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Draft Mins 02.24.16DRAFT MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING FEBRUARY 24, 2016 The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, February 24, 2016, at 7:00 pm. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER Chair Badame called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. ROLL CALL Present: Chair Mary Badame, Vice Chair D. Michael Kane, Commissioner Kendra Burch, Commissioner Melanie Hanssen, Commissioner Matthew Hudes, and Commissioner Tom O’Donnell Absent: Commissioner Charles Erekson PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Commissioner O’Donnell led the Pledge of Allegiance. The audience was invited to participate. WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS Desk Item for Item 6. REQUESTED CONTINUANCES – ITEMS 2-5 MOTION: Motion by Commissioner O’Donnell to continue the public hearings for Items 2-5 to April 27, 2016. Seconded by Vice Chair Kane. VOTE: Motion passed 6-0. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS Historic Preservation Committee Commissioner O’Donnell - The 2/24/16 HPC meeting considered five matters: - 213 Tait Avenue - 529 Monterey Avenue - 136 Tait Avenue - 307 Main Street - 50 University Avenue VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS (AUDIENCE) Sandy Moeckel - Commented that the Town’s large buildings that are close to the street and tightly together do not fit with the Town plan; the North 40 in particular is massive. She doesn’t understand why the Town allows it. Commission members asked questions of Ms. Moeckel. Oliver Flach - Commented that the North 40, one of numerous developments the Town has approved in the last few years, has caused terrible traffic on Los Gatos Boulevard, particularly during school drop-off and pick-up times. What happened to the slow growth belief the Town had when he moved there 30 years ago? Page 2 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 Angelia Doerner - Commented that the Town Council has allocated $12.2 million to repair the streets and sidewalks of the Almond Grove. The streets will not be narrowed, the mature trees will be protected, and they are saving sidewalks where possible to reduce costs. CONSENT CALENDAR 1. Approval of Minutes – February 10, 2016 MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Burch to approve adoption of the Consent Calendar. Seconded by Commissioner Hudes. VOTE: Motion passed 6-0. CONTINUED PUBLIC HEARINGS 2. 15371 Santella Court (Lot 8) Architecture and Site Application S-15-001 APN 529-09-017 Property Owner/Applicant: Davidon Homes Appellant: David Weissman Project Planner: Jocelyn Puga Consider an appeal of a decision of the Development Review Committee to approve an Architecture and Site Application to construct a new single-family residence and remove large protected trees on property zoned HR-2½:PD. 3. 15343 Santella Court (Lot 7) Architecture and Site Application S-14-072 APN 527-09-016 Property Owner/Applicant: Davidon Homes Appellant: David Weissman Project Planner: Marni Moseley Requesting approval to construct a new single-family residence and remove large protected trees on property zoned HR-2½:PD. Remanded to the Planning Commission by Town Council. 4. 15358 Santella Court (Lot 10) Architecture and Site Application S-15-004 APN 527-09-019 Property Owner/Applicant: Davidon Homes Appellant: David Weissman Project Planner: Jocelyn Puga Requesting approval to construct a new single-family residence and remove large protected trees on property zoned HR-2½:PD. 5. 15415 Santella Drive (Lot 13) Architecture and Site Application S-15-005 APN 527-09-022 Property Owner/Applicant: Davidon Homes Appellant: David Weissman Project Planner: Jocelyn Puga Page 3 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 Consider an appeal of a decision of the Development Review Committee to approve an Architecture and Site Application to construct a new single-family residence on property zoned HR-2½:PD. NEW PUBLIC HEARINGS 6. 16212 Los Gatos Boulevard Planned Development Application PD-14-001 Mitigated Negative Declaration ND-14-002 APNs 523-06-010 and 523-06-011 Property Owner: 16212 Los Gatos Blvd., LLC Applicant: Scott Plautz, Stem Development Project Planner: Marni Moseley Requesting approval of a Planned Development to rezone the property from CH to CH:PD, demolish an existing commercial building, and construct 11 single-family residences on property zoned CH. A Mitigated Negative Declaration will be prepared. Chair Badame opened the public hearing. Marni Moseley, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Commission members asked questions of staff. Scott Plautz - Commented that they did not get enough feedback and direction from the CDAC process and are looking for feedback from the community and the Commission to help them understand the best land use for this property. Eugene Sakai - Commented that the implications of doubling the proposed setback from 7.5 feet to 15 feet would mean loss of open space, parallel parking would be required, and loss of one guest parking stall. The General Plan calls for mixed-use commercial, but they felt a residential project would be less impactful on the nearby residential neighbors. