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Item 2 - N40 Phase 1 - Staff Report Exh.31 - Part 1Marni M ose ley From: Sent: T o: Subject: Dear ms Moseley, Johanes Swenberg <johanes_swenberg@yahoo.com > Tuesday, March 29, 2016 6:11 PM Marni Moseley North forty I am writing concerning the north 40 project. My concerns with the project are with the inadequate attention to the added congestion the large project will place on traffic in an already busy area. Adding hundreds of new residences and commercial businesses will place additional unique strains for a critical traffic juncture into and out of the town. This area has also been growing with the expansion of the medical facilities and add itional growth will make the area an urban gridlock. Johanes swenberg 128 Mary way Los Gatos 1 69 Ellenwood Ave. Los Gatos, CA 95030 March 30, 2016 Subject: North 40 Phase l---Item 2 on 3/30/2016 Planning Commission Agenda Dear Commissioners, We have studied the plans for development of the "North 40" and are opposed to approval of those plans for the following general reasons and many more specific ones: 1. Housing is too dense with entrances and garages too close to the street. Tandem garages are likely to cause traffic problems or use of half the garage for storage and parking of a second car elsewhere. Three story buildings are too high for a residential area and do not "look and feel like Los Gatos ." 2. Parking is insufficient and poorly located. Some units have only one garage. That would often mean parking an extra car elsewhere. Senior housing allots only lh space per unit when most people in the facility would have a car. 3. Open space is insufficient. The emphasis on dogs is incompatible with the closely packed design of the housing units. There is play space for dogs but not children. 4. We need affordable housing for residents like teachers and hospital/medical clinic staff. The proposed "affordable senior" housing facility does not provide the level of services/amenities needed by older/handicapped seniors. It appears that the senior option was chosen largely because it requires less parking. A percentage of regular units should be "affordable" for moderate income residents. 5. Density is too great for the traffic situation in that area of Los Gatos. Traffic on Los Gatos Boulevard is heavy already. An additional 500 or more cars adds to congestion and impedes access to Good Samaritan Hospital and other medical facilities in that area. Highway 85 is already overcrowded for long periods at the morning and evening commute hours. There are often long waits at the metering lights. The general concept of combining living space and neighborhood commercial is a good one. However, the execution of the concept in this case is too dense for Los Gatos. Please do not approve this plan. The number of units needs to be reduced. More parking and open space are needed. Affordable housing should be for everyone not just seniors. Sincerely, Peter Siemens Diane Siemens From: Jim Hori (jhori@svb.com ] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 11:19 AM To: BSpector Cc: karihori@mac.com Subject: North 40 Dear Mayor Spector, We are writing to you with hopes that the Town Counc il will not approve the currently proposed North 40 project. The future of Los Gatos and the direction that the Town will be taking hinges on this decision . You and the Town Council are at a crossroad for Los Gatos, and your decision on this project will impact Los Gatos for generations to come. Please consider the following: • Our town is already suffering for traffic congestion in a number of areas. Further congestion caused by this project (an estimated 20,000 visits per day) will impact c itizens and businesses alike in an adverse way. Consumers driving Highway 17 to get to downtown Los Gatos will either tire of the traffic and go elsewhere or divert off Highway 17 and take surface streets. Our streets are already impacted by recent residential developments and beach traffic. Return visits to Los Gatos from out of town consumers will start to dwindle and downtown merchants will suffer. Residents of Los Gatos w ill find it increasingly long to take short trips and this will have a negative impact on the overall feeling of the Town. • Our schools are already at maximum capacity. There is no clear strategy in how to handle the overcrowding in schools. The thought of m ore portables or more bond meas ure s do not add up to a strategy, these are band-aids that are short term in nature. Until we know how to create class sizes that are optimal, any further developments should be tabled. We are long-tim e residents of Los Gatos and hope that our children will b e the n ext generation of Los Gatos. You must maintain the quality oflife that the Town has worked hard to establish. A d evelopme nt with the scope and nature of the North 40 does nothing to maintain the Los Gatos quality oflife or culture. We urge you to vote no on this project. Sincerely, Jim and Kari H ori 16358 Robie Lane Los Gatos 95032 If you recentl y applied for credit or we are r equesting additional inf ormation to process y o ur credit r equest: Important disclosures for Equal Credit Opportunity Act and USA PATRIOT Act, please click here. Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Rich Sundquist < rich@rbsundquist.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 11:52 AM Marni Moseley; dsparrer@community-newspapers.com; letters@mercurynews.com amydespars@hotmail.com The TOWN is disappearing The TOWN is disappearing. The expansive growth of the past few years has forever changed our small community. Now we should refer to us as the City of Los Gatos. We refer to Los Gatos as 'The Town' and are proud of its ' small nature. The planning commision, the town council all say we want to remain a small community. As projects are proposed, the various groups initially may counter a project with 'it is too tall' or 'does not feel like Los Gatos' or 'will create too much traffic'. However, in the end, the lure of additional tax dollars wins and we, the residents lose. Today our schools are full, our streets become grid locked daily. What happens when the North 40 is fully developed? What happens when the Good Samariton medical building expansion is developed? That may be in San Jose, but the impact will be on Los Gatos. Why do all new structures have more levels than the ones they replace, including the proposed downtown multi-level parking garage ? At what point does the expansion stop ? Or does it ? Do we continue down the path of packing more and more people into smaller and smaller spaces ? Or do we just call it Progress ? The Mighty Dollar always seems to win in the end, and thus the end of the TOWN of Los Gatos. Sincerely, Rich & Barb Sundquist Los Gatos 1 On Mar 30,2016, at 11:53 AM, Quyen Murphy <gtran5@msn .com> wrote: This is a note to voice my concern for the upcoming North 40 project. I grew up in Campbell and moved to Austin, TX and fought to get my husband to get a job in order to move bac k to the Bay Area where we decided on Los Gatos. We chose this area because of the small town feel and where everyone knows everyone. We even increased what we were comfortable paying for a home to be able to get into Los Gatos for our children's future. We wanted to give them the opportunity to live in a safe and upscale community. I feel this project will open up our neighborhoods and our schools to utter chaos . My husband had an offer to move back to Austin, TX and I fought for us to stay because of the things I mentioned above. It would be so disappointing to experience such changes to the amazing community that I have enjoyed telling my friends and family about. I would hate to see projects such as this drive our community to change and encourage people that have been so fond ofth is area to leave. Marc & Quyen Murphy Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, Anne Marie de Cesare <adecesare@me.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 12:02 PM Marni Moseley Council; Josh de Cesare Objections and Alternatives to North 40 Development Plan My family and I are in favor oflimited development and historic preservation of a large part of the currently undeveloped Los Gatos North 40 orchard and historic buildings and we suggest at least half the orchard and all historic buildings are set aside as a public open space and child friendly museum. As I understand it, the original plan approved by the Los Gatos Town Council called for 270 housing units on 44 acres and after plan approval the project was redesigned to compress 320 housing units onto 22 acres and added in low rise low income housing and 435,000 square feet of commercial space. And that the Los Gatos Town Council communicated the development guiding principles: look and feel like Los Gatos, embrace hillside views, trees and open space, address town's unmet residential and commercial needs, mitigate impact on town infrastructure, schools and community services, but these guiding principles were ignored in the development plan altered after approval. The look and feel of35 foot low rise apartment complexes, the 435,000 square foot mall , and 320 high density homes do not conform to any of the Los Gatos Town development guiding principles and put a strain on the Los Gatos Union and Los Gatos Saratoga Joint High School Districts. Please do not approve the North 40 development project as it exists, but rather change it to something that would preserve the historic orchard and a implement smaller scale development that would support rather than strain the Town infrastructure, schools and community services. Specifically, my family and I are opposed to the current Los Gatos North 40 development plan for the following reasons: 1) Traffic is already very congested after 3:00 p.m. on 17 South and Los Gatos Boulevard. 17 South and Los Gatos Boulevard would be as congested as 880 South is at rush hour every day with the addition of 320 additional high density housing units and 435,000 square feet of commercial space between Route 85 and Lark Avenue. For a shopping center that size to even be commercially viable it would have to pull in customers from all over the 85 corridor adding to existing traffic congestion. 2) A 435,000 square foot shopping mall does not conform in any way to the Los Gatos Town development guiding principles. 3) There are already empty store fronts on Los Gatos Boulevard which would be more likely to stay empty with a 435,000 square foot mall down the street. Los Gatos should consider inviting investors to rejuvinate store fronts on Los Gatos Boulevard before considering building a new mall one third the size of Valley Fair Mall as a source of competition for local businesses. 4) The 320 additional housing units would increase the Fisher Middle and Los Gatos High School Classroom sizes. The classroom sizes are already pretty large. Increasing classroom sizes would alter the middle and high school experience for all Los Gatos families and possibly lower the quality of education within the districts. 1 5) Before considering any development plan, Los Gatos should consider the historic relevance of one of the few remaining orchards in the Santa Clara Valley. Los Gatos has a conscientious dedication to historic preservation and it would be tragic to pave over one of the last remaining orchards. And finally, here are some questions the Town should consider before moving forward with any project approval. Has the Town Council considered if the tax dollars collected from new development would adequately offset the additional draw on Town resources? Would rental property owners contribute a share of tax dollars proportional to those home owners to compensate for more students in the middle and high schools? Would the existing elementary schools even be able to accommodate such a large increase in enrollment? Thank you for your kind attention. Sincerely, Anne Marie, Josh, Sarah and Josh II The de Cesare Family 236 Los Gatos Boulevard 2 Marni Moseley From: Teresa Pacht <tpacht@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 12:13 PM Marni Moseley Sent: To: Subject: The current north 40 development plan Marni, Hello. I am writing to ask you to recommend denial of the current North 40 plan. I'm a long time resident of Los Gatos and have owned a home here in the downtown area for over 20 years. The proposed development of the open acres at the north end of our town is too big and looks nothing like us . Please reject this plan and urge them to propose something on a smaller scale that maintains the charm and character of Los Gatos. With regard to the towns 4 guiding principles: 1. Their current plan definitely does not have the look and feel of Los Gatos. It looks more like Santana Row or the Pruneyard then it does Los Gatos. This will most certainly, and drastically change the feel and perception of this great old town to be more cookie cutter, leaving us looking more like a mall than a town. 2. Instead of embracing trees and open space it intends to replace a cherished old orchard with too many buildings and too much pavement. Instead of embracing the hillside views, its tall and expansive buildings will block out those beautifu l views that we enjoy today and replace them with the stark cold look of a huge housing development. 3 . If we were in need of overcrowding, more noise and light pollution or looki ng like every othe r apartment/housing complex being built all over the place then this project might be addressing the town's residential and/or commercial unmet needs. But, as we are not, it does not. 4. Adding this many streets, sidewalks, buildings, people and their cars in such a condensed manor will likely stress, strain and eventua lly overwhelm our current infrastructure . It needs to sca le back. We're already experiencing more traffic congestion, more delays, and more gridlock from all the recent development in town. Does anyone remember last summers' beach traffic? This project will only serve to make our future summer traffic worse . The ir current development plan pushes beyond what makes sense for that piece of Los Gatos land into how to make the most bucks off it. That is not what Los Gatos wants, needs or should be about. Sincerely, Teresa Pacht 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hello Daphne Bayne <daphnebayne@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 12:21 PM Marni Moseley North 40 story poles I imagine you are inundated with messages but we wish to record our concern on he subject of North 40 development. A lot oftime went into approving the specific plan and although the orchard was lovely it is obviously prime for some sort of development. Our impression from the specific plan was that although some building would be seen from Lark Ave the bulkiest buildings would be in the middle and toward the North of the development in sync with the surrounding areas so as not to destroy the atmosphere of adjacent neighborhoods. These story poles do not appear to represent this idea. We are concerned that the developer is pushing for designs that were not as envisaged and hope that the council will be strong in sending this design back to the drawing board for considerable modification to comply with the guiding principles of the North 40 Specific Plan. Los Gatos councils have been strong in the past to create the beautiful surroundings in which we live and we hope the present members will appreciate that although development will happen it should be within the limits requested and expected by the citizens. Regards Daphne and Chris Bayne 16548 Oleander Ave Los Gatos, CA 95032 0Daphne Bayne daphnebayne@comcast.net 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Ms. Moseley, Matt Price <matt@pricegroup.org> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 1:21 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Project Reviewing the proposal for the development of the North 40 project, I cannot help but be incredibly disappointed of prospects of this being approved. My wife and I have worked hard for years to be able to purchase our home in Los Gatos and did so after looking long and hard at bay area towns, schools and communities. After all of this searching we chose Los Gatos for those very reasons, great schools, a great community and a wonderful town. The only drawback we saw in making this move is the already dreadful traffic getting into and out of Los Gatos on 17 and the major surface streets (especially when the weather is nice on the weekends). What we've seen from the current proposal will most certainly negatively add to the traffic situation and negatively impact the community and the schools as well. While development in general is a good thing (My father is a developer, and I'm largely a supporter of development projects), this high density project just does not fit with the Los Gatos that we all love. Hopefully, there is enough feedback coming from the community to enable us as a community to take a step back and find a path forward that balances the needs of the community with the need for growth and expansion. Thank you for your consideration, Matt Price Los Gatos Resident 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi, eleni@malkos.net Wednesday, March 30, 2016 1:29 PM Marni Moseley NO on North 40 I'm a los Gatos resident and a mother. I'm very opposed to the North 40 project. Our schools are greatly impacted and traffic is already an issue on los Gatos streets . I'm also an educator for a local district and see the effects on students in schools that are impacted ..... such a disservice to our children! Please leave the town the way it is!!! Thank you, Eleni Sent from my iPhone 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Marni, Bruce McCombs <bruce@pacificbedrooms.