01-13-21 Minutes - GPC
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
GENERAL PLAN COMMITTEE
REPORT
MINUTES OF THE GENERAL PLAN COMMITTEE MEETING
JANUARY 13, 2021
The General Plan Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on January
13, 2021, at 5:30 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 partic ipated from
remote locations and all voting was conducted via roll call vote. In accordance with Executive
Order N-29-20, the public could only view the meeting online and not in the Council Chamber.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 5:30 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Melanie Hanssen, Vice Chair Kathryn Janoff, Council Member Mary Badame,
Council Member Maria Ristow, Committee Member Todd Jarvis, Committee Member Joseph
Mannina, Committee Member Steven Piasecki, and Committee Member Lee Quintana.
Absent: Planning Commissioner Kendra Burch.
Staff Present: Community Development Director Joel Paulson, Senior Planner Jennifer Armer,
and Town Attorney Robert Schultz.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – September 13, 2017
MOTION: Motion by Committee Member Piasecki to Approve the Consent Item.
Seconded by Committee Member Jarvis.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. Council Member Badame, Committee
Member Mannina, and Committee Member Quintana abstained.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
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2. 4 Tait Avenue (Zone Change and General Plan Amendment)
Consider a Request for Approval for a Zone Change from R-1D:LHP (Single-Family
Residential Downtown with a Landmark and Historic Preservation Overlay) to C-2:LHP
(Central Business District with a Landmark and Historic Preservation Overlay) and a
General Plan Amendment to Change the Land Use Designation from Medium Density
Residential to Central Business District, for Property Located at 4 Tait Avenue. APN: 510-
44-054. Zone Change Application Z-20-002 and General Plan Amendment Application
GP-20-001.
PROPERTY OWNER: Town of Los Gatos
APPLICANT: Jim Foley
PROJECT PLANNER: Jennifer Armer
Council Member Ristow recused herself.
Jennifer Armer, Senior Planner, confirmed that the GPC will be making a
recommendation on the General Plan amendment change while keeping the zone
changes in mind as they go together in this case.
Committee Members asked questions of staff on the following topics:
- The allowed uses in the existing and proposed General Plan designations and
zoning;
- The potential noise, traffic, or parking impacts of different possible uses;
- The building’s historic character and location within the Broadway Historic
District; and
- Controls that the Town has through the lease agreement as property owner .
Opened Public Comment.
Jim Foley, Applicant
- Described the private-public partnership proposed for the site where they will take
some of the risk off of the municipality and use their resources to achieve a project
and have a mutual benefit at the end. When you look at 4 Tait, there isn’t a lot of
options there. It’s an historic building that we want to preserve and not have to tear
down or redevelop. If you were to turn it into a residential property, it would need
to be significantly modified or redeveloped. The intent is to restore the building
while keeping the look and feel it currently has while being able to convert it to a
use that will work there.
Committee Members asked questions of the applicant on the following topics:
- Appropriate use of the property; and
- Possible physical changes to the historic building.
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Closed Public Comment.
Commissioners discussed the matter expressing the following comments:
- The change in designation seems appropriate, especially with the Town’s control of
tenancy as property owner;
- Review of future tenants would need to be reviewed for sufficient parking; and
- Personal Service uses would not be preferred in this location.
MOTION: Motion by Council Member Badame to Recommend Approval of
the General Plan Amendment with the reasons stated by
Committee Members with consideration given to the comments
discouraging personal service. Seconded by Committee Member
Jarvis.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. Committee Member Quintana
abstained.
OTHER BUSINESS
3. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Chair Nomination:
MOTION: Motion by Vice Chair Janoff to re-elect Melanie Hanssen as Chair of the
General Plan Committee. Seconded by Committee Member Quintana.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
Vice Chair Nomination:
MOTION: Motion by Chair Hanssen to re-elect Kathryn Janoff as Vice Chair of the
General Plan Committee. Seconded by Committee Member Badame.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true
and correct copy of the minutes of the
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January 13, 2021 meeting as approved by the
General Plan Update Advisory Committee.
/s/Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development