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Plautz and Mr. Sakai. Malcolm Gordon - Commented that he is opposed to the project with three areas of opposition: density of the property is excessive for this small and difficult to develop area; tall, monolithic buildings on Los Gatos Boulevard with little space between them and the sidewalk; entry and exit onto Shannon Road will be even more difficult to navigate than it already is. Maria Gerst - Commented that she lives down the street from the proposed project and agrees with Mr. Gordon’s comments. Momoye Sasaki - Commented that she couldn’t believe how high the orange netting was. She loves the mountains and they will be obscured. The large number of students utilizing the intersection should be taken into consideration. Robert Rice - Commented that he agrees with the staff report’s recommendation of denial due to extreme density, a 30-foot high wall up against Los Gatos Boulevard, the reduced setbacks, and the Page 4 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 increased FAR. He requested the Commission tell the applicant they must meet the requirements of the PD application. Lily Chang - Commented that she lives directly across from the project. She prefers residential use over commercial use, but not 11 houses, and not this type of arrangement. Traffic at that intersection is already terrible. Kathleen Romero - Commented that she also lives across from the subject site. She is concerned about the number of houses and their impact on already dangerous traffic at the intersection. She believes the Town is going dense because it will make money, and questioned whether there is really a housing shortage in Los Gatos. Commission members asked questions of Ms. Romero. Wayne Scott - Commented that he is opposed to the project. The assertion that the project would generate 171 fewer daily trips is misleading, because it was not based on actual previous use. When Shannon Road backs up, people will make illegal right turns on Magneson Loop, a one-lane street. Audrey Christianson - Commented that the project is an obscene monstrosity with too much traffic and too many people, and she urges the Commission to deny the project. Jeffrey Aristide - Commented that he agreed with the other speakers and is against the project. The density is hugely over the top. Heinz Schu - Commented that he agreed with the other speakers and is against the project due to the increased density and traffic it would bring. Woody Nedom - Commented that a zone change should be denied because this is an ideal commercial spot. If changed to residential this property would have an impact on the already overcrowded schools. The request for a PD should also be denied. Ken Arendt - Commented that there are over 6,000 cars per day on Shannon Road. The intersections of Roberts Road, Blossom Hill Road, and Los Gatos Boulevard are a disaster already and it is not an acceptable place for children moving into the proposed development. Melis Curtiss - Commented that she is opposed to the project. Her main concern is the overcrowding of the schools. The applicants have not been accurate in their estimate of how many families would come into the Town and have historically given low estimates. If the schools become overcrowded, the value of their homes would decline. Roy Moses - Commented that he moved to Los Gatos in 1979 because it was beautiful, but it is starting to be ugly. It is too crowded, with ugly buildings being put in the wrong places. The Town does not have to be large, because there is not enough space to do that. Page 5 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 Amy Despa rs - Commented that she is a teacher in the community and agrees about the schools being overcrowded. She noted the story poles went up during Ski Week. She asked the Commission to consider the traffic coming not just from this development, but from the North 40 as well. Commission members asked questions of Despars. Jim Fox - Commented that he agreed with the previous speakers. He suggested before increasing the residential population the Town first fix the water problems due to the drought. More residents mean less water to go around. Also fix the energy and traffic congestion problems. Barnaby James - Commented that he lives opposite the development and the story poles block the view of the mountains. The setback advertised as 7.5 feet to the building is actually 2.5 feet to the patio. The 30-foot high buildings tower above everything else in the area and the separation between them is only 1 foot. Commission members asked questions of Mr. James. Ken Hoffman - Commented that he opposes the project and believes the property should remain commercial. There is already a lack of parking due to the commercial uses in the area. Any new commercial use should have limited ingress and egress. Susan Flach - Commented that she agrees with those who spoke against the project and believes this property should remain commercial. Her main concern is the impact on the schools, the traffic and parking. She agreed that Los Gatos used to be a beautiful town, but today it has nearly lost its “Town” feel. Eileen Werner - Commented that the property should remain zoned commercial, because it will continue to provide community benefits, such as shops and eateries. The Town’s industrial base should remain viable. The height of the building takes away the view of the Santa Cruz Mountains, which is Los Gatos’s crown jewel. Shawn Carroll - Commented that the traffic situation on Shannon Road is unbearable. Los Gatos is one of only two towns left in the state, but it is losing the small town atmosphere his children grew up in. Joe Carroll - Commented that he does not support the project. This property is commercially zoned, and the message to potential developers should be that Los Gatos is a mature town that does not do PDs and is not looking to put any more residential in the Town until they have the ability to service it. Melissa Rohde - Commented that she agreed with the previous speakers in opposing the project. She