Construction and remodeling in Woodside Hills are regulated by the building and zoning codes of the Town of Woodside and the CC&R's of Woodside Hills. These CC&R's provide for an Architectural Board (AB) to enforce and interpret the regulations contained in the CC & R's so as to maintain uniform community standards.

The AB is composed of three Woodside Hills' residents who are appointed by the Board of Directors. The members of the AB volunteer their time to review project plans and visit construction sites.

Planning

If you are planning a construction or remodeling project, the AB suggests the following steps:

1. You or your architect should make some rough sketches of the existing area of proposed construction along with the changes you would like to make.
2. Make an appointment with a Planner at the Town of Woodside (2955 Woodside Rd. 851-6790) and go in to review these sketches. The Planner will look at your sketches and make suggestions or offer alternatives that will facilitate meeting your objectives with a minimum of requirements from the Town. He/she will also advise you as to what the Town needs in the form of documentation to review the final plans. Knowing this in advance can save much time and effort. Finally, he/she will advise you of the permit costs, which can be substantial as it must cover the costs of the services and inspections the Town will make.
3. Call one of our AB members, tell them what you want to do and get their inputs on aspects they will be concerned with. If necessary, they can drop by to discuss any problems you know of (such as impacts on neighbors). You should read the AB Policy and Procedures, which can be downloaded from the link at the end of this page.
4. With all these preliminary steps, prepare final detail plans that can be submitted to our AB and the Town for approval.
5. Submit the plans first to our AB. If you go to the town first, they will send you back to have the plans stamped by our AB. If your plans impact your neighbors, our AB will ask you to take your plans to your neighbors and have them sign one set to record the fact that they have seen the plans. If they have objections, they are free to voice them for consideration by the AB but neighbors do not have to approve the plan.
6. Take the stamped plans to the Town.

Architectural Board Review

In general, our Architectural Board tries to make certain that:

1. Your project conforms to the specific requirements of Woodside Hills C, C & R's. Note that in all units of Woodside Hills, the minimum side and rear set-back is 25 feet (which is more restrictive than the 20 feet required by the Town in the SR zone).
2. Your project is generally conforming to the aesthetic standards of our neighborhood (earth-tone colors and general architecture style)
3. Your project does not adversely impact your neighbors.

Other building standards are governed and controlled by the Town of Woodside, including its Planning Commission and Architectural Site & Review Board.

Please note that unlike the Town, we do require approval of external paint color when repainting if the color is a change. Generally, earth-tone colors are recommended.

Because we recognize the importance of your project, the AB tries to make its determination quickly. Most simple remodeling projects take just a few days for approval.

During Construction

Once you receive approval and permits to begin your project, it is important that you and your contractors respect your neighbors and the community during the progress of your construction. We ask you to note the following rules:

1. By law, construction is only allowed between 7:30am and 5:30pm on weekdays and between 8:00am to 1:00pm on Saturdays. Construction is not allowed during any other time periods.
2. Per the CC & R's, the only signs allowed are 'for sale' signs, so we ask homeowners to refuse requests by contractors to put their signs up.
3. Please notify your neighbors in advance of any hazardous, noisy, inconvenient (such as blocking a roadway) or particularly dirty (dust-generating) parts of your project.
4. In order to protect the safety of pedestrians and drivers, construction crew vehicles should not be parked on the "safety trail" (asphalt sidewalk) or the roadway.
5. Portable toilets should not be visible from the roadway. and construction equipment, if kept on the property overnight, should be kept off the roadway and preferably out of sight.
6. Whenever possible, debris boxes should not be visible from the roadway and should be removed from the construction site as quickly as possible.
7. Construction crews should clean up all construction debris and personal waste (such as lunch wrappers and soda cans) at the close of each day.
8. You must restore all damaged areas, including damage to plants, roadways, sidewalks or grass - whether on public property (such as a traffic island) or private property (including a neighbor's property) -- as soon as possible following construction. Your project's final approval may be withheld until damaged areas are restored.
9. Fences that are visible from the street should be screened by the planting of shrubs and plants no later than one month following the completion of your fence work.

We're sure your neighbors will appreciate your cooperation.

If you would like to speak with the Architectural Board, or if you have any questions about our regulations, please contact one of the board members listed on the Contact Us page.

Click below to see the Architectural Board Policies and Procedures (4-5-05) Architectural Board Policies & Procedures and Hedge Fence Guidelines Hedge Fence Guidelines