Draft Minutes of the February 12, 2025 CDAC Meeting
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
CONCEPTUAL
DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY
COMMITTEE REPORT
MEETING DATE: 03/12/2025
ITEM NO: 1
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE CONCEPTUAL DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING
FEBRUARY 12, 2025
The Conceptual Development Advisory Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a
regular meeting on February 12, 2025, at 4:00 p.m.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 4:00 PM
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Jeffrey Barnett, Vice Chair Mary Badame, Councilmember Maria Ristow, Planning
Commissioner Kendra Burch, Commissioner Steve Raspe.
Absent: None.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – August 8, 2023
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Maria Ristow to approve the consent
calendar. Seconded by Councilmember Badame.
VOTE: Motion passed (3-0) with Commissioners Burch and Raspe Abstaining.
PUBLIC HEARINGS
2. 401 Surmont Drive
Conceptual Development Advisory Committee Application CD-24-001
Consider a Request for Preliminary Review of a Proposal for Subdivision of One Lot into
Three Lots on Property Zoned HR-2½. APN 527-20-002.
PROPERTY OWNER: Srikanth Kasa
APPLICANT: Jason Chan
PROJECT PLANNER: Ryan Safty
Project Planner presented the staff report.
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Open Public Comment.
Jason Chan, Applicant
The goal is to see what the CDAC thinks of the proposal of a three lot subdivision at 401
Surmont. We are curious to see what can be done with each of the properties and how these
proposals tie into the hillside guidelines and zoning.
Bob Hughes, Neighbor
There is access now to public water at the site as the watermain for this property was
brought from Blossom Hill Road to the terminus of Surmont Drive a few years back.
Jason Chan, Applicant
• The lot split will allow for the future buildings to all be within LRDA.
• We expect the water meters would be at the street level. The owners would be
responsible for anything on the private property.
• The plans show potential road and driveway locations that would go to the homes and
are shown at different slopes. The access to Surmont could be driveways onto the
private road that then leads to Surmont Drive.
Dr. Edward Laucroni, Neighbor
There are a lot of problems associated with this lot. The water drainage being one of
them. If anything is built there, there is going to need to be a lot of drainage work.
Madhura Joshi, Neighbor
I share the same concerns about the drainage from this lot. The former owner did put in
French drainage before they sold, but there are still issues. The plans also didn’t really show the
roads, so it is hard to determine what the traffic might be like since that corner is a dead-end.
Jason Chan, Applicant
I hear the concerns about the drainage issues, and we will have our engineer review
this.
Closed Public Comment.
Committee members discussed the matter and provided the following questions and
comments:
• Confirmed with staff that drainage is reviewed during the development review process
and that Engineering has standards that need to be complied with.
• It’s a very large acreage and plenty of room, so the concept of a three-lot subdivision
seems feasible. Given the recent fires in LA, it might be a tough time to build in hillside
as there might be changes in Town Code that won’t allow building there by the time you
submit your application.
• It’s not an ideal location, but we know people want to live in our wonderful Town, so
let’s develop it properly. Try to be in conformance with having the entire structure in
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the LRDA, work closely with Fire given the risks including water access and roadways to
allow a turnaround, and look at the drainage issue and work closely with soils and geo-
tech engineers.
• Work with staff now to help guide you in what steps need to be taken to move in the
right direction. Keeping the home in the LRDA and making sure Fire has access to all the
homes is important. Be sure to reach out to the neighbors early as it helps in ensuring a
successful project.
• Consider fire-hardening the homes with construction materials and ensure that
defensible space around the homes is provided. It will be hard to support exceptions to
our Hillside Development Standards and Guidelines at this time and that includes the
LRDA. The three-lot subdivision is okay, but there is a risk factor with fires on sloped
properties.
• Architecture styles do not need to be identical for the future homes, but they should be
compatible with each other.
• Consider where to dedicate open space per the General Plan policy.
OTHER BUSINESS
3. Election of Chair and Vice Chair
MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Bruch to approve that Chair Barnett remain as
Chair. Seconded by Councilmember Badame.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
MOTION: Motion by Councilmember Badame to nominate Kendra Burch as Vice
Chair. Seconded by Councilmember Ristow.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
4. 2025 Conceptual Development Advisory Committee Meeting Calendar
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 4:42 p.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true
and correct copy of the minutes of the
February 12, 2025, meeting as approved by the
Conceptual Development Advisory Committee.
Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
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