Exhibit 13 - Letter of Justification, dated May 31, 202436 Southwood Drive | Orinda, California | 94563
www.RockwoodPacific.com
May 31, 2024
Mr. Steve Raspe, Chair
Los Gatos Planning Commission
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
RE: Letter of Justification
Rebuild of Los Gatos Meadows
Dear Mr. Raspe:
Included in this letter is the justification for the efforts of Front Porch (the “Sponsor”) to
rebuild Los Gatos Meadows (the “project”), the 10.84-acre site located at 110 Wood Road
(APN 510-47-038) at the intersection of Wood Road and S. Santa Cruz Avenue in Los Gatos.
While Front Porch has been involved with the project from its inception, the owner was
previously referred to as Covia Communities and Episcopal Senior Communities.
This letter is intended to replace the prior Letter of Justification dated January 6, 2022. Due
to the amount of material covered, for ease of navigation, this letter has been organized by
major topics:
I.Overview of Formal Processes (see page 2)
II.Community Engagement (see page 4)
III.Responses and Refinements (see page 5)
IV.Summary of Key Attributes of Proposed Project (see page 9)
V.Current Improvement / Current Residential PD Approval (see page 10)
VI.Analysis of Specific Project Attributes (see page 12)
VII.Benefits to the Community (see page 21)
VIII.Request for Planned Development (PD) Entitlement (see page 23)
IX.Justification (see page 25)
Also, attached to this letter as appendices are the following documents to assist in your
review:
Appendix A: Los Gatos 2020 General Plan Related to Project
Appendix B: Planned Development Ordinance Findings
Appendix C: Project Compatibility with General Plan and Zoning Code
Appendix D: Listing of Meetings with Neighbors and Community
Appendix E: Listing of Communications
Appendix F: Current Community Service Offerings of Front Porch
Appendix G: Current FAQ Document
EXHIBIT 13
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I. Overview of Formal Processes
Our Los Gatos Meadows rebuild efforts were initiated in 2008. We engaged in preliminary
review with Town Staff and the Conceptual Development Advisory Committee (“CDAC”)
during this time. As such, our justification letter includes responses to comments we received
at the “CDAC” and Town Staff review meetings held in 2008. Shor tly following these meetings,
Sponsor made the difficult decision to put the project on-hold given uncertain economic and
market conditions stemming from the Great Recession. From 2008-2018, the project was
inactive.
In 2018, Sponsor re-initiated discussions with the Town staff about proceeding with
redevelopment of the project site. Other than the declining physical condition of its buildings,
no substantive site conditions had changed, and no further site planning had commenced
since 2008. Site development topics and challenges identified by Town Staff and CDAC are as
similar today as those expressed in 2008. Thus, re-initiation focused on respectfully
addressing applicable prior CDAC and Town Staff comments; picking up where we left off,
and not starting the process anew.1
During this same period, Sponsor also focused efforts on mitigating the existing fire safety
concerns. Sponsor submitted a Tree Management Plan and request for Tree Removal Permit
to the Town of Los Gatos on September 26, 2019. The tree management recommendations
are based on fire safety, sudden oak death (SOD), species invasiveness and tree risk. Phase 1
of the Tree Management Plan identified recommendations for removal of 44 trees based on
the following criteria: (1) they disproportionately contribute to fire risk or are invasive and
(2) based on their health, structure, and condition, they do not contribute to site screening
between properties. Fire risk and invasive trees are the most imminent risk for the site. Los
Gatos Meadows has been closed, in part, due to fire risk. Limiting the spread of invasive
species to other portions of the site and neighboring sites is time sensitive as well. The permit,
which is independent from the proposed rebuild project, was approved on December 5, 2019;
applicable trees were removed in early 2020.
We submitted a formal development application on Jan 22, 2020 (the “prior application”).
This application was reviewed by the Planning Commission on January 12, 2022. The
Planning Commission did not recommend approval. The application was subsequently
reviewed by the Town Council on April 5, 2022. At the meeting, the Town Council remanded
the application back to the Planning Commission for further discussion with consideration of
comments provided by the Town Council.
Following the Town Council action in April 2022, the project team continued its community
engagement activities and commenced exploration of a range of alternatives. As part of this
1 CDAC recommended that the project include below market price units. In our assessment, California Health
and Safety Code section 1569.147(b) is applicable to the proposed rebuild project and prohibits the imposition
of rent regulations or controls for licensed care facilities for the elderly. Furthermore, we note the current
proposal does not involve an increase in the number of units or staffing levels above those reflected in the
current entitlements, and therefore does not result in impacts generating an increased need for affordable
housing.
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process, the project team previewed a potential refinement of its application at a study
session with the Los Gatos Planning Commission on October 25, 2023.
A summary of the concerns and recommendations of Town Staff, CDAC, the Planning
Commission and the Town Council are addressed in Section 3 of this letter. On March 1, 2024,
we submitted an updated application (the “current application).
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II. Community Engagement
Since re-initiating our rebuilding efforts in 2018, there have been multiple meetings with
various Planning and Public Works staff to clarify and confirm the proposed architectural
concepts and treatment of off- and on-site conditions, and to address specific technical
challenges.
From March of 2018 through 2024, the project team has hosted neighborhood open house
meetings to inform neighbors about the rebuilding process and to solicit their input and
feedback. To further facilitate dissemination of information to the community, the project
team produced a video summary update and circulated the link to this video update. The
video update can be accessed from the Los Gatos Meadows project information web site:
https://covia.org/los-gatos-meadows/
The project team met with each council member at least once. Furthermore, in the spirit of
community engagement and to commence the development of a “Town Integration” project,
over the last two years, the project team has conducted numerous in-person meetings with
our neighbors, local businesses, associations, and interest groups (see Appendix D and E for
details). We have taken feedback from neighbors, council members, and other community
leaders including concerns and comments on building/site design, massing, parking and
circulation, visual impacts, and safety, in the formation of the resubmittal. The project design
reflects the concerns of not only the Town, but also the broader Los Gatos community.
To further advance our Town Integration efforts, the project team has recently met with the
Community Health and Senior Services Commission and the Los Gatos Foundation for Older
Adults to Thrive. See Sections III and VII below for details on how Sponsor envisions
supporting the needs of seniors in the local community.
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III. Response and Refinements
In 2008, when rebuild efforts were initiated, Sponsor met with the Town Planning Staff and
CDAC Committee Members. This allowed for introduction, exploration, and feedback of the
proposed rebuild project, creating an open discussion for comments and concerns. During
the CDAC meeting, the committee members provided valuable feedback regarding project
compatibility with the General Plan, building height and massing, architectural design,
impacts on trees, and construction impacts. The feedback on these items was taken with great
seriousness and the project has since been redesigned in accordance with the committee’s
concerns.
Specifically, the CDAC recognized the need to modernize the Los Gatos Meadows complex and
supported the senior residential use of the facility. The CDAC hoped to improve the
walkability of the Farwell Lane connection, since the current connection is overly steep for
seniors. As part of the project, Sponsor has included an autonomous vehicle alternative
transportation solution as the means by which to address the steep slope at Farwell Lane,
while enhancing connectivity and mobility between Los Gatos Meadows and Broadway. This
project feature enables both safe and convenient access for residents to connect to downtown
Los Gatos. The project would also incorporate a below-grade parking level, a reflection of the
CDAC comments regarding potential parking garages. The CDAC also expressed concerns
about traffic. Sponsor has studied the site circulation and access accordingly, and as a result
has made some substantial modifications to site circulation and parking. The proposed site
plan provides for an efficient on-site circulation pattern and increases the availability of
parking to minimize the likelihood of spillover parking onto neighboring streets.
While the property is not located in the area subject to the hillside ordinance, the CDAC
suggested that the spirit and intent of the hillside guidelines should be applied within the
design of the project. To that end, the project would result in the reduction of the
development pad of over a fifth of an acre and a corresponding increase in overall open space
(from 75% to 77% of the project site), which would generally be consistent with the hillside
design guidelines. In addition to this, the proposed buildings would be stepped with the
hillside slope, limiting overall visual impacts throughout the Town of Los Gatos. The project
would align building roof lines with the contour of the hill and incorporate smaller roof
components, minimizing the contrast between buildings and the existing environment. The
project would also conserve the natural features of the topography. To that end, the project
would have generous replacement of mature trees and vegetation and would use natural
materials for drainage and retaining walls.
After submitting the prior application, we received additional feedback from Town staff, the
Planning Commission, and members of the Town Council. The primary theme of comments
made by the Planning Commission and the Town Council related to the height/massing of our
proposed project. Based on our extensive market analysis (updated just recently), we believe
that the demand for the type of senior housing with services we are proposing is deep and
would justify a project with many more units than currently proposed. However, we also
appreciate that the project has the potential to create a few limited impacts on public views.
While we have studied a broad array of responses to the range of issues raised, our primary
focus has been on exploring opportunities to mitigate the visual impacts without
compromising our goal to replace as many of the prior units as practical, all while maintaining
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the level of services and amenities to make this project an asset to the broader Los Gatos
community.
Re-Allocation of Height and Massing
Our current application has made refinements to the prior application with an emphasis on
reducing a range of impacts, especially visual impacts. We understand that there are
particularly high sensitivities to Villa B, Villa C, and the front portion of Villa A. Conversely,
as revealed by the installation of the story poles, there is less of a visual impact from Villa E
and the rear portion of Villa A. Accordingly, the current application effectively reallocates a
portion of the massing from front of the site to the rear of the site.
Based on feedback from the Planning Commission, we did explore options to expand the
development pad but concluded that the overall site impacts of this approach would be
greater than the current approach. However, due to the concerns of visual impacts on
neighbors on Wood Road, we are no longer proposing to reallocate massing to Villas F and G
and alternatively are proposing to add massing between Villas F and G and Villas D and E.
To further assist in clarifying the visual impacts of the proposed reallocation of height and
massing, we engaged the services of a professional and technically advanced visual
simulation company to evaluate, model and illustrate the potential impacts associated with
the resubmittal on both public and the private views of the neighboring properties most
affected by redevelopment of the site. [Refer to current application plan sheets A406-A408,
Visual Simulations for exhibits specifically related to the above comments are to be posted at
the project web site [https://covia.org/los-gatos-meadows/].
Change in Unit Mix
Several comments made during the Planning Commission (but not the Town Council)
meeting questioned the “luxury” positioning of the proposed project. To be clear, it is our
objective to rebuild Los Gatos Meadows as a beautiful community. The proposed use and
proposed target positioning of the current application does not differ from our original
entitlement application secured in the late 1960s. What has changed are the expectations
for senior living accommodation that have evolved markedly over the past half-century. The
preferences and expectations of people born in the later part of the 1800s (the intended age
cohort of the original design) differ greatly from those of the boomer generation and
beyond.
The unit sizes and unit mix of the proposed project are based on focus group studies with
local residents and decades of Front Porch’s experience providing similar services to
thousands of older adults. A project positioning that is not in alignment with the market is
not feasible. Regarding this matter, some participants have erroneously conflated our
continuing care retirement community (“CCRC”) project with assisted living/memory care
(“AL/MC”) projects. CCRC and AL/MC have widely varying physical and operational
attributes and are therefore distinctly different product types. One notable difference is that
CCRC’s are primarily marketed to future occupants who are typically moving from a single-
family home in the local community and are seeking a new home. Conversely, AL/MC
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communities are marketed to family members (usually the oldest daughter) who are
seeking comprehensive care for their mother or father.
However, because both unit sizes and mix were such an important consideration of the
Planning Commission, the current application has been revised and no longer includes any
large penthouse units. Furthermore, in comparison to the prior application, the average unit
size of independent units has been reduced from 1,493 square feet per unit to 1,414 square
feet per unit. Note that the units on the care portion of the project have only an average of
450 square feet per unit.
Reduction in Net Off-Haul
Meeting the operational needs for the former Los Gatos Meadows site required the use of
numerous surface parking spaces as well as extensive use of off-site public and private
parking that compromised fire department access. Resolving this has been a major priority
of our planning efforts. In response to CDAC’s recommendation, our rebuild proposal
incorporated a substantial increase in the number of below-grade parking spaces that
would necessitate a substantial volume of soil off-hauls.
We believe our current application balances the trade-off between parking needs and other
factors such as volume of soil removed, off-haul impacts, visual impacts, fire access and tree
removal impacts.
Based on concerns expressed by the Planning Commission with respect to off-haul impacts,
in comparison to the prior application, in the current application, the number of parking
spaces has been maintained (214 spaces) though in a modified configuration, but the
amount of off-haul has been reduced from 140,300 cubic yards to 128,800 cubic yards.
Community Benefit
Further below, this Justification Letter addresses community benefits related to human
services, town integration, improved on-site circulation, enhanced fire access, enhanced
emergency access, improved vehicle and bicycle safety, reduction of vehicle trips, and
energy and healthy environment improvements (See Section VII herein). The new
community will provide an appealing and inviting place for people to continue to live in Los
Gatos while not being burdened or isolated by home ownership. This transition allows for
desired housing to open up and attract new families to the area to participate in schools and
civic life.
In addition to the onsite community benefits previously identified, Front Porch is seeking
opportunities to leverage its existing capabilities to provide services to the broader
community. To that end, Front Porch has recently purchased 142 S. Santa Cruz. Although
this property is separate and apart from the Los Gatos Meadows project, Front Porch is
contemplating utilizing this property as a hub of wellness, education, and engagement
services for seniors in the broader community.
Candidate services include expansion and/or support of existing Front Porch community
services offerings such as Home Match, Creative Spark, Well Connected, Social Call, along
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with technology pilots and research through the Front Porch Center for Innovation and
Wellbeing. See Appendix F for additional information on these Front Porch Programs.
Furthermore, we intend to also explore new potential offerings such as care navigation
support, enhanced health support offering in partnership with a health system, an option
similar to a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), virtual health, health and
nutrition education, home technology demonstration and support, and home modification
support.
We anticipate a highly synergistic relationship between the two properties, thus expanding
and enhancing the community benefits associated with our stand-alone Project. Through
the new community and the services offered at 142 S. Santa Cruz, Front Porch will be
participating actively in the life of an age-friendly Los Gatos, supporting, and aligning with
many of the goals of the Senior Services Roadmap adopted by the Town Council this past
summer. We are in conversations with the Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults to Thrive
to determine how best to leverage, utilize and/or integrate the services offered at 142 S.
Santa Cruz Avenue with the Foundations’ efforts to create a multi-generational Community
Center. It will take additional time to determine the appropriate programming for this
building, but the intent would be to offer services consistent with the current applicable
land use restrictions for the property.
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IV. Summary of Key Attributes of Proposed Project
The proposed rebuild project involves the redevelopment of the 10.84-acre site with a senior
living community that would replace the existing Los Gatos Meadows senior living
community. The project would include a total of 187 independent residential apartments plus
up to 24 residents in the supportive care wing. The project, a Continuing Care Retirement
Community (CCRC), will be licensed as a Residential Care Facility for the Elderly (RCFE)
under the California Department of Social Services. The project would be restricted to
persons aged 62 and older and would provide 24/7 assisted living services to the residents.
The project would provide coordinated health care services. These proposed services would
be similar to the use offered in the previous community. An est imated 120 full time equivalent
(FTE) employees would be anticipated with the project; this is commensurate with the
number of employees onsite prior to the closure of the facility in late 2019.
Site improvements would include on-site amenity areas, an enhanced fire access (loop) road,
parking, new landscaping, a variety of energy efficient and sustainable interior and exterior
building elements and improved emergency access.
Parking for residents, staff, and visitors would be provided within a new structure which
would include 40 standard, non-tandem parking spaces of which approximately 17 would be
near the garage entrance and the balance on the main parking level. All surface parking is
proposed to be eliminated, improving fire circulation. Sponsor is proposing to increase the
parking capacity to 214 spaces by implementing a 24/7 valet parking service.
Approximately 77% of the site would remain as open space, which is greater than 75% under
the existing permit condition. The project site layout, building orientation and articulation,
use of open space and building materials have been designed to focus on being visually
compatible with the surrounding area and to inspire a natural biophilic environment.
Site improvements would require demolition of all existing site improvements. The project is
anticipated to be built over a period of approximately 26 to 30 months. Demolition of the
existing improvements is expected to require approximately four (4) months.
As described in the paragraphs that follow, the project would fully comply with all applicable
Town General Plan Goals and Policies, as well as applicable standards and guidelines
established by the Municipal Code.
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V. Current Improvements / Current Residential Planned Development Approval
Los Gatos Meadows, a CCRC owned and operated by Sponsor, was originally developed as a
CCRC, and opened in 1971. The objective then, and now, is to provide seniors with a place to
age in place, living independently in the Los Gatos Community.
The site is currently developed with 10 residential buildings, which include a total of 205
independent residential apartments and support care units. The facility includes a dining and
commons building, an infirmary, garage and services building, a multi-purpose building, and
two cottages. There are 130 existing parking spaces onsite (85 within the existing structure
and 45 surface parking spaces) and staff and visitors also use nearby neighborhood street
parking, leased commercial space parking, and a public parking lot due to lack of parking
availability on-site.
In March 1968, the Town of Los Gatos adopted Ordinance NO. 938, which rezoned the 10.84
project site to Residential Planned Development (R:PD). In 2018, the R:PD Ordinance was
amended (Ordinance 2273). The Town Code 29.80.120 provides that amendments to a PD
approved both prior to and after the adoption of this Division may only be considered under
this Division and its provisions and must meet the requirements set forth in the amended
Ordinance. A R:PD ordinance was in effect prior to the adoption of the amendments to the
Town’s PD regulations in 2018; that prior ordinance will continue to apply. However, as part
of our request to rebuild the existing Los Gatos Meadows facility, Sponsor seeks a new
Planned Development permit. While our current PD Permit remains valid, per Section
29.80.120 of the Town Municipal Code, we recognize the need to update the permit to reflect
our desire to rebuild on the current site2. The site’s proposed density of 17 dwelling units per
acre is below the General Plan’s maximum density limit of 24 dwelling units per acre allowed
for the site3. The term “dwelling units” relates to independent residential apartments, not to
the supporting care units, consistent with the interpretation of dwelling units under the
original PD Permit. A comparison of the proposed project to the existing PD permit conditions
is provided in Table 1 below.
2 Section 29.80.125 of the Town Municipal Code states that any change in the activities conducted on, or any new
construction in such PD or RPD zone, is subject to the regulations of this division.
