Draft Mins 06.14.17
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/28/2017 ITEM NO: 1
DRAFT
MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING
JUNE 14, 2017
The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on
Wednesday, June 14, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.
MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 P.M.
ROLL CALL
Present: Chair Tom O'Donnell, Vice Chair D. Michael Kane, Commissioner Mary Badame,
Commissioner Kendra Burch, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner Matthew Hudes,
and Commissioner Kathryn Janoff.
Absent: None
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Commissioner Janoff led the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was invited to participate.
SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSION MATTERS
Conceptual Development Advisory Committee
Vice Chair Kane
- The 6/14/17 CDAC considered two items:
• Elect Council Member Jensen as chair and Commissioner Badame as vice chair.
• 101 South Santa Cruz Avenue.
VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS
Angelia Doerner
- She hopes that Mr. Schultz, the town attorney, will soon share news regarding the North
40.
CONSENT ITEMS (TO BE ACTED UPON BY A SINGLE MOTION)
1. Approval of Minutes – May 24, 2017
2. 17½ N. Santa Cruz Avenue
Conditional Use Permit Application U-17-003
APN 510-44-077
Property Owner: La Canada Investments, LLC
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Applicant: Dan Cuschieri, Cuschieri Horton Architects
Project Planner: Sally Zarnowitz
Requesting approval for a formula retail business (J. McLaughlin) on property zoned C-
2:LHP. This item is being continued to the June 28, 2017 Planning Commission meeting.
MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to approve adoption of the Consent
Calendar. Seconded by Vice Chair Kane.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously
PUBLIC HEARINGS
3. 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: Sally Zarnowitz
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. Continued from 5/24/17.
Sally Zarnowitz, Planning Manager, presented the staff report.
Opened Public Comment.
Tom Sloan
- They have added more landscaping along the edge of the project site to create screening to
address neighbors’ privacy concerns. They are preserving more of the existing trees than in
the previous design. The design has been reduced from three stories to two, with less glass.
They have added overhangs to prevent light from going up. To address the massing they
have modulated the roof with a sloping roof. The floor area has been reduced.
Angelia Doerner
- She liked the changes from the prior design: the underground residential and guest
parking; the change in the roofline that makes the building appear less ominous; elevators
from the garage to the second story; each bedroom having its own bathroom; and
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maintaining more of the mature trees around the perimeter to preserve the existing
streetscape.
Art Vailionis
- He lives next door to the proposed project. From his point of view, the roof has been
reduced one foot, which is not a big enough reduction, and the mass and scale has not
been reduced enough.
Park Miller
- The applicants have communicated well with the neighbors compared to other developers.
The underground parking is an excellent idea, however, because it raises the house a little
above what it normally would be if it were on grade it is more important that there are
reasonable floor to ceiling heights.
Paul Vieth
- His home faces the back of the project. If the first floor ceiling was 9 feet, and the second
floor ceiling was 8 feet on one side and 12 feet on the other side, the overall height would
go down 6 feet, making a huge difference in the privacy impact. He was impressed with the
change in the façade, saying it now looks much more like residences.
Terry Duryea
- He lives five houses up from Roberts Road. He appreciates that the applicants have reached
out to neighbors even before presenting to the Planning Commission. The Kalwall would be
too bright at night, and why put it up if it is to be covered in jasmine? Use of a high ceiling is
not consistent with the LEED Platinum rating the applicants are seeking, because high
ceilings use more energy to heat and cool.
Tom Sloan
- The Kalwall would glow, but so would any window covering. To make the stairway glass, as
recommended by the consulting architect, would affect privacy. The elevators are glass
tubes and they are putting in a freestanding stair, and to put curtains there would not
work, so they would leave it as open glass. The underground parking makes the project
work for them, because without it there would be 12 garage doors along the front façade.
For Mr. Vailionis they are willing to turn the roof element and drop the wall facing him by
5.5 feet.
Jordan Castillo
- He is a partner in the project. Based on the last Planning Commission hearing they have
addressed privacy, removed the third story due to massing concerns, created
differentiation between the units, and used a sloped roof, which has led to the neighbors
providing their support. They are open to changing the sloping roof to a flat roof.
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Closed Public Comment.
Commissioners discussed the matter.
MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Badame to approve an Architecture and Site
Application and Subdivision Application for 30 Roberts Road and 6
Forrest Avenue with modified conditions. Seconded by Commissioner
Janoff.
VOTE: Motion passed unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
4. Report from the Director of Community Development and Town Attorney
Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development
• Town Council met 6/6/17; approved beer and wine service for Firenza Pizza; Bella Vista
was continued to 8/15/17.
• The Town is going through policy and code amendments; the Planning Commission has
started reviewing the Cellar Policy and will hear it again on June 28, 2017; the Policy
Committee has been reviewing the visibility analysis requirements in the Hillside
Development Standards and Guidelines and will next review it on June 26, 2017; a new
Fence Ordinance will be brought before the Planning Commission at the second meeting
in July; secondary dwelling unit amendments will be heard by the Planning Commission
in August.
Robert Schultz, Town Attorney
• On 6/14/17 the Town received the decision from the court on the North 40 case; the
Town is required to set aside the denial of the project and reconsider the project
pursuant to the Housing Accountability Act. The judge concluded that the Town’s finding
relied on subjective policies as opposed to objective policies, so the Town must go back
and see if it can find other objective policies that would allow for denial of the project;
otherwise the Town must approve the project.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m.
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TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION
JUNE 14, 2017
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_____________________________
Joel Paulson
Community Development Director
Prepared by
_____________________________
/s/ Vicki Blandin