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 1:30 PM Marni Moseley A Note From Los Gatos Resident Bruce McCombs ... My name is Bruce McCombs and my wife and I are life-long residents of Los Gatos. I'm writing to you today regarding the proposed application for what I believe is being referred to as the "North 40 Project". Of course, I'm quite sure that you're as busy as can be with the proposed project and all that is involved, and with that in mind, I'll be as brief as possible. While my wife and I understand the need for developing this site in some form or fashion, we don't believe that the project that is being considered is in any way consistent with the look and feel of our Town, nor do we feel that the Town's current infrastructure can adequately support the substantial increase in vehicle traffic that such a development will add to our already congested streets and highways. Story Poles: I assume that you've visited the site, and now that the story poles have been erected, and have been able to get a sense for the magnitude of this project, it's clear to my wife and me, (as well as the many residents of our neighborhood with whom we've spoken), that this project is not at all consistent with the Town's commitment to our community, nor is it consistent with the look and feel of our Town. Just so that I can be sure that we're on the same page, and in order to get a true sense of the magnitude of this proposed project, if you've not done so already, I encourage you to drive southbound on Highway 17 from Camden A venue, towards Los Gatos. We've found that this is the best way to view the incredible mass of this project, were our Town's leaders to allow this project to go forward as proposed. If approved and built, the proposed project will look like a small City, and with the backdrop of the Los Gatos foothills in the background, it's clear that this vision is, simply put, not at all appropriate for our Town. In short, this project belongs in a large, well-planned City and is simply not appropriate for a relatively small Town like Los Gatos. Downtown Businesses: In addition to a substantial increase in vehicle trafic, and the impact that this will have on our residents, how much business will be taken away from our existing downtown merchants, including restaurants and shops? Traffic: The information that I've received during the past few weeks includes supporting data regarding the increase in vehicle traffic, and the number provided is truly incredible. According to the information I've reviewed, if this project were to be approved by the Town, once completed, the increase in local traffic is projected to be an astonishing 20,000 vehicle trips per day._ Once again, if the information is accurate, there could be 1 an increase of up to 20,000 vehicle trips per day, which would be added to the existing number of vehicles that currently fill the streets near the intersection of Lark A venue and Los Gatos Boulevard. How many thousands of additional cars will be traveling on our already crowded streets? How many cars will be driving through our normally peaceful neighborhoods, as they try to find a "shorcut" to get around the continuously grid-locked traffic jams? What effect will this increase in traffic have on southbound Highway 17, where traffic headed to Santa Cruz begins to back up by 2:00pm on the weekdays, and before 10:00 am on the weekends? For those ofus coming home from work and exiting at Lark Avenue, considering how congested the area is now, I can't imagine how the off-ramp and Lark A venue will be able to handle the increased traffic. Unless my family is willing to leave home at 9:00 am, a trip to the beach on the weekend is completely out of the question, and the line of cars on Los Gatos Boulevard, many of which are trying to find a shortcut around the southbound traffic is truly maddening. Left-Hand Turn Lane from Los Gatos Boulevard Onto Lark Avenue: If you've ever tried to turn left from Los Gatos Boulevard onto Lark Avenue on a weekday between the hours of9:00 am and 6:00pm, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. The traffic in this area is already at maximum capacity, and I cannot imagine what it would be like if this project as proposed, were to somehow be approved. While I realize that we've developed most if not all of the land that we have left in Los Gatos, and taking into account that the Town is required to provide a certain number of additional homes, (both low-income and otherwise), I'm thoroughly convinced that there's a better way, and I believe that it's up to us as residents of our Town, in cooperation with the leaders of our Town, to develop something that works for everyone. Not just the developers and real estate agents who are no doubt hoping to cash in on what to them, is simply an incredible business opportunity, leaving the residents of our Town to deal with what the developer will most certainly leave behind: The once small Town of Los Gatos , a Town with incredible charm, character, and history, that has been rebuilt into a small "City", with too many residents, too many businesses, and far too much traffic. At that point, having realized our "mistake", there will be no way for us to recover. We'll be like any other small California "City", and I for one, cannot stand quietly by and allow this to happen, as I hope you understand. The neighbors I've spoken with appear to feel exactly the same way, and I truly hope that you'll recognize the passion, intensity, and commitment that I expect will be on display at this evening's meeting of the Planning Commision. Speaking with the folks in our neighborhood, I can say that as a group, we're not at a ll angry about the land being properly developed, and we're certainly not opposed to our Town's changing with the times, when necessary and appropriate. Of course, we feel very blessed to be able to call Los Gatos home, and with that in mind, we're simply asking that our Town's officials please give this project the full and complete consideration that it deserves, regardless of the time required to accomplish this . Once that's b een done, we ask that the Town require that the developer scale the project down to a size and scope that will accomplish the Town's objectives, and at the same time, minimize the impact that this project will have on the Town's residents and merchants. After a brief review of the available information, I believe that even a casual observer would agree that while this project might perhaps belong in a larg and growing City, but only if the infrastructure, (including sufficient and appropriately-located land, along with enough schools, as well as highways and streets), could adequately support such a project. Our Town's infrastructure simply cannot support a project of this magnitude, and if 2 it were to somehow be approved by the Town, the clearly negative effects on our daily lives would be permanent, and most certainly irreversible. That's not the legacy that I want to leave behind for future generations. First and foremost, we want what we believe is best for our Town, and we respectfully encourage our Town's leaders to take the same position. Once that's accomplished, leaving what's "best for business" can follow. 2 Videos & Additional Information: For your reference, I've included 2 very short videos at the end of this e-mail, along with a couple of pages of information that you might find interesting and hopefully, useful. In conclusion, please let me say that having lived in Los Gatos all of our lives, my wife and I worked over the years on a number of projects with the Town's Planning and Building Departments, as well as the Engineering Department, and have always felt that everyone involved in the managing of our Town, (including the Town Council, and Planning Commission), continue to be comitted first and foremost, in seeing to it that Los Gatos remains a model for other small Towns on how best to manage our resources and carefully and thoughtfully allow for development when necessary and appropriate. Our Town continues to be unique, well managed, and filled with interesting places to go and things to do. I've never visited a Town that I would prefer to live in, and we're simply asking our Town's leaders to please continue to protect this place that we call "home". Well, I think that's about all for now, Mami. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my letter, and I look forward to meeting you at this evening's meeting of the Planning Commission. Sincerely, O'~t«U~~ Contact Info: Bruce & Jackie McCombs 16160 Kennedy Road Los Gatos, CA 95032 Cell: ( 408) 209-7045 Home: (408) 356-7045 VIDEOS: STORY POLE VIDEO: Running time: Less than 4 minutes: https://www. youtube.cornlwatch?v=4 3sFSoeo 1 k&ebc=AN yPxKpt6Xlu6JBi21 We WX.kRs W CpLcjfv lY trz 8pik P8-wNk5Al2p26iNKclkBYrUQ08EohLg 1NZf-Q 51rD2htKuh-F5P3 XQ TRAFFIC ANALYSIS VIDEO: Running time: 2 minutes & 20 seconds: https:/ /www .youtub e .cornlwatch?v=s 125VIj49zM ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: BELOW: OVERHEAD VIEW OF PHASE 1 AND PHASE 2 OF PROPOSED PROJECT : 3 BELOW: VIEW FROM LARK A VENUE: STORY POLES DEPICTING PHASE 1 OF PROPOSED PROJECT: 4 BELOW: COMMITMENT TO "GUIDING PRINCIPLES" DRAFTED BY THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS REGARDING THE PROPOSED PROJECT: IN REVIEWING THE DETAILS OF THIS PROJECT, IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE TOWN MAY STILL HAVE A BIT OF WORK TO DO IN ORDER TO CONFORM WITH THE "GUIDING PRINCIPLES" THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE TOWN'S LIST OF STATED OBJECTIVES REGARDING THE PROPOSED PROJECT, AS SHOWN BELOW. 5 6 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hello, Damon Kvamme <dkvamme@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 2:01 PM Marni Moseley North 40 development I'm writing to express an opinion regarding the North 40 development since I will not be able to attend the planning commission meeting this evening. I have several concerns: 1. Schools. I do not believe that the current thinking on school impact is accurate. I've heard arguments that the potential tenants will not be adding significantly to the school population. This is wishful thinking. Our schools are already packed beyond capacity. Even without this development we have a situation at Van Meter elementary where the 5th grade might need to be moved off campus. Hundreds of more kids will only exacerbate the problem. If this is to go forward a new school should be built upon the North 40 site. The developers simply cannot be allowed to profit from this property and then leave the consequences to the community. 2. Traffic: Los Gatos Blvd is already a very crowded road at many times during the day. Hundreds of more units at this site is a prescription for gridlock. One of the guidelines for the developers is that the North 40 will retain the "look and feel" of Los Gatos. When we're sitting in bumper to bumper traffic from Hwy 85 to Lark (and beyond) we'll know that this requirement was violated. Let's not tum the streets ofLG into those of Beijing. 3 . Open Space: Where does it end? Are we to develop every piece of flat property? Can't we be more creative than adding more housing and commercial space. The coffers of the city might grow but the quality of life for those who live along the LG Blvd corridor diminishes. We are called the "Town" of Los Gatos and that implies something about our size and thoughtfulness of our development. At a minimum, the number of units should be reduced, the maximum height lowered, and the green space should be greatly increased. Let's take a long view and think about the town we want to be. These open spaces are precious and rare and should be handled accordingly. Thank you, Damon Kvamme 1 From: Lyles, Karen [klyles95@aol.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 2:11PM To: BSpector Subject: North 40 Project March 30, 2016 Mayor Barbara Spec Honorable Mayor: I am a native Lifetime Los Gatos Citizen, born and raised here. I went through the Los Gatos Schools from Kindergarten through High School High. I live in the same block I was born in. I am married and raised five children here that also went through the Los Gatos Schools from Kindergarten through High School and on to College. I have 1 7 grandchildren several that have also gone through the school system here and one is now teaching at Los Gatos High School. We are so concerned for our youth and their future. They are our tomorrow. I do not think that what is happening to our town is in the best interest of our youth, their education, and that their well being is being taken into consideration. We are so disappointed that the town is even considering this project. The overwhelming increase in traffic congestion would be unbearable. This will only add to the problem that we already have. We have to go through back streets sometimes just to get to our home. Our schools are over-burdened now and are bursting at the seams with students . I can't believe that the town would allow an increase in more students with no new schools. This certainly is not thinking about the quality of the education of the students that we have now. The approval of this project would certainly and clearly reduce the quality oflife that our Town residents most certainly deserve and we have enjoyed for generations. A project that would benefit our local residents and our children such as a Sports Complex or new School would certainly be something that is a need to better our future citizens. Sincerely yours , Glenn and Karen Lyles 16700 Shannon Road Los Gatos, CA Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hello, Barry & Elina Wong < bnewong@verizon.net> Wednesday, March 30 , 2016 2:03 PM Marni Moseley North 40 from Blossom Manor Resident Input We've been long term residents of the Blossom Manor neighborhood . Our kids have gone to Los Gatos schools. We've seen the huge increases in student enrollments, especially at Fisher and Los Gatos High in recent years. Those schools are bursting at the seams! We can't accommodate any more additional kids without losing the quality of the education. As the quality of the education is what draws people to Los Gatos schools, this continued uncontrolled enrollment is not sustainable. It will certainly detract from the main draw as well as impact housing value. Certainly important considerations to all of Los Gatos home owners. Please stop these new housing developments that also increase student enrollments! Furthermore, the new proposed development at North 40 will have a dramatic impact on already overcrowded middle and high schools. As you're well aware, there is only ONE middle school in town, and only ONE high school in town . I saw commentary on the North 40 website which mentions a potential addition of an elementary school to "mitigate" overcrowding. However, these huge numbers of new residential units will undoubtedly bring a large number of new students who will not only be elementary school students but middle and high school students as well. Whoever made those responses to provide an elementary school is woefully shortsighted with regard to middle and high school impact. Will the developer also pay for building and staffing another middle school and high school? If not, it's quite obvious that school overcrowding will become unbearable. The high school is already restricting access to courses due to lack of capacity. For example, AP Computer Science course used to be open to all comers, now it's restricted to juniors and seniors. I expect with continued enrollment and interest by Silicon Valley students/parents, additional classes will have enrollment impacts and restrictions. Morning traffic and afternoon pickup traffic to Los Gatos high is already quite a headache . Additional commuters from the North 40 development families will add to already congested Los Gatos Blvd/University/Main traffic. I see no mitigation plan nor additional ways to alleviate that type of additional traffic, given the existing lanes on the roads. Furthermore, Los Gatos Blvd is already a huge issue, especially going in to Blossom Hill during morning drop off and afternoon pickup. The section around Good Samaritan, by HWY 85, starting at around Lark is quite congested already in the morning and afternoon. Adding North 40 commuters, and not just a few, but an additional 300+ houses which potentially mean 600+ additional cars on top of retail traffic will just look like a huge grid lock. I don't see any mitigation that will truly address this issue in any of the developer's plans/comments. Finally, but equally important, we are concerned with the density and potential crime that will bring to our little town. We don't mind going to Santana Row as a shopper when the crowds are light, but I really don't think any of Los Gatos residents will be happy having to deal with the Santana Row/Valley Fair traffic on the weekend in addition to the beach traffic. Creating Santana Row part II here via North 40's proposed density and retail will truly take away from the look and feel of Los Gatos. Additional crowds also tend to bring with it the potential crime that's associated. We like our little town to keep its character. This density will make Los Gatos feel rather like Cupertino, and not Los Gatos anymore. The proposed height of the buildings will block our views of the hills, creating an urban environment in the middle of idyllic Los Gatos. 1 Please keep our Los Gatos the gem it is in the Valley instead of another overbuilt dense urban jungle. Thank you for giving serious consideration to our concerns. Elina & Barry Wong 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Dear Ms. Mose l ey, Roberta Goncalves <chris_and_roberta@yahoo.