Item 2 - Exhibit 02 - Background Report Section 3.3 Existing General Plan Land Use DesignationsPage 3-10 Public Draft Background Report | March 2019
3.3 Existing General Plan Land Use Designations
The Los Gatos General Plan guides how land in the Town may be
developed and used by designating each parcel of land for a particular use
or combination of uses, as well as, by establishing broad development
policies. Land use designations identify both the types of development
(e.g., residential, commercial, industrial) that are permitted and the density
or intensity of allowed development, such as the minimum or maximum
number of housing units permitted on an acre of land, or the amount of
building square footage allowed. This section identifies existing general
plan land use designations, as outlined in the Town of Los Gatos 2020
General Plan.
Major Findings
▪Hillside residential is the most common land use, accounting for
approximately 40.0 percent (4257.1 acres) of the total land
designated in the existing 2020 General Plan.
▪Open space represents 28.9 percent (3091.2 acres) of the current
2020 General Plan land use area. Four large tracts in the southern
half of the SOI account for a majority of open space land.
▪Low-density residential is the third largest land use in the Town,
accounting for 17.7 percent (1890.3 acres) of the total 2020
General Plan land use area.
▪Commercial uses (Office, Neighborhood Commercial, Mixed-Use
Commercial, Service Commercial, Central Business District, and
Light Industrial) make up 3.4 percent (36 2.2 acres) of the land use
area designated in the 2020 General Plan.
Existing Conditions
The 2020 General Plan includes 15 land use designations, which are
relatively broad and intended to indicate the general type of activity that
may occur on a site. Figure 3.3-1 shows the land use designations
throughout the Town. Table 3.3-1 shows the total acreage per land use
designation.
The 2020 General Plan designations, as described in the Land Use
Element, are summarized below.
Hillside Residential District
The purpose of this designation is to allow for very-low density, rural, large
lot, or cluster, single-family residential development that is compatible
with the mountainous parts of the Town.
Density/Intensity
▪Up to one dwelling unit per net acre
▪Up to 3.5 persons per acre
Low-Density Residential
The purpose of this designation is to allow for low-density single-family
residential development formed through standard zoning or through
planned development.
Density/Intensity
▪Up to five dwelling units per net acre
▪Up to 17.5 persons per acre
Medium-Density Residential
The purpose of this designation is to allow for multi-family residential,
duplex, and/or small single-family homes.
Density/Intensity
▪Up to five to 12 dwelling units per net acre
▪Up to 24 persons per acre
EXHIBIT 2
3. Land Use
Public Draft Background Report | March 2019 Page 3-11
High-Density Residential
The purpose of this designation is to allow for intensive multi -family
residential and to provide quality business and transit-oriented
development.
Density/Intensity
▪ Up to 12 to 20 units per net acre
▪ Up to 40 persons per acre
Mobile Home Park
The purpose of this designation is to allow for affordable housing within
mobile home parks. This designation is not represented on the 2020
General Plan Land Use Map.
Density/Intensity
▪ Five to 12 dwelling units per acre
▪ Up to 24 persons per acre
Office Professional
The purpose of this designation is to allow for professional and general
business office uses. This designation applies to various locations
throughout the Town. Locations are often near neighborhood or
commercial-orientated facilities or serve as a buffer between commercial
and residential uses. The intent of the designation is to meet community
needs for general business and commercial services and provide local
employment.
Density/Intensity
▪ Up to 50 percent land coverage
▪ 35-foot height limit
Neighborhood Commercial
The purpose of this designation is to allow for necessary day-to-day
goods and services within close proximity of neighborhoods. This
designation encourages concentrated and coordinated commercial
development at easily accessible locations.
Density/Intensity
▪ 50 percent land coverage
▪ 35-foot height limit
Mixed-Use Commercial
The purpose of the Mixed-Use designation is to provide for a combination
of residential, office, retail, commercial, non-manufacturing industrial, and
recreation uses. This designation is for sites that are centrally located in
Town and will not conflict with existing land uses.
