AddendumPREPARED BY: JOEL PAULSON
Community Development Director
Reviewed by: Assistant Town Manager Town Attorney Finance
N:\SHARE\COUNCIL REPORTS\2016\09-27-16\N40 Specific Plan Modifications\Addendum FINAL.doc Revised: 9/21/2016 4:28:46 PM
MEETING DATE: 09/27/16
ITEM NO: 1
ADDENDUM
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2016
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: DISCUSS POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS TO THE NORTH 40 SPECIFIC
PLAN.
RECOMMENDATION:
Attachment 2 contains additional public comments that were received between 11:01 a.m.,
September 22, 2016 and 11:00 a.m., September 26, 2016.
Additionally, a Councilmember asked about the timing of the amendment process and when
identified amendments would return to the Town Council for final consideration. A tentative
schedule depends on the scope of the changes and other assumptions as described below.
Assuming the changes are clear, the earliest the staff could bring them to the General Plan
Committee would be October 26, 2016;
Assuming GPC gets through its recommendation in one meeting, the earliest the staff could
bring the amendments to Planning Commission would be December 7, 2016;
Assuming PC gets through its recommendation in one meeting, the earliest the staff could
bring the amendments to Council would be January 17, 2017.
Attachment (previously received with September 27, 2016 Staff Report):
1. Comments received from the public by 11:00 a.m., Thursday, September 22, 2016
Attachment received with this Addendum:
2. Comments received from the public between 11:01 a.m., Thursday, September 22, 2016 and
11:00 a.m., Monday, September 26, 2016
9-23-16
I would like to propose the following for your consideration.
1. The property owners should get fair treatment throughout this process. As it stands now,
they are giving up more than 30% of the developable space to open space for the public.
Depending on the terms of the Purchase Agreement, that may equate to money out of their
pockets if you take more land from them.
2. Higher buildings could equate to more open space and reduce the warehouse look we now
have with 35' high buildings. The impingement on your view as you drive by is minimal, and
you should be keeping your eyes on the road in any case. The view factor has been blown
way out of proportion. My neighbor planted an tree and it has, in 8 years, obliterated my
view of the El Sereno Reserve. Views are great, but the view of the No 40 is from a freeway.
If you're driving south on 17, the best view is straight ahead, not off to the left.
3. The vast majority of Los Gatos residents earn their living outside of Los Gatos. They are the
traffic. We are a part of a much larger picture and we should contribute to the vast
shortage of housing for all levels of income. Los Gatos cannot be a NIMBY when so much of
our wealth comes from outside the town.
4. Though the market rate units may sell for $900,000 to $1,200,000, the median selling price
of a home as of 8/31/16 is $1,665,000 according to Zillow. You could look at the No. 40
housing as "affordable" by the HCD definition (20 units per acre) or when compared to the
median selling price in Los Gatos.
5. I think the Yuki's picked good developers for this project. The developer has to be a large,
well -financed business with a very good reputation. When I owned a business and did large
jobs for customers, I collaborated with the customer to make the project work seamlessly.
However, this project seems adversarial in the way the town treats these developers. I think
you are missing the experience and input that a good developer can contribute. The
council, nor the residents have experience in development of projects other than a
topographic feel -good view. Use the developers knowledge. From what I know of them,
they want to help, but seem to get rebuffed as if they were all Peter Pau type developers.
We lost the battle with Pau on Netflix and he out maneuvered the town on PAMF. We need
this developers expertise to make the North 40 an entrance to the town that we can all be
proud of.
6. The council should NOT set business -size limitations. Don't regulate to make a few people
happy and destroy the free market. If you do, you will shoot yourselves and us in our
collective foot. The retail world is particularly tough with the heavy use of the internet.
Market analysts cannot predict the future behavior of the consumer. You should not
presume that you can. The objective is to make the shopping area, whatever size that
becomes, to be successful, in concert with the downtown, environmentally friendly, and
pleasing to the eye.
7. With every child going into the northern district that successfully petitions the county school
board to transfer to Los Gatos, there will be a huge cost to the taxpayers of Los Gatos. Why
would they not petition to go into LGUSD and LGSUHSD as they will be able to buy a cheaper
unit that will increase in value when they successfully petition to gain entrance into the LG
school districts?
ATTACHMENT 2
8. If you decide to add units to the north end, or redistribute those in the south end, I would
suggest that these are smaller units that do not encourage those with children. Smaller
units may attract the hypothetical millennial as well as some of the older crowd who would
enjoy the commercial aspects of the development.
Jak Van Nada
44 year Los Gatos Resident
Joel Paulson
From: Bonnie Payne <bonnieapayne@comcast.net>
Sent: Saturday, September 24, 2016 2:03 PM
To: Joel Paulson
Subject: North 40
Dear Planning Director Paulson,
First, thank you very much for your support in denying the recent proposed development for the North 40. We
appreciate that it took much research and also courage in the face of a threatened lawsuit.