3 The General Plan land use designation of Medium Density Residential allows for a maximum density of 12
dwelling units per acre. According to the existing entitlement (adopted by Ordinance No.938 on March 4, 1968),
the project site has an allowed maximum density of 24 dwelling units per acre. As such, the 10.84-acre site
would allow for up to 240 dwelling units. Further, General Plan Housing Element Policy HE-1.2 Multi-Family
Housing Densities, encourages builders to develop projects on multi-family designated properties at the high
end of the applicable development range.
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Table 1: Comparison of Planned Development (PD) Permit Conditions
Permit Condition Original 1968 PD
Permit Condition
Proposed Rebuild Project
Site Coverage 25% 23%
Dwelling Unit Density 18 units per acre 17 units per acre
Total Number of
Residential Apartment
Units4
184 187
Total Units Permitted 222 211
Open Space 75% 77%
Building Setbacks from
property line5
Front: 20’-0”
Side: 15’-0”, 27’-0”
Rear: 15’-0”
Front: 34’-10”
Side: 40’-10”, 60’-0”
Rear: 32’-11”
Parking6 111 parking spaces 40 non-tandem spaces, 214
total spaces with
implementation of a 24/7
valet parking program.
Height7
Predominantly 2-story with
some basement or below
grade space for infirmary,
parking, storage and
mechanical. Heights vary
between 30’-9” and 55’-2” ±.
3-6 stories with below grade
space for parking, storage
and mechanical. Heights
vary between 59’-0” and 97’.
Architecture Residential Residential
4 184 units is the number of residential apartment & cottage units allowed; total unit count including skilled
nursing beds permitted is 222 total units.
5 Minimum building setbacks are not specified under the 1968 entitlement. Table 1 includes setbacks under the
current and proposed condition.
6 Prior to closure, Sponsor utilized a valet parking service, and a portion of vehicles were parked in a tandem
configuration. Sponsor is proposing to increase the parking capacity to 214 spaces by implementing a valet
parking service. At 214 spaces, the ratio of parking spaces to total units permitted is 1.0 versus a similar ratio of
0.50 for the original 1968 PD.
7 At the main entrance, the proposed elevation (in feet above mean sea level) is 488.0 in comparison to existing
elevation of 491.2 (3.2 feet lower); the terrace level of the proposed project is at an elevation of 505.0 in
comparison to the existing elevation 512.8 (7.8 feet lower).
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VI. Analysis of Specific Project Attributes
The project is expected to provide numerous benefits to the community. Furthermore, in
response to comments from the Town from the prior application, we have provided
additional information on several specific attributes of the project. This section is organized
into the following subsections:
A. Relationship to Hillside Design Standards and Guidelines
B. Building Massing, Open Space and Views
C. Building Materials
D. Building Heights and Visibility
E. Landscape Character
F. Distances to Immediate Neighbors
G. LEED Certification
H. Parking
I. Height of Retaining Walls
J. Fire Safety
A. Relationship to Hillside Design Standards and Guidelines (HDS&G)
In 2008, CDAC noted that the HDS&G are not directly applicable to this site, but requested that
the site be rebuilt in the spirit of the HDS&G. The spirit of the HDS&G is best defined by the
Vision Statement found in the bullets of the introduction in the HDS&G, page 6:
• Maintains the existing open, wooded, rural character;
• Is in harmony with the natural setting;
• Conserves landforms and other features of the natural landscape;
• Preserves wildlife habitat and movement corridors; and
• Protects and preserves viewsheds and the ridgelines of the mountains.
While the project site is not within the Hillside Zone, the spirit of the HDS&G is integrated
into the project by incorporation of the following:
• The buildings step up the hillside so that the building mass responds to the
topography of the site.
• Breaking the project into individual buildings of varying heights with space between
each building allows the community to best achieve a residential scale to fit within
the open, wooded setting.
• Selecting a muted and varied natural toned palette of exterior materials allows the
project to harmonize with the natural setting.
• Minimizing the overall construction footprint with compact building forms and the
placement of all parking underground allows for an exceptionally efficient site
coverage ratio, thereby maximizing the retention of undisturbed sensitive landforms
and native vegetation.
• Replacing an obsolete land/building plan with a new community of lesser overall
footprint, enhanced storm water management systems, state-of-the-art building
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materials/systems, and sufficiently scaled underground parking will minimize
impacts to wildlife habitat and movement corridor.
• Stepping the buildings into the hillside, minimizing the dimensions of the Town-
facing buildings, investing in saving existing trees per the arborist plan, and
presenting a carefully developed scale to the Town, residents, and visitors will
preserve viewsheds and have no impact on hillside ridgeline profiles.
In 2008, the CDAC also requested that the buildings step with the hillsides. To this end, and
in keeping with the spirit of the Hillside Guidelines, the proposed Ground Level is three feet
lower than existing, which serves to minimize the impact on the community when viewed
from Town. Furthermore, by placing all parking underground and with buildings grouped
above and around green roof courtyards, the resulting compact footprint of the community
minimizes the disturbed area of the special hillside setting. Additionally:
• The building in the northeast corner that cantilevers over the hillside is being
replaced by a building that sits 45 feet further from Broadway.
• The increased distance to the neighbors and loss of the two buildings along the east
side of Farwell Lane will allow for planting of additional trees that will help shelter
the building mass with a strong tree canopy.
B. Building Massing, Open Space and Views
• New buildings are designed as a series of separate buildings surrounding courtyards
rather than a monolithic building mass. This design breaks up the massing visible
from public vantage points in Town. Additionally, the building facades step in and out
to eliminate the potential for a large unbroken facade.
• The overall development footprint is smaller than the existing building footprint; the
buildings closest to the neighboring properties have been pulled back to create
greater physical distance between buildings.
• The design protects the oak woodland at the rear of the site thus respecting the spirit
of the Town’s hillside and tree preservation policies; to achieve this, greater heights
are necessary to achieve a similar number of units.
• The massing of the new community steps up the hillside and, as a result, the buildings
at the rear of the site will not be visible from the Town below. In addition to the
buildings stepping up the hillside, individual buildings also respond to the views from
the Town by pulling the top floor of the buildings back from the façade facing the
Town to reduce the impact on the views from the Town. See Section D. Building
Heights and Visibility.
• The distance between many of the existing buildings is 15 – 24 feet; separation
between new buildings varies between 23 – 38 feet with a few buildings placed even
further apart. This allows for views to be created between the buildings to the hillside.
These views do not exist today.
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• Airflow and breezes up and down the hillside will be facilitated by these breaks
between buildings.
• The utility of the open space for residents in the courtyards is improved in part due
to the dimensions of the Village Green and Town Square and in part due to the
elimination of the existing “light well” that is currently situated near the proposed
Village Square.
• There is a visual and experiential quality to the design that is articulated through the
building placement and open space layout. This quality is best expressed by:
• Better views extending out from all directions so that the natural setting and
environmental systems are brought into and integrated with the building
clusters;
• Orientation of the six (originally eight) villas respects the natural setting. The
villas are surrounded by either the Village Green or Town Square where
residents can come together as one community to interact, socialize or to
simply enjoy the site environs;
• The absence of long-term surface automobile parking spaces facilitates a
greater visual focus on the oak woodlands and the surrounding landscape;
and,
• The creation of varying open spaces accommodates a wide range of activities,
from large areas for large group gatherings to smaller, more intimate spaces
cultivating individual passions, and reinforcing the feeling of a community.
C. Building Materials
The materials used on the building facades have been selected based on their ability to blend
with the natural setting and minimize the visual impression of the building heights. Qualities
of materials important to emphasize:
• Materials are darker in tone to blend with the natural environment of the hillside and
trees, moving from the current, reflective color palate to one that is visually
absorptive.
• The colors vary with natural browns, greens, and tans to evoke a natural palette of
soft colors, which mimic their natural setting.
• The materials vary in type both horizontally and vertically along the facade to help
break up the mass of the building.
• Stone is used at the base of the building facing Los Gatos to root the building in the
natural landscape.
D. Building Heights and Visibility
Aesthetically and architecturally, the heights of buildings are varied based on their
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location in relationship to visibility from Town, neighboring properties, and site
topography.
• Building heights are varied to create more architectural/visual interest and variety
when viewed from publicly visible vantage points. The variation created by individual
villas reflects a more residential character rather than an institutional character
conveyed by a single structure with long, unbroken roof lines.
• Building units and heights are sized to provide greater “independent” living space.
Market research has shown that larger units with usable balconies are most
desired. The square footage that can fit into the Town’s residential or
commercial height limit(s) would either result in one long uninterrupted
building mass, or far fewer units. We believe that the view of one continuous
building when viewed from the Town or from neighboring properties does
not fit the spirit of the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines or the
character of Los Gatos. In senior living communities, a minimum number of
units are necessary to provide operational efficiencies, programming, and a
sense of community; the project is at the lower end of this critical number.
Reducing the number of units neither works operationally or socially, nor
does it meet with the intent of providing a similar number of units that existed
prior to closure.
Unit configurations and corresponding heights allow for appropriate COVID-
19 protective measures. The smaller, but taller buildings (with fewer units in
each building) vs a long continuous shorter building are better suited in a
post-COVID world for several reasons:
Fewer residents use the same common elevators: the design includes an
elevator for every building. This allows buildings to be separated
functionally, providing for fewer residents in any single building and
allows the units to become the place where residents can self-quarantine.
Most units have usable balconies, providing residents a place to be outside
during a pandemic, thus providing natural ventilation and
mental/emotional relief from quarantine restrictions.
The increased square footage of common space allows for multiple dining
venues which are critical to allow for socially distanced dining.
• The most visible building from public view is at the corner of Wood Road and Farwell
Lane. It is one of the two shortest buildings on the site and is only 12 feet higher than
the existing building in this location.
• Heights of buildings above the terrace level vary from 3 storie s to 6 stories. The height
of the new terrace is 7 feet lower than the existing terrace which reduces overall
building heights.
Page | 16
• Buildings along the front of the site visible from the Town are the lower 3 and 4 story
buildings on all front facades, (though some step up to 6 stories away from the front
façade).
• To minimize the number of stories visible from Town, buildings step down a story in
height on the side facing Town. This means that the upper floors of the buildings are
hidden from the views below, and only the shorter side is visible from the Town.
• The buildings in the back of the site are nestled into the hillside. Three of these
buildings have two stories benched into the hillside. The roofs of those buildings are
effectively one story above the access road immediately behind them.
• With the buildings stepped into the hillside only the top three floors of many of the
buildings are visible from Wood Road above. The hillside behind these buildings
continues to slope up so the roofs of the buildings are only slightly higher than the
level of the access road above.
• The corners of the buildings have balconies which serve to erode the mass of the
buildings when viewed from the Town. This results in the front elevation appearing
narrower than actual dimensions.
• While the increased building height will affect what some neighbors will see, the
buildings are not expected to cast shadows on neighbors nor materially affect their
vistas.
[Refer to current application plan sheets A406-A408, Visual Simulations for exhibits
specifically related to the above comments].
E. Landscape Character
The landscape character has been carefully articulated to highlight, enhance, and nurture a
strong sense of community.
• The landscape builds on and celebrates the existing character of the site. The
layout plan and corresponding plant palette have been carefully designed and
selected to increase habitat benefits, improve water quality, and integrate with
the existing horticultural character, creating a better environmental fit and fitness
than exists today. It is what Sponsor has been referring to as “biophilia”.
• The landscape creates a far superior environment for fire resistant conditions.
Unlike existing conditions, the genus species, the location, and the landscape
pattern will be designed for fire protection.
• The landscape offers experimental value for the resident such as seasonal color
changes, shade from the sun, and opportunities to pick an orange from a citrus
tree.
Page | 17
F. Distances to Immediate Neighbors
Buildings are placed further from the neighbors than current buildings.
• The buildings closest to the neighbors are now set back much further from the
adjacent, neighboring buildings.
• The building closest to Wood Road would be 18 feet further away from Wood
Road than the current Los Gatos Meadows buildings, thereby reducing the
effect of the increased height. Also, the distance from the neighboring
townhouses to the north of the improvements is 30 feet further than to the
existing Los Gatos Meadows buildings.
• The two buildings along the east side of Farwell Lane (closest to Town) are to be
removed and are not being replaced.
• The building in the northeast corner that cantilevers over the hillside is being
replaced by a building that sits 45 feet further from Broadway.
• The increased distance to the neighbors and the loss of the buildings along Farwell
Lane will allow for planting of additional trees that will help shelter the building mass
with a strong tree canopy. The combination of new trees and landscaping in the
additional setback from the neighboring buildings will shield much of the new
buildings when viewed from the neighboring properties.
G. LEED Certification
In 2008, CDAC indicated that the project should obtain Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design (LEED) certification. Since 2008, there have been many changes to
environmental standards. As in many areas related to environmental regulation and
stewardship, the State of California’s environmental standards generally surpass those of
many other regions of the country in terms of regulations, standards and practices related to
sustainability. Notably, many of the policy goals of the Califo rnia Green Building Code, as well
as the mandatory code requirements, overlap with those of independent certification
systems such as the LEED certification system. The project will be subject to the most recent
and rigorous update to the Cal Green Code, the 2019 Cal Green Building Standards Code
(effective Jan 1, 2020), or the standard code in effect at the time of project entitlement. The
project is also subject to applicable communitywide greenhouse gas emission reduction
measures in conformance with the Los Gatos Sustainability Plan.
The project has been designed to be highly responsive to site context and to some of the
specific sustainability priorities of the Town.
• In line with the community wide goals of the Town Sustainability Plan, Green Building
Certification may utilize either the GreenPoint Rating System or LEED. The
GreenPoint Rating Checklist submitted with our development application package
Page | 18
clearly demonstrates that the project comfortably exceeds the required point totals
for all five of the rating categories, including: Community, Energy, IAQ/Health,
Resources and Water.
• As detailed above, the project adheres to the spirit of the Hillside Development
Standards & Guidelines by minimizing site disruption and vehicle impacts, and use of
compact, energy efficient building forms demonstrates a heightened commitment to
sustainability and environmental goals on this sensitive site.
• A commitment to sustainable innovation is woven into the project in ways both subtle
and apparent including the electric autonomous vehicle supplemental transportation
system that will connect the community to the Town, a state-of-the-art care model for
greater resident and staff satisfaction and health, noncombustible construction
materials, and enhanced fire access and life safety systems that benefit both residents
and surrounding neighbors.
Based on the sustainability components integrated into the project design, coupled with
those elements required as part of the Cal Green Building Code, providing LEED certification
would be both redundant, and prohibitively costly given third-party requirements to verify
and monitor LEED compliance. In discussions with neighbors and potential residents, strong
interest was expressed in recycling, access to natural light and energy efficiency. Accordingly,
the design team has prioritized sustainability attributes that are not only compliant with the
California Green Building Code but are also highly responsive to site context and the specific
priorities of the local community. We are confident that our sustainability approach to the
site achieves the overarching goals of the LEED program without triggering a redundant and
costly certification process.
H. Parking
The current entitlement specifies 111 parking spaces for the 222 units permitted (parking
ratio of 0.50). The current Planned Development application includes 214 parking spaces
for the proposed total permitted unit count of 211 (parking ratio of 1.0), a material
improvement compared to the existing parking ratio.
In order to achieve this higher ratio without requiring an expansion of the development
pad, greater tree removal or substantially greater off-haul, Front Porch intends to operate
valet service 24/7. This approach is consistent with the operational services provided by
Front Porch at Los Gatos Meadows prior to its closure in 2019. Of the 214 spaces provided,
40 spaces are standard parking spaces. The balance of the parking includes 174 tandem
parking spaces that would be managed under the valet parking program. The total number
of spaces using both the standard, tandem and valet services would be well in excess of the
127 spaces required using the Town’s convalescent home parking requirement; the
requirement applied by the Town for this project.
The use of valet operations provides a reliable, efficient, and cost-effective means of
reducing the number of accidents involved in parking operations (i.e., reduced vehicle-on-
vehicle, vehicle-on-structure, vehicle-on-pedestrian incidents), thereby providing an
additional level of safety for our residents. In addition to minimizing the physical impacts
Page | 19
on the site, valet services result in more frequent iterations with residents, providing
opportunities to deepen the relationship between staff and residents. Also, in addition to
assisting with parking, valet staff serve as additional general customer service resources
and assist with securing and patrolling the property.
Valet service is consistent with the resident expectation and Front Porch’s operating
capabilities and provides uniform alignment with services previously offered.
The use of valet services for continuing care retirement communities with structured,
enclosed parking is a conventional operational practice perfectly suited for this type of
continuing care community, as evidenced by the Vi at Palo Alto, arguably the most similar
project to the proposed re-build project.
Details of our proposed valet parking program will be included in our Architectural and Site
Application once our proposed Planned Development application is approved.
I. Height of Retaining Walls
Planning staff have requested that we provide greater justification for why our retaining
walls will need to be taller than 5 feet. We have added sheet C103.1 to our resubmittal that
illustrates detailed site sections with wall heights up to 24 feet to show that we are using
grading to the extent practical to reduce wall heights. The walls in excess of 5 feet in height
are required to create flat areas to provide bioretention and in some cases are required for
the express purpose of reducing grading that would impact trees and otherwise undisturbed
areas. Proposed walls are stepped with shorter walls under 5 feet adjacent to useable areas.
The shorter walls incorporate planter pockets that will reduce the perceived scale of the taller
walls and will include taller plants for additional screening.
J. Fire Safety
Sponsor has reviewed the Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report Action Items, as presented to
Town Council on November 20, 2020. Fire safety and minimizing fire risk are one of the
primary goals of the project as expressed in our Project Description, dated January 21, 2020.
Based on the Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee Report Action items, the project is consistent with
the five goals identified in the Ad Hoc Committee’s Report related to minimizing the wildfire
risks and impacts associated with those risks to the Los Gatos community, including:
• Emergency Communication
• Emergency Evacuation
• Roadside Fuel Reduction
• Open Space and Residential Land Management
• Emergency Partnerships
In furtherance of the above Wildfire Ad Hoc Committee goals, the Project Applicant has
committed to assisting the Town in achieving its prioritization of the following action items:
Page | 20
• Maximizing the use of an emergency alert system to ensure that communication
systems are fully utilized; the project would utilize technology platforms to ensure
Los Gatos Meadows stays connected during possible emergencies.
• Increasing the use of social media platforms for emergency communications.
• Exploring additional non-cell/internet reliant emergency communication onsite
(such as a siren system) in furtherance of enhanced emergency communication.
• Assisting SCCFD with their Ready, Set, Go Programs in Town.
