07 Attachment 3 - Housing Production Estimated Under 2040 General PlanTown Council Meeting
November 17, 2020
Page 1 of 2
New Housing Capacity Estimated Under 2040 General Plan
In 2019, as part of the General Plan Update, the Town completed the Land Use Alternatives Report. This Report
looked at four land use alternative concepts for Los Gatos, each with a different mix of housing densities and
commercial and industrial intensities. Following recommendations by the General Plan Update Advisory
Committee and the Planning Commission, the Town Council selected Alternative C Medium High Growth as the
Preferred Alternative that would be used to guide the development of the General Plan. Under this Alternative,
the Downtown was also identified as an area for focused development.
During incorporation of this alternative into the General Plan and to assist in making the alternative easier to
implement, the concept of Opportunity Areas was dropped. A single set of land use designations which are
similar in name to the existing designations were established.
The Alternatives Report defined each alternative’s effect on population, housing, employment, fiscal health, and
transportation. As the analysis was focused on comparing change, housing capacity was only evaluated for the
following five land use designations:
Low-Density Residential
Medium-Density Residential
High-Density Residential
Neighborhood Commercial
Mixed-Use Commercial
As part of the General Plan, the Community Commercial and Central Business District designations also allow
residential development and are included in the capacity numbers provided on the next page.
The table on the next page provides an estimate of residential growth that can happen under the 2040 General
Plan. These estimates are based on the following parameters (as listed on the table):
Land Use Designation. This column lists the designations that produce residential. As growth in the
hillside areas is not promoted, no new units are estimated for the Hillside Residential designation.
Density Range (du/ac). Each designation has a minimum and maximum density range, listed as dwelling
units per acre (du/ac).
Typical Density Assumed (du/ac). To estimate potential new housing, an assumption was made as to
the typical density that would occur in each designation. This factor was used to calculate total units.
Assumed Redevelopment. For properties that are currently developed, it was assumed that some
percent of those properties would redevelop over the course of the next 20 years.
New Housing (Vacant). Based on the vacant acreage under each land use designation, the potential
number of housing units was calculated.
New Housing (Redevelop). Based on the developed acreage under each land use designation and the
assumed redevelopment percentage, the potential number of housing units was calculated.
ATTACHMENT 3
Town Council Meeting
November 17, 2020
Page 2 of 2
Added to the total units produced from vacant land and redeveloped land are the following:
Housing Units, ADUs. This figure provides the estimated number of accessory dwelling units (ADUs)
that would be produced over the 20-year planning period (25 ADUs per year).
Housing Units, Existing Projects. Town-approved and pending projects that include new housing units
are also included with the preferred alternative.
The following table provides an estimate of housing unit capacity under the Preferred Alternative compared
with the existing General Plan. It should be noted that while the redevelopment percent (the amount of land
that will redevelop during the next 20 years) has been kept the same for both calculations (existing and
proposed General Plan), it is expected that the percentage would be lower under the existing General Plan as
there would not be as much of an incentive for change. Hillside Residential is not included because this
designation is not intended to produce significant housing.