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 2:19 PM Marni Moseley Chris Balough Concerns about North 40 We live in Blossom Manor and are absolutely opposed to this development. We have both lived in Chicago and enjoy a big city for what it is . We also enjoy Los Gatos for what it is, and it should never try to look and feel like a big city. One main reason we moved here is how beautiful and quaint this town is, the excellent schools it offers, and the look and feeling of small town living, while close enough to San Jose and San Francisco and all they have to offer, but without the challenges those cities face. The last thing we need in our town is another "Santana Row." We already have one. It is in San Jose. Los Gatos doesn't need to try to become San Jose. We can drive 7 minutes and be at Santana Row. Our town already cannot handle all the Santa Cruz traffic with the current infrastructure, and population. Adding 320 residential units, and families to the town, will only make it worse, significantly worse. It will also make traffic around town, and our schools, worse than it already i s. This addition would require more roads, more schools at all levels, not just Elementary, but Middle and High School as well. There are no such provisions being proposed. The quality of life we all have chosen this town for, the great schools, decent amount of traffic, the character and feel of the town, are at stake if this projects gets approved. We don't need another Santana Row . We don't need to become another "stop by the highway." We don't need more traffic. We don't need to overcrowd our already full schools. We don't need to add to the burden of emergency services serving our small communitty, from firefighters, to police, by adding a significant amount of commercial and residential areas to our town. Lastly, we urge the Town's Council to listen to residents, and not the developers focusing on profits. We need to support our existing businesses, many of which are Mom and Pop type places , family owned. These are choices that will impact generations in Los Gatos, and ought to be done taking resident's views and preserving the essence of this town: a town that was , and will continue to be charming, small , has manageable traffic, and offers great schools to its residents. Please vote NO for adding 270-320 housing units and 435,000 sf of new commercial space. We are not opposed to some form of development on that land, but it truly needs to reflect what this town is all about, and look and feel like it. This North 40 proposal does a terrible disservice to the Town and i ts residents. Sincerely, 1 Roberta Goncalves and Chris Balough 16100 Jasmine Way Los Gatos CA 95032 *Phone numbers for your use only, not to be publicly disclosed: *Roberta mobile: 650-215-3301 *Chris's mobile: 408-644-7249 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley- cecilia holm berg < ceciliashao2000@yahoo.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:03 PM Marni Moseley North 40 project-against current proposal My family has lived in Los Gatos for nearly 15 years now. I'm sure we feel as many, many others do, that Los Gatos is a jewel of a place to live, and that we are blessed to be in a convenient and beautiful location, with excellent schools, an excellent police department, and a friendly small-town atmosphere, to list just a few of the perks. While I miss the natural look of many of the lots in town that we've seen developed in our time here, we also enjoy some of the new stores and restaurants that have been added over the years, so it would be hypocritical to say that there should never be any development, but it needs to be DONE RIGHT. The North 40 is a critically important project, and if done wrong, could cripple and literally choke our lovely town, given its location at our gateway. From what my family has seen of the developer's proposed plan, this project is looking very, very wrong: -The mass represented by the story poles feels like an institutional eyesore. Due to the fact that the property itself is a bluff over the freeway, adding all those tall buildings right by the edge to loom over the freeway makes it seem like a giant prison block and will hugely detract from the natural beauty of the hills. It does not in any way look or feel like small-town, formerly agrarian/currently suburban Los Gatos. -Why is all the housing being concentrated on the end of the property that lies in the already overcrowded LG school district? And please, no developer-issued red herrings here, about how there will be hardly any added students due to the mix of seniors and millenials projected to move in. Let's be real: childless millenials are not looking to move to the 'burbs, they want to be in or close to San Francisco. For every one childless 20- something wanting to move in, there will be multiple young families looking for a foot in the door to Los Gatos schools. We need some realistic assumptions about how many students could be added to local schools, and if in doubt, we need to estimate high, not low. At the very least, the housing should be spread across the property so that the impact is spread between LG and Cambrian districts, or even pushed to the northern end entirely so the burden is offLGUSD. There also needs to be serious consideration of the fact that more students means more vehicle trips in and out, so if the developer has assumed little to no added student population, then any traffic studies using this assumption are unsound. -Our local roads cannot handle the added volume of traffic that hundreds of units of housing, occupied by working adults with children, will generate. If the entire complex was affordable senior housing, then it might work, but not if the majority will all be hitting the roads at 7 -9am and returning at 5-7pm, plus trips to drop off and pick up children because traffic on Lark and LG Blvd is too crowded and dangerous for kids to walk or bike to school. -If phase 1 is already looking like a crippling amount of traffic being added to Lark and LG Blvd, what will phase 2 do?? The developer's apparent gravitation toward big box stores is horrifying for Los Gatos . We do NOT want Lark and LG Blvd to become like Almaden Expwy in front ofWalmart at 85 . 1 This beautiful piece of historic land deserves to have something better done with it than to turn it into a giant knot of road rage. I feel that if a reasonable amount of affordable senior housing was built here, with some shops that would be very walkable for those seniors and employees/patients of the Good Sam medical complex nearby, that could be the best use of the land without bottlenecking the entire northern end of town. Perhaps there could be a transit hub where people could connect to a shuttle that goes downtown? I also would like any open space to be functional, not just patches of park strips: I'd love to see some ofthe walnut trees kept as a heritage orchard for all to enjoy and remember our agricultural roots, like the apricot orchard that Sunnyvale has, as well as community gardens for each yardless housing unit. We are completely against the developer's current proposal and hope that the town and residents can work together to craft something that adds to our town, rather than just to some foreign investor's pockets to the detriment of our wonderful community. Respectfully, Cecilia Shao 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Anne Sullivan <annesullivan3@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:07 PM Marni Moseley I am definitely against the huge building project in the North 40. The traffic on Los Gatos Blvd was extremely heavy before P AMF and now that it has opened there is much more traffic in the area. I can't imagine anything but gridlock when all those homes and businesses open. How are the schools going to manage? Is that development going to build a school? I haven't heard anything about a new school. We already have beach traffic in my part of town, but that is limited to a few hours on the weekend. The North 40 will bring in traffic and congestion day in and day out It will be unbearable. Once they have been built and the town realizes their mistake, then what ? Then it will be too late. Please do not allow this building to go ahead. Thank you, Anne Sullivan 495 Wraight Ave Los Gatos, CA 95032 annesullivan3@yahoo.com 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent : To: Subject: Dear Marni Moseley, Michele Stefan <michelepstefan@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:08 PM Marni Moseley North 40 I am writing in regards to the North 40 development and the current proposal by the developer to build 320 homes within the Los Gatos school district boundaries. Nothing about the current proposal looks or feels like Los Gatos to me. The story poles that can be seen from Highway 17 look like an overbuilt, high density housing development. My son currently attends Blossom Hill school which has the largest number of students of all the elementary schools in the district. Why would the town want to add more students to a school that is already at full capacity? It doesn't seem fair to the residents to put all of the housing in the Los Gatos side of North 40. Also, traffic along los gatos boulevard is already terrible depending on the time of day and the Lark Exit starts to back up once traffic starts . I don't see how the town will be able to handle the increases in traffic. I think our town could use more sports fields and retail in the space where the developers are planning to build the massive housing development. It seems like the developers are proposing a plan which will mostly benefit them and will have terrible consequences for the town in terms of traffic, burden on schools, and changing the feel of Los Gatos. I strongly urge to deny the developers application. Sincerely, Michele Stefan 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Cheryl Lauren <towandah@hotmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:12 PM Marni Moseley; DSparrer@community-newspaper.com; letters@mercurynews.com North 40 STOP!!!!!!! This is a mistake that once done cannot be undone. We are a town, not a city. I wake up every morning and fall asleep every night grateful that I live in Los Gatos. I have never felt good about the North 40. Now that I see the orange plastic as I drive by on Hwy. 17, I am upset. We have NetFiix to the right and the North 40 to the left on 17. Our town does not need this. Don't make a forever mistake. This is such a precious, special place . If you allow this, there is no turning back . Oops! We shouldn 't have done this. No! No! No! No! No! Cheryl Lauren Los Gatos Resident 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: To the planning commission, Barnaby James <bajames@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:23 PM Marni Moseley Feedback on the Phase 1 North 40 Plan Understanding that the town is required to build additional housing units to comply with California State guidelines, I feel the proposed development at North 40 Phase 1 is not keeping within the guidelines of the town. Based on viewing the story poles, the development is at the maximum height for the zone (35 feet) and has a significant bulk. Similarly, from viewing the model in the town council lobby, I don't feel the residential construction matches with existing development in Los Gatos. If the buildings could be lower or more broken up I think it would help ease the impact of the buildings on the surrounding vistas. I also have a concern about the impact of large number of new families will have on our existing Los Gatos schools and would like to see a commitment for expanding School capacity before development is approved. From talking to neighbors and other people around town, I get the impression that the school impact is a large part of the concern people have about the project. Thanks, Barnaby James 16500 Grant Bishop Lane, Los Gatos, CA 95032 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To : Subject: Rob Caruso <rcarusojr@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:40 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Los Gatos is a highly desired place to live because it is a small town with virtually all the amenities one could want. Let's keep it that way. You can't make a small town from a big town. You can't get a small town feeling back. Lark, 17 and the entire area are increasingly difficult to navigate and congested. North 40 will be devastating to that area and surrounding schools. I don't see how this would benefit anyone but the developers . I for one, as a resident and homeowner, do not see this adding to my enjoyment ofliving in Los Gatos. Please let me know how I can help stop this from moving forward? I have 2 small children who I look forward to raising in our great town. Further, I paid a significant premium to live in this town so I can be close to work and see my family as much as possible. The changes to our traffic patterns resulting from this type of plan will ruin our infrastructure and tum Los Gatos into a congested mini-metropolis. Sincerely, Rob Caruso 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Hi, Shraddha Parekh <sspzim@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:44 PM mmosleley@losgatosca.gov Marni Moseley North 40 I am very concerned about north forty and the number of homes being built. 320 homes with two or more children mean at the very least there will be 620 kids hitting los Gatos schools. The school district which is al ready the lowest funded in the area cannot handle so many kids and maintain the level of education. Please do not approve the plan . Thank you Shraddha Parekh 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi Ms. Moseley: Valerie Kelly <lgkellys@me.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 3:57 PM Marni Moseley; dsparrer@community-newspapers.com; letters@mercurynews.com North 40 Development Ridiculous! I have been a home owner in Los Gatos for 12 years and was a resident of Saratoga previously (since 1979). I grew up here and returned after law school. I have seen the town and area grow over many years and understand that growth is necessary and stimulated by our ever more populated valley. I understand that the North 40 will be developed. However, the story poles of the North 40 are a visual abomination. I cannot speak to the other development features, but cannot imagine the impact on traffic and the environment. I am not only writing this message, but attending the meeting this evening. I am a working mom and do not have time to participate in town issues, as a general rule. However, I making the time to attend tonight's meeting and send this message because I view this development as a critical issue and I feel compelled to learn more and provide input to ensure that a responsible decision is made about the development of Los Gatos. See you there! Best, Val Kelly 1 Marni Moseley From : Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms . Moseley- lmlampe@comcast.net Wednesday, March 30 , 2016 4:15 PM Marni Moseley say NO to the North 40 plan I just drove down 17 south to my home in downtown Los Gatos and was able to really look at the story polls for the North 40 project. I am horrified that something of this magnitude would be considered for Los Gatos. I have been a resident of Los Gatos for 30 years and will be so sad to see the character, charm and ease of living destroyed by this project. This is more in character for something on the 880 corridor. I haven't even mentioned the traffic it will create yet. Where will all these residents exit? My husband works at Good Sam and he says the traffic in that area is already horrible. I hope you will reconsider this proj ect and tone it down to someth ing in character for Los Gatos. Since rely, Linda Lampe 18 Wa l nut Avenue Los Gatos 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: suemoses <susmos@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4:28 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Good Day Ms Moseley, Planning Commission and Town Council, PLEASE say NO to HIGH DENSITY at Lark and Los Gatos Blvd -AKA-north 40 Due to: Severely congested traffic in area Schools are impacted and overcrowded -school children are already being sent away from neighborhood schools TOO many homes and the ones proposed are TOO high -this project does not look or feel like Los Gatos, where is the open space? What about maintaining the town as a town? We do not want this area to have the feel of a big city-it is soooooo congested already. PLEASE look at minimizing the impact on the town, the infrastructure is crumbling Too much building in this area already, Please listen to the townspeople-not just the developers . Our voice should be heard We have lived here, paid our taxes and supported this town for 47 years and have loved it, but do not like what has been happening the last couple years and truly do not like this proposed project when so many more negative impacts would result. PLEASE look more closely at the proposed project and scale it down significantly. It would change the look and feel of Los Gatos as we have known and loved . Thank you for your consideration, Susan Moses 16529 La Croix Ct Los Gatos 95032 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Judy Holcomb <lgjudyh@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4 :29 PM Marni Moseley North40 I am against the present north 40 plan . So worried about how it may affect our town. Already terrible traffic that has gotten worse in the past year. Schools overcrowded, etc. Thank you for listening. 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Erica Barney <ericabarney@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4:42 PM Marni Moseley Subject: North 40 Dear Ms Moseley and Town Council-As a resident of Los Gatos, I want to voice our fami ly's concerns regarding the current proposal for phase 1 of the North 40 development, I am sure you have had enough emails flooding your inbox, so I will keep this short.