• Assisting the Town by providing an additional alternative evacuation route via
Farwell Lane and provision of a continuous loop road around the project site.
• Incorporating annually simulated evacuations within the Emergency Evacuation Plan
once operational.
• Mapping private roadways within the project pursuant to the Roadside Fuel
Reduction goal.
• Utilizing appropriate planting including fire retardant xeriscape plant species,
particularly in recommended defensible spaces.
• In conjunction with residents, implementing an appropriate vegetation management
plan.
• Assisting the Town with exploring partnerships with SCCFD fuels crews and
defensible space inspectors.
• Assisting the Town with pursuing Firewise USA® site status to satisfy homeowner
insurance requirements.
While not all actions noted above have been memorialized in Town policy, they were
considered as part of the General Plan 2040 Update process, specifically the Hazards and
Safety Element HAZ-2 Goal and co rresponding policies. Because this Project was in the midst
of preliminary design during the General Plan update process, these actions were
contemplated as part of the overall project design, site layout, project features and elements
and/or overall Project operations. The General Plan 2040 was subsequently completed and
adopted on June 20, 2022.
Please also note that in responding to the direction of the Santa Clara County Fire
Department, the project substantially improves the ability of Sponsor to execute an
evacuation of the community. Furthermore, Front Porch has a strong track record of
preparing for and executing wildfire related evacuations in Northern California.
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VII. Benefits to the Community
We believe the benefits of the project to the Los Gatos communi ty are substantial, and critical
in meeting the needs of the broader senior community.
The project would further the Town’s Human Services Element by revitalizing Los Gatos
Meadows and continuing its role as a healthy, contemporary independent senior living
community that connects seniors with existing resources in the community, encourages
social interaction, improves mobility, and ensures a safe environment for Los Gatos seniors.
The project would provide a mix of different unit sizes and varying levels of care that respond
to the needs of an active, aging community. The project would incorporate outstanding health
care services, recycled and sustainable building materials, and energy efficient operational
systems.
The proximity to nearby stores and services, such as the US Postal Service, Old Town Los
Gatos Shopping Center, and Los Gatos Theatre, provides residents with opportunities to
participate in social, recreational, educational, and shopping activities all within a close
distance. The dining area would include a demonstration kitchen for local restaurants to
showcase their offerings on a rotating basis, facilitating greater Town integration with the
Los Gatos Meadows community.
The project would result in no increase in the number of total units currently entitled or
occupied up through September 2019. As a result, the project would not generate substantial
new vehicle trips. There would be a modest redistribution of trips from Farwell Lane to Wood
Road and Santa Cruz Avenue, though even with this redistribution, the level of service would
remain at an acceptable level of service (LOS B). Furthermore, the project would improve
on-site circulation and alleviate spillover parking experienced under the prior site plan by
creating additional parking spaces and decreasing the need for on-street parking in nearby
neighborhoods. Importantly, the project would provide enhanced fire access in the area for
fire personnel/equipment for fighting on-site and nearby fires and enhanced emergency
access for neighbors living uphill of the Meadows in the event that Wood Road is closed to
access.
The project would also improve the integration of the site with the broader Los Gatos
community by closing Farwell Lane to through traffic and transitioning this pathway
connecting Los Gatos Meadows and Broadway into a naturally landscaped, pedestrian-
friendly connection to downtown Los Gatos. The conversion of Farwell Lane into a
pedestrian and bicycle lane would improve safety for vehicle and pedestrian
interaction at the intersection of Farwell Lane and Broadway. The project would
continue to use the existing driveway on Wood Road for access t o the parking entrance, main
entrance, and loading entrance, providing safe and efficient access to the site. The project
would result in the construction of a parking structure that would include 40 standard
parking spaces. If needed, by employing a valet parking service, the parking capacity in the
parking structure could be increased to 214 parking spaces. Furthermore, the project would
incorporate a dedicated area for fire access, which would be located on the western side of
the property.
Page | 22
One of the extraordinary elements of the project is the planned implementation of an
autonomous vehicle alternative transportation solution along Farwell Lane to enable a
safe, convenient, and alternative means of transporting residents between the Meadows and
Town retail, entertainment, and civil services. This element of the project will enable both
safe and convenient access for residents to connect to Downtown Los Gatos. The project
would consider Aurrigo, a vendor of autonomous vehicles, to provide this alternative
transportation solution.
While difficult to gauge precisely, the combined effect of facilitating pedestrian, bicycle and
self-driving vehicles on Farwell Lane is expected to materially reduce the number of total
vehicle trips to and from the community.
From an environmental perspective, the building design would provide a more energy
efficient and healthy environment for prospective residents. Upgraded and energy
efficient buildings would assist in further reducing the current carbon footprint by
minimizing energy load, enhancing the number of large shade trees, modernizing energy
operations/systems, increasing the amount of landscaped space, and improving irrigation
efficiency.
Front Porch is in current dialog with the Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults to Thrive
(the “Foundation”) to explore opportunities to utilize 142 S. Santa Cruz as a hub of
wellness, education, and engagement services for seniors in the broader community.
Front Porch has deep, relevant capabilities to serve as an effective partner with the
Foundation in providing much needed services to local seniors.
Page | 23
VIII. Request for Planned Development (PD) Entitlement
This project request is for approval of a new Planned Development Overlay permit. The
project complies with the Town’s existing PD zoning for the property, as shown in Table 1.
The project does not require any variance or exception to any rule, code, or regulation and
meets the basic requirements under the existing zoning permit related to site coverage,
density, open space, and parking.
The project would not impair the integrity or character of the zoning district and would not
result in any additional independent residential apartments, additional supporting care units
nor additional staff. The operations of the Project would have hours and staffing consistent
with the most recent prior use and would result in an estimated 120 full-time equivalent
(FTE) employees. As noted above, proposed site coverage, unit count, open space and parking
are all consistent with the current PD permit in place today (refer to Table 1). Project building
heights have been articulated to protect views from adjacent properties ensuring
compatibility with the neighborhood.
The project would not be detrimental to public health, safety, or general welfare. The project
would provide state-of-the-art health care services for residents who would have access to
health care facilities, open 24/7, to ensure consistent and reliable care. The project would
have a dedicated fire access road, located on the western side of the property, improving fire
access to the entire site, which would improve safety on-site. Because the project is a rebuild
of the prior use, it will also include an updated Emergency Preparedness Plan (EPP) and
evacuation plan to address the new facilities and ensure a safe environment for all residents
and staff, commensurate with Sponsor’s Risk Assessment Policy. In compliance with
Sponsor’s Risk Assessment Policy, these two plans already exist for the prior facility, but
would be updated in accordance with the applicable federal, state, and local requirements in
effect at the time of building occupancy.
The project would result in the reconfiguration of the existing “exit only” driveway, located
on Broadway, and would convert the driveway into a pedestrian and bicycle lane, thereby
creating safer conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists, as well as serve as the fixed route for
an autonomous vehicle connection from the main entrance to the Broadway frontage. This
would provide for safer modes of transportation between the project site and downtown Los
Gatos. The project would ensure that seniors have convenient access to social and medical
services, commercial areas, and transportation by providing on-demand shuttle and/or car
service to the residents.
The proposed uses of the project would be in harmony with the various elements and
objectives of the General Plan 2040 and the purposes of the zoning ordinance. As discussed
above, the project is consistent with several of the aspects of the Los Gatos General Plan 2040
(refer to Appendix A). The project is consistent with the Town’s Environment and
Sustainability element and would implement best practices both in design and operations
through the adoption of biophilic design principles and sustainable design measures to best
fit into the unique site while minimizing initial and ongoing environmental impacts. In
addition to this, the site plan of the project incorporates environmentally appropriate design
attributes, utilizing the site’s topography and natural setting to create a synergy between the
design and the hillside that does not exist today.
Page | 24
The project would allow seniors in the Town of Los Gatos to age in place with state-of-the-art
health and living facilities. In addition, the proposed CCRC would continue to make a
significant contribution to the Town, both as a major employer, as well as a vital resource for
residents who want to remain a part of the community. We believe that the project will be a
tremendous asset to the Town of Los Gatos, extending the historical legacy of quality
residence and care to the broader senior community. In consideration of all the points
outlined above, we welcome your review and appreciate your timely consideration of our
request.
As per Town Planning Division Staff request, we have provided an analysis of how the project
meets the findings required to grant a Planned Development Ordinance request as detailed
in Section 29.80.095 of the Town Code. Given its length, this analysis is included as Appendix
B to this letter.
Page | 25
IX. Justification
For all the many reasons articulated in detail throughout this letter (and appendices hereto),
the rebuild project would be both essential and desirable to the Los Gatos community.
The rebuild project furthers the Town’s General Plan by revitalizing the existing site and
continuing provision of a healthy, contemporary independent senior living community that
connects seniors with existing resources in the community, encourages social interaction,
improves mobility, and ensures a safe environment for Los Gatos seniors. The project would
result in the construction and/or provision of many service facilities including, but not
limited to, a health center, dining venues, fitness services, and supplemental transportation
services that would be located throughout the property. These services and amenities would
help provide social interaction for the residents. The project would provide a wide variety of
senior services and programs, including daily opportunities for health care, physical activity
and recreation, and mental stimulation. In addition, the project would provide coordinated
health care services, specializing in assisted living care, memory care and respite care,
meeting the wide range of needs for seniors as they age.
The feedback on the proposed uses of the project from local prospects and neighbors and
local leadership has been very positive. The 187 independent residential apartments would
assist in the implementation of the Town’s 2023-2031 Housing Goals for facilitating housing
opportunities and removing barriers to the production of housing (though flexible
development standards) for seniors. The project would provide a mix of different size
apartments and varying levels of care and amenities that respond to the needs of the active,
aging community found in the Town of Los Gatos. The functional site layout, floor plans, and
site architecture have been specifically designed to align with the local market, providing
larger apartments and on-site amenities desired by seniors.
We are confident that you will find the proposed uses of the project to be in harmony with
the various elements and objectives of the General Plan 2040, the purposes of the zoning
ordinance and in concert with the feedback we have received from our extensive outreach to
the Community. The project would implement best practices both in design and operations
through the adoption of biophilic and sustainable design measures to best fit into the unique
environs of the site while reducing environmental impacts. Our rebuild project incorporates
environmentally appropriate design attributes, utilizing the site’s topography and natural
setting to create a synergy between the design and the hillside that does not exist today and
would not exist in the absence of the project.
Page | 26
Finally, the project would allow seniors in the Town of Los Gatos to age in place with state-
of-the-art health and living facilities. The rebuild project wo uld continue to make a significant
contribution to the Town, both as a major employer, as well as a vital resource for residents
who want to remain an integrated and valued part of the community. We believe that the
project will be a tremendous and valuable asset to the Town of Los Gatos, extending a
historical legacy of quality residence and care to the broader senior community.
Respectfully,
___________________________________
Francesco J. Rockwood
Rockwood Pacific Inc.
Applicant on behalf of Front Porch
Appendix A Page 1
Appendix A
Los Gatos General Plan 2040 Related to Project
2023-2031 Housing Element Update (March 2024):
HE-2.7 Senior Housing
Support development and maintenance of affordable senior rental and ownership
housing and continue to work with existing senior lifestyle living and assisted living
facilities in Los Gatos. Encourage a variety of senior living options including
downsizing and step-down independent ownership housing.
HE-3.2 Flexible Development Standards
Provide flexibility in development standards to accommodate new models and
approaches to providing housing, such as live/work housing (permitted with a CUP),
and micro units (in existing housing units), to allow housing to adapt to the needs of the
occupants.
Land Use Element (from Los Gatos General Plan 2020):
LU-1.3 To preserve existing trees, natural vegetation, natural topography, riparian
corridors and wildlife habitats, and promote high quality, well-designed,
environmentally sensitive, and diverse landscaping in new and existing
developments.
LU-1.4 Infill projects shall be designed in context with the neighborhood and
surrounding zoning with respect to the existing scale and character of
surrounding structures and should blend rather than compete with the
established character of the area.
LU-6.7 Continue to encourage a variety of housing types and sizes that is balanced throughout
the Town and within neighborhoods, and that is also compatible with the character of the
surrounding neighborhood.
Community Design Element (from Los Gatos General Plan 2020):
CD-1 Preserve and enhance Los Gatos’ character through exceptional community design.
CD-1.1 Building elements shall be in conformance with those traditionally in the neighborhood.
CD-1.2 New structures, remodels, landscapes and hardscapes shall be designed to harmonize and
blend with the scale and rhythm of the neighborhood and natural features in the area.
Appendix A Page 2
CD-1.3 Buildings, landscapes, and hardscapes shall follow the natural contours of the property.
CD-1.4 Development on all elevations shall be of high equality design and construction, a
positive addition to and compatible with the Town’s ambiance. Development shall
enhance the character and unique identity of existing commercial and/or residential
neighborhoods.
CD-2 To limit the intensity of new development to a level that is consistent with
surrounding development and with the Town at large.
CD-3.2 Street and structural lighting shall be required to minimize its visual impacts by
preventing glare, limiting the amount of light that falls on neighboring
properties, and avoiding light pollution of the night sky.
CD-3.5 All landscaping shall be carefully reviewed to ensure that it is aesthetically
pleasing, compatible with its neighborhood and natural environment, and water
conserving.
CD-4 To preserve existing trees, natural vegetation, natural topography, riparian
corridors and wildlife habitats, and promote high quality, well designed,
environmentally sensitive, and diverse landscaping in new and existing
developments.
CD-4.5 New development shall promote visual continuity through tree planting, consistent use
of low shrubs and ground cover.
CD-4.7 Landscaping plans should maximize the use of trees for energy efficiency, climate control,
screening, shading (especially of parking lots), and aesthetics.
CD-7 To preserve the quality of the private open space throughout Los Gatos.
CD-7.1 Maximize quality usable open space in all new developments.
CD-7.3 All residential developments shall include private open space in proportion to the
building size.
CD-15 To preserve the natural topography and ecosystems within the hillside area by regulating
grading, landscaping, and lighting.
CD-15.4 Hillside landscaping shall be designed with the following goals in mind: a. Minimizing
formal landscaping and hardscape. b. Siting formal landscaping and hardscape close to
the house. c. Following the natural topography. d. Preserving native trees, native plant
and wildlife habitats, and migration corridors.
Appendix A Page 3
CD-16 Promote and protect view sheds and scenic resources.
Racial, Social, and Environmental Justice Element:
RSEJ-1.6 Welcoming Town: Promote Los Gatos as a welcoming, safe, and inclusive
community regardless of age, ability status, and socio-economic status.
Mobility Element:
MOB-2.12 Downtown Pedestrian Environment. Support pedestrian upgrades to sidewalks and
connections between developments to create a more walkable downtown.
MOB-4.5 Consider Special Populations. Plan for the needs of people with disabilities, seniors,
and children when designing trail facilities and bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
MOB-5 Support a non-driving Los Gatos by reducing reliance on the automobile and promoting
alternative modes of transportation.
MOB-5.1 Prioritize Non-Driving Transportation Modes. Prioritize the use of noon-driving
transportation modes such as walking, bicycling, transit, a shuttle system, and
other forms of personal mobility that are energy conserving and non-polluting.
Environmental and Sustainability Element:
ENV-1.1 Scenic Resources. Require design review to prevent developments that, due to
their site location and masing, block views from roadways and p ublic spaces in the
surrounding hillsides.
ENV-1.4 View Corridor Protection. Encourage the protection of key view corridors as
described in the Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines to preserve
the natural landscape and views of the surrounding hillsides.
ENV-2-1 Tree Protection. Ensure tree removal and replacement during development
is consistent with the latest in tree conservation standards to support the
Town’s Arbor Day Foundation status as a Tree City USA.
ENV-2.3 Landscape Design. Continue to update landscape design guidelines for development
consistent with Biological Resources goals and policies. Landscape Design should
promote the implementation of native species, drought tolerant species, and fire-
wise plants and designs, including in hillside areas and future planning areas.
ENV-4.1 Ecosystem Protection. Protect and enhance public and private open space
ecosystems in Los Gatos.
Appendix A Page 4
ENV-4.3 Habitat Management. Encourage management of private open space areas,
agricultural land, and residential gardens as habitat that supports wildlife in a
way that enhances that habitat, reinforces natural wildlife management, and is
consistent with open space plans.
ENV-5.1 Use Native Plants. Require all development to use native plants or other
appropriate non-invasive plants that are indigenous to Los Gatos and Santa Clara
County to reduce maintenance and irrigation costs and the disturbance of
adjacent natural habitat.
ENV-5.2 Special Status native Plant Species Protection. Require public and private projects to
protect special-status native plant species.
ENV-6.1 Prevent Damage from Development. Development shall not damage riparian areas,
wetlands, and intermittent or ethereal streams.
ENV-7.1 Protecting Wildlife. Ensure that public and private projects shall not significantly deplete,
damage or alter existing wildlife habitat or populations.
ENV-7.2 Coordination with State and Federal Agencies. Coordinate with the California Department
of Fish and Wildlife, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and other appropriate agencies to
protect wildlife species and habitats.
ENV-7.5 Nesting Sites. Conserve nesting sites in new development and within existing
development unless a mitigation plan is approved.
ENV-7.10 Bird Safe Design. Require new development to increase bird safety by reducing hazardous
building and architectural elements, and including bird safe and lighting design.
ENV-7.11 Dark Skies. Require the design of building, street, landscape and parking area lighting to
improve safety, energy efficiency, protection of the night skies (dark sky protection),
biological resources, and environmental soundness.
ENV-8.1 Air Quality Standards. Federal, State, and regional air quality goals, policies, standards
and requirements shall be addressed during environmental review for local land use and
development decisions. Applicable standards or requirements, if not already n the
proposed plans, shall be incorporated as conditions of approval.
ENV-8.4 Electric Vehicle Infrastructure. Require installation of electric vehicle charging stations as
a ratio of total required parking for new and redeveloped commercial, muti-family,
residential subdivision, and condominium projects.
ENV-8.9 Air Pollution Impacts During Construction. Require project proponents to prepare and
implement a construction management plan that incorporates Best Available Control
Measures and all best management practices in accordance with the Air District standards
to reduce criterial pollutants.
Appendix A Page 5
ENV-9.6 Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy use. Promote energy conservation in
business and residential uses by encouraging installation of fixture and appliance
upgrades, installation of solar panels, and other retrofits to existing structures.
ENV-9.12 GreenPoint Guidelines. Continue to require that all remodeled homes and new home
construction comply with the adopted GreenPoint Guidelines to reduce GHG emissions
reduction.
