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Draft Mins 03.22.17 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT MEETING DATE: 04/12/2017 ITEM NO: 1 DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MARCH 22, 2017 The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, March 22, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M. ROLL CALL Present: Vice Chair D. Michael Kane, Commissioner Mary Badame, Commissioner Kendra Burch, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner Matthew Hudes, and Commissioner Kathryn Janoff. Absent: Chair Tom O'Donnell PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner Janoff led the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was invited to participate. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSION MATTERS Historic Preservation Committee Commissioner Hudes - The 3/22/17 HPC meeting considered three items: o 125 Tate Avenue o 16707 Shannon Avenue o 231 University Avenue VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS Genaro Meza Roa - The mountains are the aesthetic backdrops of daily life in Los Gatos, but the ability to enjoy them is threatened by development proposals that would block them from view. Los Gatos is not a town for tall buildings and should not attempt to compete with other cities for available retail and office space. Los Gatos needs to protect the beauty of the environment. PAGE 2 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION) 1. Approval of Minutes – March 8, 2017 2. 401 to 409 Alberto Way Architecture and Site Application S-15-056 Conditional Use Permit Application U-15-009 Environmental Impact Report EIR-16-001 APN 529-23-018 Property Owner: CWA Realty Applicant: Shane Arters, LP Acquisitions, LLC Project Planner: Jennifer Armer Requesting approval to demolish three existing office buildings and construct two new two-story office buildings with underground parking on property zoned CH. It has been determined that this matter may have a significant impact on the environment and an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) has been prepared as required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Continued from 1/11/2017. The Applicant has requested a continuance and this item is being continued to the April 12, 2017 Planning Commission meeting. 3. 15860, 15880, and 15894 Winchester Boulevard Architecture and Site Application S-16-023 Subdivision Application M-16-002 Negative Declaration ND-16-003 APNs 529-11-013, -038, -039, and 040 Property Owner: South Beach Partners LLC/Cumulus Capital Holdings, LLC Applicant: Valley Oak Partners - Doug Rich Project Planner: Jocelyn Puga Requesting approval to demolish three existing single-family residences, remove a secondary unit, remove large protected trees, and merge four lots for the purposes of constructing a new two-story office building with below grade and at grade parking. No significant environmental impacts have been identified as a result of this project and a Mitigated Negative Declaration is recommended. Continued from 1/25/2017. The Applicant has requested a continuance and this item is being continued to the April 26, 2017 Planning Commission meeting. PAGE 3 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx 4. 360 Bella Vista Avenue Architecture and Site Applications S-15-053 and S-15-054 APN 529-22-038 Property Owner: John Brady Applicant: Michael Black Project Planner: Jocelyn Puga Requesting approval to demolish an existing two-family residence and construct two new single-family residences on property zoned R-1:8. Continued from 3/8/2017. The Applicant has requested a continuance and this item is being continued to the April 12, 2017 Planning Commission meeting. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to approve adoption of the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Commissioner Burch. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously PUBLIC HEARINGS 5. 30 Roberts Road and 6 Forrest Avenue Architecture and Site Application S-16-070 Subdivision Application M-16-009 APN 529-10-003 Property Owner: Tannka, LLC Applicant: Gary King Project Planner: Levi Hill Requesting approval to demolish one multi-family dwelling with three units and one single-family dwelling, construct one multi-family dwelling with four units, and merge two lots into one lot on property zoned R-M:5-12. Levi Hill, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Tom Sloan - He is the project architect. Their design is a new prototype for residential projects that would induce clients away from building in the hillsides; features include upper end living in the center of town, with ease of walking and biking; expansive homes on compact lots; units are 100% accessible, allowing aging in place; and use of green technologies, construction methods, and products. Roberts Road is unique and eclectic neighborhood PAGE 4 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx with six different zoning districts. The three-story building reads as two stories, because they set the top story back 25 feet from the lower face of the building. Cars would be out of view, and the sidewalk would be extended to promote a friendlier neighborhood. Steve Glenn - He is the owner of LivingHomes. They are known for sustainable work and have done 24 LEED Platinum homes. They plan to prefabricate the building, cutting construction time in half, with far less neighborhood disruption and a dramatic reduction of waste. Art Vorilioms - He lives next door to the proposed project, which would be gigantic in this neighborhood of single-family homes, townhomes, and condominiums representing the small town character of Los Gatos. The project also does not fit within the Los Gatos 2020 General Plan; although it complies with the letter of the General Plan, it fails to comply with the spirit of his unique Los Gatos neighborhood. Terry Duryea - He lives up the street from the proposed project. He agrees with Mr. Vorilioms that the project would be massive at 12,000 square feet, and would also