(-: As a local resident with children, I just had to write in and say that I understand the need and desire to develop the North 40, and everyone would like a win-win, aka compromise. I do hope that the area can have the same Los Gatos feel as the downtown and Almond Grove areas. We live near Worcester Loop and all pride our ridiculously overpriced homes for what we do get! An amazingly beautiful safe town to raise our families together. Of course we all have changes we would like made, I just hope the greenery, trees, quaint looking homes (not stacked together housing) to keep the entrance to LG what we are known for. Our town website boasts the beauty, the downtown square and all the amazing things people desire. I j u st hope the developers don't win, for their own pockets. I would imagine they don't live here either. Cathleen Bannon, a dear friend, sent in a great note (I coach her daughter in baseball!) and I echo her sentiments. Thank you for listening -reading that is -my email and I wish you the best of luck navigating the waters tonight and the weeks to come. I wish I could attend but cannot. Best, Erica and Justin Barney 105 Worcester Loop 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: To All Interested Parties, Carleen <carleen_schomberg@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4:44 PM Marni Moseley; DSparrer@community-newspapers.com; letters@mercurynews.cm Los Gatos North 40 As a native of Los Gatos and a third generation Los Gatos resident, I find myself, once again, feeling broken-hearted at the thought of losing another piece of precious and beautiful open space and orchard. My grandparents immigrated from Italy to Ellis Island and then straight to Los Gatos . Anyone who hasn't lived here for fifty or sixty years may not be able to fully appreciate what "The Valley of Hearts Delight" really meant. But, I can assure you that it was one of the most beautiful places you can imagine with the green hills surrounding blossoming orchards. Even when my children were small, they could still find open places to play within a short walk or bike ride from home. Now, I am extremely anxious every time my grandchildren get on their bikes. And, I feel as though we are approaching a time when kids will have to go to a museum to see what an orchard looked like. The proposed North 40 development will deprive us of one of, if not the only, remaining orchards and destroy the views of our hillsides as we approach town. And , with all the additional traffic, take away more of the scant little freedom our kids have to venture out on their own safely . The traffic is already so bad that it is dangerous. Furthermore, the idea that we need additional retail space is ridiculous. We have empty reta il space for lease and I never go into a shop in town that is teeming with customers . Putting in more housing and more retail further erodes our quality of life. What we need is less. With increasing population, cars, pavement, etc. we get less clean air, less water quality (run-off from the roads enters Los Gatos Creek at every storm drain outlet), less views of our hills, and , frankly, less quality of life. To paraphrase an old song, we quite literally are paving paradise to put in a parking lot and we won't know what we've got til it's gone . I urge the town to reconsider the North 40 because , once we lose that historic orchard, we can never get it back. We are taking away more and more of our children's inheritance . Carleen Ambros i ni Schomberg 1 On Mar 30,2016, at 4:52PM, Robin Welch <robin@robinsnest.me> wrote: Hi Marice~ I hope this statement finds you well. I've been a Town resident since 1971, worked in this Town since 1991 and a Town business owner since 2003. I want to go on record voicing my outrage at the North 40 proposal. ~Negative impact on our already congested roadways . Not a day goes by that I don't hear the majority of my customers complain about lack of parking and how difficult it is to get through town due to the high traffic vo lume. ~There is not enough space in our schools to provide any sort of quality education for the proposed amount ofhousing in this North 40 project. ~Parking .. there is already not enough to accommodate the vast retail shops. I understand the need for housing, affordable housing especially, as well as affordable senior living communities. This project appears to be putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. This proposal is ill-designed with no thought or care for first preparing the town through school expansion, roadway development, parking expansion, prioritizing our growing senior populations' needs, and giving considerable attention to affordable housing for median/low- income households and singles. Please here our plea for a new, well thought-out, greedless proposal! -Robin Welch 16468 Apple Blossom Lane Los Gatos, Ca 95032 408 656 2057 & -Pat Welch (Los Gatos resident since 1971 / retired) 16468 Apple Blossom Lane Los Gatos , Ca 95032 408 356 6991 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi Marni- Robin Welch <robin@robinsnest.me> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 4:54 PM Marni Mose ley Fwd: North 40 Project I hope this statement finds you well. I've been a Town resident since 1971, worked in this Town since 1991 and a Town business owner since 2003 . I want to go on record voicing my outrage at the North 40 proposal. -Negative impact on our already congested roadways. Not a day goes by that I don't hear the majority of my customers complain about lack of parking and how difficult it is to get through town due to the high traffic volume. -There is not enough space in our schools to provide any sort of quality education for the proposed amount of housing in this North 40 project. -Parking .. there is already not enough to accommodate the vast retail shops. I understand the need for housing, affordable housing especially, as well as affordable senior living communities. This project appears to be putting the cart before the horse, so to speak. This proposal is ill- designed with no thought or care for first preparing the town through school expansion, roadway development, parking expansion, prioritizing our growing senior populations' needs, and giving considerable attention to affordable housing for median/low-income households and singles. Please here our plea for a new , well thought-out, greedless proposal! -Robin Welch 16468 Apple Blossom Lane Los Gatos, Ca 95032 408 656 2057 & -Pat Welch (Los Gatos resident since 19711 retired) 16468 Apple Blossom Lane Los Gatos , Ca 95032 408 356 6991 1 On Mar 30, 2016, at 5:08 PM, Don Gaab <dsgaab@yahoo.com> wrote: Please consider all of the downsides of a yes vote on proposal of the north 40 property. School overcrowding, added traffic congestion and the impact on downtown businesses . We are at a loss as to the benefits verses the downsides. Don & Sue Gaab residents of Los Gatos . Sent from my iPad Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Rex, Charlene Rex <cblissrex@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:09 PM Marni Moseley Fwd: North 40 development meeting ton ight Forgive me, I used the wrong address in my previous email. Please see my email below. Charlene Bliss Rex Begin forwarded message: From: "Rex, Charlene Rex" <cblissrex@gmail.com> Subject: North 40 development meeting tonight Date: March 30, 2016 5:06:11 PM PDT To: Mmosely@losgatosca.gov I apologize for this late email (and hope you receive it in time for tonight's North 40 meeting); I had planned to be there, but a family situation is going to keep me from attending. As a resident of Los Gatos for 45 years, I could go on and on about my concerns about the current application for the North 40 development (horrific impact on quality oflife and the future of our charming town-including traffic, open space, schools, existing small businesses, to name just a few), .. but in the interest of your time and keeping it simple, I just want to say: PLEASE REJECT THE SUBMITTED APPLICATION, as it does NOT meet the criteria laid out in the North 40 Specific Plan that was approved by the Town Council last year. Surely, everyone involved can come up with a better application that respects, and adheres to, the unique character and charm of our town. It feels like this is our last chance to maintain any semblance of quality of life in the Los Gatos that we know and love. If this current application is allowed to pass, Los Gatos will be changed forever, and not for the best --and there will be no turning back. We mustn't miss the opportunity to do the right thing -for now and for the future. Charlene Bliss Rex 408-354-2566 104 Spring St. LG, CA 95030 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To : Subject: Dear Marni Moseley, Susan Flach <sgf1950@aol.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:14 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Los Gatos My name is Susan Flach and I am a resident of Los Gatos at 102 Leotar Court. We purchased our property in 1983 and built our home in 1986 because we loved this community and Town. I am unable to attend the Planning Commission meeting on March 30 , 2016, however I would like to express my opinions re the application for development of the North 40 . I am very much against the current proposal or application for the development of the North 40 for these reasons: 1. I do NOT believe this proposal looks or feels like Los Gatos. This proposal is massive and dense unlike the Town we love. 2. This proposal does NOT embrace the hillside views, trees or open space. Views will be obstructed by the 35' wall of attached multi-unit housing . The developer's proposal for green space is not adequate. The story poles that have been erected tell a very sad tale of what could possibly occur in our lovely town if this proposal is approved . 3. We do NOT need more commercial or residential development at this t ime in our already over-cr owded streets and town . Traffic is already a nightmare without the addition of these housing and commercial units. 4. Our schools have been impacted enough by recent developments along Los Gatos Blvd a nd other housing projects . They are bursting w ith too many students . Our roads are in terrible condition ; w e have wa ited years to have improvements to them all over Town. The additional traffic this proposal will create cannot be tolerated . Other services will be negatively impacted, as well. In conclusion, when the Town Council approved The North 40 Specific Plan, it set t he maxi mum limits that can be bu il t on the site. But I believe the developer of the current application has chosen what benefits him the most, definitely not what benefits our Town. I urge the Planning Commission NOT to approve this application as proposed. It is too dense and massive. It will have horribly negative impact on our Town. Further , I believe the phasing of this development should be in smaller parcels in order to control the impact on our community. As the impact of each parcel becomes apparent, further development can be adjusted or halted before it's too late and the whole 44 acres have been developed. Sincerely, Susan G. Flach 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, Angie Smith <angiecolemansmith@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5 :19 PM Marni Moseley Opposition to current North 40 proposal Please do NOT approve the North 40 development as currently planned. I am not opposed to growth, just opposed to massive growth like this plan proposes. As a Los Gatos resident with 3 children---2 at Fisher and 1 at Blossom Hill--1 know our town's schools are excellent. But the enrollment increases each year are having a negative effect on the schools as classrooms become crowded, etc. Building the Maximum allowed number of houses on the North 40 without also building a new school will be terrible for the students and eventually for the town as a whole, as school quality diminishes. Please add more open space to the plan ... SO% would be lovely! Preserve some orchards for history ... they would make a lovely park like setting. Please build the property in smaller phases to see how it is received .... start with 25% of the total property being built. Please carefully envision the traffic that'll result from this development ... our town is already overwhelmed by beach traffic when not overwhelmed by school traffic. You have the power to decide on a development that could be beautiful, and could even meet the needs of the town to provide more low-income housing, while also keeping with the character of a town .... not a cookie-cutter city with numerous strip malls like so many Bay Area cities. Please keep the charming town of Los Gatos and it's current residents as your focus when deciding on this development. Please don't be swayed by a developer or others primarily interested in profit. I look forward to seeing how you and your fellow Town officials handle this subject at the meeting tonight. Thanks for your time, Angie Smith 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi Marni, Sharon Elder <sharonelder@ymail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:19 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Proposed Development My name is Sharon Elder and I live at 205 Marchmont Drive Los Gatos. (I am a town resident). I am contacting you to tell you that I strongly disagree with the proposed development on the North 40 site for the following reasons: 1) the impact of developing such a huge residential area 320 units is too high on our schools, we are at breaking point right now and will not be able to absorb such a huge influx of students. 2) impact to our local hospitals. A family member works at Good Sam and has told me that they are straining under the current #'s let alone what this increase will do to patient care. 3) Traffic! Los Gatos Blvd is a parking lot right now at certain times of the day, especially the stretch between Hwy 9 and Shannon. With this proposed development we are only going to exacerbate this already dire situation. Please hear my voice as a resident of 1 0+ years and do not allow this huge residential proposal to pass, we do not have the infrastructure to handle this and it will severely impact the quality of life for your tax paying residents in our town. Yours faithfully, Sharon Elder 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Mrs. Moseley: Rosilene Martins <rosapersa@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:23 PM Marni Moseley NO to the current North 40 application I understand that you are currently leading the North 40 development project. I have taken the time to write you this message to express my opposition to the current application. I have lived in Los Gatos since 1994, 22 years now. The main reasons why I decided to grow my family here were its safety, and the high quality of its schools. I also love the fact that Los Gatos is off-the-path, and does not have much public transportation coming into town. This is great to keep the town to its residents, and discourage crime. As you are probably aware of, our schools have suffered from California's financial woos in recent years, as the education budget has been severely cut. Thankfully, many parents step in, making money donations or volunteering their time in order to maintain a rich level of extracurricular activities in our schools' programs, such as Music and Art. As a Los Gatos Art Docent, I volunteer my time to bring Art education to students from Kindergarten to 6th Grade. I believe the current application for North 40 will bring a huge influx of people to Los Gatos without any accountability as to its impact on our city and the level of education at our schools,. Los Gatos schools are already maxed out as is. This proposal does not work to preserve what makes our city great. I firmly oppose this application as is. I understand that I am not alone in my views, and hope that the Los Gatos Town Council will hear the voices of the many residents opposed to the current North 40 development application. Thank you in advance for your kind consideration, Rosilene Martins 933 Blossom Hill Road Los Gatos, CA 95032 (408) 358 -6401 1 From: Catrin Anckarman [catrinanckarman@me.com] Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:29 PM To: BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Rob Rennie; Steven Leonardis Subject: North 40 concerns Dear Mayor, Vice-Mayor and Council Members, Thank you for all the work you do for Los Gatos. I am taking a moment to write to you as I am, like many others , am concerned about the planning application for North 40. I am unable to attend tonights meeting and therefor want to add m y points of concern regarding this project/application. They are as following: • An overwhe lming increase in traffic congesti on with so many homes being built in that specific area. • An increase in the number of students being added to the rolls of an alread y over-burdened the Los Gatos School Distric t. As it stands today , the sch ools are struggling to pay for many of their programs for the current enrollment. • A defmite and clearly measurable reduction in the quality of life that our Town 's re sidents most certainly deserve and have enjoyed for generations. Look forward to hearing more about your and the towns opinon on this matter, Many Thanks Catrin and Jonas Anckarman 16170 Kennedy Road Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms . Mose ley, Mark & Yasmin Bomann <bomann@comcast.net> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:38 PM Marni Moseley Comments/suggestions re: North 40 My heart sinks every time I drive by the story poles for the first phase of the North 40 development. The sheer size, height and density of this proposed development looks and feels like nothing else in Los Gatos, and this is one of the guiding principles the developer should be following. Another principle the developer should be following is that the North 40 will embrace hillside views, trees and open space. If I or anyone else stood between any of these massive two- and three-story condos we wouldn't be able to see any hillside views . In looking at the plan I see precious little open space and many multi-story housing units crammed together. In the Market Hall area it does appear to be more open, and that's good, but it's inexcusable how much housing is proposed to be built and how dense it is! The impact on traffic will be incredibly negative . Our elementary schools, m iddle school (LGUSD) and high school (LGSHS) are already overcrowded . They are also highly desirable. The developer may say they are marketing these housing units to young professionals, but let's get real-people will be very attracted to our school districts and will happily move into a condo that isn't marketed to the ir demographic just for the sake of our schools. Here's what I do like: the photos and plans for the Market Hall area look great. It looks very nicely landscaped and walkable. Our family lives in Blossom Manor and we would definitely enjoy shopping/brows ing/enjoying a Market Hall area (but is there enough parking?). I like the proposed senior housing layouts and think it's a great idea to have some nice, high quality, affordab le senior housing. (Plus, sen ior housing won't impact our schools-another bonus.) I also like that t h e developer will put in nice walking/biking paths and small neighborhood parks and garden areas throughout the development. Please remember that this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to make sure we don't overcrowd our schools, add terrible amounts oftraffic and change the character of Los Gatos forever. The developer's goal is to build as much as possible on the site and make a good profit. Their needs are not the same as our town's needs . Please, please think of what's best for our lovely town's future and make sure the North 40 isn't massively overbuilt. We're the ones who will have to live here after the North 40 is built out and we don't want to say afterwards, "Gee, I wish we hadn't approved such a dense development." Thank