ENV-9.15 Sustainability Plan Requirements. Continue to require that all new and remodeled
developments incorporate sustainable building practices and site design methods as
listed in the Sustainability Plan.
ENV-10.4 Recycled-Content Construction Materials. Encourage the use of recycled-content
construction materials in new construction that have low production energy costs for
building materials, hard surfaces, and non-plant landscaping.
ENV-10.7 Recycling Areas in Residential Developments. Require recycling and composting facilities
in all new single-family and multi-family residential developments along with other waste-
reduction resources.
ENV-12.1 Evaluate Archaeological and Cultural Resources. Evaluate archaeological and/or cultural
resources early in the development review process through consultation with interested
parties and the use of contemporary professional techniques in archaeology,
ethnography, and architectural history.
ENV-12.5 Uncovered Cultural Resources. Require that if cultural resources, including archaeological
or paleontological resources, are uncovered during grading or other on-site excavation
activities, construction shall stop until appropriate mitigation is implemented.
ENV-14.1 Tribal Consultation. Require that local Native American tribes are involved early and often
on potential disturbance, recovery, and preservation of tribal cultural resources, including
development of strong consultation protocols with appropriate Native American tribe(s),
as required by California Senate Bill 18 and Assembly Bill 52.
ENV-15.1 Erosion Control Plans. Require all new developments in areas subject to soil erosion and
slippage to provide an effective erosion control plan to minimize soil erosion. The erosion
control plans shall be implemented prior to construction operations and maintained
throughout the construction process.
ENV-15.2 Minimize Grading. Require grading permits to ensure that the grading of slopes and sites
proposed for development will be minimized.
ENV-16.1 Avoid Water Contamination from New Development. Require all applicants to
demonstrate that new development will not contaminate surface water and/or
groundwater.
Appendix A Page 6
ENV-16.6 Alternative Paving Materials and Designs. Encourage alternative paving materials and
designs to limit driveways, parking areas, and parking lots in all zones. Examples include,
but are not limited to, pervious paving material, and “ribbon strip” driveways, which have
pavement in tire areas and grass or gravel in the middle.
ENV-16.7 Parking Lot Drainage. Implement bioswales and other innovations so runoff from parking
lots drain into landscaped areas and rainwater percolates into the ground.
ENV-16.9 Stormwater Runoff. Reduce pollution in urban runoff from residential, commercial,
industrial, municipal, and transportation land use activities.
ENV-16.11 Sustainable Landscape Practices. Support low water landscaping practices and limited
artificial fertilizer and pesticide application on public and private properties.
ENV-17.8 Low-Impact Development. Encourage Low-Impact Development (LID) measures to limit
the amount of impervious surface in new development and redevelopment to maintain
or increase the retention, treatment, and infiltration of urban stormwater runoff from
pre-development conditions. LID measures should also apply to major remodeling
projects and to public and recreation projects where possible.
ENV-18.4 Residential and Noise-Sensitive Site Design Noise Consideration. Protect existing and
proposed residential areas from noise by requiring appropriate site and building design,
sound walls, a minimum landscape buffer of five feet, and/or the use of noise attenuating
construction techniques and materials.
Los Gatos Sustainability Plan (2012):
TR-1 Support for Pedestrians, Bicyclists and Transit. Promote walking, bicycling, and transit
through the following:
a. Require all new buildings, excluding single-family homes, to include a principal
functional entry that faces a public space such as a street, square, park, paseo or
plaza, in addition to any entrance from a parking lot, to enc ourage pedestrian foot
traffic.
b. Require new projects, excluding single-family homes, to include pedestrian or
bicycle through-connections to existing sidewalks and existing or future bicycle
facilities, unless prohibited by topographical conditions.
c. Seek grant funding to establish a Safe Routes to School (SR2S) Program to
increase student walking and biking trips.
d. Design and implement affordable traffic-calming measures on specific streets to
dissuade Highway 17 cut-through traffic and attract pedestrian and bicycle
traffic.
e. Implement transit access improvements through sidewalk/crosswalk safety
enhancement and bus shelter improvements.
GB-4 Solar Orientation. Require measures that reduce energy use through solar orientation
Appendix A Page 7
by taking advantage of shade, prevailing winds, landscaping and sunscreens.
RE-5 Solar Ready Features. Where feasible, require that all new buildings be constructed to
allow for the easy, cost-effective installation of future solar energy systems. “Solar
ready” features should include proper solar orientation (i.e., south facing roof area
sloped at 20 to 55 degrees from the horizontal); clear access on the south sloped roof
(i.e., no chimneys, heating vents, or plumbing vents); electrical conduit installed for
solar electric system wiring; plumbing installed for solar hot water system; and space
provided for a solar hot water storage tank.
EC-1 Energy-Efficient Appliances and Lighting. Require new development to use energy-
efficient appliances that meet Energy-Star standards and energy-efficient lighting
technologies that exceed Title 24 standards by 30 percent.
EC-3 Energy-Efficient Outdoor Lighting. Require outdoor lighting fixtures to be energy-
efficient. Require parking lot light fixtures and light fixture s on buildings to be on full cut-
off- fixtures, except emergency exit or safety lighting, and all permanently installed
exterior lighting shall be controlled by either a photocell or an astronomical time switch.
Prohibit continuous all night outdoor lighting in construction sites unless required for
security reasons. Revise the Town Code to include these requirements.
EC-10 Heat Gain Reduction. Require all new development and major rehabilitation (i.e.
additions or remodels of 20,000 square feet of office/retail commercial or 100,000
square feet of industrial floor area) projects to incorporate any combination of the
following strategies to reduce heat gain for 50 percent of the non-roof impervious site
landscape, which includes roads, sidewalks, courtyards, parking lots, and driveways:
shade within five years of occupancy; paving materials with a Solar Reflectance Index
(SRI) of at least 29, open grid pavement system; and parking spaces underground, under
deck, under roof, or under a building. Any roof used to shade or cover parking must have
an SRI of at least 29.
WW-1 Water Use and Efficiency Requirements. For new development, require all water use
and efficiency measures identified as voluntary in the California Green Building
Standards Code, and consider more stringent targets. California Green Building
Standards Code requirements include: 1) reduce indoor potable water use by 20 percent
after meeting the Energy Policy Act of 1992 fixture performance requirements, and 2)
reduce outdoor potable water use by 50 percent from a calibrate d mid-summer baseline
case, for example, through irrigation efficiency, plant species, recycled wastewater, and
captured rainwater.
WW-3 Bay Friendly Landscaping. Require new development to use native plants or other
appropriate non-invasive plants that are drought-tolerant, as described in the Bay
Friendly Landscaping Guidelines, available at StopWaste.Org and
Appendix A Page 8
BayFriendlyCoalition.Org.
SW-3 Salvage, Recycled-Content and Local Construction Materials. Encourage the use of
salvaged and recycled-content materials and other materials that have low
production energy costs for building materials, hard surfaces, and non-plant
landscaping. Require sourcing of construction materials locally, as feasible.
Appendix B Page 1
Appendix B
Planned Development Ordinance Findings
In the Planning Division Staff Technical Review Comment letter dated May 22, 2020,
Planning staff requested the following:
1) Address in the letter of justification for the project how the project meets the findings
required to grant a Planned Development Ordinance as detailed in Section 29.80.095 of
the Town Code.
While the main body of this Justification Letter provides significant detail as to how the
project meets the requirements of the PD Ordinance (refer to Section V of this Letter of
Justification), the following describes how the project meets the findings required to
grant a Planned Development Ordinance as detailed in Section 29.80.095 of the Town
Code, as requested.
Sec. 29.80.095. - Findings.
(1) The proposed PD is in compliance with all sections of this division.
The proposed rebuild project (or “project”) is in compliance with section 29.80.075 as
it clearly meets the purpose and intent of the PD zone by enhancing and promoting the
Town’s natural resources, maximizing open space and providing a public benefit to the
citizens of the Town. The project will result in a slight reduction in the overall
development pad, increasing the amount of common open space available for all to enjoy,
consistent with the Community Design Goal - 7. The project would further the Community
Design Goal CD- 1, CD-4 and CD - 15, by preserving and enhancing Los Gatos’ character
through exceptional community design features including, but not limited to: buildings
that shall follow the natural contour of the surrounding hillside; promoting visual
continuity through tree planting; and designing new structures to harmonize and blend
with the natural features of the area.
The project is in compliance with section, 29.80.080 of this division as it meets both
the purpose and intent of this division and meets the following criteria: it provides a
public benefit to the citizens of the Town, and is a property that has a current PD zone
based on the combination of uses not otherwise permitted under the Town’s existing
zoning Ordinance.
The project similarly is consistent with section 29.80.085 as it does not seek to deviate
from general plan provisions, guidelines adopted by the Town Council, standards
contained in any existing land use regulation or any other provision of the Town Code
Appendix B Page 2
otherwise applicable to the property except as otherwise provided for in section
29.080.095.
Finally, the project is in compliance with all the requirements set forth in section
29.080.090 as the PD application includes text and plans/figures and/or diagrams that
demonstrate (1) compliance with all sections of this division; (2) conformity of the PD
to the goals, policies, applicable land use designations(s) and standards of the general
plan; (3) includes the characteristics existing on the property which warrant application
of the PD overlay zone; (4) shows the distribution, location and extent of the land uses
on the site, including open space; (5) includes the proposed standards and criteria by
which development will proceed; (6) includes proposed deviations from the land use
regulations and development standards applicable to the underlying zoning district; and
(7) describes the public benefit of the proposal. Further, as noted in our Letter of
Justification, the project site is zoned as Residential Planned Development (R:PD) which
is typically applied to areas where residential development is planned in the future.
However as noted earlier, this project site secured its Planned Development permit
entitlements in 1968 and has operated under this permit until late September 2019. The
project has been designed in conformance with the Town of Los Gatos zoning
requirements for Planned Development (PD) overlay zones as described further below.
As per the Municipal Code, Development in a PD zone must be in accordance with the
approved “development plan”. The Town of Los Gatos Municipal Code provides that the
development plan must contain:
_ a land use plan locating all proposed uses, a tentative site plan,
_ schematic architectural elevations of all buildings and structures in relationship
to each other,
_ a schedule for any phasing of development,
_ a tabulation of land area including the entire planned development,
_ the floor area of each occupancy,
_ the proposed number of off-street parking, and grading, soils and geologic
information
Our project application includes each of these “development plan” requirements as
documented in the full project application submittal.
(2) The proposed PD is in conformance with the goals, policies, and applicable land
use designation(s) and standards of the Town's general plan.
The project is in conformance with the applicable goals, policies and applicable land
use designations(s) and standards of the Town’s general plan as described in this Letter
of Justification and the Design Principles section of the Project Description.
Appendix B Page 3
This project request is for approval of a new Planned Development Overlay permit. The
project complies with the Town’s existing PD zoning for the property, as shown in Table
1 of the Letter of Justification. The project does not require any variance or exception to
any rule, code, or regulation and meets the basic requirements under the existing zoning
permit related to site coverage, density, open space, and parking.
Further, though the project is not located within the boundaries of the Hillside Zone,
we have made every attempt to meet the spirit and intent of the Hillside Design
Standards and Guidelines as identified in Section IV. A of this Letter of Justification.
Where we do not meet the spirit of the guidelines (e.g. retaining wall height), we have
identified why and how our deviations to this non-applicable standard are needed for
this site (see Section IV. I of this Letter of Justification).
(3) The proposed PD is in conformance with all other applicable land use regulations,
including but not limited to Town Council adopted guidelines, except as otherwise
provided in section 29.80.095(4).
The proposed PD is in full conformance with all other applicable land use regulations,
including but not limited to Town Council adopted guidelines. The project seeks no
exceptions, variances or deviations/modifications from any Town goals, policies,
regulations, standards or guidelines applicable to the project site.
(4) Any proposed use or development standards that deviate from the underlying
zoning district(s) result in innovative and creative site planning to develop:
a. Housing with a minimum of forty (40) percent of the units affordable to
households of very low, low, or moderate income; or
b. Mixed commercial, or mixed residential, or mixed commercial and residential
development; or
c. A development designed and sited to protect, preserve and enhance conservation
and enrichment of hillsides, natural and/or historic resources, ridgelines, a tree or
stand of trees, creek and riparian corridors, geologic hazard or fault zone, and open
space; or
d. A project that maximizes open space
Approximately 76.7% of the site would be open space, contributing to the visual
compatibility of the surrounding hillsides as well as to create a natural environment
for residents (see Section IV. B for additional discussion related to open space). The
project results in a slight decrease in the overall development pad, increasing the
amount of common open space available for all to enjoy.
e. The proposed PD provides a public benefit to the citizens of the Town.
Appendix B Page 4
The project would allow seniors in the Town of Los Gatos to age in place with state-of-
the-art health and living facilities.
The project would further the Town’s General Plan by revitalizing the existing site and
continuing provision of a healthy, contemporary independent senior living community
that connects seniors with existing resources in the community, encourages social
interaction, improves mobility and ensures a safe environment for Los Gatos seniors. The
proposed uses of the project would be essential and desirable to the community. The
project would result in the construction and/or provision of many service facilities
including, but not limited to, a health center, dining venues, fitness services, and
supplemental transportation services that would be located throughout the property.
These services and amenities would help provide social interaction for the residents. The
project would provide a wide variety of senior services and programs, including daily
opportunities for health care, physical activity and recreation, and mental stimulation. In
addition, the project would provide coordinated health care services, including 17
supporting care units with sections specializing in assisted living care, memory care and
respite care, meeting the wide range of needs for seniors as they age.
The project would also improve the integration of the site with the broader Los Gatos
community by closing Farwell Lane to through traffic and transitioning this pathway
connecting Los Gatos Meadows and Broadway into a naturally landscaped, pedestrian
friendly connection to downtown Los Gatos. The conversion of Farwell Lane into a
pedestrian and bicycle lane would improve safety for vehicle and pedestrian interaction
at the intersection of Farwell Lane and Broadway. The project would continue to use the
existing driveway on Wood Road for access to the parking entrance, main entrance, and
loading entrance, providing safe and efficient access to the site.
One of the extraordinary elements of the project is the integration of one or more
autonomous vehicles and control systems deployed along Farwell Lane to enable a safe,
convenient and alternative means of transporting residents between the project and
Town retail, entertainment, and civil services. This element of the project will enable both
safe and convenient access for residents to connect to Downtown Los Gatos. The project
would consider Aurrigo, a vendor of autonomous vehicles, to provide this alternative
transportation.
In addition to the benefits outlined above, Front Porch anticipates leveraging its existing
capabilities to provide services to the broader community. To that end, Front Porch has
recently purchased 142 S. Santa Cruz. Although this property is separate and apart from
the Los Gatos Meadows project, Front Porch is contemplating utilizing this property as
a hub of wellness, education, and engagement services for seniors in the broader
community.
Appendix B Page 5
Candidate services include expansion and/or support of existing Front Porch community
services offerings such as Home Match, Creative Spark, Well Connected, Social Call,
along with technology pilots and research through the Front Por ch Center for Innovation
and Wellbeing. See Appendix F for additional information on these Front Porch
Programs. Furthermore, we intend to also explore new potential offerings such as care
navigation support, enhanced health support offering in partnership with a health
system, an option similar to a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), virtual
health, health and nutrition education, home technology demonstration and support,
and home modification support.
We anticipate a highly synergistic relationship between the two properties, thus
expanding and enhancing the community benefits associated with our stand-alone
Project. Through the new community and the services offered at 142 S. Santa Cruz, Front
Porch will be participating actively in the life of an age-friendly Los Gatos, supporting,
and aligning with many of the goals of the Senior Services Roadmap adopted by the
Town Council this past summer. We are in conversations with the Los Gatos Foundation
for Older Adults to Thrive to determine how best to leverage, utilize and/or integrate
the services offered at 142 S. Santa Cruz Avenue with the Foundations’ efforts to create
a multi-generational Community Center. It will take additional time to determine the
appropriate programming for this building, but the intent would be to offer services
consistent with the current applicable land use restrictions for the property.
As consistently stated in our Project Application submittal and responses to Town staff
comments thereto, the project would continue to make a significant contribution to the
Town, both as a major employer, as well as a vital resource for residents who want to
remain an integrated and valued part of the community. We believe that the project will
be a tremendous and valuable asset to the Town of Los Gatos, extending a historical
legacy of quality residence and care to the broader senior community.
Appendix C
Project Compatibility with General Plan and Zoning Code
Project Compatibility with Los Gatos 2020 General Plan
The project site has a General Plan land use designation of Medium Density Residential. The
Medium Density Residential designation allows for multi-family residential, duplex, and/or small
single-family homes and a maximum density of 12 dwelling units per acre. The proposed project
would result in 17 dwelling units per acre, which is above the 12 dwelling units permitted for the
Medium Density Residential land use designation. However, consistent with density bonus laws in
the State of California, General Plan Action HOU-1.3 provides up to a 100 percent density bonus for
developments that include housing for elderly households. Since the proposed project’s residential
uses would be restricted to seniors 62 years and older, it qualifies for the density bonus up to 100
percent. Therefore, the proposed 17 dwelling units per acre would be well within the 24 dwelling
units per acre allowed for by the land use designation.
In accordance with the Town’s General Plan 2020 Land Use recommendations, the project would
also promote the appropriate use of local, native plants in its landscaping. The project would
promote the efficient use of water and would minimize the amount of storm water runoff. Energy
systems would be new, and thus offer the benefit of far more efficient systems than those currently
in place. The project would result in a slight reduction in the overall development pad and would
include tree replacement and retention/preservation of mature onsite trees, a Village Green area,
and passive gardens to ensure aesthetic consistency with the surrounding hillside area. Finally,
there are a number of features incorporated into the project design, including provision of a new
loop road that will serve to improve fire safety and minimize fire risk.
Among other benefits noted above, the project would further the Town’s General Plan by
revitalizing the existing site into a healthy, contemporary independent senior living community that
connects seniors with existing resources in the community, encourages social interaction, improves
mobility, and ensures a safe environment for Los Gatos seniors. In addition, the project would
provide seniors with an alternative mode of transportation by incorporating autonomous vehicle
technology into the project to assist in enhanced connectivity between Los Gatos Meadows and
proximate Town services such as the Library, Civic Center, and entertainment and retail
establishments.
A more detailed description of how these goals/policies are incorporated into the project is
included in below.
