Attachment 13 - Public Comments received between 1101 a.m., Thursday, March 31, 2022, and 1100 a.m., Monday, April 4, 2022From: Julie Southern
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2022 10:41 AM
To: PublicComment <PublicComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Public Comment Item #_16 - the Meadows at 110 Wood Road
EXTERNAL SENDER
Hello Town
I am a long time resident and neighbor of the Meadows at 110 Wood Road. I have been on record
several times thru their application process and want to be sure you have this again.
1)I am for the rebuilding of the Meadows. It provides a needed service and they have been good
neighbors over the years.
2)The current orange poles highlighted the height proposed, and was alarming. But as I understand,
with a reduction of a floor ( or two), it would be more like the current structure bulk and acceptable.
3)Farwell Lane should be left open, even if just for the Service Vehicles supporting the Meadows, like it
did before the Meadows closed. Closing an access road to a hillside already burned in the 1997 fire
(which my house was one) is shorsighted.
I appreciate the many neighbor meetings the Meadows has held over the years to keep us informed.
Thank you
Julie Southern
Wood Road, Los Gatos
ATTACHMENT 13
April 1, 2022
Elaine M. Seid 15559 Union Ave., # 3016 Los Gatos, CA 95032 3495 Lakeside Drive #1271 Reno, Nevada 89509 T: (408) 412-3568 Elaine@EMSeidEstateLaw.com www.EMSeidEstateLaw.com
Via email Mayor Rob Rennie Vice Mayor Maria Ristow
Member Marico Sayoc Member Mary Badame Member Matthew Hudes
Re: Los Gatos Meadows
Dear Honorable Members of the Council:
I support the Los Gatos Meadows Project under consideration at your April 5 meeting. My husband and I are on the waiting list to buy into this housing project when it becomes available and when we are in need.
I have been a resident of Los Gatos for over thirty years, a member of the Los Gatos Morning Rotary, a volunteer for Jazz on the Plazz and attended numerous meetings of the Town’s Complete Streets & Transportation Commission and its predecessor the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission to advocate safe roads for bicycling
We own a home in Los Gatos that is single story that we have remodeled with the idea we could age in place. However, we are realistic to know there is a chance either of us could become too frail to live alone in our home without assistance. We are fortunate to have The Terraces nearby where we could remain in Los Gatos and near our current home. However, the Terraces is in high demand, and it is difficult to secure housing larger than a one bedroom or studio. When we
heard the Meadows would be redeveloped into large apartments, we jumped at the opportunity to be on the waiting list. The advantage of the Meadows to us is it would be a safe place with onsite healthcare services and exercise facilities to allow us to age gracefully and safely. The Meadows is in a scenic
location and is designed with pleasing surrounding. We could safely descend to the street level on Broadway Ave through an elevator (?) and walk around downtown to patronize our favorite restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, stores, the farmer’s market and attend Jazz on the Plazz, and the many events sponsored by the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce and service clubs. We would not need a car or worry about parking. We prefer to walk. The town is very walkable.
The Town of Los Gatos is a unique special place located in an area of natural beauty and resources with a vibrant and active downtown. We want to be able to continue to live here.
Letter to Los Gatos Town Council
March 31, 2022 Page 2
It would be an advantage to the community should we move out of our single-family house in a very desirable neighborhood and make it available to a family in need of a home in a great community with outstanding schools. We all know homes for families in Los Gatos are in short supply and in high demand. The Meadows would add to the housing supply in Los Gatos in a
meaningful way for seniors who already live here and want to stay as they age.
We believe the Meadows to be a beautiful project operated by a well-regarded nonprofit. We understand the developers have taken care to listen to our desires in designing the project, have taken public safety and wildfire preparedness into consideration, and have strived to minimize
the development footprint. The hillside on which the Meadows is located is steep and a
challenge to develop. We commend the developers on a job well done. We disagree the structure will be overbearing to its surrounding neighborhood. The planning commission’s decision to deny the Los Gatos Meadows’ application because its
plans do not include low-income housing is short sighted and myopic. The Town of Los Gatos
alone cannot solve the housing shortage. Even if the entire Los Gatos Meadows project were designated low-income housing, it would not solve the current housing shortage in the bay area. And who would pay for the construction and maintenance of the Meadows as low-income housing? Certainly not the Town of Los Gatos. Recent reports are the Town of Los Gatos is
way behind on funding its very much needed infrastructure, let allow subsidizing low-income
house in the magnitude of Meadows. In my humble opinion, in this situation, it makes more sense to allow the private sector to market attractive senior housing in downtown Los Gatos to entice Los Gatos homeowners to relinquish
and move out of their desirable single-family homes, some perhaps on large lots. The movement
of seniors from their desirable homes into denser housing on less real estate opens housing opportunities for new homeowners. Or, perhaps, houses on large lots left by seniors could be redeveloped with attractive denser housing.
Thank you for reading and considering my comments. I encourage your support for this project.
Very truly yours,
ELAINE M. SEID
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