Attachment 4 - Public Comment_RedactedBryan J. Mekechuk/Jo-Anne Sinclair
October 30, 2022
Town Council
Town of Los Gatos
110 East Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
Dear Town Council:
Re: Story Pole Exemption – 15860 Winchester Boulevard
Based on filings by the applicant, Town Council should deny the application for a story pole exemption.
Story poles indicate that an application has been submitted and is under consideration by the Town. Only after
the applicant has filed accurate information reflecting existing and planned conditions at the site should Town
Council consider, and accept, a request for a story pole exemption.
The applicant (1) omitted any reference, depiction or reference to the Class IV bike lanes from the drawings,
renderings and photographs of the existing site and plans; (2) the traffic studies included in the application on
the Town’s website do not acknowledge or consider the effect of the existing Class IV bike lanes; and (3) the
traffic study in Appendix F shows a traffic signal, which does not exist, controlling the Winchester/Shelbourne
intersection. A brief, cursory review of the materials of the Town’s website identified these deficiencies.
While one may advocate that having plans that omit existing conditions and traffic studies that do not consider
Class IV bike lanes and have wrong traffic signals will not have a material effect on a request for a story pole
exemption, Town Council should consider the precedent they are setting and the message they are sending to
applicants, Town Staff, the Planning Commission, citizens and neighboring jurisdictions regarding the duty of
care and accuracy required by the Town in filings on proposed developments.
Of material importance is that the staff report refers to “… variance from the maximum height and lot cover-
age for the zone ...” yet sheets A-4.2 and A-4.3 do not show any “Variance Area” in yellow while sheets A-3.2
and A-3.3 of identical elevations in the application highlight variance areas in yellow. This is misleading.
The application that was denied by the Planning Commission in 2017 and subsequently approved on appeal to
Town Council had a two-story 30,070 sq ft office building with 128 parking spaces (87 below grade and 41 at
grade). The front setback was 35 to 44 feet along Winchester. The proposed three-story building is 81,633 sq ft
with 54 parking spaces (49 below grade and 5 at grade). The front setback is the minimum allowed, 25 feet,
along Winchester.
The change in the project is staggering.
We ask that the Town Council deny the request for exemption until the applicant has prepared and filed
documents that reflect existing conditions and include the variance locations on the plans.
Sincerely,
Bryan J. Mekechuk Jo-Anne Sinclair
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