Now that we have an opportunity to revise the Specific Plan, I hope that you will consider the following suggestions:
1. Wording to insure that the housing element of the development be spread throughout the entire North 40.
2. More truly affordable housing, maybe by a limit on the size of the houses.
3. Height limitations.
4. A limit on the amount of commercial space so that smaller neighborhood -serving businesses can move in and huge
commercial buildings do not dominate the landscape.
5. Open space that cannot be accounted for by asphalt covered parking zones.
6. Whatever wording might be necessary to insure that developes submit plan proposals that truly reflect the vision for
the North 40.
Thank you for considering these changes. And for the immense time and energy you devote to our Town.
Bonnie and Richard Payne
16216 Kennedy Road, Los Gatos, CA 95032
1
From: Jan Olsen [mailto:Igcajanna gmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, September 25, 2016 10:31 AM
To: Joel Paulson
Subject: North 40 Specific Plan
Hi Joel -
As a resident who lives across the street from the N40, I have
some concerns that I have not heard others raise. I would like
these to be part of the Specific Plan for construction.
The project should be "green". There should be LEED
certifications, alternative energy uses, things like pervious
pavement, low water use, using trees and plants for shade. The
sprinkler system should have a moisture regulator that will be
water efficient. If we are going to allow a developer to build a city
from scratch, it should be include using processes that are
environmentally responsible and resource -efficient throughout a
building's life -cycle: from demolition to siting to design,
construction, operation, and maintenance. This should be a
showcase for Los Gatos.
I would like the hours of construction to be limited to Mon -
Friday, 8am to 5 pm.
I would like there to be mitigation for the dirt that will be thrown
up into the air. I am very concerned this will go on for 4 years
and we will be covered in it for years.
I would like the developer to send street sweepers down the
neighboring streets once a week. I would especially want fester
Lane included in this. Apple does this every day. I think once a
week will be reasonable.
3uilding heights should be not more the 25', the standard we set
for the Boulevard originally. This should be from original grade
level, not from raised or filled in grade.
I understand the density of the housing must be 20 units/acre
over 13.5 acres. I believe the housing should be spread out
across the property.
There should be a park and/or playground for the residents.
Having children cross Los Gatos Blvd to get to Live Oak Park is
dangerous. They should have a place to play. Green space should
not include backyards and parts of parking lots.
I am very concerned about what the new Samaritan Drive project
will do to the area's traffic. I know it was not considered when
the traffic study was conducted and updated. That should be
addressed also.
There should be a housing area for Active Over 55. A move down
place. 1 level. And should include universal aging in place design.
Doorways and showers wide enough for walkers and wheelchairs,
because stuff happens (like knees and hips).
I am sure I will send another email with more concerns. I
appreciate the opportunity to address the Specific Plan.
Jan Olsen
15189 Lester Lane, Los Gatos
Cindie Gonzales
From: Maria Ristow <ristows@comcast.net>
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2016 12:02 AM
To: Council
Subject: Possible Amendments for the North 40 Specific Plan
Members of the Town Council and Staff,
In February of 2015, 4 members of LGCA created a list of items for consideration in the North 40
Specific Plan. Some of these suggestions were adopted, others not. (http://Ik-ca.com/lgca-input-for-
the-specific-plan-town-council-desk-item-2315/)
Now that you are requesting ideas to amend the North 40 Specific Plan, these are my main concerns:
Housing
1. The number of residential units should go back up from 270 to 364, as initially proposed in the
Draft Specific Plan. If any density bonus is used, this would create up to 491 housing units.
There are several advantages to this for the Town.
o It would allow the North 40 to have the higher density (20 du/acre) housing on 13.5
acres, designated by the Housing Element, plus the lower density cluster cottages.
o More residential units create more housing possibilities for all districts of the North 40.
o Residential is a lower traffic generator than retail or office.
2. Height limitations should be raised in the Northern district in exchange for increased open
space. It makes sense to retain the restriction that all housing in the Northern district be above
commercial, but the higher -density housing might be more affordable if a greater number of
units could be built on the commercial structures.
Public Park Space
1. Public space to remain open, without fencing or signage to discourage visitors
2. Consider making parks over a certain size deeded back to Los Gatos, if this is possible. The
Town would bear the expense of maintenance, but these spaces would then be part of our
Parks system.
Retail
1. Possibly the total commercial should be decreased by up to 35% if the residential is increased by that
amount.
2. While I oppose using a table to determine in advance the size of retail spaces, perhaps you could require
CUPs for restaurants. Further comments on the retail and downtown are in a separate letter.
Thank you for this opportunity to provide input.
