08 Attachment 06 - September 9, 2020 Planning Commission Desk Item, with Exhibit 11_RedactedPREPARED BY: JOCELYN SHOOPMAN
Associate Planner
Reviewed by: Planning Manager and Community Development Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6872
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 09/09/2020
ITEM NO: 2
DESK ITEM
DATE: September 9, 2020
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Consider Approval of a Request for Modification to an Existing Architecture
and Site Application (S-13-090) to Remove Underground Parking for
Construction of a Commercial Building (Market Hall) in the North 40 Specific
Plan Area. Located at 14225 Walker Street. APN 424-56-017. Architecture
and Site Application S-20-012. Property Owner/Applicant: Summerhill N40,
LLC.
REMARKS:
Exhibit 11 includes additional public comments received between 11:01 a.m., Friday,
September 4, 2020 and 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 9, 2020.
EXHIBITS:
Previously received with August 26, 2020 Staff Report:
1.Location Map
2.Required Findings and Considerations
3.Recommended Conditions of Approval
4.Project Description
5.Letter of Justification
6.Development Plans, received May 18, 2020
7.Public comments received by 11:00 a.m., Friday, August 21, 2020
Previously received with August 26, 2020 Addendum Report:
8.Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Friday, August 21, 2020 and 11:00 a.m.,
Tuesday, August 25, 2020.
Previously received with August 26, 2020 Desk Item Report:
9.Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m., Tuesday, August 25, 2020 and 11:00 a.m.,
Wednesday, August 26, 2020
ATTACHMENT 6
PAGE 2 OF 2
SUBJECT: 14225 Walker Street/S-20-012
DATE: September 9, 2020
EXHIBITS (continued):
Previously received with September 9, 2020 Staff Report:
10. Public comments received between 11:01 a.m., Wednesday, August 26, 2020 and 11:00
a.m., Friday, September 4, 2020
Received with this Desk Item Report:
11. Public comments received between 11:01 a.m., Friday, September 4, 2020 and 11:00 a.m.,
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
From: Robert Gore
Sent: Tuesday, September 8, 2020 6:09 PM
To: Planning Comment <PlanningComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40 underground parking
has anything changed with regard to underground north 40 parking?
Robert Gore
Sent from my iPhone
EXHIBIT 11
From: Kathy Parker
Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 6:02 AM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Re: North 40 Proposed Changes - NO
As long-time residents of Los Gatos my husband and I are emphatically against the proposed elimination
of the underground parking garage on the North 40 development. This would lead to the adjacent
neighborhoods having to deal with increased parking on their streets, which they can ill-afford, and also
increased pedestrian traffic on Lark Ave. and Los Gatos Blvd. as people would have to cross them to get
to their cars. It is not fair to the adjacent neighborhoods to make them deal with the increase in car and
foot traffic, nor to have them have to deal with the intricacies of permit parking schemes.
The developers agreed to the parking set-up, it is now up to them to adhere to it.
Joseph and Kathy Parker
From: John Kirsten
Sent: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 5:29 AM
To: Jocelyn Shoopman <jshoopman@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40 concerns
Hello Joel,
I am writing to you regarding the North 40 development. The LG planning commission has approved the
FiINAL plan that includes underground parking. Please do your job and NOT change this. This
development is huge and this parking is a crucial part of it. It is unbelievable that the developer is
trying to do this, only to protect their bottom line. Please do not cave in to their request. The traffic is
going to be next to intolerable when this opens. Please don’t make the parking a problem as well.
From a very concerned Los Gatos resident,
John Kirsten
Los Gatos
From: Andrew Cohen
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2020 6:03:29 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
To: Planning
Subject: North 40 Underground Parking
To the LG Town Council and Planning Commission,
I am writing to express my concern with Summerhill’s proposal to reduce the total number of underground
parking spaces. The elimination of these underground spaces will reduce the total available parking in
the complex below the Town’s requirement of 354 by approximately 23 to 24 spaces. This will likely
result in cars being parked in the surrounding neighborhoods and in the surrounding shopping areas
creating more traffic and congestion.
Please make sure the Town and Summerhill execute the project to the original planned number of
parking spaces including the number that were planned for underground. Let's do what is best for The
new North 40 residents and businesses, surrounding neighborhood and businesses, and Los Gatos.
Best regards,
Andrew Cohen
Los Gatos, CA
From:
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2020 10:55:54 AM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
To: Planning; Joel Paulson; Laurel Prevetti
Subject: North 40 Parking
I oppose to the elimination of the underground parking garage as it will result in an
insufficient amount of parking and below the Town’s required number of parking stalls.
The Market Hall parking in the garage is just one component of the parking for the entire
Transition District A, B & C. With the elimination of the parking garage, SummerHill will
not meet the Town’s requirements.
1. THE PARKING GARAGE ALREADY HAD AN INSUFFICIENT NUMBER OF
PARKING SPACES. The developer wants to drop the number of parking spaces in
the garage from 303 to 176. But there was already a lack of parking in the garage in
the adopted plan. Specifically, the parking for the 50-unit senior complex wasn’t
realistic. The allotment was 1 space per senior unit for a total of 50 spaces--½ space
for each resident and ½ space for guests. The developer said most of the seniors
wouldn’t be able to afford cars. It also assumed each senior unit would have just one
resident.