Housing and Health Services Elements
The project furthers many of the Housing and Health Services plan element goals. The project would
be consistent with Goal HS-8, by providing a wide variety of senior services and programs, including
daily opportunities for seniors to have physical activity, social interaction, and mental stimulation.
The project would further Policy HOU-5.3, to work with existing senior lifestyle living and assisted
living facilities in Los Gatos and support the building of Los Gatos Meadows in a manner that includes
a continuum of care facilities within the Town. The project would bring a new state-of-the-art CCRC,
incorporating outstanding health care services, recycled and sustainable building materials, and
energy efficient operational systems. The project would further Health Services Goal HS – 9,
providing seniors with an alternative mode of transportation by incorporating autonomous vehicle
technology into the project to assist in enhanced connectivity between Los Gatos Meadows and
proximate Town services such as the Library, Civic Center, and retail and entertainment
establishments.
Open Space, Parks and Recreation Element
The current architecture, with its substantial concrete façades, is not harmonious with its
surroundings, nor does it provide an inviting or healthy environment sought by the senior
community. The site plan of the project incorporates environmentally appropriate design attributes,
utilizing the site’s topography and natural setting to create a synergy between the design and the
hillside that does not exist today. This attention to design detail is consistent with Goal OSP-6 to
consider the provision of open space in all development decisions, and both supports and reinforces
Policies OSP 6.1, 6.3 and 6.4 which are all focused on consideration of health, welfare and public
safety in the design of open spaces, including the effects on watershed areas, plant and wildlife
habitat. The project will result in a slight reduction in the overall development pad, increasing the
amount of common open space available for all to enjoy. The proposed residential buildings would
be arranged around shared courtyards. They would be oriented to blend into the hillside and natural
landscape to minimize the impact of views to the site while also maximizing views from the site to
surrounding hillsides and across the valley. The peer review by the Town Architect was generally
favorable and the project team has or will incorporate the design recommendations of this report
into the project design. In addition, the project will include generous tree replacement and use of
mature trees and a Village Green area, to ensure consistency with the surrounding hillside area.
Transportation Element
The project would improve bicycle and pedestrian access for seniors to downtown Los Gatos and
would improve vehicular traffic circulation at the project site. As a part of the project, Farwell Lane
at Broadway, the exit-only driveway, would be closed to through traffic. Farwell Lane would be
constructed into an improved pedestrian and bicycle connection, as well as serve as the fixed route
for an autonomous vehicle connection from the main entrance to the Broadway frontage. This
reconfiguration of Farwell Lane will further Transportation Policy TRA-5 by ensuring that project
streets are safe for all uses, including drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. The project is consistent with
General Plan Policy TRA-13 and would provide adequate parking for the proposed uses, thereby
minimizing impacts on surrounding residential neighborhoods. Previously, many staff members
were forced to park on nearby residential streets due to the lack of on-site parking, which is a less
than ideal situation for the neighborhood residents. Further, the project would provide seniors with
an alternative mode of transportation by incorporating autonomous vehicle technology that will
facilitate safe and reliable connections to Downtown Los Gatos. As such, the project would further
the Transportation goal to provide transit services in the Town for seniors by incorporating
autonomous vehicle technology for residents.
Community Design and Land Use Elements
The project will result in a slight reduction in the overall development pad, increasing the amount of
common open space available for all to enjoy, consistent with the Community Design Goal - 7. The
project would further the Community Design Goal CD-1, CD-4 and CD - 15, by preserving and
enhancing Los Gatos’ character through exceptional community design features including, but not
limited to: buildings that shall follow the natural contour of the surrounding hillside; promoting
visual continuity through tree planting; and designing new structures to harmonize and blend with
the natural features of the area. In addition, the proposed residential buildings would be arranged
around shared courtyards. They would be oriented to blend into the hillside and natural landscape
to minimize the impact of views to the site, while also maximiz ing views from the site to surrounding
hillsides and across the valley, furthering the Town’s Land Use Element. In addition, the project
would be consistent with Policy LU – 1.3, and would incorporate high quality, well-designed,
environmentally sensitive, and diverse landscaping.
Project Consistency with Zoning Code
The proposed project site is zoned as Residential Planned Development (R:PD) which is typically
applied to areas where residential development is planned in the future. However as noted earlier,
this project site secured its Planned Development permit entitlements in 1968 and has operated
under this permit until late September 2019. The project has been designed in conformance with
the Town of Los Gatos zoning requirements for Planned Development (PD) overlay zones as
described further below. As per the Municipal Code, Development in a PD zone must be in
accordance with the approved “development plan”. The Town of Los Gatos Municipal Code provides
that the development plan must contain:
• a land use plan locating all proposed uses,
• a tentative site plan,
• schematic architectural elevations of all buildings and structures in relationship to each
other,
• a schedule for any phasing of development,
• a tabulation of land area including the entire planned development,
• the floor area of each occupancy,
• the proposed number of off-street parking spaces, and
• grading, soils, and geologic information.1
Our project application includes each of these “development plan” requirements.
As per the intent of the PD Ordinance, the PD zoning allows uses not ordinarily possible, only if the
use and development are in compliance with the complete development plan. Further, all uses in
the PD zone are permitted to the extent specified in the development plan2. All uses identified in
the rebuild project, are in compliance with the current PD zoning permit approved by Ordinance
NO. 938 in 1968.
As per the Municipal Code, any ordinance that would rezone land to a PD zone must incorporate the
development plan3. In addition, changes in the approved development plan must be made by
ordinance4. Planned Development overlay zones also include projects that i) provide a public
benefit to the citizens of the Town, ii) are designed to preserve and enhance conservation and
enrichment of hillsides and ridgelines, iii) produce affordable housing and iv) maximize open space.
The proposed project would also increase the amount of onsite open space from 75% to 77%,
consistent with the prevailing Planned Development zoning overlay requirement, of maximizing
1 Section 29.80.080 of the Town Municipal Code
2 Section 29.80.110 of the Town Municipal Code
3 Section 29.80.125 of the Town Municipal Code
4 Section 29.80.145 of the Town Municipal Code
open space5. The open space would be controlled by topography, use of underground parking, and
specific building location, in order to preserve and enhance the hillsides and ridgeline. The
proposed project will also include a development plan that includes all the requirements provided.
The project would provide seniors with care housing that is subject to comprehensive statewide
regulatory controls and oversite. The California Community Care Facilities Act and associated
regulations establish a robust regulatory system relating to matters such as rates and refunds,
personnel and administration, financing, admission agreements, and eviction proceedings. The
project would not be subject to the Town’s inclusionary housing requirements because state law
prohibits local agencies from imposing rent controls on licensed residential care facilities for the
elderly. (Health & Safety Code § 1569.147(b).) As a practical matter, it is not possible to operate a
facility such as this under two different regulatory systems affecting rent and pricing. (See Ocean
House Corp. v. Permanent Rent Control Board of the City of Santa Monica, 147 Cal. App. 3d 395
(1983).) However, the project would provide intrinsic housing benefits and it would not result in
any housing impacts. Onsite employment and indirect demand for professional and other services
is expected to be consistent with that of the existing care facility. Thus, the project would not
contribute to any increased need for affordable housing in the community.
5 Section 29.80.075 of the Town Municipal Code
Appendix D
Listing of Meetings with Neighbors and Community
Type of Meeting Date Time Location Attendee Notes from Meeting Outcom e
Neighborhood Meeting 1 03/08/18 7:30-9PM Los Gatos Meadows Maria Ristow, Irving & Evelyn
Mitsunaga, Robert Mullan(Toll House)
General introduction of intent to rebuild Los
Gatos Meadows
Kicked-off neighborhood
communications plan
Neighborhood Meeting 2 04/18/18 7-8PM Los Gatos Meadows Julie Ritter Southern, Maria Ristow,
Claire Leclair, Cathy Colgan
General introduction of intent to rebuild Los
Gatos Meadows; similar material to first
meeting
Kicked-off neighborhood
communications plan
Neighborhood Meeting 3 05/03/18 7-8PM Los Gatos Meadows Karen Kurtz, Linda Iversen, Sue Fairley Attendees interested in architecture and
supplemental transportation options
Design team elevated analysis of
supplemental transportation
alternatives
Neighborhood Meeting 4 05/20/18 3-4PM Los Gatos Meadows John and Jean Richardson, Stanford
Stickney and 3 other family members
Questions related to timeline, storm
drainage, and fire risk
Resolved current storm drain issue
and initiated planning to mitigate
fire risk through brush removal
Focus Groups
(3 Sessions)
10/2/2018 -
10/3/2018
Varies Toll House 36 older adults participated in 3 sessions.
Participants were drawn from the local
area. Participants were promised
confidentiality.
Sensitive to how various attributes or
requirements may drive cost, supplemental
transportation system very important,
limited enthusiasm for LEED certification but
recycling and energy efficiency important,
limited enthusiasm for facilitating non-
residents/non-guests on campus,
preference for larger, more spacious units,
recommendation to minimize long corridors,
preference for multiple dining venues and
ample on-site amenities such as fitness
center, walking trails, access to town, casual
dining, library, coffee shop, and access to on-
site support care.
Design team made applicable
refinements to concept plan
Neighborhood Meeting 5 12/06/18 7-8PM Los Gatos Meadows Julie Ritter Southern, Matt and Marlena
Hood and friend, Mike Wasserman
Question about timing, policy related to
relocation of existing residents, impact on
visibility to neighbors above, use of solar
panels and roof color, impacts on traffic
(with specific concerns about summer
traffic), site security during closure, parking,
noise impacts and construction parking.
Requested advance notifications of all
construction work that could affect access.
Some residents on Wood Road would prefer
that Farwell Lane continue to support regular
vehicle traffic. A video summary of the
meeting was posted at:
https://vimeo.com/278024461
Feedback informed further
refinement to concept plan. With
regard to Wood Road traffic
impacts, design team is prioritizing
minimizing errant trips up Wood
Road past the main entrance, and
more importantly, further
prioritizing the supplemental
transportation system to convert
more trips to autonomous vehicle,
pedestrian or bike trips. Also,
currently planning to include solar
panels.
Neighborhood Meeting 6 10/10/19 7-8PM Toll House Julie Ritter Southern, Maria Ristow,
Jamie Garcia & Friend, Irving & Evelyn
Mitsunaga
Questions about Wood Road traffic,
availability of Wood Road for evacuation,
potential impact of project on housing
element, and recommendation to deploy
goats to further reduce fire risk. Request for
copy of facts and figures table.
Confirmed that project not
expected to affect housing
element. Planning to deploy goats
on property this spring; planning to
make commitment to make Wood
Road available for evacuation
during emergencies.
Neighborhood Meeting 7 03/05/20 7-8PM Los Gatos United
Methodist Church
None General heightened sensitivity due to COVID-
19 may have been a factor in suppressing
turnout.
Produced and circulated video
update; available at Covia/Los
Gatos Meadows website
https://covia.org/los-gatos-
meadows/
Neighborhood Meeting 8 12/03/20 7-8PM Zoom Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Fred Lester, Matt
Wood, Zane Rowe, Gary/Jamie Garcia,
Claire Leclair, Evelyn/Irving Mitsunaga,
Robert Macartney, Matthew Bigge
Green roof (Fred), Solar (Julie), incline
elevator (Fred), security current through
construction (Matt), views from 135 Wood
and story pole modification request (Julie),
visualization from 100 Wood Rd (Matt),
Condo v. CCRC (Julie), fire evacuation
(Matt), parking for construction (Fred),
construction traffic (Matt)
Provided advance notice of intent
to seek modification to Town's Story
Pole Policy
Public Hearing - Story Pole
Exception Request
01/19/21 7-9PM Zoom Meeting Town Council and Town Staff (in
advance of meeting, staff received
letters from Clare Southern, Matthew
Southern and Mark Rigoli (via Council
Member Maria Ristow)
No public comments; council members
discussed merits and concerns regarding
proposal
Consideration for request for fewer
poles continued to future council
meeting (subsequently withdrew
modification request)
11/8/2024:9:52 AM
Appendix D
Listing of Meetings with Neighbors and Community
Type of Meeting Date Time Location Attendee Notes from Meeting Outcom e
NOP Meeting 02/25/21 7-7:15PM Zoom Meeting Presenters: Joel Paulson, Jocelyn
Shoopman, Sean Mullin, Terri Wissler
Adam (EMC Planning).
Public Attendees: Matt Hood
Matt Hood inquired about availability of
video recording of the NOP meeting
Neighborhood Meeting 9 08/09/21 7-8PM Zoom Meeting Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Mark
Falgout, David Gates, Chris Ichien
Comments and questions related to: clarify
visual impacts (during and after
construction), number of expected truck
trips, construction hours, placement of
parking, project schedule, emergency
circulation and clarification of employee
break area
Updated FAQ's in response to
questions.
City Council Public Hearing -
Story Pole Exception Request
10/19/21 7-10PM Zoom Meeting Town Council and Town Staff (in
advance of meeting, staff received
letters from Julie Southern, Esther Grant
and Andrew Ghofrani)
Frank Rockwood and Mark Falgout stepped
through request. No public comments;
council members discussed merits and
concerns regarding proposal as well as
addressed policy in general
Request was granted to use flags
versus netting with condition of
using 2 rows of flags.
Neighborhood Meeting 10 01/10/22 7-8PM Zoom Meeting Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Mark
Falgout, David Gates, Chris Ichien,
Victor Ceron, Laura Worthington-
Forbes; Attendees: Gillian and Mike
Verga, Julie Ritter Southern, Clare
Southern, Matt Southern, Cathy
Colgan, Maria Ristow, Andrew Ghofrani,
Michael and Kimberley Wasserman,
Omari and Kavita Bouknight, Cindy Slain
Comments and questions related to:
massing, visualizations (from specific
neighbors on Wood Road and Tate & Main
Street), Farwell Lane use for pedestrians,
construction hours and traffic route, access
to vineyard above Los Gatos Meadows, solar
panels, undergrounding, PG&E lines, TV
antennae tower, color of roof and buildings
Project team to follow up with
neighbors re: distribution of massing
and additional details on building
heights
Planning Commission 01/12/22 7-11PM Zoom Meeting Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Mark
Falgout, David Gates, Chris Ichien,
Victor Ceron, Laura Worthington-
Forbes; Planning Commission and Town
Staff (in advance of meeting, staff
received letters from Ester Grant,
Andrew Ghofrani, Niki OmadI, Julie
Southern and Clare Southern)
Planning Commission primarily focused on
massing and height, unit mix/positioning, off
haul, trees and affordable housing/BMR.
Project was not recommended by
Planning Commission; project team
requested to go on to Town Council
and developed options to be
responsive to Planning Commission's
concerns.
Neighborhood Meeting 11 /
Town Hall
03/22/22 7-8PM Zoom Meeting Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Mark
Falgout, David Gates, Chris Ichien,
Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington-
Forbes; Attendees: Gillian and Mike
Verga, Julie Ritter Southern, Clare
Southern, Matt Hood, Cathy Colgan,
Maria and Warren Ristow, Andrew and
Fereshteh Ghofrani, Lee Fagot, Don
Spare, Tom Rizol, Tom Picraux, Jean
Ebrahimoun, Claire Wilson
Comments and questions related to the
options proposed in response to Planning
Commission's comments, and question from
neighbor re: visualizations. We also ran a poll
for support and had the following neighbors
say they wanted to support the project:
Irving and Evelyn Mitsunaga, Gillian and
Mike Verga, Julie Ritter Southern, and Matt
Hood.
Updated FAQ's in response to
questions, and project team
followed up with neighbor re:
private view visualizations;
considering using Farwell Lane for
service vehicles.
Town Council Meeting 04/07/22 7-11:30PM Zoom Meeting Town Councilmembers Hudes, Sayoc,
Renni and Badame were present,
councilmember Ristow abstained; town
staff from planning and the attorney
was present: Chris Ichien presented and
Frank Rockwood answered question;
Catherine Somers and Fred Lester spoke
in support
Questions and concerns were raised about
height and massing and process.
Project was remanded back to
Planning Commission with
comments from Town Council
Neighborhood Meeting 12 10/24/23 7:00PM 142 S. Santa Cruz Ave. Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Chris
Ichien, Mary McMullin; Other Project
Team Attendees: Victor Ceron, Alex
Gerasimov, Susan Rockwood;
Attendees: Gillian Verga, Julie Ritter
Southern, Marlena Hood, Cathy Colgan,
Andrew Ghofrani, Fred Lester, Tom
Picraux and wife, Richard Kelso, Brett
Krasniewicz
Questions re: pedestrian traffic on
Broadway, sufficiency of on-site parking, off-
haul volume, # of stories, # of tower cranes
and autonomous vehicles.
Updated FAQ's.
Planning Commission 10/25/23 7:00PM Town Chambers Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Chris
Ichien, Mary McMullin; Commissioners:
Jeffrey Barnett, Kathryn Janoff, Steve
Raspe, Melanie Hanssen, Susan Burnett;
staff: Joel Paulson, Jennifer Armer
Confirming of need for service. Continuing
concerns re: max building height, unit mix
and visual impacts. Recommended meeting
with CHHSC.
Scheduled follow-up meeting with
CHHSC and the Foundation for
Older Adults to Thrive Executive
Committee.
11/8/2024:9:52 AM
Appendix D
Listing of Meetings with Neighbors and Community
Type of Meeting Date Time Location Attendee Notes from Meeting Outcom e
CHHSC 11/30/23 5:00 PM Town Chambers Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Chris
Ichien, Mary McMullin; Other Project
Team Attendees: Laura Worthington-
Forbes, Albert Villalta, Susan Rockwood;
CHHSC Commission/staff: Jeff Blum,
Eleanor Yick, Dick Conrad, Mary
Badame, Lincoln Withrow, Ryan Baker
Home Match, Well Connected, classroom
space and transportation would be valued
services to the Los Gatos senior community.
Flagged concern re: fire evacuation.
Coordinating with Front Porch senior
management re: continued
exploration of community services
offerings.
Los Gatos Foundation for Older
Adults To Thrive
12/04/23 1:00 PM Los Gatos Library Presenters: Frank Rockwood, Chris
Ichien, Mary McMullin, Laura
Worthington-Forbes; Foundation
Executive Committee: Sandy Decker,
Tom Picraux, Matthew Hudes; Alan
Feinberg
Building new community center is high
priority. While 142 S. Santa Cruz Ave. is not
candidate for new community center (too
small), it could be an ancillary location for
community service offerings.
Coordinating with Front Porch senior
management re: continued
exploration of community services
offerings.
