The Los Altos City Council made history recently when it OK'd a variance for an owner to build what is possibly the largest house ever approved since the city incorporated in 1952. Council also granted a variance for an 840-square-foot second living unit, as part of the project, in exchange for the owners making it an affordable unit.
The 7,300-square-foot, $4 million "forest manor" home will be built on a 38,560-square-foot lot on View Street behind the Parc Regent condominiums.
The city allows a maximum of 6,000 square feet of floor area on 32,000-square-foot lots and larger.
The floor-area variance that council approved is "the most significant type of variance for a residential property," said senior planner Jim Mackenzie.
City staff recommended against the approval.
"The intent of the floor area limit is to regulate mass and bulk," Mackenzie said in a staff report.
Mayor Kris Casto, at the Feb. 24 meeting, said she was troubled by the "awkwardness of a 1,300-square-foot variance.
"I'm concerned with the ripple effect in other neighborhoods. I don't want to give people the ability to let people build over 6,000-square-feet. There is a cutoff point."
But other council members affirmed the decision.
"I don't see the need for an upper limit (on house size) if the lot accommodates it," said Councilman Lou Becker.
He said he believed in a "coverage limit," but pointed out that this house on this lot was only an 18.5 percent coverage of house to land.
City code allows a 35 percent coverage.
The architect, owners and council members noted the extraordinary size and shape of the lot and the high quality of the design and materials. They also pointed out that because of the flag-lot nature of the land and the 51 large trees that will be planted around the house, the structures will not be visible from the street and thus won't dominate other houses in the neighborhood.
The new home will also be in scale with its closest neighbor, the 57-unit Parc Regent condominiums.
The 7,300 square feet does not include the semi-detached four-car garage, the 3,300-square-foot basement with a gymnasium and pub, nor the motor court for cars.
Since the garage and basement are out of sight below ground, they do not add mass or bulk to the design and are thus not counted in the square feet, Mackenzie said.
The 7,300-square-feet includes a 1,450-square-foot second story, the 840-square-foot affordable second living unit, and counts the living room floor area two times because of its two-story volume, according to Mackenzie in a staff report.
Neighbors like the design.
"We feel this plan is a smashing addition to the neighborhood," said Louise Lee, who lives at Parc Regent.
And the owners, Bill and Claudia Coleman are thrilled.
"We are village people," Claudia said. "We didn't want to move to the Hills. We wanted to be downtown and walk every place."