In fact it’s possible that each senior unit will have two or even more residents. There
may be one or more cars connected to each unit for a possible total of more than 50
cars. This uses up all the unit spaces and then some.
2. PARKING WILL STILL BE NEEDED FOR FUTURE DEVELOPMENT. The
SummerHill proposal states that “The Market Hall was originally designed with a
basement level by Grosvenor, with the intent to use the excess parking for future
development in Phase II of North 40. With Grosvenor no longer involved in Phase I
of the project, SummerHill has no need for parking beyond what is required by Town
Code and the specific plan.”
But the need for parking for future development has not changed. There will still be
future development and thus still a need for parking.
Regards,
Suzy Seandel
From: John Despars
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2020 7:28:42 AM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40 parking
Los Gatos town-
Please keep the underground parking. We don’t need more cars on Los Gatos blvd.
Thank you
Sent from my iPad
From: Hua Jiang
Sent: Monday, September 7, 2020 1:33:01 AM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>; Jocelyn Shoopman <jshoopman@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40 Underground Parking
Dear Town Planning Commission Staff,
My name is Hua Jiang. I am writing to express my opposition to the proposed plan to remove
underground parking of the North 40 project. The removal would lead to vehicles circling around already
congested LG/Lark intersection, and force overflow traffic to park in adjacent residential areas.
If the underground parking level was not necessary, why would the builder(s) propose it in the first
place? Such bait-and-switch strategy deserves a sound defeat. I am respectfully asking the Commission
to reject the proposal.
Thank you for your consideration.
-Hua Jiang
Linda Ave, Los Gatos
From: Maria Ladle Ristow
Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2020 6:26:17 PM
To: Planning <Planning@losgatosca.gov>; Planning Comment <PlanningComment@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Planning Commission Meeting, 9/6/20; Item #2
Dear Planning Commissioners and Town Staff,
Regarding Item # 2, Consider Approval of a Request for Modification to an Existing Architecture
and Site Application to Remove Underground Parking for Construction of a Commercial Building
(Market Hall) in the North 40 Specific Plan Area. I was intending to speak at the Planning
Commission meeting of 8/26/20, but since the meeting was continued, I will submit those
comments in writing.
I encourage you to deny the request. There are very good reasons to retain the planned
underground parking. While I don't believe in requiring over-parking anywhere, we know from a
land-use point of view that a parking garage can store cars more efficiently than surface parking.
The Town of Los Gatos created the North 40 Specific Plan so that the entire 40+ acres would be
cohesive and work together, regardless of the fact that there are several different landowners,
and the development will occur in phases. Underground parking was requested by a large
number of residents as the Specific Plan was formulated. It is unfortunate that the developer that
planned the parking garage, is not the one building it, but those 174 extra spaces could possibly
offset street parking in the next phase of whatever is built. Whether the next phase is office, a
hotel, housing. or anything else the town approves, cars will be a part of it, and they will need
storage. And once the Market Hall garage is completed, there will be no going back and digging
below-grade parking later. Please stick with the original approval and deny this request to
eliminate the underground parking.
Thank you,
Maria Ristow
From: MARY PATTERSON
Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2020 3:27:16 PM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40 Parking
Mr. Paulson,
Please do not allow a change in the underground parking for the North 40
complex. The development will already be an eyesore that causes additional traffic and
we don't need their cars parked all over our streets.
This development was approved and shoved down our throats, so they should have to
abide by their contract.
Thank you,
Mary Patterson
Los Gatos
From: jan prinzivalli
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 6:10:29 PM (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
To: Planning
Subject: North Forty
Please do not allow the developers at the North 40 to deviate from the original plan and reduce the
number of parking spaces on the site.
Thank you-
Jan Prinzivalli
Sent from my iPhone
From: Rochelle Greenfield
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 1:11 PM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40
Build the garage as per plans or donate the 4m to the city.
Thank you
Rochelle Greenfield
Sent from my iPhone
From: Bernard Greenfield
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 1:14 PM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: North 40
I have lived in Los Gatos for over 40 years. The developer, having compelled the town to allow
development, should be required to strictly adhere to the approved plan(s). No deviation- they must
build the garage.
Sent from my iPhone
Bernard Greenfield
From: Sheryl Poulson
Sent: Friday, September 4, 2020 11:30 AM
To: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Cc: James Poulson
Subject: North 40 parking
Joel, and all at our planning commission, my family and I live in the Highland Oaks neighborhood and like
the majority, if not all, of our neighbors are vehemently opposed to the proposed elimination of the
underground parking space. This change, if allowed to go through, will very likely force visitors, shoppers
& residents to find parking elsewhere ending up creating further degradation to the surrounding
communities and businesses. This is so typical of large projects like this in where the developers
interests in reducing their cost, post contractual agreements, begin to eliminate promised features. We
must not allow the elimination of the already minimally planned agreed upon parking or another
changes to the plan.
Your concerned citizens,
James & Sheryl Poulson and family
Please reply.
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