Los Gatos Foundation for Older
Adults To Thrive
03/12/24 2:00 PM 142 S. Santa Cruz Ave. Project Team Participants: Frank
Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary
McMullin, Laura Worthington-Forbers |
Foundation Members: Tom PIcraux,
Foundation President, Matthew Hudes,
Vice-Mayor of LG and Foundation VP,
Tim Lundell, Treasurer, Teri Hope,
Committee Member, Alan Feinberg,
Community Center Committee Chair,
Eleanor Yick, Community Health & Sr.
Srvc Comm. Chair and Initiatives &
Publicity Committee Member, Skip
Brewster, Community Center
Committee Member, Ryan Rosenberg,
Committee Member, Tylor Taylor,
SASCC Exec. Dir. and Advisor to
Foundation, Jeff Blum, Committee
Member
Project team provided update re: status of
rebuild application and overview of FP
community services offerings with particular
focus on HomeMatch. Foundation
members generally interested in potential
offerings that would support the broader
community (i.e. availability of space in 142
S. Santa Cruz for programming,
HomeMatch)
Tom provided follow-up letter and
listing of West Valley Service
Providers. Scheduled follow-up
meeting with Foundation Executive
Committee
Los Gatos Foundation for Older
Adults To Thrive
05/23/24 12:15 PM Los Gatos Library Project Team Participants: Frank
Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura
Worthington-Forbes, Tracy Powell,
Luke Barnesmoore | Foundation
Executive Committee Members: Tom
PIcraux, Matthew Hudes, Sandy
Decker
Project team provided update re: status of
rebuild application and provided a deeper
dive discussion of FP community services
offerings with particular focus on
HomeMatch
FP to launch analysis of adding
HomeMatch offering with
expectation that some
HomeMatch personnel would be
based in upstairs office spaces at
142 S. Santa Cruz
Town Council Meeting 6/18/2024 7-9PM Town Chambers Project Team Participant: Frank
Rockwood; Town Councilmembers
Hudes, Renni, Badame and Moore were
present, councilmember Ristow
abstained; town staff from planning and
the attorney was present
Frank Rockwood presented and answered
questions as to why the FP visualization
should be accepted in lieu of waiting for town
to hire their expert; councilmembers
discussed issues like cost and timing and
process of notifying neighbors; Stanford
Stickney spoke in general support but stated
concern about visualization sufficiently
showing what buildings look like
Exemption request (to accept
Arnold Imaging rather than use
Town's to-be-selected consultant)
unanimously approved
Los Gatos Foundation for Older
Adults To Thrive
10/14/24 5-7 PM In-Person Project Team Representatives: Mary
McMullin
Improved understanding of desired needs of
seniors in the community.
Continued refinement of
community benefit offering.
Neighbor Meeting 13 11/06/24 7PM Zoom Webinar Project Team Participant: Frank
Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura
Darling, Chris Ichien, Victor Ceron, Pete
Hillan, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Mark
Falgout, David Gates, David Hoglund,
Soo Im, Jonathan Arnold;
Neighborhood Participants: Andy
Ghofrani, Bernd Neudecker, Brian
Kiernan, Evelyn Mitsunaga, Julie Ritter,
Lee Burghardt, Matt Hood, Dawn Philips
Project team provided recap re: project
status. Questions/comments re: to
elimination of incline elevator, Farwell Lane
access, visualizations, hazardous materials
removal, handrail on Farwell Lane, permit
status, and numerous questions clarifying
building heights.
Updated FAQ's; follow-up mtg. w/
neighbors on Wood Road re:
visualization
11/8/2024:9:52 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
10/23/2017 Meeting with Town Attorney and Planning Town In-Person Meeting Laurel Prevetti, Joel Paulson, Robert Schultz Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes,
Barbara Schussman
2/7/2018 Meeting with Fire Department Town In-Person Meeting Fardean Amadhani, Tracy Staiger Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout
2/27/2018 Open House 1 Invitation Neighbors Letter [Sent to neighborhood distribution list] Letter from Kevin Gerber
3/8/2018 Tour with Town Staff Town Tour Laurel Prevetti, Joel Paulson Frank Rockwood, Kevin Gerber, Chris Ichien, Eric
Morley
3/8/2018 Open House 1 meeting Neighbors In-Person Meeting Maria Ristow, Irving & Evelyn Mitsunaga, Robert Mullan (Toll
House)
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Eric Morley, Kevin
Gerber, Ron Schaefer
3/8/2018 Resident Council 1 Meeting Residents In-Person Meeting [Los Gatos Meadows residents] Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Eric Morley, Kevin
Gerber, Ron Schaefer
4/2/2018 Open House 2 Invitation Neighbors Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien
4/8/2018 Open House 2 Next Door Posting by Ristow Neighbors NextDoor
4/13/2018 Meeting with Toll House Hotel Organizations In-Person Meeting Jason Bogan, Robert Mullan Frank Rockwood
4/18/2018 Open House 2 meeting Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Maria Ristow, Claire LeClair, Cathy
Colgan
Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Eric
Morley
4/18/2018 Resident Council 2 Meeting Residents In-Person Meeting [L os Gatos Meadows residents] Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Mark F algout, Eric
Morley
4/23/2018 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Barbara Spector Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Eric
Morley
4/23/2018 Meeting with Town Attorney Town In-Person Meeting Robert Schultz, Joel Paulson Bill Tobin, Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley, Barbara
Schussman
4/24/2018 Open House 3 & 4 Invitation Neighbors Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
4/30/2018 Meeting with Toll House Organizations In-Person Meeting Jason Bogan Frank Rockwood
4/30/2018 Meeting with Town Official Town In-Person Meeting Monica Renn Frank Rockwood
4/30/2018 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Marico Sayoc Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Diana Jamison, Eric
Morley
5/1/2018 Open House 3 Next Door Posting by Ristow Neighbors NextDoor
5/3/2018 Meeting with Toll House business Organizations In-Person Meeting Fred Lester, Dave Lazzarini (at the beginning) Frank Rock wood, Eric Morley
5/3/2018 Open House 3 meeting Neighbors In-Person Meeting Kurtz, Fairey, Iversen (and Mike Vrevich resident) David Gates, Chris Ichien, Ron Schaefer, F
Rockwood, Mark Falgout, E Morley
5/3/2018 Resident Council 3 Meeting Residents In-Person Meeting [Los Gatos Meadows residents] David Gates, Chris Ichien, Ron Schaef er, Frank
Rockwood
5/3/2018 Meeting with Fire Town In-Person Meeting Fardean Amadhani, Tracy Staiger Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Eric Morley
5/3/2018 Meeting with Planning Town In-Person Meeting Joel Paulson Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout
5/4/2018 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Rob Rennie Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Kevin Gerber, Eric
Morley
5/3/2018 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Marcia Jensen Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Eric
Morley
5/4/2018 Meeting with Public Works Town In-Person Meeting Jessy Pu, Lisa Pedersen Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Eric Morley
5/4/2018 Tour with Mayor Town Tour Rob Rennie Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood, Kevin Gerber, Eric
Morley
5/10/2018 Open House 4 Invitation Neighbors/Organization Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
5/17/2018 Emailed Director of Chamber of
Commerce
Organizations Email Joe Pirzynski Email from Frank Rockwood
5/20/2018 Open House 4 meeting Neighbors In-Person Meeting John and Jean Richardson, Stanford Stickney and 3 other
family members
David Gates, Chris Ichien, Bill Tobin, F Rockwood,
Mark Falgout
5/22/2018 Emailed Julie Ritter Southern Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Email from Frank Rockwood
6/4/2018 Emailed Los Gatos Roasting Company Organizations Email Teri Hope Email from Frank Rockwood
6/4/2018 Emailed McCarthy Ranch Organizations Email Joey McCarthy Email from Frank Rockwood
6/4/2018 Emailed Time Out Clothing Organizations Email Ginger Rowe Email from Frank Rockwood
6/10/2018 Emailed Julie Ritter Southern Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Email from Frank Rockwood
6/11/2018 Emailed Time Out Clothing Organizations Email Ginger Rowe Email from Frank Rockwood
6/15/2018 Meeting with Los Gatos Roasting Company Organizations In-Person Meeting Teri Hope Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/15/2018 Meeting with McCarthy Ranch Organizations In-Person Meeting Joey McCarthy Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/15/2018 Stopped Rural Supply Hardware Organizations In-Person Meeting Ken Nelson Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/15/2018 Stopped by Cucina Bambina Organizations In-Person Meeting Met with receptionist (Izzy) Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/15/2018 Stopped by The Spa - Los Gatos Organizations In-Person Meeting Met with receptionist Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/25/2018 Meeting with Time Out Clothing Organizations In-Person Meeting Ginger Rowe Frank and Susan Rockwood
6/25/2018 Meeting to review views of neighbor Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood and Chris Ichien
6/26/2018 Call with Town Not City Representative Organizations Call Rod Teague Frank Rockwood
6/27/2018 Emailed UMC and Live Oak Organizations Email Jennifer Murdock, Trudy Burling Email from Frank Rockwood
7/13/2018 Meeting with Chamber Organizations In-Person Meeting Joe Pirzynski Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
7/13/2018 Meeting with The Spa - Los Gatos Organizations In-Person Meeting Patti Rice Frank Rockwood
7/17/2018 Open House 5 & 6 Invitation and Open
House 4 Video Link
Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
7/18/2018 NextDoor Posting about video Neighbors/Organization NextDoor
7/19/2018 Meeting with Live Oak and LGUMC Organizations In-Person Meeting Jennifer Murdock, Trudy Burling, Kathy Mlinarich Frank Rockwood and Laura Worthington-Forbes
7/20/2018 Emailed neighbor who reached out Neighbors Email James Holtz Email from Frank Rockwood
7/23/2018 Emailed meeting invitation Organizations Email Ron Tate Email from Frank Rockwood
7/23/2018 Emailed meeting invitation Organizations Email Shelly Blanchard Email from Frank Rockwood
7/24/2018 Call with Shelly Blanchard Organizations Call Shelly Blanchard/Cucina Bambina Frank Rockwood
7/24/2018 Meeting with Fred Lester Organizations In-Person Meeting Fred Lester Frank Rockwood
7/24/2018 Meeting with Jason Bogan Organizations In-Person Meeting Jason Bogan Frank Rockwood
7/30/2018 Email from Maria Ristow Neighbors Email Maria Ristow Email from Frank Rockwood
8/1/2018 Email from Joe Pirzynski Organizations Email Joe Pirzynski Email from Frank Rockwood
8/28/2018 Announcement re: rescheduling Open
House 5 & 6 and commencement of focus
groups
Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
8/30/2018 James Holtz emailed re: focus group Neighbors Email James Holtz Email from Frank Rockwood
9/25/2018 Survey mailed to people in Town and
vicinity
Neighbors/Vicinity Letter [Sent to neighborhood distribution list + mailing list for vicinity] Brook Adams
10/2/2018;
10/3/2018
Focus Groups Neighbors/Vicinity In-Person Meeting 3 focus groups of about 12 each Brook Adams
10/29/2018 Meeting with Town Staff Town In-Person Meeting Laurel Prevetti, Joel Paulson, Robert Schultz Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Eric
Morley, Chris Ichien, Barbara Schussman
11/9/2018 Open House 5 Invitation Neighbors Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
12/6/2018 Open House 5 Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Southern, Matt and Marlena Hood and friend, Mike
Wasserman
D Gates, C Ichien, A Pelley, F Rockwood, M Falgout, E
Morley, M McMullin, L Darling
12/6/2018 Resident Council #5 Meeting Residents In-Person Meeting [Los Gatos Meadows residents] D Gates, C Ichien, A Pelley, F Roc kwood, M Falgout,
E Morley, K Gerber, M McMullin, L Darling
12/7/2018 Public Works Meeting Town In-Person Meeting Jessy Pu, Lisa Pedersen Frank Rockwood, Susan Rockwood, Mark Falgout
12/11/2018 Meeting with Town Staff Town In-Person Meeting Laurel Prevetti, Joel Paulson Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley, Chris Ichien, Mark
Falgout
12/11/2018 Meeting w/Town Not City Organizations In-Person Meeting Rod Teague Frank and Susan Rockwood, Eric Morley, Chris Ichien
12/12/2018 Meeting with Council Member Marico
Sayoc
Town In-Person Meeting Marico Sayoc Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley, Chris Ichien
12/12/2018 Meeting with Council Member Steve
Leonardis
Town In-Person Meeting Steve Leonardis Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley , Chris Ichien
12/12/2018 Meeting with Chamber Organizations In-Person Meeting Joe Pirzynski, Catherine Somers Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley, Chris Ichien
12/13/2018 Meeting with Toll House Organizations In-Person Meeting Jason Bogan Frank and Susan Rockwood, Victor Ceron
12/13/2018 Meeting with Council Member Rob Rennie Town In-Person Meeting Rob Rennie Frank Rockwood, Eric Morley, Kiran Kaur
12/14/2018 Meeting with Council Member Barbara
Spector
Town In-Person Meeting Barbara Spector Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin
12/18/2018 Emailed link to Open House 5 Video Town/Org/Neighbors Email [sent to email distribution list] Frank Rockwood
1/29/2019 Meeting with Council Member Marcia
Jensen
Town In-Person Meeting Marcia Jensen Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Chris Ichien
2/19/2019 Emails from Maria Ristow and Matt Hood Neighbors Email Maria Ristow, Matt Hood Frank Rockwood
2/21/2019 Phone Conversation with Rod Teague Organizations Call Rod Teague Frank Rockwood
2/22/2019 Emails with Fred Lester re: Oak Trees Organizations Email Fred Lester Frank Rockwood
3/15/2019 Meeting with Caroline and Marc Philippe Neighbors In-Person Meeting Caroline and Marc Philippe Frank Rockwood, Victor Ceron
3/15/2019 Meeting with Julie Ritter Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood, Victor Ceron
5/15/2019 Julie Ritter Emailed re: project status Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Email from Frank Rockwood
7/8/2019 Email with Caroline Phillippe re:
ADU/vineyard
Neighbors Email Caroline and Marc Philippe Frank Rockwood
7/25/2019 Meeting with Toll House Hotel Organizations In-Person Meeting Jason Bogan Frank Rockwood
8/5/2019 Conversation with John Richardson re:
status
Neighbors Call John Richardson Frank Rockwood
8/15/2019 Meeting with Joel Paulson and Laurel
Prevetti
Town In-Person Meeting Joel Paulson, Laurel Prevetti Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, David
Gates, Chris Ichien
8/15/2019 Meeting with Catherine Somers from
Chamber
Organizations In-Person Meeting Catherine Somers Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
8/15/2019;
8/17/2019
Open House 6 Invitation and FAQ's Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
9/24/2019 Meeting with Toll House Hotel Organizations In-Person Meeting Abel Veloz Frank Rockwood, Victor Ceron
9/24/2019 Meeting with Fred Lester Organizations In-Person Meeting Fred Lester and his wife Frank Rockwood, Victor Ceron
9/24/2019 Meeting with Senior Commission Town In-Person Meeting Arn Andrews, Commission Members Frank and Susan Rockwood
10/1/2019 Meeting with Julio Hernandez, SDA Church Town In-Person Meeting Julio Hernandez, SDA Church Victor Ceron
10/10/2019 Open House 6 at Toll House Hotel Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Jaime Garcia & friend, Irving & Evelyn
Mitsunaga, Maria Ristow
F Rockwood, M Falgout, D Gates, C Ichien, V Ceron, V
Troncosco, P Hillan
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
10/14/2019 Response re: OH 6 Questions re: schedule
and security and goats
Neighbors Email Maria Ristow, Julie Ritter Southern, Irving and Evelyn
Mitsunaga, Jaime Garcia
Frank Rockwood
10/25/2019 Email Intro to New Neighbor Neighbors Email Zane Rowe (bought Phillipe property) Frank Rockwood
12/18/2019 Meeting with Town Town In-Person Meeting Joel Paulson, Sally Zarnowitz, Jocelyn Shoopman Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, David
Hance
2/6/2020 Site Visit with Town Staff Town In-Person Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman, Sally Zarnowitz, Mike Weisz, Robert
Gray, Corvell Sparks
Frank Rockwood, Victor Ceron, Chris Ichien, Vincent
Troncoso
2/11/2020 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Broadway
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern NA
2/12/2020 Technical Review Town In-Person Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman, Sally Zarnowitz, Bob Gray, Tracy Staiger Frank Rockwood, Arch Pelley, Mark Falgout, Kimmy
Chen
2/13/2020 Open House 7 Invitation and FAQ's Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
3/5/2020 Open House 7 at Los Gatos United
Methodist Church
Neighbors In-Person Meeting None Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Vic tor Ceron, Mark
Falgout, David Gates
3/6/2020;
3/10/2020
Maria Ristow inquired re: Open House 7;
response addressed possible alternatives to
in-person meetings; communicated that
Covia is targeting distribution of video
summary in May; appreciative of goats
Neighbors Email Maria Ristow Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
4/2/2020 John Richardson inquired re: status; resent
February FAQ; communicated that Covia
is targeting distribution of video summary
Neighbors Email John Richardson Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
4/14/2020;
4/16/2020
Julie Ritter Southern inquired re: status;
complained re: unsightly trash bin;
appreciative of goats; responded that
Covia is targeting distribution of video
summary; committed to removal of
unsightly trash bin
Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
5/31/2020 Sent link to summary video to neighbors;
updated Covia website with link to
summary video
Neighbors Email [Sent to neighborhood] Frank Rockwood
6/3/2020 Meeting with Town Staff Town Video Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman Frank Rockwood, Arch Pelley, Melissa Destout
6/3/2020 Meeting with Fire Department Town Video Meeting Tracy Staiger, Kathy Baker Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Matt Lissak
6/7/2020 Zane Rowe acknowledged receipt of May
31st email; interested in meeting in person
when things return to normal
Neighbors Email Zane Rowe Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
6/10/2020 Meeting with Town Staff re: Land Use
CEQA Path
Town Video Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman, Sally Zarnowitz, Joel Paulson, Robert
Schultz
Frank Rockwood, Barbara Schussman, Laura
Worthington-Forbes
6/11/2020 Julie Ritter Southern forwarded link to
video to Justin Draa and Brend
Neudecker; requested consideration of
another in-person presentation
Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
6/12/2020 Meeting with Town Staff re: Story Pole
Visualization
Town Video Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman, Sally Zarnowitz, Joel Paulson Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, David Gates,
Melissa Destout
6/29/2020 Maria Ristow inquired re: status general
and tagged trees behind 65 Broadway;
tagged trees related to trimming project
Neighbors Email Maria Ristow Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
6/29/2020 Margaret Bielski called about trees at 19
Clifton that appear to be marked for
removal; understands that there is a
proposal to add two units
Neighbors Call Margaret Bielski Call to/from Frank Rockwood
11/17/2020 Open House 8 Invitation Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
12/2/2020 Meeting with Council Member-Elect Maria
Ristow
Town Video Meeting Maria Ristow Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
12/3/2020 Open House 8 Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Fred Lester, Matt Wood, Zane Rowe,
Gary/Jamie Garcia, Claire LeClair, Evelyn/Irving Mitsunaga,
Robert Macartney, Matthew Bigge
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, David Gates, Victor
Ceron, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Mark Falgout,
Laura Darling
12/3/2020 Meeting with Council Member Marico
Sayoc
Town Video Meeting Marico Sayoc Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
12/4/2020 Meeting with Jocelyn Shoopman Town Video Meeting Jocelyn Shoopman Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
12/9/2020 Meeting with Council Member Rob Rennie Town Video Meeting Rob Rennie Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington
Forbes
1/11/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles and Fire Evacuation
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Matthew Southern N/A
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
1/12/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Clare Southern N/A
1/12/2021 Meeting with Council Member Matthew
Hudes
Town Video Meeting Matthew Hudes Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
1/12/2021 Meeting with Council Member Mary
Badame
Town Video Meeting Mary Badame Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
1/15/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles and Farwell Lane
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Mark Regoli N/A
1/19/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles and View
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern N/A
1/19/2021 Town Council Hearing re: Story Pole Town/Neighbors Video Meeting Matthew Hudes, Mary Badame, Jocelyn Shoopman, Rob
Rennie, Marico Sayoc, Maria Ristow (recused)
Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, David Gates, Laura
Worthington-Forbes
2/1/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Bernd Neudecker N/A
2/1/2021 Meeting with Julie Ritter Southern and
Andrew Ghofrani
Neighbors In-Person Meeting Julie Ritter Southern (123/135 Wood Rd) and Andrew
Ghofrani ( 121 Wood Rd)
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, David Gates
2/2/2021 Julie Ritter Southern conveyed that Bernd
Neudecker would be sending letter to
staff
Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern (123/135 Wood Rd) and Berne
Neudecker (109 Wood Rd)
Emails to/from Frank Rockwood
2/8/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
View and Building Height
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Andrew Ghofrani N/A
2/8/2021 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Matthew Hudes Frank Roc kwood, Chris Ichien
2/11/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern N/A
2/22/2021 Letter recap of meeting with Arn Andrews
regarding Ad Hoc Wildfire Committee;
Jocelyn Scoopman directed project team
to incorporate contents of letter in
updated Justification Letter
Town Email Arn Andrews Laura Worthington Forbes
2/25/2021 NOP Meeting Neighbor/Town Video Meeting Presenters: Joel Paulson, Jocelyn Shoopman, Sean Mullin,
Terri Wissler Adam (EMC Planning).
