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Published on 08/17/1998 All articles from this issue

Supes lift building moratorium, adopt guidelines

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Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors lifted a three-month building moratorium and adopted new guidelines for small lots in the unincorporated areas of Los Altos and Los Altos Hills.

With these guidelines, approved at the Aug. 18 supervisors' meeting, new homes on small underlying lots - in areas of the Los Altos Golf & Country Club, San Antonio Hills and the Spaulding Avenue-Winding Way areas - may not exceed 25 percent of the total lot size. Previously, the ratio of building size to lot size was 35 percent.

This means that a new home on an underlying 8,000-square-foot lot cannot exceed 2,000-square-feet. Under the old rules a much larger house plus unlimited detached buildings could be built, according to a spokeswoman in Supervisor Joe Simitian's office.

"These new standards will help ensure that new homes constructed on smaller lots are sized and designed appropriately to reduce the impact on the community," said Simitian, who represents the area on the five-member county board.

Also, the new guidelines prohibit construction of two-story homes on newly configured flag lots, which are landlocked lots that are without street frontage. Detached buildings, like garages and workshops, that exceed 500 square feet will now be counted in the square footage of the home, the spokeswoman said.

"These new standards balance the legitimate competing interest of neighbors and property owners," Simitian said. "We've had tremendous public involvement in the planning process - which resulted in standards that will genuinely protect neighborhoods. At the same time, however, we've tried to use a 'light touch,' respecting reasonable use and development."

About 15-20 people from the Los Altos area attended the meeting, Simitian said, and four to five spoke. "The mood was very positive," he said. "People were happy with the results."

Harry Hambly certainly is.

"This is a perfect example of how government can listen to you and make it happen," said the Los Altos resident, who lives in an unincorporated area next to a parcel with three underlying lots.

No one, including developers and Realtors, spoke in opposition to the new development standards, Simitian said.

He said he plans to hold an annual town hall meeting for this area to hear local concerns.

"People are energized," he said. "I don't want to lose that."