Attachment 4 - General Plan Vision and Guiding Principles1. Introduction
June 2022, adoption 2040 General Plan 1-5
The GPAC served as a sounding board for the discussion of issues, opportunities, and the development of the
plan to guide the community’s future. The GPAC held more than 35 public meetings throughout the General Plan
update process, listening to community input and contributing to the development of the Vision and Guiding
Principles, Land Use Alternatives, and the content of the General Plan document.
Planning Commission and Town Council Meetings
The Town held various Planning Commission and Town Council Meetings throughout the update process to
inform decision-makers and the public, discuss key milestones, and provide direction for the next steps.
1.3 General Plan Vision and Guiding Principles
After community discussions at the General Plan Update Advisory Committee and Planning Commission, the Los
Gatos Town Council approved a Vision Statement and set of Guiding Principles for the Los Gatos 2040 General
Plan on August 20, 2019. The Vision Statement is written in the present tense to describe the Town in the year
2040.
Vision
The Town of Los Gatos is a welcoming, family-oriented, and safe community nestled in the beautiful foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Town is a sustainable community that takes pride in its small-town character and provides a range of housing opportunities, historic neighborhoods, local culture and arts, excellent schools, and a lively and accessible downtown. Los Gatos offers a choice of mobility options, superior public facilities and services, and an open and responsive local government that is fiscally sound. The Town includes a mix of
businesses throughout Town that serve all residents, workers, and visitors. Los Gatos has a dynamic and thriving economy that includes a mix of businesses throughout Town that serves all residents, workers, and visitors.
Guiding Principles
Community Vitality
Invigorate Los Gatos as a special place for community gathering, commerce, and other activities for
residents and visitors. Foster the economic vitality of all Los Gatos business locations. Preserve and
enhance the Town's historic resources and character while guiding the community into the future.
Connectivity
Emphasize the importance of connecting all facets of the Town to build a strong sense of community
through building design, walkability, and safe streets.
Diverse Neighborhoods
Foster appropriate investments to maintain and enhance diverse neighborhoods, housing opportunities,
and infrastructure to meet the needs of all current and future residents.
Fiscal Stability / Responsibility
Provide high quality municipal services to the Los Gatos community while sustaining long term fiscal well-
being.
Government Transparency
Conduct governmental processes in an open manner and encourage public involvement in Town
governance.
Attachment 4
Los Gatos 2040 General Plan
1-6 2040 General Plan June 2022, adoption
Inclusivity
Value the importance of and promote ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic diversity and equity to enhance
the quality of life in Los Gatos.
Mobility
Provide a well-connected transportation system that enables safe access for all transportation modes,
including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit riders of all ages and abilities.
Promote Public Safety
Maintain and enhance Los Gatos as a safe community through preparation and planning, education, and
community design that is responsive to the full range of potential natural and man-made hazards and
safety issues.
Protect Natural Environment
Protect and enhance the natural environment and biotic communities that define Los Gatos, including but
not limited to open space preserves, recreational trails, surrounding hillsides, and natural waterways.
Sustainability
Manage, conserve, and preserve Los Gatos' natural environment for present and future generations.
Identify and provide opportunities to enhance the Town' s sustainability policies and practices.
1.4 Analyses Informing the 2040 General Plan
As part of the Town of Los Gatos General Plan update process, the Town prepared the following General Plan
supporting documents:
Issues, Opportunities, and Constraints Summary. The Issues, Opportunities, and Constraints
Summary summarized the key issues, opportunities, and constraints identified based on the findings in the
Background Report, input from community workshops, GPAC, stakeholder interviews, and a Joint Town
Council/Planning Commission study session.
Alternatives Report. The Alternatives Report describes the development and evaluation of land use and
policy alternatives. The report was designed to frame an active discussion among stakeholders,
community members, and Town decision-makers, and led to a determination from the Town Council on a
preferred land use alternative framework and direction on key policy issues, which formed the basis of the
Draft General Plan.
Environmental Impact Report. The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) responds to the requirements of
the CEQA as set forth in Sections 15126, 15175, and 15176 of the CEQA Guidelines Act. The Planning
Commission and Town Council will use the EIR during the General Plan update process to consider
potential environmental implications associated with implementing the General Plan and to identify feasible
mitigation measures for significant impacts. The General Plan EIR may also be used in the environmental
evaluation of future projects. Future projects may be able to build (tier) their environmental review on the
General Plan EIR if they are consistent with the General Plan.
1.5 The Los Gatos Community
Los Gatos is located at the base of the Santa Cruz Mountains at the southwest edge of Santa Clara County and
approximately 50 miles south of San Francisco. The natural landscape includes picturesque hillsides, creeks,
and valley flatlands. Los Gatos is in an area once occupied by Indigenous People, which extends from the point
where the San Joaquin and Sacramento rivers flow into the San Francisco Bay to Point Sur, with the interior
Coastal Ranges most likely constituting the inland boundary. The Indigenous People lived sustainably in the area