you for your consideration, Yasm in Bomann 1 On Mar 30,2016, at 5:41PM, Holcomb, Greg <G reg.H olcomb @hh s.sccgov.org> wrote: It is both a surprise and a shame that the North 40 project is at the stage that it is. I wish I had more power to stop it, but this email will have to suffice. Each of you on this distribution list has/had the power to stop the travesty that is the No rth 40. I grew up in Los Gatos. I gra d uated from Los Gatos High School. I moved away for college and came right back . Los Gatos is my home and (hopefully) always will be. I have been neighbors with th~ Specters since I was born in 1977 and accompani~d my mom in congratulating Marico, also my neighbor, at her home on election night. I haven't had the pleasure of meeting t he rest of you though I hope all reading this have the best interests of the TOWN in mind. It is baffling to me how anyone with Los Gatos' best interests in mind-rather than their own-can think that the North 40 is wise . I don't know of anyone who doesn't stand to gain personally who is in favor of this project. I will stop myself before I begin to rant and rave, I will simply state that even the idea of a Santana Row -like development in Los Gatos is ludicrous and infuriating (I 'm not the only one who thinks so). Is the "town , not city" mantra just for show or does our town leadership actually believe it and live it? Los Gatos is beyond its capacity and adding more to it just doesn 't make sense . It routinely takes me 45 minutes to an hour to drive home 6 miles from work. It doesn't matter if I take 17, Bascom/LG Blvd , or Winchester. This is before adding the mess at Lark and Bascom. We are all aware of the beach traffic and traffic apps that divert traffic through our town. That is an issue that needs to be addressed separately but it is not unrelated to the North 40 as more res i dents and businesses in a relatively concentrated area will only make things worse . Though it's hard to be li eve it can get worse, it will. Those of us who live downtown understand that we cannot leave our homes on summer weekends or Christmas time with any reasonable expectation of being able to return without waiting in traffic, ... Etc. etc .... so why add fuel to the fire? It's not a secret that Los Gatos is a wealthy town. We do not need outside develope r money. We don't need folks who are new here to try to influence policy that goes completely aga inst everyth ing and anything that Los Gatos has stood for long before the dot com boom . Certainly w e are better than a money grab. Aren't we? Where is our integrity? Thank you for all that you do for us, and thanks for reading. I wholeheartedly and sincerely urge you all to reconsider the North 40 and leave those types of developments for cities like San Jose , and not our town that we hold so dear. ~--· vAU.e.V' -~·--.. Greg Holcomb 11!:11 Health link Application Coordinator HIM Deficiency Trac king, HIM Re lease of Informati on I W {408) 423-0754 1 121 greg.holcomb@hhs.scc gov.org SCVHHS Information Services NOTICE: This email message and/or its attachments may contain information that is confidential or restricted . It is intended only for the individuals named as recipients in the message . If you are NOT an authorized recipient, you are prohibited from using , delivering , distributing , printing, copying, or disclosing the message or content to others and must delete the message from your computer. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender by ret urn email. Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, M West <marywest@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:42 PM Marni Moseley North 40 I am concerned about overcrowding, traffic and the impact on our schools. As a long time resident of Los Gatos, I remember a time when dense-pack housing developments would never have been approved. I am NOT in favor of the North 40 development. This project will raise the population in Los Gatos and negatively impact the quality oflife here. Let's not sell Los Gatos to the highest bidder. Please reduce the size and scope of this project or abandon it entirely. Thank you- Mary West 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Valerie Tamasi <vltamasi@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:49 PM Marni Moseley Opposed to North 40 current development plans! I am writing to express my concern on the current development plans on the "North 40". Please don't! It will change Los Gatos in a very negative way. We are already facing over-crowding i n the schools and huge traffic delays. The current plans will only make it worse. Thank you for your time. Valerie Tamasi 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Kathleen Barry <kathleenabarry7@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 5:55 PM Marni Moseley Fw: North 40 On Wednesday, March 30 , 2016 5:52PM, Kathleen Barry <kathleenabarry7@yahoo.com> wrote : Dear Ms. Moseley, I am sure my letter won't be the first or the last of its kind you receive in regards to the North 40 project. I was born and raised in this this town nestled at the base of the Sierra Azules. I grew up playing in an orchard across the street from my house. I have fond recollections of playing in that orchard and mom yelling to us to come home for dinner. That orchard is now gone, replaced with houses (big surprise). I love living here and hate what is happening to the sweet little town I grew up in and chose to come home to. Somehow, I think "town" has somehow been lost in translation in this project. So, just for clarity's sake, I looked up the definitions of town and city and here is what I found: According to Merriam-Webster, a town is "a place where people live that is larger than a village but smaller than a city." From the same source, you have "city": a place where people live that is larger or more important than a town : an area where many people live and work." In the town website, I found these interesting facts: "At the time the first General Plan was revised in 1971, the Town had grown to an area of 9 square miles with a population of 24,350. In 1984, Los Gatos covered approximately 10 square miles and had a population of 27,820 persons. Today, the Town population is estimated to be 30,391 in a 14 square mile area. While most of the growth through the 1970's was due to new development, most of the growth in the 1980's and 1990's was due to annexations , in-fill development and changing demographics." So , can you tell me what it is today? And, what will it be when the North 40 is completed if this project is allowed to be completed? Also, as stated at www. town .l os-gatos. ca. us, it states, "Los Gatos is proud of it's status as a "Tree City USA". Trees and other plant life can prevent soil erosion, landslides, and flooding while ensuring a scenic buffer from the effects of d evelopment and providing wildlife 1 habitats. Wildlife populations must be preserved as having intrinsic value that contributes to the quality of Town life, while keeping in mind the safety and well being of Town residents." The North 40 will not provide a "scenic buffer", but, decrease view of the surrounding mountains , to be blocked by tall buildings. Does building the North 40 uphold the above statement or is it a contraindication to what the "town" states it is looking to achieve for its residents? I do NOT think the North 40 will contribute to the quality of life of Los Gatos residents. It believe from neighborhood websites, flyers and discussions with neighbors ad community members, that I am not alone in this belief. What I do think is the North 40 is a detriment to our beloved town and community. Again, we are a town, not a city. If I wanted a Santana Row, I would live over there and shop over there. I desire my small TOWN feel, where I know the shopkeepers and they know me . In saying that, it is already difficult to get downtown to support your local businesses. Can you imagine with more housing and a small "Santana Row" like place on our busiest boulevard? Every artery going downtown is clogged-at multiple times of day. The impact on traffic, not to mention schools that are already busting at the seams. This is just simply, a bad plan. I could go on and on ..... really with many more points. Points that I know friends, neighbors and townspeople will also contribute to. But, how can any of you think this is an appropriate suitable use of that space? With so many people against it, how can it be right? Ok, you have a few in support of it, but, I am sure the numbers against this project far outweigh those for it. You certainly have more data than I do. But, could so many people be wrong .... ? Listen to the voices of the town you represent. Do we really have to build something on every last piece of available land. Has it all come down to money?? There has to be a better solution for that piece of property--for all of us. Please. Sincerely, Kathleen Barry 948 Cherrystone Drive Los Gatos, CA 95032 TOWN OF LOS GA 2020 GENERAL ENVIR 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Los Gatos town leaders: Bill Highstreet (Y) <bill_highstreet@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 6:00 PM Marni Moseley North 40... too much! As we continue the quest to preserve the small community look and feel of Los Gatos that many of moved to find AND balance the reality of progress, we cannot help but wonder about the considerations made by the elected and appointed officials who serve as stewards of our community. Growth and change is reality, an exciting reality to be sure, but should not trump a sense of community and our small town identity. As we embrace change we often have the opportunity to look at things through many eyes and perspectives. In every perspective there is a nugget of truth or va lue that can be gleaned and shou ld be considered. The right of the property owners to sell the land and enjoy the monetary fruits oftheir land is indisputable. We are happy for the owners to get the value for the land they have held for years and have embraced as members of the community. The resulting reality of the developers desire to maximize their relatively short-term investment at the expense of the Los Gatos community and surrounding areas is my concern. The town planners, commissioner, mayor and everyone else in the local government that actually has a say it what will transpire, need to look at the community priorities, NOT the priorities of an investment group or developer. Once those organizations have tapped out the land , resources and profits they will forget the Los Gatos that was, as well as the Los Gatos they have created. We will be left to deal with the fallout. The traffic , the stretched infrastructure, the over burdened schools, and the short and long-term maintenance that will be required. As we understand it, the plan for the whole parcel is being coordinated in two phases . One that is exclusively oriented towards the southern portion of the property which is in the Los Gatos School District and faces Lark A venue directly. The second phase or the northern portion facing highway 85 and is in the Cambrian School District. The current approach enables the developer to extract the maximum benefit and return by building up the portion with the more sought after school boundary with no actual enforceable commitment to develop the other half. Why does this make sense? In all walks of life, we as citizens, have to earn the right to grow and de velop, why is this not the case of this parcel and these developers? Why not force the development of the parcel in the North End and use the resulting realities of impact on traffic and schools and infrastructure as a proof points before they are allowed to build out the South End, the arguably more lucrative end due to the desirability of the Los Gatos Schools. This would allow the town and the stewards of the community to factually assess the impact of the development and growth on the infrastructure without condemning our local schools and community services (fire, police, hospitals) to figure it out. In addition, do we really not have enough high-end malls and mega-shopping centers to spend our money at? Do we really as a small town need 1/2 MILLION square feet of shopping, loitering and parking for any reason other than profits? Oh and whatever the traffic inconvenience is will be completely obliterated by the development that is proposed. We do not need more time in our car to get from one end of the town to the other. As regular users of the Bascom to 85 interchange we shudder at the thought of what the new reality will bring to our transportation patterns. Lastly, how do you possibly fathom our current school infrastructure and teacher availability handling the influx? Studies aside, spend time on the campuses and see what they are challenged with today and then add to that the impact of the proposed additional housing . Do not support Los Gatos being the first in the phased plan to figure this all out at the expense of our children education, familie s access to small town environment, and our community look and feel. When do we say enough is enough and this is too much!! What we ask is that the leaders of the community, listen to the community and approach this in a measured and long-term manner. Do so with controls in place to stop any remaining development at logical points to preserve the look, feel and sense of community that we have come to enjoy and expect of Los Gatos, while supporting the growth and revitalization that can accompany it. There is no single answer to please everyone, but if we take a longer term approach we can better, more gradually manage the impact on the town. In a more community oriented manner support the life we have all moved to or grown up with here in Los Gatos. 1 We do not want to have to relocate to find an alternate version of the wonderful community we have today .. the vibrant community we are at risk of losing by placing profits and development over community. Sincerely, Los Gatans (for life?), Bill and Shirley Highstreet 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, Ian Young <ian@yahphoto.biz> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 6:09 PM Marni Moseley Future Traffic Woes -AKA The North 40 project I am a relative newcomer to Los Gatos, but have had family here all my life. What drew me to this town was how UNLIKE Los Gatos is to all the other bay area towns and cities; I was born in DC but raised in the UK, and Los Gatos shares a similar healthy downtown area, largely populated by independent local stores, and relatively small schools with high standards-which is what eventually drew us to buy a house here -we (my wife and I) have both kids in Lakeside Elementary, with a view to keeping them within the district for their primary educational careers. One of the very few banes of existence in Los Gatos, is its popularity-the traffic and parking are already passed capacity; my commute from Fremont normally takes less than 30 minutes with only a slight off-shift early-but this increases to a truly insane 90 minutes to get home during the summer months. I am not opposed to development, and am used to living in high-density areas for half my life-but Los Gatos simply lacks the infrastructure to cope with an influx this large. The schools are relatively small-but at capacity. Highway 17 is also small, and well-beyond capacity most of the time -especially at the very site of the proposed development. Getting from Highway 85 past Lark often takes over 25 minutes as it is-this is only going to get worse by adding more traffic. The downtown parking and Highway 17 traffic issues must be addressed before adding this massive burden to existing residents; Los Gatos is long overdue some serious improvements to ease the overcrowding -this development will reduce the quality of life and property values for all the existing residents, and those further along the road to Santa Cruz. I hope it is not too late for my opinion to be heard, and to at least modify plans to include traffic and parking easements, and PLEASE-no big-box superstore chains! Let's keep Los Gatos as pretty much the only town in the area devoid of strip malls and cookie-cutter malls. Thank you for reading, lan Young. Los Gatos Resident. 1 This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Oliver Flach <ocflach@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 6:41 PM Marni Moseley Subject: Fwd: North 40 Los Gatos Good evening Marni, I'm Oliver Flach and I'm also a Los Gatos resident and live at 102 Leotar Court , 95032. I'm also Susan's husband. Like herself, I am definitely against the North 40 project for all the reasons listed in Susan's email as well as these additional ones. Traffic is an absolute nightmare on Los Gatos Blvd . when schools are starting up in the morning and ending in the afternoon. Our home is off Kennedy Road and trying to make a left tum or right tum onto Los Gatos Blvd. is terrible. The stop light allows 3 to 5 cars at a time and that's because the traffic on LG Blvd . is bumper to bumper so increasing the stop light time wouldn't eliminate the problem. As I'm sure you are aware , LG Blvd. narrows down to one lane going past Louise Van Meter Elementary School. Increasing it to two lanes may be hazardous to the school kids hence the problem in that area. To make traffic worse, there are 2 other schools one directly behind Van Meter and then the high school right down the street. On top of all the traffic jams during the week , there is no relief on summer days over holidays and weekends due to beach traffic. I'm told that are schools can't possibly handle the new enrollment from these massive residential projects that are being proposed at the North 40. A big part of these problems exist because of the many dense residential homes that have already been build in recent years. I'd like to suggest that you folks consider a five or ten year building moratorium in ALL of Los Gatos until the infrastructure can support it. Thanks for your consideration. Regards, Oliver Flach (408) 356-5405 ----------Forwarded message ---------- From: Susan Flach <sgf1950@aol.com> Date: Wed, Mar 30,2016 at 5:25PM Subject: Fwd : North 40 Los Gatos To: ocflach@gmail.com -----Original Message----- From: Susan Flach <sq f1 950@aol.com> 1 To: Mmoseley <Mmoseley@losgatosca.gov> Sent: Wed, Mar 30 , 2016 5:13pm Subject: North 40 Los Gatos Dear Marni Moseley, My name is Susan Flach and I am a res ident of Los Gatos at 102 Leotar Court. We purchased our property in 1983 and built our home in 1986 because we loved this community and Town. I am unable to attend the Planning Commission meeting on March 30, 2016, however I would like to express my opinions re the application for development of the North 40 . I am very much against the current proposal or applicat ion for the development of the North 40 for these reasons: 1. I do NOT believe this proposal looks or feels like Los Gatos . This proposal is massive and dense unlike the Town we love. 2. This proposal does NOT embrace the hillside views , t rees or open space. Views will be obstructed by the 35' wall of attached multi-unit housing. The developer's proposal for green space is not adequate. The story poles that have been erected tell a very sad tale of what could possibly occu r in our lovely town if this proposal is approved. 