Density/Intensity
▪ 50 percent land coverage
▪ 35-foot height limit
Service Commercial
The purpose of this designation is to allow for service-oriented
businesses. Types of businesses allowed include auto repair, building
materials sales, paint suppliers, janitorial services, towing businesses,
contractors offices and yards, launderers and dry cleaners, as well as
wholesaling and warehousing activities.
Density/Intensity
▪ 50 percent land coverage
▪ 35-foot height limit
Page 3-12 Public Draft Background Report | March 2019
Central Business District
The purpose of this designation is to encourage a mixture of community-
orientated commercial goods and services within the downtown . This
designation applies exclusively to the downtown, with the goal to
accommodate and retain small-town merchants and preserve the Town’s
character. The District shall maintain and expand open spaces and
mature tree growth without increasing setbacks, as well as, integrate new
construction with existing structures of archeological and historical
significance.
Density/Intensity
▪ 0.6 FAR
▪ 45-foot height limit
Light Industrial
The purpose of this designation is to allow for large-scale office
developments, well-controlled research and development facilities,
industrial parks and service-oriented uses subject to rigid development
standards. These uses shall respond to the community and regional-wide
needs.
Density/Intensity
▪ Up to 50 percent land coverage
▪ 35-foot height limit.
Public
The purpose of this designation is to allow for public facilities within the
Town such as the Civic Center, courthouse, schools, parks, libraries,
hospitals, churches, and fire stations.
Agriculture
The purpose of this designation is to allow for commercial agricultural
crop production.
Open Space
The purpose of this designation is to allow for public parks, open space
preserves, private preserves, and stream corridors.
Albright Specific Plan
The purpose of this designation is to provide land for the Albright Specific
Plan as described in Section 3.5.
North 40 Specific Plan
The purpose of this designation is to provide land for the North 40 Specific
Plan as described in Section 3.5.
3. Land Use
Public Draft Background Report | March 2019 Page 3-13
Figure 3.2-1: Existing Land Use
Page 3-14 Public Draft Background Report | March 2019
Table 3.3-1 General Plan Land Use Designation Summary
Land Use Designation Density/Intensity Acres Percent of Total
HR Hillside Residential 0-1 du/ac 4257.07 39.91%
LDR Low-Density Residential 0-5 du/ac 1890.35 17.72%
MDR Medium-Density Residential 5-12 du/ac 514.45 4.82%
HDR High-Density Residential 12-20 du/ac 60.29 0.57%
MHP1 Mobile Home Park 5-12 du/ac 0.00 0.00%
O Office Professional Up to 50 percent land coverage
35-foot height limit
65.05 0.61%
NC Neighborhood Commercial Up to 50 percent land coverage
35-foot height limit
68.32 0.64%
MUC Mixed-Use Commercial Up to 50 percent land coverage
35-foot height limit
100.11 0.94%
SC Service Commercial Up to 50 percent land coverage
35-foot height limit
17.93 0.17%
CBD Central Business District 0.6 FAR
45-foot height limit
48.50 0.45%
LI Light Industrial Up to 50 percent land coverage
35-foot height limit
39.91 0.37%
P Public N/A 135.40 1.27%
A Agriculture N/A 311.88 2.92%
OS Open Space N/A 3088.56 28.96%
A SP Albright Specific Plan 24.99 0.23%
NF SP North 40 Specific Plan 0-20 43.70 0.41%
Total 10666.51 100.00%
Source: Town of Los Gatos, 2018; Mintier Harnish, 2018.
1 The Town of Los Gatos has two mobile home parks that are designated Medium-Density Residential in the 2020 General Plan. The mobile home parks are currently not designed Mobile Home Park in
the current General Plan as noted above in Table 3.1-1. The underlying zoning for both mobile home parks is Mobile Home Park Residential Zone (RMH) shown in Table 3.3.-2.
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank