Attachment 8July 19, 2017
To the Town:
My wife and I have lived in Los Gatos for over 40 years and raised our children here . Our kids went to
the local schools. We enjoy the small town friendliness and a multitude of local activities and social life,
in addition to the music events, proximity of restaurants, the library, and many businesses. I have been
a member of several organizations including the chamber of commerce. I have owned and managed
businesses in town. I have been active in town politics and have designed and built several commercial
and residential properties in the area.
I am a firm believer that Grosvenor, Eden Housing and Summerhill Homes, the companies that represent
the project we all know as the North Forty, have worked with our Town residents with patience and
class. This project, which I have been following closely, has been vetted literally for decades. It is hard
to believe that the Town wasted hundreds of thousands of dollars over a law suit they knew they
couldn't win. The plan is well within the Town's guidelines, with less than ha lf the residential units
shown in the Town's general plan and fits the height and density for the area . The developers proposed
320 units, which is not the maximum homes allowable, and provided for seniors and low-income alike.
It also helps us fulfill a strong part of the Housing Element mandated by law and I was very impressed
by the voluntary agreement made with the school district -something I have never seen done
before in or outside of Los Gatos.
I was very disappointed to see the Town reject this project when they knew it wa s within the guidelines
set forth in the general plan . The only thing accomplished was to delay the project through a legal
action that was doomed from the beginning. To try to delay this further would only cost the Town
millions in legal fees, and violate the mandate set down by the court.
Sincerely,
Denni s Byron
455 San Benito Ave.
Los Gatos
ATTACHMENT 8
On Jul 20, 2017, at l :49 PM, Jeffrey Whalen <jeff.w h alen@brid gebank.co m> wrote:
Honorable Mayor and members of the town council:
Because of the hasty decision that was made by this council 18 months ago to approve the specific
plan with respect to the North 40 project, the town now finds itself in a last ditch effort to control the
size, scope, use and density of the Grosvenor project.
Once more, I submit that their proposed height(s) violate the maximum heights set by the town
precisely because they use the "Hirschman " buildings on Los Gatos Blvd as their baseline, extrapolating
their height (measurement) all the way west across the Yuki property to the freeway; which in fact
would allow them to build a 4 or 5 story building as they move west across the site . Because the land
naturally slopes towards the creek (and always has) as opposed to Grosvenor's opinion that the land has
a "faulty" grade, any and all buildings if approved, should be "stepped down" in height as they progress
in a westerly direction to a height no higher than allowed in downtown Los Gatos.
Thank you,
Jeff Whalen
From: Colin Heyne [mailto:colin@bikesi liconvalley.org]
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2017 3:34 PM
To: Town Manager
Cc: shiloh
Subject: Support for North 40 bicycling facilities
Good afternoon Ms. Prevetti,
With the North 40 project back in the news, we at Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition thought it
would be a good idea to re-send our previous letter of support (attached). The project developers
worked closely with us to dev e lop a list of enhancements both on and adjacent to the property
that we feel will advance SVBC's missio n to create a healthy community, environment, and
economy through bicycling.
Thank you,
Colin Heyne
Deputy Director
http://bikesiliconvalley.org
408-287-7259 x. 224
m : 408-464-5195
96 N. Third Street. Suite 375
Post Office Box 1927
San Jose, CA 951 09
Tel 408.287.7259
Fax 408.213.7559
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August 4 , 2016
Los Gatos Town Council
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 95030
RE: North 40 Development Application
Dear Members of the Town Council:
I am writing as Executive Director of Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition (SVBC), a
membership-based nonprofit that works to create a healthy commun ity , environment,
and economy for people who live, work, or play i n San Mateo and Sant a C lara
Counties . We are writing in support of the extraordinary bi cycling amenities incl uded in
the North 40 Development proposal, as well as the extensive outreach conducted by
the North 40 development team.
Our organ ization was first approached by t he applicant team over two years ago. They
wanted to know how to make their proposa l more bike-friendly, in order to both ease
potential traffic near the site and to make the development more attractive to young
professionals and sen i ors -two demographics that, nati onwide, are increasingly
looking for mobility solutions other t han the personal automobile .
To our su rprise and delight, the team of Eden , SummerHill , and Grosvenor repeatedly
responded to our suggestions wi th interest and enthusiasm . We recommended a
connection to the Los Gatos C reek Trail , safer facilities on Los Gatos Bouleva rd and
Lark Avenue, and the utilizati on of a design firm that special ized in bicycling . All these
suggestions and more were acted upon , and each iteration was brought to us for
vetting and further refinement. We believe the end result is a fine example of bicycle-
friendly design.
We were disappointed with the assertion many have made : that the applicants have
insufficiently engaged the community . Our experience has been quite the contrary, and
represents only one aspect of the development p rocess .
Bicycling is an excellent transportation option, particularly when combined with dense
hous ing and mixed-use development. The proposed North 40 development makes the
most of this sy nergy . I urge you to conside r this when making your decision next
Tuesday .
8l:'/ I, JQ]J I
Shil oh Ballard
President and Executive Director
Cc: Laurel Prevetti , Town Manager
Rob Schultz, Town A ttorney
Joel Paulson , Community Development Director
From: Lee Fagot [mailto:leefagot @gmail.com]
Sent : Thursday, July 20, 2017 10:29 PM
To: Council
Subject: North 40 Phase 1 Plans
Dear Madam Mayor and Council members,
I moved to Los Gatos over 20 years ago because of the " look and feel" of our community, as
well as the most common measures of the quality of life one would want for their family -
ranging from excellent schools to personal safety, from the sense of our own novel
community, while still having proximity to other regional resources. And, for any community, I
recognize that no new project is 100% acceptable to all the folks in Town. However, it appears
the developers for the North 40 Phase 1 have not only followed all the Town ordinances and
requirements, including the North 40 Specific Plan, Planning Commission guidance and the
State's Housing Element requirements; they have also reached out to the community for input
and adjusted their designs, and further they have committed more than $6M to LGUSD and
$12M for local Capital Improvements. These financial commitments are above and beyond any
legal requirements. The Town has published what is required in the North 40 and the court has
found they have met the requirements. We cannot change the requirements retroactively.
My fear is further delays will drive this developer to either withdraw or rescind parts of their
offers to the community that are NOT legally required . We could end up with a less agreeable
developer, or one who only commits to the letter of the law and minimum requirements.
Rather, lets continue to work with a developer who has agreed in the past to sit at the table to
negotiate for an optimal plan for all of us. I am not in love with all they are proposing, but I
have also discussed this with them and noted they are open to such discussions. Other
community members have even noted how some of their ideas have been adopted into later
design plan s.
It's time to approve their North 40 Phase 1 application. And lets move as quickly as possible to
keep positive momentum going forward and bring more citizen input to help work with the
developers so that more specifics of the design does meet the "look and feel" of Los
Gatos. Lets collaborate to create an aesthetic that reflects our sense of community. Lets get at
least 40% open spaces in the design. Lets have multi family housing that does NOT look like
east coast row houses or tenements. Lets help design "below market" houses we would even
be willing to live in. We can only do that by working WITH the developer. Not fighting them .
No design, no new buildings, no development of this former orchard will win 100% of our
Town's voters . But, by continuing to work with the developers, as we have seen in the past
with their interest to incorporate our input into their design, we can better, as a total
community, meet the needs and desires of more of our Townsfolk.
Thank you,
Lee Fagot
845 Lilac Way
LG 95032