Los Gatos Boulevard Retail Building

As Los Gatos Auto Row quickly becomes a memory, Town leaders have wrestled with the idea of what to do with the relatively large vacant parcels on what was (and remains) a bustling commercial strip. On a corner lot of nearly one acre, our site represents one of the last dealership sites that hasn’t yet been repurposed, as well as a transitional site between the mostly commercial developments to the north and a more residential character to the south.

Having seen numerous single and multifamily developments approved and built on the Boulevard on similar parcels in recent years, our client Stem Development, LLC initially asked us to develop a small subdivision project requiring multiple variances, with 11 units (6 rowhouses, 5 detached SFR) on a private street. Despite extensive neighborhood outreach and a series of public hearings (including an appeal at Town Council), our project was disapproved, and we immediately began work on a mixed-use commercial project featuring ground floor retail and 2nd floor office area.

The ultimate proposal features a fully code-compliant project with no requested variances. We’ve designed the building to address the corner, with a curved glass feature wall surrounded by stone, and the 2nd floor mass pushing towards the corner to create a stronger visual presence. By offsetting the 2nd floor walls from the ground floor, we have reduced the bulk and mass of the structure while creating walkout balconies for the 2nd floor office tenants. The ground floor is designed for flexibility in future tenant layout, with high ceilings and variety of possible configurations. The existing single story 2400 s.f. former dealer showroom building on site is being renovated and repurposed as an additional freestanding retail space.

• Scope of Work: New 10,000 s.f. building over 2 floors. Rehab of existing single story building, ~ 2,400 s.f.  Surface parking (53 spaces).
• Project Year: 2018
• Location: Los Gatos, CA
• Architect: Studio S Squared Architecture, Inc.; Eugene H. Sakai, AIA, President; Sean Rinde, Jose Ares Abajo, Diana Jarrar