3. We do NOT need more commercial or residential development at this time in our already over-crowded streets and town. Traffic is already a night mare without the addition of these housing and commercial units. 4. Our schools have been impacted enough by recent developments along Los Gatos Blvd and other housing projects . They are bursting with too many students . Our roads are in terrible condition ; we have waited years to have improvements to them all over Town. The additional traffic this proposal will create cannot be tolerated. Other services will be negatively impacted, as well. In conclusion , when the Town Council approved The North 40 Specific Plan, it set the maximum limits that can be built on the site. But I believe the developer of the current appl ication has chosen what benefits him the most, definitely not what benefits our Town. I urge the Planning Comm ission NOT to approve this application as proposed. It is too dense and massive. It will have horribly negative impact on our Town. Further, I believe the phasing of this development should be in smaller parcels in order to control the impact on our community. As the impact of each parcel becomes apparent, further development can be adjusted or halted before it's too late a nd the whole 44 acres have been developed. Sincer e ly, Susan G. Flach 2 Marni Moseley From: William Blair <wblairlOl@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 6:44PM Marni Moseley Sent: To: Subject: Development of the "North 40" Dear Ms. Moseley, The development of the "North 40" is a big mistake in three different ways: 1. This 435,000 sqft of commercial development is not necessary and unwelcome. Just look at the struggle that the existing stores are having in "downtown" Los Gatos. This additional commercial development would make it even more difficult for these existing stores downtown . 2 . This additional housing and commercial development would increase traffic by hundreds (maybe over a thousand) cars daily. The rush hour is already a traffic jam on Los Gatos Blvd., Lark, and Winchester. Adding hundreds of cars would make rush hour traffic a nightmare. 3. This development would be serious over-building for the Town of Los Gatos. Without question, it would be inconsistent and destructive to the "feel and character" of the Town of Los Gatos , as we know it today. This entire project is a huge mistake and should not be allowed. Please vote it down, if at all possible. William Blair 1 01 Lorain Place Los Gatos, CA 95032 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Akshay Mathur <akshaymathur156@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 7:04 PM Marni Moseley; Pooja Vote against "North 40 Los Gatos" We have a small family of four that lives in an excellent Los Gatos neighborhood near Lark Avenue. We decided to purchase this Los Gatos house in March, 2014 because Los Gatos is a small and closely knighted community. Another motivation for raising our two children in Los Gatos was great school district. Our experience living in Los Gatos has been amazing and we are pleased that we made that decision to buy our current house in Los Gatos . That said we also had following realization after moving to the city: 1. Right after moving we realized that our Los Gatos home school was over-subscribed and our daughter will have to neighborhood over-flow school. 2. Rt. 17 (both direction), Lark exits, Los Gatos Bld gets very busy during business hours . Very often we have to spend a lot of time due to stop-n-go traffic on the road while dropping kids to school or commuting to work. 3. We moved-in with expectation ofthis being a green and quite neighborhood but we observed a lot of construction in our neighborhood e.g. Netflix etc. In-spite of some of these observations, we still love the Los Gatos community and would like to preserve the closely knighted community feeling and not dilute it by making it too dense and commercial. We feel "North 40 Los Gatos" is contrary the values of Los Gatos . The denseness of the "North 40 Los Gatos" design is far from simplicity of Los Gatos. We are also concerned about the un-manageable increase in traffic and potential increase in crime that this new venture could bring-in Our sincere concern and recommendation is to vote against this ''North 40 Los Gatos" because it will cause Los Gatos to lose its core values and impact families like us in a very negative way. Thanks and Best Regards Akshay Mathur Pooja Mathur (856)-607 -7323 163 La Canada Ct, 1 On Mar 30, 2016 , at 8:02PM, Robin Ronald <robinronald@rocketmail.com> wrote: To whom it may concern , The following needs to be counted "on the record" for disapproval of building on the North 40! I grew up in the town of Los Gatos. I felt so blessed to experience my childhood here. It was a beautiful , small , quaint town, filled with orchards. Getting from one end of town to the other took only minutes. Today all I see are ugly buildings or cookie cutter monster homes. They have covered what made Los Gatos special, the beautiful old orchards,buildings that were historical and meant something to the original Los Gatos residents. It seems that greed and the almighty dollar has ruined this once amazing little town. It now takes me 20 minutes to get from one side of town to the other!! I thought allowing Pamf to build a medical complex at the comer of Gateway and Los Gatos Blvd was insanity!! Building on the north 40 is just sheer stupidity. This town canno t handle anymore traffic!! Please think of the impact.. Sincerely, Robin Ronald (I've lived here for 44 years.) Sent from my iPhone Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Marie-Ange Eyoum < meyoum@gmail.com > Wednesday, March 30, 2016 8:48 PM Marni Moseley North 40 -Lark Ave resident concerns with traffic on Lark and density of LG schools Dear Mami Moseley, My name is Marie-Ange Tagne, and I am resident of Los Gatos living in 140 Oakmont Way, a block away from Lark Avenue where North 40 is planned to be built. As a parent of small children, I have raised concerns of heavy traffic on Lark A venue, and density in the Los Gatos schools (especially for LGHS) when I first heard about this development project and through all the community meetings I and my husband have attended in the past few years. I heard today during the meeting that I could only attend the first 30min from the town attorney that there will be no issues with traffic and school with the North 40 project.But what I didn't heard was the specific on how these two issues/concerns raised by so many residents have been addressed by the North 40 project developer. Can you explain if and how these issues have been addressed? These two issues are main objection with the North 40 Development Project as a resident who dearly love the town of Los Gatos and would like to keep a safe and educationally healthy environment for families (as well as children) who live closed by Lark A venue. Thanks for your service to the town, Marie-Ange 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, Amanda Caruso <algcaruso@gmail.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 9:34 PM Marni Moseley North 40 I am writing on behalf of my husband and myself, to voice our concerns regarding the North 40 project we've been hearing so much about lately. We recently moved into Los Gatos for three main reasons: the charming, small town feeling, the convenient commute to work, and the public schools. We purchased a home in Blossom Hill Manor last May. We adore our neighborhood and love the small town feel. However, we are very close to the North 40 project site and are quite concerned as to how it will affect our daily lives . My husband works at Netflix, and we are beyond grateful for his short commute. However, this will drastically change if traffic patterns threaten our area. He drives LG Blvd, Lark, and Winchester, which are all the main roads which will be primarily impacted. Lastly, our son will enter kindergarten next year at Blossom Hill . We do not want his schooling being affected by a ton of new residents flooding the district. The schools in town had not accounted for this, and I'm sure are therefore unprepared for such an influx of registrants. We moved to this area from Northern New Jersey about 2.5 years ago. My husband used to work in Manhattan, where he had a 90 minute commute to work each way! We moved across the country to accept an opportunity that would allow a better quality of life for him and our family of four. We do not want our wonderful neighborhood to be taken over by excessive traffic, congested housing developments and more shopping centers, and over-crowded schools. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Amanda Caruso 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Marni, Amy Nishide <akn ishide@yahoo.com> Wednesday, March 30, 2016 10:23 PM Marni Moseley North 40 objection I strongly object to the current North 40 development plan I see in the story poles. It look horrendous, like a jungle ofbuildings. I can't imagine how it would look with actual structures. The houses should be more spread out, rather than all clumped on such a small space. Regards, AmyNishide Los Gatos resident 1 March 31,2016 Mami Moseley Planner Town of Los Gatos RE: North 40 Development RECEIVED MAR 31 201 6 T OWN OF LOS GATOS PLAN NI NG DIVISI ON This letter is to express opposition to the current pending development application. I have of concerns about the impact on our town; it's residents and local businesses. I had planned to attend the meeting last night but unfortunately could not. For over 20 years I have owned a home in Los Gatos . I also own/manage a service business located in Los Gatos . My husband is currently an owner of a Los Gatos restaurant. We are deeply committed to preserving the nature of the town, the very reason Los Gatos has continued to be a highly desirable and successful area for families , businesses and also particularly attractive to developers . We 've seen many changes to this town. In my opinion some changes have enhanced and some have not, still the Town council has done a reasonable job of managing growth while maintaining Los Gatos 's unique character. This new massive development I strongly believe to be the tipping point to that fragile balance. Every neighbor I business owner I have spoken with is alarmed at the obviously significant increase in unit density, additional traffic and potential impact on the existing down town. The downtown has struggled periodically over the years with parking and traffic issues that in recent times has become greatly problematic. While my company doesn't require public parking, there are increasing vacancies from many small businesses relocating. The most desirable towns in Northern California protect what they value by enforcing strict development standards fitting Town goals, goals that do not mean maximum possible development. I sincerely ask that this current plan not be approved. I understand we are dependent on the planning commission and town council to work on our behalf towards a reasonable approach, not the most profitable one for a developer at tremendous cost to our residents . Please consider this input. Sincerely, Rochelle Stone 40 Fillmer A venue Los Gatos, CA 95030 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: All , Eric Rafia <eric@healthmedrealty.com> Thursday, March 31, 2016 8:31AM Marni Moseley; Attorney; Town Manager; Council North 40 I attended the planning commission meeting last night RE the N40 development. Amongst the many things which were brought up in that meeting was since the EIR had been certified, that it was a foregone conclusion and that nothing could be done. From the developer's perspective, it may be correct that there is no obligation on their part to re-visit the EIR once it has been certified . However, the California code of regulations does provide a mechanism in which to revisit the EIR . 15162(a)(3), for instance, provides that if there are grounds for the preparation of a supplement to the EIR, then the lead agency responsible for the next phase of discretionary approvals may so order one prepared (15164). The final EIR for the North 40 is dated July 18, 2014, though certification may have happened after that. One thing that is significant, and which has changed is that Samaritan Medical Center (www.samplussj.com) has proposed a massive redevelopment of their project, which would yield several hundred thousand new square feet of medical office space, which is exactly the type of use which the Town of los Gatos forbid outright from being included in the North 40 development out of concerns for traffic. That seems to me, to provide for significant reasoning by which a new EIR, or an addendum to the existing one, to be ordered and reviewed. Another is the actual traffic impact from the NetFiix development, which if anybody has been travelling on Winchester/lark/los Gatos Blvd lately, knows has been far worse than what was portrayed to us. The specific plan also provided that housing must be designed for move-up and millennia I buyers. I'm not sure how 3 bedroom homes meet that need, and it was an insult to our intelligence for the developer stand up and pretend that it did. I would encourage a review of the above, and that the town staff do everything in their power to listen to the residents of the town, and find ways to realize a better project as the law does provide for discretion in these matters. I would also ask that you please forward this email to the planning commissioners as I could not find their email addresses on-line. Here's a reference to the two sections ofthe law I cited: http://www.calre cycle.ca.gov/lea /Advisories/22 /attach22.htm Regards, Eric Rafia HealthMed Realty 408 457-8808 direct 408 457-8803 fax Lie. 01383075 1 This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hello all, Coby Bennette <cbennette2001@yahoo.com> Thursday, March 31, 2016 9:31 AM BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie ; Marni Moseley The Town of Los Gatos I would like to start out with saying thank you for your service and dedication for our great town of Los Gatos. It is a very sad time for Los Gatos. VERY SAD TIME! I am deeply concerned with the direction this town has gone in terms of building and development, especially as it relates to our schools, our schools for our children. Yes, I understand SB50 and I am saddened that the choice made was to increase developer fees vs . the suspension or repeal of such new developments. There were choices. In Dr. Abbati•s April 2015 findings http://www.sccoe.org/supoffice/countycommittee/Pages/agmin/15/071615 LGUSD Noti ce of Findings.pdf the Los Gatos Union School District was overcrowded 324 students. This number has only gone up since last year. This is before any North 40 development? Is it a coincidence that all proposed housing is on the LGUSD? You decide. Check out the value of a home in LGUSD vs . Campbell Union School District and there you have it. Although the developers claim to aim at young buyers and seniors, a 2-3+ bedroom unit will certainly aim to young families. There are lOOs of students in LGUSD that squeeze into apartments around town, in order to attend our great schools. The great schools that will become so over populated and unsafe. The forecasts for student enrollment for new developments around town, i.e. Bluebird Lane and Laurel Mews, were underestimated based on actual attending students. Certainly, the same will be true for North40. Ms. Moseley, please consider the distribution of homes beyond LGUSD. This sure feels like a cart before the horse scenario. Please put the horse first. Please put our children first. Although items are mitigated on paper, they certain are not mitigated in real life scenarios. I invite you to take a look for yourself. But please walk or ride your bike so you do not contribute to further traffic congestion. Come to Los Gatos Blvd between 7:55 and 8:20am each morning . Come to the intersection of Shannon Road and Los Gatos Blvd. from 2:45-2:55pm and see the overflow of Fisher kids onto the street because the sidewalks are full. Look these kids into their eyes and tell them their lives do not matter. If one of them is killed, don•t hide behind the .. well we were required to do so ... 