06-15-2023- Minutes - HEAB DRAFT (PDF)
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
HOUSING ELEMENT ADVISORY
BOARD REPORT
MEETING DATE: 7/20/2023
ITEM NO: 1
DRAFT MINUTES OF THE HOUSING ELEMENT ADVISORY BOARD
JUNE 15, 2023
The Housing Element Advisory Board of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on
June 15, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Melanie Hanssen, Vice Chair Kathryn Janoff, Council Member Matthew Hudes,
Council Member Rob Moore, Board Member Randi Chen, Board Member Joseph Mannina,
Board Member Adam Mayer, Board Member Steven Piasecki, and Board Member Ryan
Rosenberg.
Absent: Planning Commissioner Emily Thomas.
Staff present: Jennifer Armer; Joel Paulson; Jocelyn Shoopman; Erin Walters; and Gabrielle
Whelan.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – March 16, 2023
MOTION: Motion by Board Member Rosenberg to approve adoption of the
Consent Calendar. Seconded by Council Member Moore.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously 9-0.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
2. Review and Discuss the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s
(HCD) Findings/Comment Letter Received by the Town on May 30, 2023, and Possible
Modifications to the Town’s Draft Revised Housing Element.
Presentation by Erin Walters, Associate Planner and Gabrielle Whelan, Town Attorney.
Housing Element Advisory Board (HEAB) member’s comments and questions:
• What are the most important HCD comments to address that could put the Town in
substantial compliance?
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• How many Senate Bill 330 (SB 330) applications across California have been submitted?
• What are the penalties of late certification of a Housing Element?
• Could the State of California intervene if the Town adopts the r ezoning, but does not
have a certified Housing Element?
• Is the 2020 or 2040 General Plan being amended?
• A timeline of the Housing Element process should be posted on the Town’s website.
• What will the Housing Element Overlay Zone look like in its implementation?
• What is the timeline for completing the rezoning and certification of the Housing
Element?
• It is important that the Housing Element Advisory Board meet every month.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
Jeff Loughridge
• Was a member of a previous Housing Element Advisory Board. The Town has lost
control by missing the May 2023 deadline. The consequences of missing the deadline
were discussed a lot earlier in the last Housing Element cycle to the HEAB. The Town
needs to meet with HCD more often and have now let the developers have the upper
hand. Concerned that the Town is allowing the control to be lost.
Jak Van Nada
• Thank you for mentioning the timelines. The Board should be meeting monthly with
objectives and timelines. Will SB 330 applications continue to be approved? The same
question for Builder’s Remedy. The Desk Item contained the consequences by HCD for
not having a certified Housing Element. There are four Bay Area cities with approved
Housing Elements and five Bay Area cities without an approval, Los Gatos being one of
them.
HEAB member’s comments and questions (continued):
• Did the Town lose control by not having a certified Housing Element?
• Request there be a study session with the General Plan Committee, Planning
Commission, and Town Council to understand SB 330 and Builder’s Remedy.
• How quickly can the Santa Clara Collaborative and AFFH consultant produce the work
that the Town needs?
• Outside consultant may be helpful in handling the AFFH comments related to race.
• The Housing Element needs more explicit talk about the Town’s diversity and mobility
efforts.
• Call out the items with HCD that were repeated comments, but responded to by staff.
• The Housing Element contains the data, but a proper analysis was not there to reach a
conclusion.
• Bring approved certified text to the HEAB when considering topics in the HCD comment
letter.
• The HCD comments are looking to produce a real outcome.
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• Are there dialogues that the Town can have with Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
to keep a bus line?
• Should Los Gatos pay for its own bus system if VTA will not keep a line ?
• See the Los Altos Hills Housing Element since Los Altos Hills does not have a bus line.
• Use key words from the HCD comment letter when addressing a specific comment.
• Can the Town Attorney write a letter to HCD about comments that were repeated or
missed by HCD.
• Provide links to the HEAB of other Bay Area certified Housing Elements.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true
and correct copy of the minutes of the
June 15, 2023, meeting.
Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development
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