Item2.Desk Item with Attachment 10
PREPARED BY: ERIN WALTERS AND JOCELYN SHOOPMAN
Associate Planner and Associate Planner
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
MEETING DATE: 11/17/2022
ITEM NO: 2
DESK ITEM TOWN OF LOS GATOS
HOUSING ELEMENT ADVISORY BOARD REPORT
DATE: November 17, 2022
TO: Housing Element Advisory Board
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Discuss Anticipated Comments on the Town’s Draft Housing Element Based on
Comments Other Jurisdictions Have Received from the California Department of
Housing and Community Development (HCD) on Their Draft Housing Elements.
REMARKS:
Attachment 10 contains public comments received between 11:01 a.m., Wednesday, November
16, 2022, and 11:00 a.m., Thursday, November 17, 2022.
ATTACHMENTS:
Previously received with the November 17, 2022 Staff Report:
1. City of Campbell Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
2. City of Dublin Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
3. City of Menlo Park Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
4. City of Mountain View Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
5. City of Redwood City Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
6. City of Saratoga Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
7. City of Sunnyvale Draft Housing Element HCD Comment Letter
8. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Thursday, October 20, 2022, and 11:00 a.m.
on Friday, November 11, 2022
Previously received with the November 17, 2022 Addendum Report:
9. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Friday, November 11, 2022, and 11:00 a.m.
on Wednesday, November 16, 2022
Received with this Desk Item Report:
10. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Wednesday, November 16, 2022, and 11:00
a.m., Thursday, November 17, 2022
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From: Jim Foley <>
Sent: Thursday, November 17, 2022 10:54 AM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Cc: Clerk <Clerk@losgatosca.gov>; Marico Sayoc <MSayoc@losgatosca.gov>; mristow@losgatosca.com
Subject: Desk Item for Housing Element Meeting tonight...
Importance: High
Hi Joel, hopefully this can be added as a desk item for tonight’s Housing Element meeting. Will follow
up with you.
Dear Housing Element Advisory Committee –
I wanted to provide a few comments for consideration regarding the dwelling units per acre
development standards found in the Land Use Element of the General Plan. In recent months I have
been engaged with several clients studying development scenarios for properties particularly in the MU
land use designation. Due to rising land values and construction costs I fear that projects will not be
able to be developed with the densities as planned in the 2040 plan. Understanding revisions could
happen in connection with the referendum and also comments from HCD, my recommendation is that
the committee take a hard look at increasing the dwelling units per acre in several areas of Town. The
project costs are such that project feasibility requires the maximization of the development potential
and additional density bonus applications to the project to be feasibility, and even with that you wind up
with too few residential units and a surplus of commercial/office space that in the current market is far
too risky for a developer to pursue the project. Projects will not get built and all the hard work on the
General Plan and Housing Element will be wasted. I am working to provide additional information and
some example scenarios for your evaluation, but hope you can raise the issue as a discussion topic at
upcoming meetings. I am unable to attend the meeting this evening but happy to provide more
information or answer questions as the topic progresses.
Thank you,
Jim Foley
Principal
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ATTACHMENT 10
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