1 I can appreciate the complicated nature of meeting state housing requirements, but why does it all need to be met in one area? Can't we work with the state to show our intent of meeting these housing needs, a bit at a time? More importantly, have a school in place (through school d istrict bond measures) before all of this development occurs. Los Gatos Union School District does not have the luxury of Union Elementary School District to have overflow schools. Even if all North 40 students attend Lexington Elementary (which would help traffic on LGBivd. ), there still is an overcrowding issue. And the SBSO choice that was made will not be enough to deal with the current and pending overcrowding. Help to put the horse first! Help to put our children, who are our future of the great town of Los Gatos, first! Warm regards, Co by 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi Marni, Barbara Mdnerney < barbara_mcinerney@yahoo.com > Thursday, March 31, 2016 1:35 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Concerns I was not able to attend the meeting last night so I wanted to voice my concern to you. In addition to my concerns about traffic, obstruction of views, changing the small-town feel of Los Gatos, my main concern is the impact on the schools. One reason why Los Gatos is such a desired place to live is because we have good schools. With the potential of having to incorporate 300+ new children into our school district, this will compromise the quality of ALL of our children's education. Lets make sure that whatever residential units go up in the North 40 are accompanied by the development of a new school to educate the new residents. Not doing so would be harmful and irresponsible to all children in Los Gatos and the town in general. Lets do the RIGHT thing for our kids and our community, not the most profitable thing. Barbara Mcinerney Daves A venue mother 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Planner, June Lugovoy <jlugovoy@gmail.com> Thursday, March 31, 2016 1:52 PM Marni Moseley North 40 not for Los Gatos As a 22 year resident of Los Gatos, I have watched the town grow in many ways. The plan for North 40 will change Los Gatos in a significant way losing the characteristics that make Los Gatos desirable. The infrastructure of Los Gatos is stretched as it is and adding over 300 homes will impact the roads as 600 cars pull out into Los Gatos Blvd and Lark each morning. To say nothing of the 300 or so cars that will be pulling in as worker at the commercial businesses pull in. It is already crowded with traffic. There will end up with traffic through the side street backed up into all directions Where will 300 -600 children go to school. People buy homes in Los Gatos to send their kids to school or else they can but a nicer house for less money in neighboring communities. So there will be at least 300 and more likely 600 new student to add to the bulging school system. This plan is not appropriate or adequate for the space and does not adequately and realistically take into account the impact of such high density housing compounded by high density commercial use. There is a way to develop the area for adequate housing for both young and old as well as low income people but this is not it. The Los Gatos Planning uneven handling of big developers compared to single individuals remodeling homes continues to be disturbing. On the one hand individuals need to meet every minimum and perplexing rule that the planner might decide to implement and yet the large developers continue to shove expensive new homes into previous tiny lots or cram hundreds of homes into such a space. Please envision a realistic community for the North 40. Thank you, June Lugovoy, MD 1 From: Lori Ingle [lingle@sgi.com] sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 4 :17PM To: BSpector Subject: North 40 Parcel Dear Barbara, Please reconsider the development of the North 40 parcel to a much more reasonabl~ scale (Single- family detached homes, open space, school, community center, nature center, historic orchard). The height and density of the current development proposal is completely out of sync w ith our town. We are very concerned about any additional impact to our a·lready overcrowded schools and local roads. We live on Newell Avenue off of Winchester Blvd . The traffic increase that we have seen in the last few years has been troubling. We do not support the proposed maximum development on the North 40 parcel because the density of the units will increase traffic substantially. Thank you for your time, Bruce and Lori Ingle From: Eric Carlson [mailto:ericinlg@qmail.com] Sent: Thursday, March 31, 2016 8:38 PM To: Planning Subject: For the Planning Commission Please deliver the following letter to all members of the planning commission To The Los Gatos Planning Commission As was evidenced at Wednesday's (3/30) planning commission hearing , many of us in Los Gatos are distressed by the intense and ugly development being proposed for the North Forty. Over the past ten years the Planning Commission and Council have approved a series of development along Los Gatos Blvd which have greatly intensified the traffic and visually turned the Blvd . into San Jose's Bascom Avenue . As pointed out by numerous speakers at the Planning Commission meeting, the proposal for the North Forty is completely inconsistent with the North Forty Specific Plan in terms of: maintaining the character of Los Gatos and the agricultural heritage of the property, putting the entire impact on schools in Los Gatos, and creating a traffic nightmare along Los Gatos Blvd and Lark Ave. In looking at the renderings of this proposal it is hard to imagine any development that would be less consistent with what the North Forty Plan envisioned . The Planning Commission and Town Council need to reject this terrible proposal, and send the developer back to create a plan that does fit in Los Gatos. Here is one idea: for the east side of 17 put a high-end senior life-care facility that meanders through open space (like Vi in Palo Alto), plus a high end hotel (like Four Seasons) to replace the decrepit and almost defunct Los Gatos Lodge, and a small shopping center with restaurants and a high-end market (like Piazza's) to serve the folks in the new development and the neighborhood. For the west side of 17: build, single family homes and below market price townhouses plus space for a new elementary school. And forget the density bonus. In fact, the North Forth Plan needs to be revised to be more specific about what types of development the Town wants. The current plan was approved by Council 3-2, where the 3 council persons voting for it were the very same ones who approved the current intense uses replacing the auto dealers on Los Gatos Blvd. We need the current Town Council to weigh in . Finally, I was appalled at the Town Attorney and Planning Department representative's report on the proposed development which basically said that the Commission needed to approve the project because it was consistent with the North Forty Plan . In the days of Town Attorney (now Judge) Mary Jo Levinger and (now retired) Town Planning Directors Lee Bowman and Bud Lortz, the staff helped the Commission and Council find reason to turn down these big, ugly development proposals and to find ways around State ordinances designed for Fresno and Bakersfield not for Los Gatos . Eric Carlson Former Planning Commission, Town Council Member, and Mayor Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hi Marni, Sharad Sharma <sharad_sharma@comcast.net> Thursday, March 31, 2016 9:43 PM Marni Moseley North 40 The people of Los Gatos had their voice heard at the Planning Commission meeting yesterday. We hope the town will consider the multiple negative impacts of the increased traffic on Los Gatos Boulevard. Wincheste r is chocked with Netflix, Quito is one lane traffic and getting worse, 17 has been a choked with through traffic. North 40 w ill close the last access to ou r town . All this directly impacts the quality of day to day l iving. I hope the town of Los Gatos keeps all these factors in mind. Sincerely, Sharad Sharma 247 Prince St, # 408-910-9684 1 This Page Intentionally Left Blank From: John Shepardson <shepardsonlaw@me.com> Subject: No. 40 (Basements) "Whereas the General Plan encourages use of basements and cellars to provide hidden square footage in lieu of above ground visible mass .... " Date: March 31, 2016 at 6:39:50 PM PDT To: BSpector <BSpector@losgatosca.gov>, Marico Sayoc <msayoc@losgatosca.gov>, Rob Rennie <rrennie@losgatosca.gov>, Marcia Jensen <MJensen@losgatosca .gov>, Steven Leonardis <SLeonardis@losgatosca .gov>, Laurel Prevetti <LPrevetti@losgatosca .gov> Can we require basements as part of the project? Does the current GP encourage use of basements? Has the above resolution ever been rescinded? By using basements can we use the square footage for RHNA requirements? Would basements allows us to reduce heights and keep the views, more in keeping with Los Gatos. If the units dropped to 25 feet in height, wouldn't that satisfy many of the citizens ' concerns about the look of the project? JS :) Quoting from http://www.losgatosca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/57 "We 're special. We demand quality oflife." " ... we are victims of our vitality and risk losing the charm and feel that makes Los Gatos such a special place. Whether it is intensification of uses that make the parking situation increasingly difficult, the encroaching of mass and scale on our homes and views, or just the loss of peace and quiet, we are undeniably experiencing communal stress." Mayor Jan Hutchins January 1999 State of the Town Speech Can we require them as part of the project? By doing can this keep the square footage for RHNA requirements? Would basements allows us to reduce heights and keep the views, more in keeping with Los Gatos. If the units dropped to 25 feet in height , wouldn't that be dramatic? http://www.town.los- gatos.ca.us/documents/811 211 08/Los Gatos Residential Design Guidelines FINAL rev 03091 l.PDF Reside nt ial Desig n G ui de li nes f or t he T own of Los Gatos 1. 2 . 1. www.town .los-gatos.ca.us/ .. ./Los Gatos_Residentiai_Design_Guidelines_ ... Oct 6, 2008-The Town of Los Gatos has a great diversity of neighborhoods and residentia l structures ..... Basements are included in the al-lowable FAR ... Ce ll ar Policy -Los Gatos www. town .l os-gatos.ca. us/DocumentCenterNiew/428 WIEREAS, the Town of Los Gatos does not current ly have a ny written codes or ... WH ERE AS , the General Plan encourages use of basements and ce ll ars to ... https://www.google.com/?gws rd=ssl#g=Basements+to +maximum+square+footage+for+high+d ensity+units+Los+Gatos http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Los-Gatos CA/with basement http://www. town.los-gatos.ca. us/DocumentCenter/HomeNiew/1734 The North Forty Specific Pan will be based on the following general guidelines : <I> Include a mixture of uses that will complement the Downtown and the rest of the community. <I> Be based on sustainable and "smart" development practices. LU-18 • <I> Include public gathering spaces such as a plaza and park. • <I> Provide for a variety of re sidential housing types, both rental-and owner-occupied. A minimum of 20 percent of the units shall be affordable to households at the moderate income level or below. • <I> Include high-quality architecture and design that reflects the rural and ag-ricultural history of the site. • <I> Provide pedestrian-oriented buildings along the Los Gatos Boulevard frontage, with minimal parking oriented to the street. • <I> Take advantage of the grade change across the site. • <I> Continue the "boulevard treatment" along Los Gatos Boulevard, with in- terconnections from one p arcel's drive aisle to the next. • <1> Include connections to existing intersections along Los Gatos Boulevard and Lark Avenue. • <I> Develop gateway or landmark features at Los Gatos Boulevard and Lark Avenue and at Los Gatos Boulevard and the Highway 85 off-ramp. • <I> Provide an easily accessible, fully connected street network that encour-ages walking. • <I> Provide a vegetative buffer and screening along Highways 17 and 85. • <I> Preserve Town character and views. Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms Moseley, Christos Karamanolis <karamanolis@yahoo.com> Th u rsday, March 31, 2016 11:38 PM Marni Moseley Stop the North 40 development project I am writing to express my strong opposition to the development plans for North 40 , in Los Gatos. My wife and I have been residents of Los Gatos since 2001, soon after we moved to the Bay Area from Europe. The main reason we chose to buy a house and start a family in Los Gatos was the small town feel and the quiet, laid-back style of the town. I fear that the huge development plans for North 40 will be detrimental to the quality of life we enjoy in this town. Already, the traffic in Los Gatos is becoming intolerable. Just drive on Lark Avenue northbound (towards Winchester) one morning and you will see what I mean. And that is even before the new Netflix campus is fully occupied. Let alone the Santa Cruz traffic going through downtown during the weekends, especially in summer time. Honestly, I am getting very frustrated with the situation. A project like North 40 will be the last stroke. We will be looking for another town to set roots in. Sincerely, Christos Karamanolis 112 Ohlone Ct Los Gatos, CA 95032 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Good Morning, Prakash Mana <prakashmana@gmail.com> Friday, April 01, 2016 6:12 AM Marni Moseley North 40 -Serious concerns We are writing you with respect to the North 40, unfortunately we will not be able to attend the Planning and Commission meeting but wanted to share our concerns with you. We are very much opposed to this plan and quite disappointed to see all these massive new constructions showing up in the neighbor hood. We recently bought our house on 104 Las Astas Drive (we moved from Cleveland OH and absolutely loved the Los Gatos community!). As you know, Los Gatos is a premium community and we had to beg borrow to get a house in the community. Since we have moved, Netflix started constructing a massive office that increased the traffic on Lark Ave in a huge way. And, now with North 40, traffic will only get worse! Our back yard is directly off Lark Ave, and we cannot explain how much noisy it had become since we bought the place little over 2 years ago. Few months ago, we also requested the Los Gatos planning department, if we can replace our back yard wall with a concrete wall (and eight feet high), for both kids safety (since they are 2 and 4 and often play in the back yard) and noise pollution perspective. Our request got rejected since it would 'not look good'. We request you that you please keep reside)lts in mind as you approve these new plans. We also kindly request that you consider building a concrete wall and grow more tress by the lark ave, so the noise levels will not impact the local residents as much. I hope you understand our concerns, we worked really hard to get a house in this beautiful Log Gatos community. But the community is gradually loosing its charm and becoming 'Sunnyvale and Santa Clara'. We are happy to support the community in anyway. We also re- request that you consider either allowing resident to raise their back yard walls or the city build a concrete wall and grow more trees by the lark ave, so the noise levels will not impact the local residents as much. Thank you again so very much for keeping us in mind! Manisha and Prakash 1 April1, 2016 Rt:CEIVED APR 1 2016 T OW N OF LOS G AT OS PLANNIN G DI VISION Dear Los Gatos Mayor, Los Gatos Town Manager, Town Attorney, Planning Director and Los Gatos Planning Commission- Discussion and Comments on North 40: Direct the Town Attorney to report on alternatives to the certification of the EIR- when and how can an EIR is de-certified due to a significant change in conditions. - In this light, bring into the discussion an updated analysis ofthe traffic impacts, noting other new development not included in the EIR and current level of service on adjoining roads. Bring to bear factual record of current and short-term projected traffic flows on Lark, Winchester and Los Gatos Blvd. Use of the current EIR is not a tenable position and should be discarded. In a Town noted for its environmental values, green ethics and principles, adopt findings and resolutions that as part of the planning approvals, direct the developers to include installation of on site solar as part of the project. As this project is configured as a mini-urban "new city", adopt findings and resolution that as part of the planning approvals require extensive residential and commercial underground parking-, which is a basic principle of new urbanism- efficient use of existing space and not an extens ion of a suburban mall. Bring to the fore the relevance of threat of fiscal need for projected North 40 revenue in the form of future tax dollars from development in the context of current and projected budget shortfall$-is the debate about th e on-going cost of a stand- alone Police Department in fact a hidden elephant in the discussion and analysis on this project. An integrated analysis of the future of the town is required. Thank you for your attention to these recommendations. Sincerely, Rita Norton Los Gatos, CA On Apr 1, 2016, at 6 :10AM, Jessica Bandy <jessicabandy@mac.com> wrote: Dear Vice Mayor Sayoc, I am writing to express my disappointment at the North 40 Project. I moved my family of 6 to Los Gatos in August of 2015 because we loved the small town feel of Los Gatos. When my husband was transferred to the area for work, we had many options for residence. So many people suggested Los Gatos for it's quaint feel , good schools and easy commute to San Jose, we focused our search in this area. While finding a home wasn't an easy job, it made us realize how coveted this area is. We finally did buy a home on South Kennedy Rd. and while the property taxes alone are an enormous undertaking, we feel that living in Los Gatos is worth it! Below, I'm outlining the reasons I am concerned about the project and how it will affect our family. 1) SCHOOL OVERCROWDING: We have four boys in the LGUSD. The school district here was touted as amazing by everyone we talked to. While our children are happy, I can tell you the schools are busting at the seams. Fisher, a MIDDLE school, has over 1,200 students ... this is approaching high school size and Lisa Fraser is working her tail off (and doing a wonderful job) maintaining a small school feel in this enormous middle school. These schools will have a difficult time handling all the influx. And while the residences are proposed for 'young single professionals' and 'retired' people, I can guarantee that young families will cram themselves into these residences JUST to get their kids into LGUSD. The schools cannot handle any more kids, let alone 320 residences worth! 2) INCREASED TRAFFIC : One of the things we love about Los Gatos is how easy it is to get around and access all the small businesses in the down town area. When we moved, I found myself rarely leaving Los Gatos, because it has everything I need. I could get anywhere in town in 1 0 minutes and while there were times of the day I would avoid certain areas , it is manageable. Adding 320 residences and 500,000 feet of retail space would overwhelm our roads to the point of frustration and damage to the existing roads. The easy access to San Jose is a huge reason people move here! The quality of our family life will tank if my husband has to sit in hours oftraffic due to this project. 