asked the Commission to take into consideration the level of frustration felt by the citizens of Los Gatos who ask the Planning Commission to listen and think about approvals for different projects, not just this one, but future ones as well. Bulent Kurdi - Commented that he travels through that intersection several times a day and is concerned about the effect of the emissions coming from the cars on the children going to and from school. The beautiful renderings provided by the applicant cannot hide the fact that there are no more mountain views. Page 6 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 Kay Mauer - Commented that she couldn’t wait to move to Los Gatos 30 years ago, but in the last two years she has seen the increased density and traffic congestion on Los Gatos Boulevard, and she is against changing any commercial property to residential. Los Gatos has enough people and has not improved the quality of life for its citizens in the past five years. Maria Ristow - Commented that she represents Los Gatos Community Alliance. She urged the Commission to not bump the application to the Town Council as the applicant requests, as two of the five Council members have no land use experience. It is imperative that the Planning Commission provides the feedback and guidance for this project and focus on the appropriate land use for this site. Commission members asked questions of Ms. Ristow. Tricia Capri - Commented that she loves Los Gatos, but it is losing its atmosphere. She is opposed to the project because it will overcrowd the schools and cause home values to decline. The Town needs to make it easier for businesses to do business. People are put through the ringer to go from retail to a restaurant, yet the Town would let someone build a huge and dense project. Paul Dueweke - Commented that there is an opportunity to fix the difficult intersection using less than half of the subject property by angling Shannon Road to intersect Los Gatos Boulevard directly across from Roberts Road, creating a normal intersection. Jak Van Nada - Commented this development should not qualify for high-density development. It is a property that is zoned commercial and sits between two commercial pieces of property. Commercial property brings in revenue; housing adds cost to the Town. Why add to the cost when the Town can’t finance road repairs? Jeff Eisenbaum - Commented that he echoes the previous speakers who opposed the project. He grew up in Los Gatos and rode his bike to school when it was still safe, when there was more open space and smaller houses. It is troubling to see higher density with the resulting traffic congestion and lack of parking. Jeff Loughridge - Commented that the PD overlay zone is intended to ensure orderly planning and quality design in harmony with the existing or potential development of the surrounding neighborhood. Is this project consistent with the purpose and intent of a PD overlay? The most important question is what is the appropriate use of the site? Hamid Khazael - Commented that he agreed with the other speakers that this plan should be stopped. He said in the last few years in Los Gatos the standards have been lowered to now allow higher density communities. The proposed project does not fit Los Gatos and he doesn’t understand how it has even gotten to this point. Joe Prang - Commented that he is a business owner on Los Gatos Boulevard and Scott Plautz is his landlord. He and Mr. Plautz have done a good job of trying to support the community by offering parking. Twice a day hundreds of parents use their lot for drop off and pick up. Page 7 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 Gary Black - Commented that his company prepared a traffic study for the project. Most commercial uses would generate more traffic than a residential use. There would be no increase in traffic from the residential development, because the commercial uses would go away. The applicant has offered to do striping changes on Shannon Road to reduce the queuing, and to improve the crosswalk. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Black. Scott Plautz - Commented that they wanted to get community feedback so they could understand what the Planning Commission and the community wants to see on this site, but they still think this is the best proposal and the least amount of impact. Commission members asked questions of Mr. Plautz. Chair Badame closed the public input portion of the hearing and returned to the Commission for deliberation. Commission members discussed the matter. Commission members asked questions of staff. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner O’Donnell to forward a recommendation of denial to the Town Council to not approve the Mitigated Negative Declaration and not approve the ordinance. Seconded by Vice Chair Kane. Commission members discussed the matter. VOTE: Motion passed 6-0 NEW OTHER BUSINESS 7. Report from Community Development Director, Joel Paulson • Town Council met 2/16/16; approved a story pole exception for the North 40. 8. Commission Matters • Commission Burch thanked the audience for the amount of community outreach on Item 6; it will help the Commission greatly. • Chair Badame thanked the commissioners and staff for their hard work and time with respect to Item 6. ADJOURNMENT Meeting adjourned at 9:54 pm. Page 8 of 8 Planning Commission Minutes February 24, 2016 TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION Wednesday, February 24, 2016 ___________________________________________ Mary Badame, Chair APPROVED AS TO FORM AND ATTEST: _____________________________ Joel Paulson Community Development Director