Verbal Communications #10 - Lee FagotLee PT J-
Item 10 Good evening,
I am speaking as an almost 29 year LG resident, and not as a
representative of any group.
Our Town has a history of welcoming new residents and allowing
reasonable housing developments, while at the same time preserving the
character of our community. However, this Council failed to submit a
Housing Element that was in compliance with ABAG guidance and now we
have more than a dozen housing submissions that challenge the quality of
life in Town
• The FIRST priority with new housing must be Safety, including for
fire, earthquakes, flooding and traffic congestion, such as multi
access points in and out of neighborhoods during emergencies. And
now with multiple developers' proposals of new buildings beyond 3
stories on earthquake fault lines, flood and water Liquification Zones,
and many in sites outside such emergency access points, we are all
at risk. Such buildings would require hook and ladder fire trucks, that
we do not currently have, that will be unable to make 90 degree turns
on single lane roads so they will NOT respond. The result -
developers put our WHOLE community at unnecessary risk. This
Council needs to protect not just the character and infrastructure of
our Town, but the safety of all our citizens. Also not enforcing EIR
(Environmental Impact Reviews) for all these developments that help
protect our Town, and not just for a single development, but the
compounding impact of the multi proposals thru Town, is needlessly
DANGEROUS. CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) must
be enforced by local municipal governments in order to consider the
combined impact of ALL these new proposals, including SB330
submissions with site densities and heights NOT in our Town's
approved Housing Element now. Developers who have made
submissions before Newsom's recent foolish decree on this matter
should NOT be exempt and must follow CEQA.
• There are some SB330 proposals due to expire soon so we do NOT
have to deal with such unsafe, financially impactful and unsightly
builds. Either let them expire so the developers have to resubmit
proposals that are in compliance with our State accepted Housing
Element. Or for example with the proposal for Tolling Agreement, DO
put a deadline that is near term, say a month, so there can be a
focused effort to be in compliance with the Housing Element. Do not
leave it open ended,
• Also, I am concerned with the increased costs to our Town for
infrastructure - water, sewer, streets other public services like police
and access to other related Town services due to the higher density
of new housing. With such units in locations NOT in the Town's
qualified designated sites, but on earthquake fault lines, flood zones,
and with potential fire threats, we have only 1 water treatment plant
for our Town with the population now moving from 32,000 to almost
37,000, we are at risk of more damage throughout our community
that will have a significant cost impact. And, these developments not
in our Housing Element could be removing many businesses in
Town, not only changing the character of such neighborhoods, but
reducing sales tax revenues and with public service costs growing
beyond residential taxes, there will be a very negative impact in the
Town's finances. Los Gatos is currently facing a $5.4M deficit by
2026.
Please work with developers to build housing that fits the character of our
Town and provides a safe environment for all of us. And, work with our
other municipalities to remedy these challenges and errors of judgment
NOW with new legislation that truly represents the public that elects our
officials, and preserves the legal, financial, social and safety measures that
citizens deserve.
The first priority for any new housing in Town must be safety. Please work
together with other municipalities also to remedy what Sacramento is doing
to us.
Lee Fagot