Item 2 - 09-17-20 DRAFT Minutes
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
ADVISORY COMMITTEE REPORT
MEETING DATE: 10/15/2020
ITEM: 2
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE
SEPTEMBER 17, 2020
The General Plan Update Advisory Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular
Meeting on September 17, 2020, at 7:00 p.m., via teleconference.
This meeting was conducted utilizing teleconferencing and electronic means consistent with
State of California Executive Order N-29-20 dated March 17, 2020, regarding the COVID-19
pandemic and was conducted via Zoom. All committee members and staff participated from
remote locations and all voting was conducted via roll call vote. In accordance with Execu tive
Order N-29-20, the public could only view the meeting online and not in the Council Chamber.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Melanie Hanssen, Vice Chair Kathryn Janoff, Mayor Marcia Jensen, Vice Mayor
Barbara Spector, Committee Member Kendra Burch, Committee Member Todd Jarvis,
Committee Member Susan Moore Brown, Committee Member Steven Piasecki, Committee
Member Ryan Rosenberg, Committee Member Lee Quintana, and Committee Member Carol
Elias Zolla.
Absent: None.
Staff present: Jennifer Armer, Joel Paulson, Laurel Prevetti, Arn Andrews, Matt Morley, WooJae
Kim, Sally Zarnowitz, and Lynne Lampros.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – July 30, 2020
2. Approval of Minutes—August 6, 2020
MOTION: Motion by Committee Member Piasecki to approve the Consent Items
with one modification to the August 6, 2020 minutes, to amend the
second motion under Discussion Item 1 to state “the Hazards and Safety
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Element,” in place of “this Element.” Seconded by Committee Member
Moore Brown.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
3. Review and Discussion of the Revised Initial Draft of the Hazards and Safety Element.
Jennifer Armer, Senior Planner, presented the staff report.
Open and Closed Public Comment.
Committee further discussed the matter and provided the following comments and
direction:
- Change wording of HAZ-2.5 to use “Develop” instead of “Designate.”
- Move HAZ-2.5 to under Goal 3, instead of Goal 2.
- Remove specific reference in HAZ-2.5 to Santa Clara County Fire Department.
- Define “Fire Buffer” as an area that can be maintained in a way that reduces the spread
of fire during future wildfires.
- Delete “New” from HAZ-2.1.
- Add “defensible space” into HAZ-2.1 and in the definitions.
- If we legally need to use “must” instead of “shall” then it should be changed throughout
the General Plan or clearly defined in the first chapter.
- Change HAZ-3.2 language back to “encourage.” Or change to say “planning at a
neighborhood level” rather than current wording that sounds like it is the
neighborhood’s responsibility.
- Revised wording of HAZ-3.3: Intent of policy is good, but the Town does not have
control over fire/medical services.
- Clarify HAZ-4.5 to make sure it isn’t creating a taking.
- Add roadway to Figure 8-4.
- Confirm that Policy HAZ-5.3 is legally feasible.
- Consider adding an implementation program to monitor precipitation discussed in HAZ-
5.6.
- Consider removing hazardous sites from the DTSC list if they have been fully
remediated.
- Consider adding “study and amend as appropriate” to the beginning of Implementation
Program M.
4. Review and Discussion of the Revised Initial Draft of Mobility Element.
Jennifer Armer, Senior Planner, presented the staff report.
Open and Closed Public Comment.
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Committee further discussed the matter and provided the following comments and
direction:
- Remove references to school bus pilot.
- MOB-7.10 should include impacts on residents and neighbors.
- MOB-7.1: Consider extension of light rail even further beyond Vasona Light Rail, closer
to downtown.
- MOB-9.1 should include TDM.
- MOB-9.1 first bullet point should change “maintaining” to “promoting.”
- Consider using some language from October 8, 2019 Joint Town Council/Planning
Commission staff report on Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) for the introduction. That
staff report clearly shows the motivation behind the change to VMT, and the difference
between the CEQA use of VMT and the local use of LOS.
- Have updated street typology system within the General Plan, if feasible.
- MOB-11.2: Can’t limit cut-through traffic without impacting freedom of movement, so
consider change to “minimizing the freedom of movement of residents…”
- MOB-11.4: Clarify how new roadway projects might affect cut-through traffic.
- MOB-11.5: Add reference to “cut-through traffic” to make sure deliveries are allowed.
- Consider changing MOB-12.3 so that there is some percentage change in LOS, rather
than just from one level to the next. Clarify if this is peak hour trips.
- MOB-13.1: Adjust language to allow additional lanes within existing ROW.
- MOB-14.5: Delete “recurring.”
- Make sure that policies do not conflict with Comprehensive Parking Study.
- Remove MOB-15.3.
- Clarify language in MOB 16.1.
- Add TDM as an option to MOB-16.2.
- Implementation Program: Parking study recommendations could be included as
implementation programs.
- There should be an implementation program for cut-through traffic.
The next GPAC meeting will be on Thursday, October 1, 2020.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true
and correct copy of the minutes of the
September 17, 2020 meeting as approved by the
General Plan Update Advisory Committee.
Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development