What are community gateways?

Primary entry points to the City or business district.

…and can be much more.

Gateway Analysis Toolkit

What is importance of a gateway to the community?

Help create ◦ sense of arrival or arrival zone.◦ sense of image◦ sense of identity.◦ sense of atmosphere.◦ sense of culture◦ sense of belonging to a community.

Help provide marketing, advertising icons and/or brand recognition

Where are the gateways for Downtown Los Altos?

Foothill / First and Edith

San Antonio / Main and Edith

Foothill / San Antonio and First

Foothill / First and Main

Gateway Locations

Foothill / First and Edith

Foothill / First and Edith

San Antonio / Main and Edith

San Antonio / Main and Edith

San Antonio / Main and Edith

Foothill / San Antonio and First

Foothill / San Antonio and First

Foothill / San Antonio and First

Foothill / San Antonio and First

Foothill / First and Main

Foothill / First and Main

Foothill / First and Main

Now, back to gateways

Gateway Analysis Toolkit:

A set of common, agreed upon criteria or standards for evaluating gateways.

Can be used to help determine if any proposed project meets the needs of the community residents and businesses.

Imagine…

What comes to mind when you think of “Santana Row”?

Do you sense the ◦ atmosphere ◦ culture ◦ expectation of successful businesses & restaurants◦ Inviting outdoor meeting and entertainment spaces

where community and public can gather?

This is the kind of image that a Gateway should help provide

Imagine…

Now imagine entering downtown Los Altos through one of the four gateways.

What do you see and sense?

What do you hope to see in the future?

How do we design and evaluate gateway projects to ensure they fulfill their role?

Your Job:◦ Assess and communicate community wants and

needs ◦ Develop evaluation skills, using a set of common

criteria for reviewing proposed gateway projects.◦ Get involved in the public review process – attend:

Architectural review meetingsPlanning commission meetingsCity Council meetings

Gateway Analysis Toolkit:Proposed Evaluation Criteria

What common evaluation criteria doarchitects, designers and planners

commonly use to review a potential gateway project?

Criteria #1 Arrival Zones

What is your first visual impression upon arrival, by car, by bicycle or by walking?What do you see first?

a primary architectural feature? A community outdoor meeting space? Landscaping?A parking lot?The back of a building?Open space?Monument or signage?

Criteria #2: General Site Design

Identify the primary view corridors for arrival.

Are the building elements oriented in such a way to give a sense of arrival?

Criteria #3: Building orientation and

view corridors

Evaluate building site plan in context of◦ neighboring view corridors, ◦ arrival zones ◦Usable outdoor open space

Criteria #4: Parking Requirements

Is adequate parking provided onsite for the intended uses?

Does it meet required parking ratios?

Does the site dimensions allow the creation of efficient parking layouts?

Should additional parking be required for other off-site uses or public benefits?

Criteria #5:Architectural elements and

building massingIs the building massing and articulation of a scale that introduces you to the downtown?

Is the architectural style conducive to the imageof the downtown?

Does proposed style create diversity or continuityin architectural styles?

Are the architectural elements responsive to usable public outdoor /pedestrian spaces?

Criteria #6:Usable Public outdoor/

pedestrian spacesAre the outdoor public spaces large enough to be functional?

Can we have an outdoor café and leisure seating?

Is there enough room for music and/or other small scale entertainment?Are the outdoor spaces shaded or in full sun?

Does the building’s configuration and orientation provide these usable outdoor spaces?

Criteria #7: Usability of interior building

spaces

Is the building configuration conducive to active, leasable store fronts of appropriate size to attract the most desirable retailers?

Are the upper level office spaces of appropriate configuration and size?

Criteria #8: Additional Public BenefitCan additional parking be provided to benefit other existing or proposed projects?

Can the developer be given incentives to provide additional improvement?

Can specific uses be identified as public benefits and incorporated into the design?

Can the City provide additional amenities to enhance the proposed design?

What other criteria can we add to the toolkit?

Criteria #9

Discussion:Public vs. Private Gateways

What’s the difference between a gateway on private property and one on public property?

Should the public have more input and control over a gateway on publicly owned property?

Can we expect more public benefits from a Gateway project on public property?

Who pays for the public benefits?

First and Main Project◦ On this public property, the City has…

“…an obligation to promote sound development, to promote a high level of design which will enhance the City’s downtown area, and to provide an environment for the social, economic and psychological growth and well-being of the citizens of the City.”

-Los Altos City Option Agreement with the developer for First and Main Gateway Project

How do we interpret this obligation?

Proposed Site Plan for First and Main Gateway Project

What to expect at our next meeting

◦ Apply toolkit criteria to proposed design submitted by developer◦ List areas where design meets criteria◦ List areas where refinements are needed◦ List questions for developer and city leaders

Closing Questions?Discussion

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