be the only three-story building in the neighborhood. The owner and her brother would occupy two of the four units, so there are only two units available to induce people to not build in the hillsides. The project also does not meet the Town’s parking requirements. Park Miller - He has practiced as an architect in the Los Gatos area for 30 years. The applicants had neighborhood outreach, but they were blind to the neighbors’ input. The height and translucent wall material could generate a lantern effect into the neighbor’s yards. He liked the design, but it is not scaled properly for the context of the neighborhood. Reshma Rae - The project would invade her backyard privacy. She agrees with the previous speakers’ comments. Alicia Barela - Her property is located diagonally from the proposed development. She doesn’t care for the boxy, pre-fab nature of the design, and she was struck by the height of the project, which is out of keeping with the neighborhood. Her kitchen view is now trees, but will be the building with no trees if the project is built. She doesn’t believe a person looking for a 3,000 square foot home would choose one so compacted with other units. PAGE 5 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx Genaro Meza Roa - He lives two blocks from the proposed project. The design is hideous and extremely angular. The removal of large trees is a detriment to the air quality. One of the structures to be demolished was only recently built, and for it to be demolished to build another structure is absurd. The older building to be demolished was built in 1949 and is deserving of preservation, because it provides a touch of nostalgia and aesthetic beauty to the area. Paul Vieth - He lives four doors down from the proposed project. He is disappointed in the process that allowed this project, which is so obviously out of character with the neighborhood, to get to this point. The developer is trying to squeeze as much as possible onto the property. People in the area have equity built on privacy and a neighborhood feel; if this project moves forward, hundreds of thousands of dollars in equity would be taken from any resident within a block. Ted Floor - He lives directly across from the proposed project. He supports the project going in, but he is concerned about the height. He cited four townhouses built recently on Hubbell Road as an example of a well-done project that matches the neighborhood. Kevin Falini - He lives diagonally across the street from the proposed project. He supports the project and does not share the neighbors’ objections to height, style, and lack of neighborhood character, saying there is no clear architectural style or theme in the surrounding neighborhood. The development would provide quality housing stock to pull the neighborhood forward. Anne Lamborn - The architecture of the project is massive and blocky, but she has seen houses of this style merge in with their neighborhoods. She liked the idea of the elevators. The neighborhood is an ideal place to live, with extraordinary amenities and excellent access to the Los Gatos Creek Trail. Lee Quintana - She is not opposed to the type of design, but the building is out of scale for the neighborhood. She noted the covered balconies, which add to the apparent mass of the building. If the town stops allowing any evolution of style, they will live in the past forever. Sites that are zoned for multi-family or higher density are intended that they be smaller in size so the units fit the neighborhood better. PAGE 6 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx Grant Barnes - He lives across the street from the proposed project. Not every house in town needs to look like a Craftsman style, and while this building’s architecture is forward, it is unique from anything else in town, which may be a good reason to build it, because it is important to allow the creativity of architectural diversity in the town. The structure doesn’t seem too large to him. He is impressed by the design and green aspects, which the town should embrace and use as a showcase for standards for future buildings. Steve Glenn - The third story is 40% less than the second story and recessed back from the street to diminish it. They have designed a green wall for a neighbor. They have held neighborhood outreach meetings, worked with the neighbors, and made many adjustments to the plans to provide privacy. They have eliminated the east elevation balcony and raised the window off the ground so as to not project private spaces out to the neighbors. The neighborhood is quite eclectic, with massive three-story apartment buildings down to cottages. Closed Public Comment. Commissioners discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to continue the public hearing for 30 Roberts Road to a date certain, subject to Planning Commission direction. Seconded by Vice Chair Kane. Commissioners discussed the matter. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. Opened Public Comment Closed Public Comment MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Burch to make the date certain for the next public hearing May 24, 2017. Seconded by Vice Chair Kane. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. PAGE 7 OF 7 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF MARCH 22, 2017 MARCH 30, 2017 N:\DEV\MINUTES - PC\2017 GRANICUSMINS.PC\DRAFT\Draft PC ACTION MINUTES 3-22-17.docx OTHER BUSINESS 6. Report from the Director of Community Development Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development • Town Council met 3/21/17; adopted a policy regarding ancillary office use and parking in the LM zone; began consideration of the 15215 Shannon Road planned development and continued the hearing to April 4, 2017. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:01 p.m. TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION MARCH 22, 2017 APPROVED AS TO FORM: _____________________________ Joel Paulson Community Development Director Prepared by _____________________________ /s/ Vicki Blandin