Draft Mins 10.24.18
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 11/14/2018 ITEM NO: 1
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
OCTOBER 24, 2018
The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on
Wednesday, October 24, 2018, at 7:00 p.m.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair D. Michael Kane, Vice Chair Matthew Hudes, Commissioner Mary Badame,
Commissioner Kendra Burch, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner Kathryn Janoff,
and Commissioner Tom O’Donnell
Absent: None
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Commissioner Hanssen led the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was invited to participate.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSION MATTERS
Historic Preservation Committee
Commissioner Hudes
- HPC met 10/24/18 and considered four items:
o 94 Hernandez Avenue
o 52 Jackson Avenue
o 24 Filmer Avenue
o 47 Alpine Avenue
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
None.
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – October 10, 2018
MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to approve adoption of the Consent
Calendar. Seconded by Commissioner Burch.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously
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PUBLIC HEARINGS
2. 16100 Greenridge Terrace
Planned Development Application PD-16-002
Environmental Impact Report EIR-17-001
APN 527-12-002
Property Owner: Emerald Lake Investments LLC
Applicant: Kohlsaat and Associates, Inc.
Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman
Requesting approval to re-zone a property zoned HR-2½ to HR-2½:PD and to subdivide
one lot into eight lots on property zoned HR-2½.
Opened Public Comment.
Joyce Shen
- She resides 16090 Greenridge Terrace and opposes having people go through her street,
because it is a private road and is also too small and narrow to accommodate two-way
traffic.
Kathy Trung
- She has lived at 16080 Greenridge Terrace for nine years and her property abuts the
subject site. The EIR contains inconsistencies in that it describes Blossom Hill Road as four
lanes, but it is actually two lanes; and describes Greenridge Terrace as two lanes when it is
actually one lane. There is also a hairpin turn there. She is opposed to hiking trails behind
the proposed project, because of homeless people in the area. She and her neighbors do
not want people coming up their private road and parking on it and in her driveway.
David Weissman
- The Town held a meeting in April 2017 to solicit public comment on the scope of the
environmental issues to be addressed in the EIR and that would be incorporated into the
Draft EIR. A number of people spoke at that meeting and asked questions, but those
questions may not have been properly answered in the Final EIR. How are those people to
know if their comments will be included in the Final EIR without those questions being
published? He suggested that in the coming days the questions from the previous April
2017 meeting be published so that people will know their questions will be carried over to
the final EIR.
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Roman Ormandy
- He lives at 16200 Greenridge Terrace and is a neighbor of the proposed site. He is also
concerned about the hiking trails, because unsavory people have parties up the hill, which
could be dangerous to the community. He is also concerned that Lots 1 and 8 are
connected with a hiking trail that is wide enough for a semi-truck and is seeking assurance
that this hiking trail would not be connected through Lots 1 and 8.
Susan Fish
- She has lived on Greenridge Terrace her entire life. She was disappointed with the Town’s
April 2017 scoping meeting, assuming it was a good faith opportunity to discuss with Town
staff the concerns of all the neighboring communities, but their concerns are not registered
in this Draft EIR. The Draft EIR contains glaring errors, such as her neighbor’s driveway
being labeled Largo Vista, Greenridge Terrace labeled as two lanes, and Blossom Hill Road
labeled as four lanes. There are also huge omissions, such as the fault in the next-door
vacant lot that has held it up in terms of development and sale for years, as well as the
1970s limitation on who may use Greenridge Terrace, because it is a private road.
Romina Ahuja
- She is the president of the HOA at the Highlands of Los Gatos and speaks for most of the
homeowners. They agree with the previously voiced concerns with the EIR, because they
also attended the 2017 meeting. She lives on Shady Lane, a single-lane road with no
pedestrian sidewalk that has its own construction project, but now they find they would be
the thoroughfare for the proposed project’s construction as well. They will have to deal
with construction for probably ten-plus years as homes are built on these lots, and there
would not be room for more than one vehicle, and it would be unsafe for pedestrians.
Closed Public Comment.
3. 300 Marchmont Drive
Conditional Use Permit Application U-12-002
APNs 532-10-001 and 532-11-011
Property Owner/Applicant: Mark Silver/Hillbrook School
Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman
Annual review of an approved Conditional Use Permit for an existing private school
(Hillbrook School) on property zoned HR-1.
Joel Paulson, Community Development Director, presented the staff report.
Opened Public Comment.
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Chuck Hammers
- He is Chairman of the Board at Hillbrook School. They began this process to expand the
school, and in particular their middle school, seven years ago. The Town’s approval to
expand the student body has added 70 more students to the school, and more opportunity
for the 300 students already there.
Mark Silver
- He is the Head of School at Hillbrook. The difference in their middle school today from
where it was five years ago is palpable with energy and excitement, and the quality of
program they now offer is much stronger, because of the Town’s willingness several years
ago to let Hillbrook grow. They continue to take complying with the Conditional Use Permit
seriously and are proud of how their community has risen up to meet the challenging
traffic model that has changed the culture of the school in terms of how they all get to and
from it, and that has had a positive impact on the neighborhood.
Closed Public Comment.
Commissioners discussed the matter.
MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to accept the Hillbrook School annual
review of an approved CUP for an existing private school.
Seconded by Commissioner Burch.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
4. Report from the Director of Community Development
Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development
• Town Council met 10/16/18; considered the proposed Fence Ordinance amendments,
which were sent back to the Policy Committee for further discussion on 11/15/18.
• Commissioner Hanssen attended a community workshop on 10/17/18 regarding the
General Plan Update.
• The first General Plan Advisory Committee meeting will be held on 10/30/18.
• There are openings on a number of boards and commissions in the Town with
applications due on 10/26/18.
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ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 7:49 p.m.
This is to certify that the foregoing is a true
and correct copy of the minutes of the
October 24, 2018 meeting as approved by the
Planning Commission.
_____________________________
/s/ Vicki Blandin