Ranch Description
The following description is adapted from the Urban
Land Institute's April-June 1980 Project Reference File for the Portola
Valley Ranch.
Contents:
General Description
Portola Valley Ranch is a planned unit development of single-family
detached homes located in the town of Portola Valley, approximately 30
miles south of San Francisco. The project has been designed to
harmonize
with the natural environment and functions as a private residential
park
and nature preserve. It features several hundred acres of
wilderness
land, miles of riding, hiking, and jogging trails, and a recreation
center
offering abundant and varied outdoor recreation opportunities within
minutes
of home.
The site's natural land forms, native vegetation, and wildlife
have been preserved to the maximum extent possible.
The site was purchased in 1974, construction was started late in 1975, and the first homes were occupied in December 1976. Nearly all 205 home sites are now occupied.
The Site
PVR is located on the San Francisco Peninsula within the
rural
town of Portola Valley
,
a sophisticated community which has vigorously preserved its rustic
character
through stringent land use controls. It is 10 minutes from
Stanford University
in Palo Alto. Nearby access to Interstate 280 places the
project within 30 minutes of downtown San Francisco to the north and
the
city of San Jose to the south. The site's location in the Santa Cruz
mountains
has provided a superb natural setting, with spectacular views of the
San
Francisco Bay, the Stanford University campus, and the surrounding
forested
mountains and foothills.
The preservation of these unique vistas has been
assured. A. portion of the foothills to the west is occupied by the
project's
permanent open space area, while the remaining area to the west is
either
owned by an open space association or is subject to strict development
controls. The land to the south of the site is occupied exclusively by
nature preserves, while the land to the north and east is part of the
town of Portola Valley and thus subject to its sophisticated
development
review.
The site is characterized by rolling hills which contain virgin oak woodlands, meadows, streams, and ponds. Soils are primarily clay and sandstone. Wildlife is abundant and includes deer, bobcats, raccoons, and a wide variety of birds. The site is bisected by the famous San Andreas fault. Development has been limited to the foothills to the east of the fault, with the foothills to the west containing the site's wilderness preserve.
Planning and Engineering
The overall planning objective has been to minimize the disruption of the natural environment. All man-made elements have been organized into as close a relationship as possible with nature. By clustering homes on less than 100 acres of the site, approximately 350 acres have been left as permanent open space to provide views, recreation, and wildlife habitat. Homes have been grouped around a series of cul-de-sacs, with each cul-de-sac grouping planned as a unit. The site's rolling terrain and the greenbelts of mature oaks screen adjoining clusters and provide a high degree of privacy for residential sites. The cul-de-sac groupings have also created small neighborhood intimacy and security within the larger community.
The land has served as the natural planner, with land contours
determining the placing of roads and the cul-de-sac neighborhoods.
Roads
have been placed along ridge lines, thus eliminating all but the most
minimal cut and fill. Roads have been kept narrow (22 feet wide) and
the
amount of impervious surface has been minimized. Carports, garages, and
off-street parking bays have been provided, thereby eliminating street
parking and permitting narrower streets. Rustic paths have been
provided
instead of sidewalks.
These paths integrate the various clusters and feed
into the network of hiking, jogging, and riding trails in the open
space
area.
Individual homes have been carefully sited to maximize views and privacy, to avoid the disturbance of natural site features, such as trees, shrubs, rock outcroppings, and overland waterflow, and to provide optimum weather control by capturing he most sun and the least wind. Homes are located on 20,000 square-foot lots. However, all homes and streets were sited before property lines were laid, allowing maximum flexibility in siting. The irregular lot shapes permitted by the town were also critical in achieving the ideal siting of each home. In many instances, comes were redesigned to save trees or other natural features.
A natural surface drainage system as been employed instead
of conventional storm sewers. Stormwater is converted into natural or
man-made streams which feed into several natural collectors-two ponds
and many small creeks. Mini-dams and rock-filled channels have been
used
to break water flow velocity. In addition, a German technique called
wattling
(which encourages midstream plantings of willow and alder) has been
used
to reduce runoff velocity. These techniques, together with the
minimization
of impervious surface, have allowed water to seep down into the soil to
replenish the subsurface water table, a critical factor in the
drought-prone
climate. The use of drip irrigation and native plant landscaping has
also
reduced water use.
In addition, water conservation has been stressed by
providing several home water-conserving devices, such as low-flow
showerheads,
faucet aerators, and low-flush toilets, and by providing two pools at
the community recreation center instead of individual pools for each
home.
The project's water conservation program has reduced water use in the
development to less than one-third of area norms.
