Staff Report with Attachments 1 and 2. General Plan Committee
PREPARED BY: Alexa Nolder
Administrative Technician
Reviewed by: Planning Manager and Community Development Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6872
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
GENERAL PLAN COMMITTEE
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 5/14/2025
ITEM NO: 3
DATE: May 9, 2025
TO: General Plan Committee
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Consider Whether the Town Should Retain a Separate General Plan
Committee and Provide a Recommendation to the Town Council.
RECOMMENDATION:
Consider whether the Town should retain a separate General Plan Committee and provide a
recommendation to the Town Council.
BACKGROUND:
The Town currently has the General Plan Committee, which was established on May 4, 1998.
The purpose of this Committee is to provide recommendations to the Planning Commission and
Town Council on all matters relating to the General Plan or any Specific Plan. The Committee
must report to the Planning Commission prior to any Commission meeting scheduled to discuss
an application for a General Plan Amendment.
At the General Plan Committee meeting of February 12, 2025, it was requested to add this item
to the next scheduled GPC meeting for discussion.
Staff reviewed the number of GPC meetings that have been held between January 2021 and
April 2025 (Attachment 2). We have cancelled 65 of the 73 regularly scheduled meetings in the
4-year period. Only 8 meetings were held in this time frame. It should be noted that the GPC
also participated in 9 GPAC and 20 HEAB meetings in this time frame in support of the 2040
General Plan update and 2023-2031 Housing Element update processes.
Staff researched other local municipalities to verify whether they had a General Plan, or similar,
committee that provided the same role as the GPC, but found that the Planning Commission
made all decisions, or recommendations to Council where appropriate, around General Plan
PAGE 2 OF 2
SUBJECT: Retention of the General Plan Committee
DATE: May 9, 2025
Amendment requests. Some of those municipalities are: City of Campbell; City of Saratoga; and
City of Los Altos. While the City of Mountain View does not have a Commission called Planning
Commission, they have the Administrative Zoning and Subdivision Committee, whose role is
similar to the Town’s Planning Commission and General Plan Committee combined.
Disbanding this Committee will allow for more efficiency when processing permits for General
Plan and Specific Plan amendment requests. It would also save staff time and resources by
eliminating the following efforts:
- Mailing public hearing notices to neighbors and/or running ads in the paper when an
application is going before the Committee;
- Staff time preparing reports for the Committee; and
- Staff time attending Committee meetings.
DISCUSSION:
This discussion is to determine whether:
1) A separate General Plan Committee should be retained; or
2) The existing General Plan Committee should be disbanded and provide that the Planning
Commission will assume the duties of the General Plan Committee and hear requests
for General Plan and Specific Plan amendments.
PUBLIC COMMENTS:
As of the drafting of this report, no comments from the public have been received.
CONCLUSION:
The GPC should consider whether the Town should retain a separate General Plan Committee
and provide a recommendation to the Town Council.
Attachments:
1. General Plan Committee Resolution
2. General Plan Committee Meetings from January 2021 through April 2025
ATTACHMENT 1
GENERAL PLAN COMMITTEE MEETINGS
FROM JANUARY 2021 TO APRIL 2025
MEETING
DATE AGENDA ITEM(S)
MEETING
LENGTH
2021
1/13/2021
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 9/17/2017
Item 2: Consider a Request for Approval for a Zone Change from R-1D:LHP (Single-Family
Residential Downtown with a Landmark and Historic Preservation Overlay) to C-
2:LHP (Central Business District with a Landmark and Historic Preservation
Overlay) and a General Plan Amendment to Change the Land Use Designation
from Medium Density Residential to Central Business District, for Property
Located at 4 Tait Avenue. APN: 510-44-054. Zone Change Application Z-20-002
and General Plan Amendment Application GP-20-001.
Item 3: Election of Chair and Vice Chair
1 hour, 15
minutes
5/26/2021
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 1/13/2021
Item 2: Discuss and provide input to the Town Council regarding the General Plan Committee Resolution and
Application 2 hours
2022
10/26/2022
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 5/26/2021
Item 2: Consider a General Plan Amendment to Add Policies to the Hazards and Safety Element. Location: Townwide.
