Builder hits a home run his first time at the planning plate
By Gloria I. Wang
Jay Pochop did his homework and received a passing grade from a very stern and unforgiving taskmaster--the Los Gatos Planning Commission
Most projects that come before the planning commission are initially sent back for project changes and then re-discussed at a later meeting. Pochop's proposal was unique because it was approved by the commissioners at its first hearing on April 11.
"I think that the fact that you can get it done in one time should send a message to everyone who comes dragging their sorry person in here five and six times," Commissioner Jeanne Drexel told Pochop, the owner of the property.
Commission Chairman Jim Lyon added, "Not very often do we get a hillside residence go through the first time. I think this is the first in my recent memory and I have to congratulate you on exercising discretion."
Pochop, a San Jose engineer, plans to build a 5,000-square-foot home on his 10-acre property at 14938 Larga Vista Drive. The home will have four bedrooms and 4 1/2 baths, a kids' playroom, an exercise room, a library, a detached garage and a swimming pool.
Pochop closed escrow on the property in June, and then "spent a lot of time doing homework" before submitting his plans to the town in November. Pochop says that his initial designs for a two-story house were changed after meeting with town staff, county fire personnel and representatives from the California Department of Forestry, over a span of several months. The original designs simply did not fit in the environment, Pochop said. The designs that were finally submitted to the town were the product of several revisions.
Pochop also attended several planning commission meetings to get an idea of what the town was looking for. "I think that, through that process, I gained a lot of respect for the commissioners and what they do," Pochop said. In addition, Pochop worked and will continue to work with the few neighbors around the property.
Steve Stern of Stern & Champion, the builder, said that Pochop was not looking for a "big statement home." "We had a sense of what [the town] wanted and it was what Jay wanted," Stern said. "There were just a lot of things that were good fits."
Lyon said that Pochop's hard work paid off. "You really took the opportunity and the chance and the effort to understand the hillside regulations and what the town is looking for. I want to compliment you on that," Lyon said.
The applicant had not expected to receive approval so fast. Stern said that he had expected a continuance because of time--the application was the second to last public hearing on the evening's agenda and was not discussed until approximately 12:45 a.m. "We were just thrilled that we got it through the first time," Stern said.
The approval process happened fairly smoothly, as talk of the home's exterior paint, a surrounding 3-foot fence and the removal of a dilapidated shed preceded the commissioners' unanimous vote.
Commissioners pointed out one of the benefits of the design was that existing oak trees would not be destroyed. A several-hundred-year-old blue oak stands in the center of the property. "We built the whole project around this tree," Pochop said. A live oak farther away from the house will also remain undisturbed.
Pochop says that his goal is to build his dream house, but only as it falls under the town's guidelines. "A lot of people treat this as a battle," he said, "but I see it as a cooperative effort."
In May, Pochop will marry fiancée Tammy Heinen. The two hope to start construction before the end of the year. "This is the only home we're planning on having."
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