Another key factor in preserving the site's natural setting to the maximum extent possible was the use of a totally natural landscape plan. All landscape plants, both existing and newly planted, are natives. All homeowners must follow an overall landscape plan for the cluster in which their home is located, as well as a landscape plan for the particular homesite. These mandatory plans are included in the deed restrictions and are filed with the town, thus assuring continuity of landscaping despite changes in ownership. In addition to the mandatory plans, each homeowner is provided with a more elaborate, optional plan. All landscaping must be reviewed and approved by the Design Committee, and mandatory landscaping must be installed within a year of occupancy.
Trees and shrubs have been set in natural groupings, with groves of trees growing in natural patterns across lot lines. No fences or formal hedges are allowed. Thus, there is a sweep of visual continuity from the forested open space to the residential clusters. The native plants are hardy, disease resistant, and drought tolerant. Once established, they use 70 percent less water than conventional gardens, an important aspect of the water conservation program. They also require significantly less maintenance than conventional landscaping and serve as one of the project's low maintenance features. In addition, native plants have allowed wildlife to remain by providing food and protection.
Architecture
In order to minimize the disturbance of the natural terrain
and vegetation, to cope with geologic considerations, and to take
advantage
of slope potential, pier and grade beam construction has been used.
Homes
have been stepped up and down the sloping building sites (21/2:1 slopes
are typical). They have been designed with simple forms and clean
lines,
and are visually open structures which minimize the interference with
views. A basic cube design has been used minimizing energy used for
summer
cooling and winter heating and providing maximum flexible strength in
the event of earthquakes.
However, no two homes look alike. Over two dozen
basic floor plans have been designed with variations in the number of
rooms and their placement, level changes, roof lines, carports,
garages,
deck and trellis design, and roof and siding materials. To achieve
harmony
with the natural setting, earth-tone paints and wood finishes such as
redwood, cedar, and fir have been used. This allows the units to be
unobtrusive
from a distance, while at the same time providing variety within each
residential cluster. By building within oak groves and providing
additional
native plantings, the homes will ultimately blend totally into the
natural
landscape and the visual impact of the project on neighboring
communities
will be minimized.
Homes have been designed and oriented to give maximum privacy while retaining spectacular views. Private courtyards and sheltered entryways provide street-side privacy, while skylights, clerestories, and large expanses of glass provide light and airy interiors and views of the mountain horizon and overhead tree canopies. A continued design theme has been to blur the dividing lines between indoor and outdoor, natural and manmade. The skylights provide natural light, and large wooden decks encourage outdoor living. Natural earth tones have been brought inside through the use of wood beams and handmade tiles on entry and bath floors. Large, open floor plans provide flexibility and encourage multiple uses.
Amenities
PVR has provided residents with abundant and varied outdoor recreation
close to home. Its nearly 400 acres of open space, including the
350-acre
wilderness preserve, contain nearly 10 miles of riding, hiking, and
jogging
trails which connect to the county, town, state, and private nature
preserve
trail systems. These trails augment the rustic footpaths which form the
internal circulation system between residential clusters. Many of the
trails have been dedicated to the town and are open for public use.
In addition to the trail systems, the project has a 7-acre recreation center. It includes a clubhouse with a conference room, a recreational pool, lap pool, tennis courts, vineyard, two duck ponds, an orchard, a community vegetable garden, a picnic area, barbecues, and additional parking for guests.
Homeowners' Association
Every lot owner is a member of the homeowners' association. The association, a nonprofit California corporation, is chartered to maintain all recreational facilities, open space, and cul-de-sac island plantings, to administer the common facilities, to assess and collect dues, and to enforce the covenants, conditions, and restrictions. The association administers a continuing informational program which includes a monthly newsletter to keep residents up to date on Ranch events and to remind them of regulations. It also functions as a social body, hosting monthly cocktail hours, a gourmet picnic, regular hikes, and related events.
The association includes a Design Committee, composed of a minimum of three members, which approves homeowners' exterior home changes, lot improvements, and landscape plans, thereby assuring design continuity and the implementation of the basic development concept. Design guidelines have been prepared by the committee to assist homeowners and to make certain that they are fully aware of the overall development philosophy.
Community
Many Ranch residents are executives from high-stress professions
who are attracted by the Ranch's concern for the environment, its
low-maintenance
features, the convenience and variety of at-home recreation, and the
privacy
and quiet provided by the open space and wilderness area.
Often they have left
homes with pools, tennis courts, traditional landscaping, and large
lots
in order to escape the climbing energy and water bills and the high
upkeep
time required. Residents are sophisticated, health-conscious, and
energy
conscious and range from empty nesters to singles to families with
children.
Homeowners enjoy the low-key, relaxed lifestyle, pleasant quality of
life,
low-maintainence living, recreation, open space and proximity to
Stanford
University.