General Plan Amendment Application GP-22-002.
Item 3: General Plan Committee Meeting Frequency 30 minutes
2023
5/10/2023
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 10/26/2022
Item 2: Consider a Request for Approval of a Zone Change from R-1:8 Prezone (Single-Family Residential, Minimum
Lot Size of 8,000 square feet) to CH (Restricted Commercial Highway) and a General Plan Amendment to Change the
Land Use Designation from Low Density Residential to Mixed Use Commercial for Property Located at 15810 Los
Gatos Boulevard. APN: 523-01-001. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared and certified for the 2040
General Plan Update on June 30, 2022, which included the proposed General Plan Amendment for the property
located at 15810 Los Gatos Boulevard. No further environmental analysis is required.
Item 3: Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Item 4: 2023 Meeting Calendar 45 minutes
7/20/2023
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 5/10/2023
Item 2: Make a Recommendation to Planning Commission on a Request to Amend the General Plan to Include a
Description of the Housing Element Overlay Zone; Amend the General Plan Land Use Designation of 16492 Los Gatos
1 hour, 15
minutes
ATTACHMENT 2
MEETING
DATE AGENDA ITEM(S)
MEETING
LENGTH
Boulevard and Assessor Parcel Number 532-07-086 from Low Density Residential to Neighborhood Commercial;
Amend the General Plan Land Use Designation of Caltrans Right-of-Way Adjacent to 14685 Oka Road from Low
Density Residential to Medium Density Residential; Amend the Town Code to modify the Affordable Housing Overlay
Zone Division 5 of Article VIII Overlay Zones and Historic Preservation; Amend the Town Code to incorporate the
Housing Element Overlay Zone as Division 6 of Article VIII Overlay Zones and Historic Preservation; and Apply the
Housing Element Overlay Zone to the Sites Included in the Sites Inventory Analysis of the 2023-2031 Housing
Element. An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) was prepared and certified for the 2040 General Plan Update on
June 30, 2022, which included the proposed General Plan Amendments. No Further Environmental Analysis is
Required. Zoning Code Amendment Application Z-23-002 and General Plan Amendment Application GP-23-002.
10/11/2023
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 7/20/2023
Item 2: Requesting Approval for a Zone Change from RC (Resource Conservation) to HR-2½ (Hillside Residential), a
General Plan Amendment to Change the Land Use Designation from Agricultural to Hillside Residential, and
Subdivision of One Lot into Nine Lots on Property Zoned RC. APN: 537-27-047. CEQA Review is Pending. Zone
Change Application Z-22-001, General Plan Amendment Application GP-22-001, and Subdivision Application M-22-
003. Project Location: 14915 Shannon Road.
1 hour, 15
minutes
2024
6/26/2024
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 10/11/2023
Item 2: Requesting Approval for Subdivision of One Lot into Two Lots and a General Plan Amendment to Change the
Land Use Designation of Parcel A from Public to Low Density Residential on Property Zoned R-1:10. APN: 527-25-005.
CEQA Review is Pending. Subdivision Application M-24-011 and General Plan Amendment Application GP-24-002.
Project Location: 220 Belgatos Road. 21 minutes
2025
2/12/2025
Item 1: Draft Minutes from 6/26/2024
Item 2: Consider Forwarding a Recommendation to the Planning Commission to Amend the General Plan to Allow
100 Percent Affordable Housing Projects as a By-Right Use in the Mixed-Use Commercial General Plan Land Use
Designation and Amend Chapter 29 (Zoning Regulations) of the Town Code to Add 100 Percent Affordable Housing
Projects as a Permitted Use in the Restricted Commercial Highway (CH) Zone Pursuant to Implementation Program
AB of the 2023-2031 Housing Element. Adoption of this Resolution and Ordinance are Exempt Pursuant to CEQA,
Section 15061(b)(3) in that it Can be Seen with Certainty that they Will Not Impact the Environment. General Plan
Amendment Application GP-24-004 and Zoning Code Amendment Application A-24-010. Project Location: Town
Wide.
Item 3: Election of Chair and Vice Chair
Item 4: 2025 Meeting Calendar 25 minutes