Any new single-family residential house or addition to an existing house shall be generally consistent with the adopted single-family residential guidelines in Sections 19.28.110(A) and (B).
A. Single-Family Residential Design Guidelines for all projects.1, 2
1. There should not be a three-car wide driveway curb cut.
2. No more than fifty percent of the front elevation of a house should consist of garage area.
a. In the R1-a zone, the maximum width of a garage on the front elevation should be twenty- five feet, which will accommodate a two-car garage. Additional garage spaces should be provided through the use of a tandem garage or a detached accessory structure at the rear of the property.2
3. Living area should be closer to the street, while garages should be set back more.
4. All roofs should have at least a one-foot overhang.
5. Porches are encouraged.
a. In the R1-a zone, the following porch design guidelines apply2:
i. When viewed from the street, a porch should appear proportionately greater in width than in height. A porch differs from an entry element, which has a proportionately greater height than its width.
ii. Structural supports should be designed such that the appearance is not obtrusive or massive.
iii. The use of large columns or pillars is discouraged.
iv. The eave height for a front porch should not be significantly taller than the eave height of typical single-story elements in the neighborhood.
v. Porch elements should have detailing that emphasizes the base and caps for posts and fence elements.
6. In R1-6e and R1-a zones, entry features should not be higher than fourteen feet from natural grade to plate.2
B. Two-Story Design Guidelines.1, 2
1. The mass and bulk of the design should be reasonably compatible with the predominant neighborhood pattern. New construction should not be disproportionately larger than, or out of scale with, the neighborhood pattern in terms of building forms, roof pitches, eave heights, ridge heights, and entry feature heights.
2. The design should use vaulted ceilings rather than high exterior walls to achieve higher volume interior spaces.
3. Long, unarticulated, exposed second story walls should be avoided since it can increase the apparent mass of the second story.
a. In the R1-a zone, all second story wall heights greater than six feet, as measured from the second story finished floor, should have building wall offsets at least every twenty-four feet, with a minimum four foot depth and ten foot width. The offsets should comprise the full height of the wall plane.2
4. The current pattern of side setback and garage orientation in the neighborhood should be maintained.
5. When possible, doors, windows and architectural elements should be aligned with one another vertically and horizontally and symmetrical in number, size and placement.
6. In the R1-a zone, windows on the side elevations should2:
a. Be fixed and obscured to a height of five feet above the second floor;
b. Have permanent exterior louvers to a height of five feet above the second floor; or
c. Have sill heights of five feet or greater to mitigate intrusion into a neighbor's privacy.
C. Residential Design Review Principles. Two-story homes subject to design review per Section 19.28.040(E) (except in R1-a zones) shall meet the residential design review principles below. The City of Cupertino Two-Story Design Principles are attached hereto as Appendix A and are incorporated herein by this reference.
1. An identifiable architectural style shall be provided;
2. Design features, proportions and details shall be consistent with the architectural style selected;
3. Visual relief deemed to be appropriate by the Director of Community Development shall be provided;
4. Materials shall be of high quality;
5. Ensure building mass and scale;
6. Design with architectural integrity on all sides of the structure; and
7. The design shall reflect symmetry, proportion and balance.
Notes:
1 Refer to the Eichler Design Handbook- Fairgrove Neighborhood for additional design guidelines in the R1-6e zone.
2 Nonconformance with the design guidelines in the R1-a zone shall be considered acceptable only if the applicant shows that there are no adverse impacts from the proposed project.
(Ord. 2085, § 2 (part), 2011; Ord. 2079, (part), 2011)