Preliminary plans have been filed for a new residential development at 17535 Santa Cruz Highway in Los Gatos, Santa Clara County. The filing invokes the Builder’s Remedy to construct 32 townhome-style units on a three-acre plot of land nestled within the Santa Cruz mountain range. Lawrence Noon of Wonder Homes Inc. is listed as the property owner.
The proposal images six four-story structures yielding 87,980 square feet across the three-acre site. Each structure will include five or six apartments, private two-car garages per unit, and four bedrooms. Parking will be provided for 90 cars, including two covered spaces per residence and 26 open spots. Of the 32 units, six will be designated as affordable to low-income households. 87,980 square feet of construction.
17535 Santa Cruz Highway site map, illustration by Anderson Architects
17535 Santa Cruz Highway five-plex, illustration by Anderson Architects
Campbell-based Anderson Architects is responsible for the design. Illustrations show bare value-engineered structures clad with a mix-match of window sizes, painted stucco, wooden garage doors, and stone veneer to frame each apartment’s doorway.
The estimated cost and timeline for construction have yet to be shared. Public records show the property last sold in 2006 for $100,000.
17535 Santa Cruz Highway, image via Google Satellite
The three-acre property is located just off Santa Cruz Highway on a private road overlooking the Cats Saloon Barbecue restaurant. Los Gatos’ commercial center is under ten minutes away via bicycle or three minutes by car. According to the application, the project is within the Very High Fire Hazard zone.
Subscribe to YIMBY’s daily e-mail
Follow YIMBYgram for real-time photo updates
Like YIMBY on Facebook
Follow YIMBY’s Twitter for the latest in YIMBYnews
This is not a great idea, IMO. The only access to the site is highway 17 at The Cats restaurant – going southbound (from Los Gatos) it’s a quick right turn exit off a narrow, curvy section of the highway, where the speed limit has dropped to 50MPH but most people are still going 65MPH+.
Going northbound on 17 (from Santa Cruz) it’s a left turn across those same narrow, curvy lanes.
The intersection is dangerous enough that they banned left turns out of the restaurant onto northbound 17 – now drivers who want to go northbound on 17 (into Los Gatos/San Jose) must make the super-quick right-turn merge onto southbound 17 and go 1½ miles up to the Bear Creek Road interchange to turn around.
Horrid design and even worse location.