Public Attendees: Matt Hood
Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes
3/14/2021 Neighbor reached out about people
cutting plants on property
Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
3/18/2021 Owner of business located at the corner of
Wood Rd and S. Santa Cruz Ave reached
out about construction start and length -
concern of holistic tenant
Neighbor/Town Email Shayna Orr, Exec Asst for Owner of business located at the
corner of Wood Rd and S. Santa Cruz Ave
Frank Rockwood
4/22/2021 Letter to Neighbor re: Visualizations Neighbor Letter Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood
4/28/2021 Emailed Visualizations from Ghofrani
Property
Neighbor Email Andrew Ghofrani, Julie Ritter Frank Rockwood
5/3/2021 Email to Neighbor re: project status and
tree
Neighbor Email John Richardson Frank Rockwood
5/12/2021 Communication with Neighbor about
Trees - to be taken down 5/15/21
Neighbor Email John Richardson Alex Gerasimov
5/15/2021 Communication with Town Council
Member Who Reached Out For Update
Town Email Maria Ristow Frank Rockwood
5/17/2021 Communication with Neighbor about Tree
Taken Down - Neighbor Said Looked
Great
Neighbor Email John Richardson Alex Gerasimov
5/24/2021 Communication with Neighbor re:
Visualizations from House
Neighbor Email Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood
6/5/2021 Neighbor Reached Out Regarding Annual
Clearing of Brush by 50 Clifton Ave.
Neighbor Email Michael Walton Alex Gerasimov
6/14/2021 Communicate with Neighbor re: Request
for Project Update
Neighbor Email Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood
6/14/2021 Communication with Neighbor re:
Upcoming DEIR Meeting 6/23/21
Neighbor Email Julie Ritter Southern and Andrew Ghofrani Frank Roc kwood
7/6/2021 Communication with Neighbor re:
Upcoming Open House - Checking on Aug
9 Date
Neighbor Email Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood
7/9/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Septic Tank - DEIR
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Peter Estes N/A
7/11/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Views - DEIR
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Andrew Ghofrani N/A
7/11/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re: on
Wood Road - DEIR
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern N/A
7/12/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re: on
Wood Road - DEIR
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Justin Draa N/A
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
7/20/2021 Open House 9 Invitation Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
7/21/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Evacuation
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Matthew Southern N/A
8/9/2021 Open House 9 Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Larry Lenheart, Evelyn/Irving
Mitsunaga, Andrew Ghofrani, Matt Hood
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, David Gates, Mark
Falgout, Laura-Worthington-Forbes, Alex Gerasimov,
Victor Ceron, Mary McMullin
8/10/2021 Sent Link to Recording of Open House 9 To
All Registered Neighbors, Whether They
Attended Or Not
Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern, Larry Lenheart, Evelyn/Irv ing
Mitsunaga, Andrew Ghofrani, Matt Hood, Cathy Colgan,
Karen Kurz, Zane Rowe, Fred Lester, James Farwell
Susan Rockwood
8/19/2021 Neighbor Reached Out Regarding RV
Parked on Clifton
Neighbor Email Cathy Colgan Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
8/26/2021 Neighbor Reached Out RE: Property
Transfer
Neighbor Email Fred Lester Frank Rockwood
10/11/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern N/A
10/12/2021 Communication with Neighbors re:
Upcoming Oct. 19 Public Meeting
Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
10/18/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Andrew Ghofrani N/A
10/18/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Esther Grant N/A
10/19/2021 Town Council Hearing re: Story Pole Neighbor/Town Video Meeting Matthew Hudes, Mary Badame, Joel Paulson, Sean Mullins
Rob Rennie, Marico Sayoc, Maria Ristow (recused)
Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, Chris Ichien, Laura
Worthington-Forbes (Ashley Snodgrass from California
Story Poles was on the call but had to leave before the
project was discussed).
11/16/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Story Poles
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Ritter Southern N/A
12/1/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Andrew Ghofrani N/A
12/16/2021 Open House 10 Invitation Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
12/23/2021 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Todd Johnson N/A
1/1/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Mike Kennedy N/A
1/5/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Chad and Laura Kutting N/A
1/7/2022 Email to Neighbor re: Visualizations Neighbor Email Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood
1/10/2022 Open House 10 Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Clare Southern, Matt Southern, Andrew
Ghofrani, Maria Ristow, Cindy Slain, Mike and Kim
Wasserman, Gillian and Mike Verga, Omar and Kavita
Bouknight, Cathy Colgan
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, David Gates, Mark
Falgout, Laura-Worthington-Forbes, Victor Ceron,
David Gates
1/11/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Esther Grant N/A
1/11/2022 Communication re: Visualization and
Massing
Neighbor Video Meeting Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood, David Gates
1/12/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Niki Omadi N/A
1/12/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Julie Southern N/A
1/12/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Clare Southern N/A
1/12/2022 Planning Commission Meeting Neighbor/Town Video Meeting Planning Commission and Town Staff (in advance of meeting,
staff received letters from Ester Grant, Andrew Ghofrani,
Niki OmadI, Julie Southern and Clare Southern)
Frank Rockwood, Mark Falgout, David Gates, Chris
Ichien, Victor Ceron, Laura Worthington-Forbes
1/28/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor/Town Letter_to_Town Claudia Galbo N/A
2/1/2022 Communication with Neighbors Re:
Questions Including Off Haul, Traffic,
Farwell Lane, etc.
Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Clare Southern, Matt Southern, Andrew
Ghofrani, Sean Lucq
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Victor Ceron, Mark
Falgout, David Gates
2/6/2022 Communication with Neighbor Re:
Massing and Height and Next Open House
Neighbor Email Mike Wasserman Frank Rockwood
2/14/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Visual Impacts
Neighbor Letter_to_Town Morgan Slain N/A
2/28/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Meeting
Town Email Marico Sayoc Chris Ichien
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
2/28/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Meeting
Town Email Matthew Hudes Chris Ichien
2/28/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Meeting
Town Email Rob Rennie Chris Ichien
2/28/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Meeting
Town Email Mary Badame Chris Ichien
2/28/2022 Letter to Town Manager re: Trespassing at
LGM
Town Email Laurel Prevetti Chris Ichien
3/3/2022 Email from Fire RE: Tour LGM re:
Trespassing Issues
Town Email Eric Collins Chris Ichien
3/4/2022 Communication with Neighbor/Town
Council Member re: Update
Neighbor Email Maria Ristow Chris Ichien
3/10/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Updated Response Letter
Town Email Rob Rennie Chris Ichien
3/10/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Updated Response Letter
Town Email Marico Sayoc Chris Ichien
3/10/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Updated Response Letter and Meeting
Town Email Mary Badame Chris Ichien
3/10/2022 Letter to Town Council Member re:
Updated Response Letter and Meeting
Town Email Matthew Hudes Chris Ichien
3/11/2022 Open House 11/Town Hall Invitation Neighbors/Organization Letter/Email [Sent to neighborhood & local businesses distribution list] Letter from Chris Ichien; email from Frank Rockwood
3/11/2022 Email to Neighbor re: Van Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan Alex Gerasimov
3/14/2022 Meeting with Chamber of Commerce Organizations Video Meeting Catherine Somers Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
3/21/2022 Email from Neighbor re: View Neighbors Email Don Spare Frank Rockwood
3/22/2022 Open House 11 / Town Hall Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern, Clare Southern, Andrew Ghofrani,
Maria Ristow, Gillian and Mike Verga, Cathy Colgan, Don
Spare, Matt Hood, Tom Rizol, Jean Ebrahimoun, Claire
Wilson, Tom Picraux, Irving and Evelyn Mitsunaga, Lee
Fagot
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, David Gates, Mark
Falgout, Laura-Worthington-Forbes, Victor Ceron,
David Gates, Alex Gerasimov, Mary McMullin, Pete
Hillen, Jason Galisatus, Emma Grenier Selvig
3/23/2022 Letter from Neighbor re: Lights Shining Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan Alex Gerasimov
3/23/2022 Letter from LGM to Neighbor re: Lights
Shining
Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan Alex Gerasimov
3/16/2022 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Maria Ristow Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Chris
Ichien
3/24/2022 Tour with Council Member Town Tour Mary Badame Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Chris
Ichien, Victor Ceron
3/28/2022 Letter to Clifton Apt Neighbors re:
Concerns
Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan, Don Spare Frank Rockwood
3/28/2022 Letter from LGM to Neighbor re: Lights
Shining
Neighbors Email Cathy Colgan Alex Gerasimov
3/28/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Support For Project
Neighbor Letter_to_Town Irving and Evelyn Mitsunaga N/A
3/29/2022 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Rob Rennie Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Chris
Ichien
3/29/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Support For Project
Neighbor Letter_to_Town Laverne Nolan N/A
3/30/2022 Letter from Neighbor to Town Staff re:
Support For Project
Neighbor Letter_to_Town Gillain Verga N/A
3/30/2022 Meeting with neighbor re: visualizations Neighbors Video Meeting Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood, David Gates
3/30/2022 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Marico Say oc Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Chris
Ichien
3/31/2022 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Matthew Hudes Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes, Chris
Ichien
4/5/2022 Town Council Hearing Town Video Meeting Hudes, Badame, Rennie, Sayoc, Ristow (abstained), town
planning staff and town attorney
Chris Ichien, Frank Rockwood (rest of team ready to
answer questions as needed)
4/5/2022 Letter with Questions from Neighbor Neighbor Letter_to_Town Dawn Philips, Board of SDA Church N/A
4/6/2022 Thank You to Neighbor Who Spoke In
Support At The Town Council Meeting
Neighbor Email Catherine Somers Frank Rockwood
4/6/2022 Thank You to Neighbor Who Spoke In
Support At The Town Council Meeting
Neighbor Email Fred Lester Frank Rockwood
4/6/2022 Communication with Neighbor with
Questions
Neighbor Email Dawn Philips, Board of SDA Church Frank Rockwood
6/20/2022 Meeting to discuss “4290” fire
requirements re: access roads and
availability of Farwell Lane for fire access.
Neighbor Call Omari and Kavita Bouknight Frank Rockwood
8/9/2022 Meeting with Council Member Town Call Maria Ristow Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
11/10/2022 Email from Justin Draa re: crime at LGM Neighbor Email Justin Draa Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
11/11/2022 Follow up Email re: crime at LGM; request
for update re: LGM status
Neighbor Email Julie Southern Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
11/11/2022 Intro email from new neighbor at 50
Clifton; offer to keep eye out for crime
Neighbor Email Brett Krasniewicz Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
11/28/2022 Letter re: Neighborhood Watch Set up Neighbor Email Justin Draa Alex Gerasimov
12/5/2022 Letter from Neighbors re: Support Neighbor Email Irving and Evelyn Mitsunaga Frank Rockwood
12/19/2022 Letter from Neighbor re: Chainsawing Neighbor Email Julie Southern Frank Rockwood
1/27/2023 Tour with Council Member Town In Person Meeting Rob Moore Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
2/7/2023 Letter from Neighbor re: Trees Being
Taken Down
Neighbor Email Julie Southern Frank Rockwood, Alex Gerasimov
2/21/2023 Sent Email Notifying Neighbors of
Updated FAQs
Neighbor Email Julie Southern, Clare Southern, Matthew Southern, Andrew
Ghofrani; Sean Mullin, Justin Draa, Bernd Neudecker
Frank Rockwood
3/24/2023 Tour with Council Member Town In Person Meeting Matthew H udes Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
8/23/2023 Meeting with Town Staff Town In Person Meeting Sean Mullin Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes
10/24/2023 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Matthew H udes Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
10/24/2023 Open House 12 Neighbors In Person Meeting Gillian Verga, Julie Ritter Southern, Marlena Hood, Cathy
Colgan, Andrew Ghofrani, Fred Lester, Tom Picraux and
wife, Richard Kelso, Brett Krasniewicz
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary McMullin, Victor
Ceron, Alex Gerasimov, Susan Rockwood
10/25/2023 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Matthew H udes Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
10/25/2023 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Maria Ristow Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien
10/25/2023 Planning Commission Meeting Town In Person Meeting Commissioners: Jeffrey Barnett, Kathryn Janoff, Steve
Raspe, Melanie Hanssen, Susan Burnett; staff: Joel Paulson,
Jennifer Armer
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary McMullin
10/31/2023 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Rob Moore Frank Rockwood
11/6/2023 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Rob Rennie Frank Rockwood
11/15/2023 Call with Neighbor Re: Drones for
Visualization
Neighbors Call Matt Southern Frank Rockwood
11/16/2023 Notification of FAQ Posting Neighbors Email Sent to 43 neighbors Susan Rockwood
11/16/2023 Notification of FAQ Posting Interest List Email Sent to 55 people on Interest List Susan Rockwood
11/30/2023 CHHSC Town In Person Meeting CHHSC Commission/staff: Jeff Blum, Eleanor Yick, Dick
Conrad, Mary Badame, Lincoln Withrow, Ryan Baker
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary McMullin, Laura
Worthington-Forbes, Albert Villalta, Susan Rockwood
12/4/2023 Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults To
Thrive
Town In Person Meeting Foundation Executive Committee: Sandy Deck er, Tom
Picraux, Matthew Hudes; Alan Feinberg
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary McMullin, Laura
Worthington-Forbes
12/11/2023 Visualization Visit with Neighbors Neighbors In Person Meeting Julie and Matt Southern Frank and Susan Rockwood
1/29/2024 Visualization Visit with Neighbors Neighbors In Person Meeting Julie and Matt Southern Frank Rockwood, Jonathan Arnold
1/30/2024 Meeting with Council Member Town Video Meeting Matthew Hudes Frank Rockwood, Laura Worthington-Forbes
3/12/2024 Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults To
Thrive
Town In Person Meeting Foundation Members: Tom PIcraux, Foundation President,
Matthew Hudes, Vice-Mayor of LG and Foundation VP, Tim
Lundell, Treasurer
Teri Hope, Committee Member, Alan Feinberg, Community
Center Committee Chair, Eleanor Yick, Community Health &
Sr. Srvc Comm. Chair and Initiatives & Publicity Committee
Member, Skip Brewster, Community Center Committee
Member, Ryan Rosenberg, Committee Member, Tylor
Taylor, SASCC Exec. Dir. and Advisor to Foundation, Jeff
Blum, Committee Member
Frank Rockwood, Chris Ichien, Mary McMullin, Laura
Worthington-Forbers
5/23/2024 Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults To
Thrive
Town In Person Meeting Foundation Executive Committee Members: Tom PIcraux,
Matthew Hudes, Sandy Decker
Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington
Forbes, Tracy Powell, Luke Barnesmoore
5/28/2024 Visualization Visit with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Julie and Matt Southern Frank Rockwood
7/12/2024 Visualization Visit with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Julie and Matt Southern Frank Rockwood
8/6/2024 Visualization Email with Neighbors Neighbors Email Julie and Matt and Clare Southern
9/23/2024 Meeting with Council Member Town In Person Meeting Rob Moore Frank Rockwood
9/23/2024 Meeting with Council Member Town In Person Meeting Mary Badame Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington
Forbes
9/23/2024 Meeting with Council Member Town In Person Meeting Matthew Hudes Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington
Forbes
9/23/2024 Meeting with Chamber of Commerce Town In Person Meeting Jennifer Lin Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Worthington
Forbes
9/24/2025 Visualization Email with Neighbors Neighbors Email Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood
9/24/2025 Visualization Email with Neighbors Neighbors Email Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood
9/24/2024 Communication re: Fire safety issues for
57 Broadway and 110 Wood Road
Neighbors Email Dawn Philips Frank Rockwood
10/30/2024 Meeting with Former Fire Official Town Video Meeting Rob Stump Frank Rockwood, David Gates, Laura Worthington-
Forbes
10/31/2024 Visualization Meeting with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood, David Gates, Jonathan Arnold
11/1/2024 Visualization Meeting with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood, David Gates, Mary McMullin
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix E
Listing of Communications
DATE DESCRIPTION CONSTITUENCY COMM_TYPE INDIVIDUALS FRONT PORCH_TEAM_REPRESENTATIVES
11/6/2024 Neighbor Meeting 13 Neighbors Video Meeting Andy Ghofrani, Bernd Neudecker, Brian Kiernan, Evelyn
Mitsunaga, Julie Ritter, Lee Burghardt, Matt Hood, Dawn
Philips
Frank Rockwood, Mary McMullin, Laura Darling,
Chris Ichien, Victor Ceron, Pete Hillan, Laura
Worthington-Forbes, Mark Falgout, David Gates,
David Hoglund, Soo Im, Jonathan Arnold
11/7/2024 Visualization Meeting with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Andrew Ghofrani Frank Rockwood, David Gates, Jonathan Arnold
11/7/2024 Visualization Meeting with Neighbors Neighbors Video Meeting Julie Ritter Southern Frank Rockwood, David Gates, Jonathan Arnold
11/8/2024:9:53 AM
Appendix F –Current Community Service Offerings of Front Porch
About Front Porch
Proudly non-profit, Front Porch is dedicated to inspiring the spirit of community. From
senior communities to affordable housing to important Community Services that reach
beyond our walls, we support residents and older people nationwide.
