Item 1 - Draft 6-10-15 MinutesDRAFTCDAC 9-9-15
ITEM 1
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
110 East Main Street, Los Gatos, CA 95032 (408) 354-6874
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SUMMARY OF DISCUSSION OF A REGULAR MEETING OF THE CONCEPTUAL
DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS FOR JUNE
10, 2015, HELD IN THE TOWN COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CIVIC CENTER, 110 EAST MAIN
STREET, LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA.
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The meeting was called to order at 4:30 P.M.
ATTENDANCE
Members Present: Absences:
Barbara Spector Mary Badame
Marcia Jensen
Kendra Burch
Thomas O’Donnell
Staff Present: Laurel Prevetti, Assistant Town Manager/Community Development Director
Joel Paulson, Planning Manager
Jennifer Savage, Senior Planner
Applicant: John Duquette (architect), Architectural Technologies
Shane Arters (applicant), LP Acquisitions, LLC
Randy Lamb (applicant), LAMB Partners, LLC
Heard out of order
ITEM 2: Approval of Minutes from August 13, 2014
ITEM 3: Approval of Minutes from December 10, 2014
Barbara Spector moved to approve the August 13, 2014 and December 10, 2014 minutes. The
motion was seconded by Tom O’Donnell and approved unanimously.
ITEM 1: 401 to 409 Alberto Way
Conceptual Development Advisory Committee Application CD-15-001
Requesting review of conceptual plans to demolish three existing office buildings
and construct two, two-story office buildings with underground parking on
property zoned CH. APN 529-23-018.
PROPERTY OWNER: CWA Realty
APPLICANT: Shane Arters, LP Acquisitions, LLC
PROJECT PLANNER: Jennifer Savage
The applicant team presented their proposal:
• Two Class A Office buildings.
• Two levels of underground parking.
• Facilities for bicyclists including 99 bicycle parking spaces and showers.
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June 10, 2015
Page 2 of 4
• Architecture intended to reflect a small town feel.
• An opportunity to provide office space with a reverse commute.
• A traffic study was drafted and shows the study intersections will operate at acceptable
levels.
CDAC Comments and Questions:
This list is a high level summary of the issues raised and responses (in italics) provided by the
applicant team.
Use
• How did the applicant decide to expand office use in Los Gatos? Based on demand for Class
A office space.
• Does the applicant’s office vacancy rate assume the new Netflix development (Albright
Way) is occupied, including the unbuilt buildings? Yes.
• How does the proposed office square footage compare to the existing office square footage?
The existing office square footage is approximately 30,000 square feet; the proposed office
square footage is approximately 90,000 square feet.
• What is the average square foot per person of the applicant’s recent projects? The average
depends on the type of use.
• How many people would occupy the buildings? The occupancy depends on the type of use.
Traffic
• What intersections were studied in the traffic study? Los Gatos Boulevard and Highway 9;
Alberto Way and Highway 9; University Avenue and Highway 9; and Caldwell/Kennedy and
Los Gatos Boulevard.
• How does the applicant define a reverse commute? Southbound trips on Highway 17.
• Does the traffic study take into account traffic from the existing use? Yes.
• Concerned about traffic congestion; Highway 9 and Alberto Way is a busy intersection.
• Does the traffic study assume the Los Gatos Lodge use remains? Yes.
• Where does the traffic study assume vehicles will stack? The traffic study will include this
information.
• Beyond the level of service calculations, what does the traffic consultant conclude about the
everyday operation of the intersections and experience of the delays on Los Gatos streets?
This is to be determined.
• Speaking from experience, there are severe delays on Los Gatos streets.
• Concerned about traffic issues.
• Concerned about the increase in building square footage and the traffic impacts from the
increase.
• How will TDM (Traffic Demand Management) work? The applicant will explore this.
• It is hard to understand that an increase in square footage would not increase traffic.
• The applicant should provide a construction management plan and consider school hours in
that plan.
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June 10, 2015
Page 3 of 4
Parking
• How does the developer provide bicycle commute incentives? Bicycle parking, showers, and
lockers.
• Will the underground parking create buildings higher than the existing office buildings? This
is to be determined.
• Will the underground parking require digging under the existing parking lot or filling above
it? The underground parking will be under the existing parking.
• What is the depth of excavation? The applicant will include this information with the
application.
• What is the volume of excavation? The applicant will include this information with the
application.
• How many trucks will be required for excavation? The applicant will include this
information with the application.
• Is the applicant required to providing parking for the new restaurant across the Alberto Way?
No, there are no parking agreements between the properties.
• The applicant should talk to the restaurant about parking.
Architecture
• Does the proposed FAR and coverage meet the Town’s limitations? The applicant believes
so and staff will study this question with the application.
• What are the applicant’s past projects in the Bay Area? One example is in Los Altos.
• Concerned about building height.
• There is an existing nice feeling and environment on Alberto Way and the proposed mass
may take away from the existing environment.
• What was the thought behind the proposed architecture? The style was used in other
developments.
• The mass of the proposal seems large.
• Can the applicant and/or architect minimize the mass of the project? The applicant will
explore this.
• Would the applicant be amenable to setback the second story from the first story? The
applicant will explore this.
• How does the height and location of the north side of building #1 compare with existing
buildings? The applicant will include this information with the application.
• Will the residents see new building mass or walls? The applicant will include this
information with the application.
• What is the scale of the proposed change to the residents? The applicant will include this
information with the application.
• Residents may see a dramatic change in views.
• Will residents’ views and sunlight be affected by project? The applicant will include this
information with the application.
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June 10, 2015
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• The applicant should provide a perspective of the change in the residents’ views.
• Take into consideration the residential views.
Site Design
• The site is relatively hidden and setback.
• Explain the grade changes from the sidewalk to the site.
• Will the applicant save mature trees? There are trees along Highway 9 that are not on the
subject property. Other tree information will be provided with the application.
• Do the plans show where the neighboring residential buildings start? The applicant will
include this with the application.
• It appears that the new building will be located at existing trash and recycling locations.
Other
• The committee was pleased that the applicant intends to complete an EIR (Environmental
Impact Report).
• The applicant is encouraged to conduct community outreach, including outreach to the
residences across Alberto Way.
Verbal Communications:
A CWA Realty (property owner) representative commented that the restaurant has not approached
the property owner about parking.
ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 5:09 p.m. The next regular meeting of the Conceptual
Development Advisory Committee is Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at 4:30
p.m.
Prepared by:
_________________________________________
Joel Paulson, Planning Manager
cc: Planning Commission Chair
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