Maria Ristow
Los Gatos Community Alliance
i
andie Gonzales
From: Maria Ristow <ristows@comcast.net>
Sett: Monday, September 26, 2016 12:06 AM
To: Council
Subject: North 40 Specific Plan amendment input
Town Council Members and Staff,
I certainly would hope, as you consider amendments to the Specific Plan, that you will NOT try to
limit the number of spaces at various sizes in the North 40. I submitted the letter below to the
Town Council in May, 2015, and I stand by these comments today.
I addition to the points I make below, please consider that the spaces downtown have gone up and
down in size over the past few years:
• Borders once occupied both floors of a large building in Old Town, and now a school fills
the top floor, and a number of retail spaces have divided up the first floor.
• There is presently an application for the Wine Cellar to increase square footage by moving
into office space.
• Gardinos Restaurant expanded into the next door retail space.
• The large Domus space was divided into 4 retail spaces and a restaurant.
• Apple Store moved into one and a half spaces.
These are just a few examples that came to my mind as I was walking through town last night, and
it reminded me of how difficult it is to predict the future or set hard parameters for something as
changing as retail. Having a table that dictates the square footage of retail/restaurant in the North
40 would be counterproductive and unnecessarily limiting. Even downtown doesn't actually have
this limitation. Retail in Los Gatos (and everywhere else) changes, and we need to allow both
downtown and the North 40 the ability to respond.
Thank you,
Maria Ristow
Letter to Town Councii Regarding N40
Commercial Development _Plan
P;} `: f 1<i ,;nl=: ;> ,:±..« in: North 40, Our Town. Trat0c
Los Gatos Town Council Members,
u
Going into Tuesday night's continued deliberations on the North 40 Specific Plan, the outstanding
issue which concerns me most is the Commercial Building Plan. I recognize that there is pressure
by some to ensure nothing at the North 40 competes with Los Gatos' downtown. At the moment, it
1
appears the biggest competition to downtown (at least in terms of where LG residents shop or dine)
is Campbell. The residents on the northern part of Los Gatos have very few choices for either and
appear to favor Campbell over Los Gatos. If you talk to many of them, their first choice would be to
stay in town and have options within walking distance as those of us downtown have. The residents
in the north were already let down when the development at the SE corner of Los Gatos Boulevard
and Gateway became PAMF. While they can possibly walk to a doctor appointment, the anticipated
neighborhood -serving retail and restaurants evaporated....
According to Staff reports and the LG Chamber of Commerce, Downtown is estimated to have 1M sf
of commercial space, with 400K sf retail/restaurant. I personally took an inventory of the full length
of Santa Cruz Avenue from Main Street north to Highway 9. This encompassed approximately 50%
of the retail (with the rest falling south of Main, along Main from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos High
School, University Ave with Old Town, and the little shops along the side streets on each side of
Santa Cruz Avenue). In this approximately 200K sf, close to 25% (48K sf) is in the <1500 sf range,
and 42% (85K sf) is in the 1501-3000 sf range. That means approximately 2/3 of the shop and
restaurant space downtown falls into the two smallest pad size categories.
The suggestion by one Council member to restrict the smallest pad sizes for retail/restaurant in the
North 40 to 5% (2.5 °/o for <1500, 2.5% for 1501-3000) is so aggressive it would all but destroy ANY
opportunity to develop anything attractive for the immediate North 40 plus the nearby
neighborhoods. The TOTAL commercial on the North 40 is restricted now to 435k sf, and
presently about 66K sf is already built. Even if these existing buildings are not subtracted
from the total allowed, applying the 5% (for all retail 0-3000 sf) gives a MAX of 20k sf for
smaller shops/restaurants, assuming no hotel or new office space goes in. How is THIS
neighborhood -serving? Certainly this will put people into cars to go Campbell, Santana Row, and
possibly downtown LG. And THAT will increase traffic, discourage the intended target senior and
millennial residents we had hoped to attract, and ignore the goal to make Los Gatos more walkable
and sustainable. With a short-term goal to blindly ensure nothing else in this town can even look like
a micro downtown, we will lose much more than we can gain.
The proposed approach of creating a table to define how the North 40 commercial/retail
space can be allocated is limiting and overreaching, and it should be abandoned. You are
planning the town's largest development and need to balance competing goals while ensuring this is
a sustainable part of Los Gatos for the next 30-100 years. We have NO idea right now how retail will
evolve in the next 5 years, and the developer, future residents, and future town decision -makers
should be able to make decisions as the project unfolds. To limit small pad retail and restaurant to
7% of what the downtown enjoys is akin to grinding your heel into the North 40 residents and
neighbors. You will be developing a mid- and big -box power center which will increase traffic and
force residents to go elsewhere for services. This does NOT sound like something that fits
"seamlessly into the fabric of Los Gatos", nor does it sound forward -thinking. Please leave enough
flexibility to allow ALL parts of our wonderful town to thrive. Drop the table. Use future
applications, car trips, and residential input to shape the distribution of the North 40 commercial
space as it develops.
Respectfully submitted,
Maria Ristow,
Los Gatos Community Alliance
2