Front Porch by the numbers ...
3,690 residents in senior living and active adult communities in California,
Louisiana and Florida.
3,400 residents in affordable housing communities in California and Arizona,
where coordinators help residents access entitlement programs and
local services.
420 residents in skilled nursing care centers, with 57% receiving assistance
through Medi-Cal.
2,790 employees proudly serve residents and participants.
16,000 participants nationwide through Community Services.
$1.5 mil contributed last year through its philanthropic foundation, Front Porch
Communities Foundation, to subsidize or pay monthly accommodation
fees for long-term residents with limited assets.
Front Porch community volunteering initiatives ...
• Clean beaches
• Knit hats for newborns
• Collect toys
• Serve meals to first responders
• Create stuffed animals for children
• Assist in schools
• Sew dresses for underprivileged girls
• Pack produce for food banks
• Fundraise for medical research
• Donate to animal rights causes,
education, medical services and
other social services
• Support veterans by fostering
opportunities to gather and share
experiences
Front Porch Community Services ...
Home Match has connected 351 older people who have space in
their homes with community members seeking affordable housing
in the Bay Area.
Market Day hosts weekly farmers markets in neighborhoods,
senior centers and affordable housing communities, serving 1,076
shoppers, subsidizing the cost of 85,844 pounds of produce and
processing 1,472 EBT transactions in the past year.
Ruth’s Table provides older people and those with disabilities an
environment for creative exploration both online and in person in
the Bay Area.
Creative Spark, a professional development program, in the past
year, hosted 68 activities with 1,935 participants, fostering a better
level of care for older people throughout California.
Creative Aging Symposium inspires hundreds of residents and
other participants to find paths to rediscovery in conversation with
innovative thinkers, musicians, artists, writers and scholars.
Well Connected brings together older people throughout the
United States for classes, activities, conversations and support
groups by phone or online every day of the year - 85% of
participants feel more socially connected.
Social Call fosters friendships for more than 1,000 older people and
volunteers across the United States through one-on-one, weekly
virtual visits.
Front Porch Center for Innovation and Wellbeing fosters connection
and wellness by providing the technology and playbook to remotely
attend to the needs of residents living in affordable housing
communities who experience depression, anxiety and loneliness.
FY 22/23
Appendix G–Current FAQ Document
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 1
Redevelopment of Los Gatos Meadows
Frequently Asked Questions
April 2024
Overview:
In January 2020, Front Porch Communities and Services (Front Porch), a non-profit
provider of housing and services for older adults, submitted a proposal to rebuild Los
Gatos Meadows, a senior living community that closed due to safety reasons in 2019.
Based on feedback from the community, Front Porch is in the process of modifying this
proposal. The proposed project would provide a community offering independent living
and innovative care on a safe and modern campus, aligned with the Town of Los Gatos’
long term vision.
As part of our commitment to work closely with the community and Town leaders to
ensure a transparent and thoughtful proposal review process, the document below
provides answers to frequently asked questions about the proposed project, including:
• Background
• Proposal summary and status
• Project timeline and information
• Construction impact
• Circulation, traffic and parking impact
• More information
Information is also available on the Los Gatos Meadows website at
https://frontporch.net/community/los-gatos-meadows/. To learn more about Front Porch,
visit https://frontporch.net/.
Background:
Q1: What is Los Gatos Meadows?
A1: Los Gatos Meadows was developed in the 1970s as a Continuing Care Retirement
Community (CCRC, now known as a Life Plan Community) for older adults, providing a
continuum of care for people as they age. Although the facilities are currently not
operational, the site is still zoned for senior living, which is the proposed future use.
Q2: Who owns the Los Gatos Meadows property?
A2: Los Gatos Meadows is owned and maintained by Front Porch Communities and
Services (Front Porch), a non-profit provider of housing and services for older adults
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 2
headquartered in Glendale, California. Previously, Los Gatos Meadows was owned and
operated by Covia, another California-based non-profit provider of senior living housing
and services. Covia affiliated with Front Porch in 2021.
Q3: Why is Los Gatos Meadows not currently operating as a senior community?
A3: In early 2019, after completion of a rigorous facilities assessment, Covia (now Front
Porch) concluded that continuing operations of the 48-year-old Los Gatos Meadows
facility presented too great a safety risk to its residents and employees, due to possible
wildfires and other concerns. Working closely with all Los Gatos Meadows residents,
their families, our employees, neighbors, and the Town of Los Gatos ensured a
thoughtful and smooth closing on Sept. 30, 2019.
Proposal Summary and Status:
Q4: What is being proposed?
A4: Front Porch, a non-profit provider of housing and services for seniors, is proposing
to rebuild Los Gatos Meadows as a Life Plan community (also known as a Continuing
Care Retirement Community, or CCRC). The new Los Gatos Meadows community will
provide innovative senior housing and care on a modern campus that ensures the
safety and well-being of residents, employees, and neighbors. It will include sustainable,
accessible, and state-of-the-art features that align with the Town of Los Gatos’ long-
term vision.
Q5: What is a Life Plan community?
A5: A Life Plan community (also known as a Continuing Care Retirement Community, or
CCRC) is a model of senior living that provides people with degrees of support as they
age, depending on their needs. Although a wide range of care and services are
available to residents, it is not a medical facility. Life Plan communities differ from
assisted living or medical care-based facilities in numerous ways. Residents in Life Plan
communities join while they are able to live independently. Family members generally
have little to no involvement in the decision to move to the community. Although
residents may be downsizing from a single-family home, unit sizes are larger than that
of assisted living. Overall, the focus of a Life Plan community is on providing residents
with a new home and opportunities for a purposeful life rather than on care (although
care is available as needed).
Q6: Who will own and operate the proposed community?
A6: Front Porch intends to continue to operate the proposed community and to retain
full control of the property.
Q7: Is Front Porch a for-profit entity?
A7: No. Front Porch is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Along with market-rate senior
living communities, it owns and manages affordable housing communities and provides
community services for older adults nationwide. In addition, the Front Porch
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 3
Communities Foundation supports residents, employees, and programs. Among other
support, the Circle of Friends fund allows residents who outlive their resources to be
able to stay in their homes.
Q8: Who is managing the proposed project?
A8: Front Porch is overseeing the proposed project and has assembled a project team
of professional services firms to assist them in designing, permitting and executing the
rebuild project: Rockwood Pacific Inc. (development management services); Perkins
Eastman (site planning and architecture); Kimley-Horn (planning and civil engineering);
Gates + Associates (landscape architecture); and W.E. O’Neil (construction).
Q9: How did Los Gatos Meadows engage the community through the design
process?
A9: The Front Porch project team has organized and participated in over 15 public
forums and more than 75 meetings with community members, local businesses,
neighbors, community groups and other stakeholders to gather public input to shape the
project designs.
Q10: What is happening currently to the buildings and grounds?
A10: Since the Los Gatos Meadows facility closed Sept. 30, 2019, Front Porch has
provided on-site property management and security, ensuring the campus remains safe
from fire, trespassing, vandalism, and illegal dumping. In addition, ongoing maintenance
has been provided as needed. Front Porch has erected a perimeter fence around the
main campus and has posted no trespassing signs. We do not anticipate demolishing
our existing facilities until we have been granted land use approval for the rebuild
proposal.
Q11: What is the current status of the proposal?
A11: The project team previewed potential refinements to the re-development proposal
with the Planning Commission at their October 25, 2023 meeting. At present, the project
team is expecting to submit an updated formal application in early 2024. The initial
application for re-development review for the Los Gatos Meadows property (110 Wood
Road) was submitted to the Town of Los Gatos Planning Division on January 22, 2020.
The project application and all related documents, including the Draft Environmental
Impact Report, are available on the Town of Los Gatos website (www.losgatos.com)
and at https://www.losgatosca.gov/2393/W.
Project Timeline and Information:
Q12: When are the next public hearings?
A12: We do not yet have a date for the next public hearings. Once the updated proposal
is submitted, it will be reviewed by the Planning Commission, likely sometime in 2024
followed by a Town Council hearing later in the year.
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 4
Q13: If the project proposal is approved by the Town, what is the timeline for
construction and opening?
A13: Preparation of construction documents and permit approvals are likely to take at
least another 18 months following the Town’s action on the project. Construction is not
expected to start earlier than late 2025 and is expected to run for approximately two and
a half years from commencement. Depending on a number of factors, the community
could reopen in 2028.
Q14: What are the attributes of the current entitlement?
A14: The Town of Los Gatos approved a conditional use permit (CUP) for the
development of the current Los Gatos Meadows community in the late 1960’s. The
existing CUP granted approval for 184 independent living units, 38 nursing care units
and 111 parking spaces.
Q15: Is the property subject to Los Gatos Hillside Development Standards &
Guidelines?
A15: No, however the current iteration of the plan includes several attributes consistent
with these standards and guidelines including an increase in open space, the
elimination of cantilevered buildings, and the expectation to utilize natural materials with
muted tones that will blend in well with the surrounding environment.
Q16: What are the design goals of the proposed project?
A16: Early on in the planning process, we established the following design goals, which
we continue to maintain:
• Not to increase the number of apartments, care units or staff count.
• Not to increase the development pad footprint.
• To provide larger apartments and more amenities, in alignment with the local
market.
• To be sensitive to visual impacts.
• To address the parking problem.
• To substantially improve fire safety.
• To establish best practices for sustainability.
• To restrict the auto exit onto Broadway.
• To improve integration with the Town of Los Gatos.
• And to contribute to the quality of the built environment.
Q17: How many units are proposed in the design?
A17: The current proposal includes 187 independent living units and up to 24 supporting
care units.
Q18: How does the proposed building footprint compare to the existing footprint
associated with current improvements on the property?
A18: The proposed development pad does not materially differ from the existing
development pad and in fact is slightly smaller.
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 5
Q19: How does the proposed design address visual impacts on the surrounding
community?
A19: Limiting the size of the development pad has numerous benefits; however,
meeting the necessary scale economies without increasing the development pad does
require taller structures than are currently located on the property. There is substantial
change in topography from the front to the rear of the property. This topography change
mitigates the visual impact of buildings located in the rear of the property.
The project team developed numerous exhibits to assist in gauging the visual impact of
our proposed rebuild including cross sections and visualization from several key public
areas. Furthermore, the project team previously erected story poles in compliance with
the current story pole policy.
Despite these efforts, the project team appreciates that these efforts have not resulted
in a clear picture of the visual impacts of the proposed project. Accordingly, it is the
intent of the team to deploy additional visualization tools prior to future public hearings.
Q20: How will the project improve parking from what it had been previously?
A20: Underground parking will be sufficient for both residents and employees, reducing
the need for street parking and improving the landscape and view.
Q21: How does the proposal impact trees on the property?
A21: The proposal includes a plan to add more trees to the landscape, bringing color
and shade to the property. It incorporates a variety of species, many of them native to
the area, which fit with the oak woodlands. Some trees and shrubs have been removed,
mostly for fire prevention. Some additional trees would be removed during the
construction process, but the overall plan preserves the oak woodland nature of the
property and emphasizes the natural landscape.
Q22: How does this project improve fire safety?
A22: Our goal to increase fire safety has been particularly influential in guiding our
development planning process. Along with removing dangerous tinder that could serve
as fuel for wildfires, the proposal includes far better access for emergency vehicles and
evacuation as well as buildings that are up to the most current safety codes.
Q23: Will the project meet green building standards?
A23: The project will meet or exceed the California Green Building Standards Code,
which is more rigorous than other independent certifications. In response to community
feedback, the project will incorporate recycling, ample natural light, energy and water
efficiency, and other environmentally sound practices.
Q24: What will be the color of the building rooftops?
A24: To address sustainability goals, we plan to select a lighter roof color, though the
new roofs would not be white like the roofs of the current buildings. Roof color and other
design attributes are expected to be addressed in a future phase of the project.
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 6
Q25: Will the project include solar panels?
A25: Solar panels are one option under consideration. The use, placement, and
configuration of solar panels, as applicable, are expected to be addressed during the
architectural and site application review process.
Q26: Will the project result in the undergrounding of PG&E lines?
A26: The proposal does not address undergrounding of power lines. At an appropriate
time, the project team intends to inquire with PG&E regarding the undergrounding of
power lines and will plan to coordinate with interested neighbors on this matter.
Q27: How will the proposal improve town integration?
A27: The proposal includes recommendations and resources to make it easier for
residents to access downtown businesses, community events and programs. In
addition, Front Porch recently acquired the property at 142 S. Santa Cruz. After using
this space as a staging area during construction, we will work with the Town and with
local leaders and senior organizations to determine programs and services that will
support older adults in the greater community.
Q28: Will the project affect water pressure?
A28: The project is not expected to affect water pressure in the area. As part of the
project planning process, San Jose Water Company performed hydraulic analysis and
confirmed that water pressure is suitable.
Construction Impact:
Q29: If the project is approved, how long will the construction phase last?
A29: Following the Town’s action on the project, preparation of construction documents
and permit approvals are likely to take at least another 18 months, after which
construction is expected to run for approximately two and a half years.
Q30: During what hours would construction occur?
A30: In accordance with Town policy, all construction activities would be limited to the
hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. No
construction is allowed on Sundays or holidays.
Q31: What is the expected traffic impact related to construction off-haul?
A31: In accordance with the current draft of Conditions of Approval, hauling of soil shall
not occur during the morning and evening peak periods (between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. and
between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.) and such hauling shall be subject to a traffic control plan
acceptable to the Town.
The estimated net off-haul dirt volume is ~110,000 cubic yards. A combination of double
bottoms, end dumps, and super dump trucks are expected to be utilized for this task.
The average carrying capacity of each trip is 14 cubic yards; accordingly, the number of
round trips is expected to be ~ 16,000. At roughly 200 loads per day, the duration of this
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 7
task is approximately four months. For outbound trips, trucks are expected to turn right
onto S. Santa Cruz Avenue and head south on CA-17 and, as appropriate, turn around
on Bear Creek Road. For inbound trips, trucks are expected to approach the site from
the CA-17 exit onto S. Santa Cruz Ave.
Q32: Does the contractor expect to utilize tower cranes?
A32: Yes. The project team currently expects that the project will require two tower
cranes during construction. The cranes are expected to be in place for approximately
one year.
Circulation, Traffic and Parking Impact
Q33: What are the project plans for Farwell Lane?
A33: The proposal plans for Farwell Lane to be rebuilt and widened (some portions
would be widened from 12’ to 26’). The current plan contemplates restricting use of
Farwell Lane to pedestrians, bikes, an autonomous vehicle shuttle system, emergency
access and extraordinary deliveries. The Santa Clara County Fire Department intends
to utilize Farwell Lane as the primary access point to the property in the event of a fire.
Though it is a private road, Front Porch intends to improve and operate Farwell Lane in
a manner that would permit accessible use of this route by our neighbors in the event of
an emergency.
Q34: Will the project include sidewalk improvements on Wood Road?
A34: Yes. The current draft Conditions of Approval require the installation of a sidewalk
connecting the project to the intersection of Wood Road and S. Santa Cruz Avenue and
construction of the necessary retaining wall(s), potential pedestrian crosswalk and
associated ADA ramps for connectivity to the existing sidewalk on the south side of
Wood Road.
Q35: How will the proposed community affect traffic and parking in downtown
Los Gatos?
A35: The current plan includes the integration of one or more electric autonomous
vehicles (similar in size to a golf cart) to be used along Farwell Lane to enable a safe,
convenient, and alternative means of transport for residents between Los Gatos
Meadows and Los Gatos retail, entertainment, and civil services, reducing traffic and
parking demand. The autonomous vehicles are not expected to leave the Los Gatos
Meadows property.
Q36: After the project is completed, what is the expected impact on traffic?
A36: The project is expected to result in a modest increase in the number of trips on
Wood Road due to the change in the use of Farwell Lane, although we anticipate that
the improvements to the parking conditions at Los Gatos Meadows will mean that
overall there is less traffic than the community used to generate. The project further
Los Gatos Meadows FAQ April 2024 page 8
mitigates its traffic impact by utilizing electric autonomous shuttles to connect residents
to downtown without impacting parking demand.
A traffic analysis originally conducted in 2020 and updated in March, 2024 reports that
the proposed rebuild would result in not more than an additional 42 cars per hour in or
out which equates to less than one trip per minute. On Saturdays, the peak hour in-
bound is 43 trips. This still equates to less than one trip per minute. The rebuild project
is expected to result in a reduction in the number of peak hour trips in the mornings and
evenings in comparison to baseline conditions.
More information
Q37: How do I get updates and more information?
A37: When available, updated information, including the current FAQ document, will be
posted on the Los Gatos Meadows website at https://frontporch.net/community/los-
gatos-meadows/.
If you have questions or would like to be added to our mailing list, send your name,
mailing address and email address to Susan Rockwood (susan@rockwoodpacific.com).
Please note that we currently do not have information about pricing and services.
However, if you are interested in receiving this information when it is available, let us
know.
Q38: How can I see planning and proposal documents?
A38: The project application and all related documents, including the Draft
Environmental Impact Report, are available on the Town of Los Gatos website
(www.losgatos.com) and at https://www.losgatosca.gov/2393/W.