Item 5 - Staff Report.Hwy 17 General Plan Amendment TRA-4, GP-19-001
PREPARED BY: Matt Morley
Parks and Public Works Director
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Community Development Director, and Town Attorney
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 406-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 10/09/2019 ITEM NO: 5
DATE: October 4, 2019
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Matt Morley, Parks and Public Works Director
SUBJECT: General Plan Amendment Application GP-19-001. Project Location: Town
Wide. Applicant: Town of Los Gatos.
Consider proposed General Plan amendments to language specific to
Highway 17 in Goal TRA-4 and supporting policies.
RECOMMENDATION:
Provide a recommendation to the Town Council on proposed General Plan amendments
(Exhibit 3) to language specific to Highway 17 in Goal TRA-4 and supporting policies.
BACKGROUND:
Changing dynamics in job and population growth in the greater Bay Area have led to increased
pressure on local streets and roads as freeways exceed capacity. This is especially evident in
Los Gatos during commute hours and with summer weekend beach traffic. The configuration
of Highway 17 approaching Los Gatos from the north and through the Town may exacerbate
the impacts on the Town as drivers search for alternate routes that lead them to local streets.
In 2016, Measure B was passed by voters to allow for transportation improvements throughout
the County funded through a sales tax increase. This measure included broad language specific
to Los Gatos and Highway 17. The specific Measure B language reads:
Highway 17 Corridor Congestion Relief: Upgrade Highway 17/9 interchange to improve
pedestrian and bicycle safety, mobility, and roadway operations; deploy advanced
transportation technology to reduce freeway cut thru traffic in Los Gatos, including traffic signal
control system upgrades in Los Gatos, Traveler Information System, advanced ramp metering
systems; support Multi-Modal Congestion Relief Solutions, including enhanced Highway 17
PAGE 2 OF 3 SUBJECT: Proposed General Plan Amendment to language specific to Highway 17 in Goal TRA-4 and Supporting Policies DATE: October 4, 2019
BACKGROUND (continued):
Express Bus service, implementing local bus system improvements that reduce auto trips to
schools, work, and commercial areas in Los Gatos; and develop park and ride lots to serve as
transit hubs for express bus, shuttles, local bus system connections.
Through preliminary discussions with the Valley Transportation Agency (VTA), and Caltrans an
opportunity exists to extend the scope of the Highway 9 interchange project to include
efficiencies from Highway 85 through the Highway 9 onramp to southbound Highway 17.
In the interest of ensuring the potential for funding for the maximum scope of the project, on
March 19, 2019 the Town Council, on a 3-2 vote, supported the design for a project at Highway
9 and Highway 17, including design options for efficiencies on Highway 17 and for additional
travel lanes on Highway 17, and directed staff to process a 2020 General Plan amendment
allowing for the project. Exhibit 1 is the Council Agenda Report for this item.
The early work associated with the project includes identifying the scope of work and
preliminary design associated with the project, which may include stacking lanes, merge lanes,
auxiliary lanes, exit lanes, and improved traffic flow through lane realignment and roadway
widening. The Town will be engaged through a public outreach process and provide Town
Council reports throughout the design and construction.
DISCUSSION:
The Town Council directed staff to process amendments to the existing 2020 General Plan in
alignment with the potential project. Exhibit 2 provides the text of 2020 General Plan Goal
TRA-4 and supporting policies and Exhibit 3 provides the recommended amendments. Staff
recommends retaining the full language of the existing Goal TRA-4 in the interest of continuing
to emphasize the importance of Highway 17 to the community. Modifications to the
supporting policies would facilitate the project design.
Town procedure requires the General Plan Committee (GPC) to make a recommendation on all
proposed General Plan amendments. Because the entire GPC sits on the General Plan Advisory
Committee (GPAC) and it is important for the entire GPAC to be involved with any changes to
the existing General Plan to inform its work on the update, this item was presented to the GPAC
on September 19, 2019. The GPAC recommendation is now proceeding to the Planning
Commission as it conducts a public hearing on the amendments and makes its recommendation
to the Town Council. The Town Council is tentatively scheduled to hold its public hearing on
November 5, 2019.
PAGE 3 OF 3 SUBJECT: Proposed General Plan Amendment to language specific to Highway 17 in Goal TRA-4 and Supporting Policies DATE: October 4, 2019
DISCUSSION (continued):
During the GPAC discussion on this item, three recommendations were provided. The
recommendations from the GPAC refer to the text in Exhibit 3 and the recommendation for
added text is reflected as underlined and italicized.
1. Modify the recommended changes to Policy TRA-4.1 to read: Improvements to Highway
17 should consider and if appropriate support efficiency improvements prior to adding
capacity through increased travel lanes.
2. With respect to Policy TRA-4.3, the GPAC recommended removal of this policy in its
entirety and renumbering subsequent policies to reflect the removal.
3. With respect to Policy TRA-4.5, the GPAC recommended not making the staff
recommendation that would change the word “do” to “does,” while accepting the
removal of the words “lanes or.”
CONCLUSION:
The Commission should review the proposed amendments and provide a recommendation to
the Town Council.
COORDINATION:
This report has been coordinated with the Community Development Department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact as a result of the recommended action.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is not a project defined under CEQA, and no further action is required.
EXHIBITS:
1. March 19, 2019 Council Agenda Report
2. Current General Plan TRA-4 Goal and Policies
3. Proposed General Plan amendments to Goal TRA-4 and supporting policies