the town's housing stock," Pitzen countered.

Commissioner Drexel said the plan is consistent with the town's vision for development and cited several community benefits of the project, including Pitzen's agreeing to restore the Los Gatos Creek bank and the provision of open space on the lot.

Commissioner Joanne Talesfore opposed the project. Talesfore said there was too much "carscape" in the plans, calling the finished product a "landscape of vehicles." Talesfore also said she felt "the historic preservation in the site has been missed in the design."

Talesfore's peers agreed with Drexel. Commissioner Michael Burke added a recommendation to scale down the largest house from 3,000 square feet to "between 2,500 and 2,900 square feet, to be determined" by town staff.

Because Pitzen's application was for a zone change, the project will have to go before the Los Gatos Town Council, which is responsible for all zone change requests. Council members are scheduled to hear the item on Jan. 16. The commission's approval of architecture and site plans, however, is final unless appealed.