3) DETREMENT TO LOCAL BUSINESSES: As I mentioned, we love using the downtown businesses and I fear the additional retail space will kill these locally owned stores. We frequent them because we love the convenience and want to support having small shops. 500K feet of retail space will surely draw customers from Los Gatos, which will hurt the success of the local shops. This is what makes the town feel like a town. Please reconsider this project! As tax-paying residents of Los Gatos , I am vehemently opposed to the North 40 Project as proposed. Little consideration was paid to the 'Guiding Principles' when considering these three items above. I would be more than happy to express these in person should you like to contact me. Kindly, Jessica Bandy 16520 S. Kennedy Road Los Gatos, CA 95030 jessica bandy I jessicabandy@mac.com 1404.386.5823 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: tom flageollet <t.flageollet@comcast.net> Friday, April 01, 2016 7:57 AM Marni Moseley North 40 project The intent of this email is to voice my concern regarding the North 40 project. My primary concerns are the impact to 1) traffic and 2) the overall ongoing i nfrastructure requ ired by the Town to support the needs of this add ition to our community. The traffic in the Wincheste r Blvd/Lark Ave/Los Gatos Blvd area is already problematic and unbearable at times. It is impossible not to see how a project of this scope will make this situation exponentially worse. Traffic and parking throughout the commercial districts of Los Gatos Blvd, W inchester Blvd, and Santa Cruz Ave appear to be at their max capacity. For example, parking in the downtown area mid week for lunch is consistently as bad as used to be for weekend Holiday periods only. It is impossible not to see how a project of this scope wil l make this situation exponentially worse. Many Los Gatos residents I know express their concern regarding the impact on the school district's capacity. While I live in Los Gatos Town limits, my address is not within the Los Gatos schoo l district. Therefore, my school district concerns and support falls to the district in which I'm included. However, I am very sensitive and sympathetic to their plight. Again, it is impossible not to see how a project of this scope will make this si tuation worse. It certain ly will not add any va l ue to my school d istrict while negatively impacting the Los Gatos community and quality of life. I would urge the Town Council and Planning Commission to consider a reduced project scope limiting the negative impacts (traffic, population density, project he ight, infrastructure support) on our wonderful community while adding more open green space with public accessibility. Regarding commercial space ; I would urge the Town Council to cons ider un ique options that match the unique ·personality of the Los Gatos community (we don't need more coffee chains or Apple stores). Thank you for representing our cit izens and protecting our community. Tom & Patrice Flageollet Los Gatos residents since 1994 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To : Cc: Subject: Planning Commission, edrathmann@comcast.net Friday, April 01 , 2016 9:09 AM Marni Moseley jason; whalen ; Whalen, Jeffrey; millman North 40 I am writhing this from the position of a business owner in downtown Los Gatos. I am also writing this with the shared assumption that a thriving downtown is part of what makes Los Gatos such an attractive community to live in. The downtown requires a critical mass of people to support the businesses that people come downtown to experience. Already the downtown suffers from parking problems , traffic congestion, and competition from Campbell and other retail centers. Now you have before you a proposal for another 60,000 sf of retail, and in later in phase 2 the potentia l fo r another 400,000 sf. Campbell which is clearly hurting downtown Los Gatos, has probably 60,000 or more in its thrivi ng downtown. Santana row has 500,000 sf. The North 40 will have plenty of parking, and trendy shops and restaurants. It is halfway between Campbell and the downtown. How is it not going to draw shoppers away from the downtown? Originally Grovenor called the North 40 a " second downtown" on the ir website. They took that down when they realized it was bad marketing. The north side of town already has several shopping centers to serve that area . Imagine if the North 40 took 10 or 15% of shoppers away from the down town. What would happen? It would be devastating to the downtown economy, and it is very possible . Why would we risk it? You saw on Wednesday night that the c itizens of Los Gatos overwhelmingly do not want the North 40 . Talk to the town attorney; find a legal reason to deny this plan and vote aga inst it. This will go before the town council. By voting against it you are givi ng them more ammunition to fight this. The three Council members who mistakingly voted for the specific plan will come to regret their vote and will look for reasons to vote against this proposal or try and find a reason to repeal the specific plan . Please do what you can to set the stage fo r that to happen. Fight this insane plan anyway you can. The North 40 wi ll be a disaste r for the downtown, not to mention all the other problems associated with it. Let's not allow th is to happen. Ed Rathmann. 1 From: Rita Norton [mailto:ritanorton1@qmail.com] Sent: Friday, April 01, 2016 9 :49 AM To: BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie; Town Manager Subject: please forward to all parties --Mayor and Council, Planning Commission, Town Manager, Attorney, and Planning Director April I , 2016 Dear Los Gatos Mayor, Los Gatos Town Manager, Town Attorney, Planning Director and Los Gatos Planning Commission- Discussion and Comments on North 40: Direct the Town Attorney to report on alternatives to the certification of the EIR-when and how can an EIR is de-certified due to a significant change in conditions. -In this light, bring into the discussion an updated analysis of the traffic impacts, noting other new development not included in the EIR and current level of service on adjoining roads. Bring to bear factual record of current and short-term projected traffic flows on Lark, Winchester and Los Gatos Blvd. Use of the current EIR is not a tenable position and should be discarded. In a Town noted for its environmental values, green ethics and principles, adopt findings and resolutions that as part of the planning approvals, direct the developers to include installation of on site solar as part of the project. As this project is configured as a mini-urban "new city", adopt fmdings and resolution that as part of the planning approvals require extensive residential and commercial underground parking-, which is a basic principle of new urbanism-efficient use of existing space and not an extension of a suburban mall. Bring to the fore the relevance of threat of fiscal need for projected North 40 revenue in the form of future tax dollars from development in the context of current and projected budget shortfalls -is the debate about the on-going cost of a stand-alone Police Department in fact a hidden elephant in the discussion and analysis on this project. An integrated analysis of the future of the town is required. Thank you for your attention to these recommendations. Sincerely, Rita Norton Los Gatos, CA Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: MARTHIN DE BEER <mfdebeer@mac.com> Friday, April 01, 2016 10:56 AM BSpector; Marni Moseley Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie Please save Los Gatos! Dear Ms Spector, Moseley and council members Our family has been residents of Los Gatos for 20 years, and love living here. We have been active in the community and involved in great Los Gatos community projects for many years. The improvements the council made over the years, our town's unique character and the family friendly environment and people living here is why we chose Los Gatos . · Unfortunately, those qualities are quickly eroding away, due to increasingly crowded schools, severe traffic congestion and increased crime. Commuting across town used to take minutes and is now often frustrating traffic jams. Residents can hardly manage to get to their homes heading up Alpine road due to high school students unable to find parking at school, parking on both sides of the street leaving no room for cars to pass each other. This is just a couple of examples of the untenable situation today. I am writing to implore you to not proceed with the North 40 Project. If you do , you will change Los Gatos forever and it will not be for good. I worked as a senior executive at Cisco, building infrastructure with service providers all over the world for 20 years. Our infrastructure will not scale to support this proposed project. This is abundantly clear to everyone living here. I chose to blind-copy many of our influential resident friends on this email, so they can express their views and experiences. Please consider this decision with great prudence. I believe this will be the most important town council decision in decades and will permanently impact the future of Los Gatos. Sincerely Marthin De Beer mfdebeer@mac.com ( 408) 656-5171 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Martha Geiszler <mgeiszler3@comcast.net> Friday, April 01, 2016 11:26 AM Marni Moseley; Jennifer.riano@gmail.com; lindafrolich@gmail.com; cathleenbannon@gmail.com North 40 I am writing regarding the proposed development of the North 40. I have lived in Los Gatos since 1974 and am so disgusted by the constant traffic throughout the day and weekends, over crowded schools , an increase in medical facilities and large homes crammed together on small lots. Small areas of land w ith high dens ity housing is NOT what Los Gatos should be comprised of or approved by our Town . The North 40 Phase 1 story poles don 't tell the entire story but alone are enough for any reasonable Town Official to stop and recons i der what the long term impact of this project will be on our Town . This project does not meet the specific plan's requirement of not impacting traffic and schools. Packi ng 270+ homes i n this area w ill contribute over 600 cars or more on our streets daily and the potential for 300-900 children in our already overcrowded schools. I would be happy if low income and senior housing, parks, soccer fields, an additional school o r some other useful benefit to the town be planned for the North 40. 35 foot tall homes crammed together on this land does not fit in w ith the surrounding area . This is a h istoric piece of land that has been orchards for decades. High dens ity housing is not the right course for th is land. I hope the Planning commission is not swayed by the developers heavy handed tact ics. I appreciate yo u r effo rts o n this p roj ect and hope t he comm ission gives se r ious cons ider ation to the thoughts and concerns of our current residents. Thank you , Martha Geiszler 16379 Kennedy Road 1 From: Tedi Uhrowczik [tediu@comcast.net] sent: Friday, April 01, 2016 1:10PM To: Rob Rennie; BSpector; Marcia Jensen; Steven Leonardis; Marico Sayoc Subject: North 40: NO! Another NO on the North 40 development! There are so many reason this is a bad idea. The only reason to do it is money. Los Gatos is not poor, there are other ways to get money. As a 37 year resident ofLG, I don't want to sell out to big money interests!! Protect the ambiance/culture of our town!! Please represent us as we elected you to do . Tedi Uhrowczik 50 Ellenwood Ave Los Gatos, Ca. 95030 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Tedi Uhrowczik <tediu@comcast.net> Friday, April 01, 2016 1:19 PM Marni Moseley North 40: NO!! Another NO on the North 40 development! There are so many reason this is a bad idea. The only reason to do it is money. Los Gatos is not poor, there are other ways to getmoney. As a 37 year res ident ofLG, I don't want to sell out to big money interests!! Protect the ambiance/culture of our town!! Please represent us as we elected you to do . Tedi Uhrowczik 50 Ellenwood Ave Los Gatos, Ca. 95030 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Denise Strom <dmssbs@yahoo.com> Friday, April 01, 2016 3:44 PM Marni Moseley Re: North 40 I want to let you know that I am not in support of North 40. I believe this development would dramatically change Los Gatos into a crowded, cramped town with lots of traffic. The only one who will benefit from this project will be greedy developers. If we allow North 40 to pass , we can kiss the LG we know and love goodbye. I urge you not to support this project. Denise Mohr Strom 150 Cardinal Lane Los Gatos CA 95032 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Ms. Moseley, Bonnie Payne <bonnieapayne@comcast.net> Friday, April 01, 2016 7:32 PM Marni Moseley North 40 I am distressed that the town is considering the current development proposal for the North 40. I cannot see any way that it conforms to the Guiding Principles for this area, and I cannot see any way that it respects the concerns of the current citizens of our town. Already driving around town on a weekend is almost impossible due to Southbound 17 traffic. And if the story poles are any indication, the proposed development is incredibly dense. The proposed development may make a lot of money for developers, but our town would be very negatively impacted . I urge you to unequivocally reject this proposal. Thank you for your attention and for the energy you give to our town. Bonnie Payne 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Moses, Roy <rmoses@cbnorcal.com> Saturday, April 02, 2016 12:34 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Good Day Ms Moseley, Planning Commission and Town Council, PLEASE say NO to HIGH DENSITY at Lark and Los Gatos Blvd -AKA-north 40 Due to: Severely congested traffic in area Schools are impacted and overcrowded -school children are already being sent away from neighborhood schools TOO many homes and the ones proposed are T OO high -this project does not look or feel like Los Gatos, where is the open space? What about maintaining the town as a town? We do not want this area to have the feel of a big city-it is soooooo congested already. PLEASE look at minimizing the impact on the town, the infrastructure is crumbl in g Too much building in this area al ready, Please listen to the townspeople -not just the developers. Our voice should be heard We have lived here, paid our taxes and supported this town for 47 years and have loved it, but do not like what has been happening the last couple years and truly do not like this proposed project when so many more negative impacts would result. PLEASE look more closely at the proposed project and scale it down significantly. It would change the look and feel of Los Gatos as we have known and loved. Thank you for your prompt consideration and co-operation in this regard. Roy Moses 16529 La Croix Ct Los Gatos 95032 The information in this electronic mail message is the sender's confidential business and may be legally privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee(s). Access to this internet 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: DearMami, Paul Tong <ptong173@gmail.com> Saturday, April 02, 2016 3:37 PM Marni Moseley Objection to North 40 development I am writing to express my objection to the proposed development on the North 40 in Los Gatos. This plan is going to increase the population and traffic to our already over crowded town. I have lived in Los Gatos for over 2 0 years. I get on I-880 from Lark Ave. which is getting too crowded year after year. This project is going to push our town as busy as Cupertino and West San Jose. Thanks, -Paul 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Marni, Karen Bean <losgatosbeans@gmail.com> Saturday, April 02, 2016 6:03 PM Marni Moseley Opposed to the North 40 project I have been a resident of Los Gatos for the past 10 years. I am strongly opposed to the North 40 project and how it is currently proposed. I would like to see more open space, a park, maybe a sports field for the children to use as we never have enough playing fields and less housing and less commercial property on the site. I feel the developers are only in it for their pocketbook, even though they are trying to work with the city and "say" all the things the town wants to hear. I am strongly opposed to the developers putting the housing units in the Los Gatos Unified District lines. I also feel the North 40 project is turing into the Santana Row of Los Gatos. I feel it is going to drastically hurt the downtown retailers and traffic will be a nightmare all around the development. It's already a very congested area . Thank you . Regards, Karen Bean LG Resident since 2005 1 April, 3rd, 2016 Dear Mayor and Honorable Counci lmembers, RECE IVED APR tt 2016 T OWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNI NG DI VI SION While I have no problem with a property owner selling or attempting to develop their property (even as one who will benefit from this project by virtue of owning a commercial building nearby) I ask you as a life l ong resident of Los Gatos to consider (re-consider) any and all of your legal alternatives and rethink the mass, size, height, and scope of the general plan previously approved that will allow such a development on the North 40 that we now witness before us i n the erected "story poles" . Add to that, we all know that this is only about half of the North 40, with another 400,000 square feet on the drawing board. At the planning commission meeting last week many of the town's residents spoke out against the project as submitted because of its scale and the attendant impact on our schools and surrounding surface traffic, creati ng mor e gridlock. If one reads the data (paid for by Grosveno r ) it becomes very dear that this project will create many more than 3800 new car tr!ps per day (projected at only 170 to 200 from the 300+ houses on the south end of the development) not to mention many new children living in those houses who will be attending our already overcrowded schools • Last Wednesday night I was appalled by the developer verbally berating a much respected major local landlord in the lobby, after that upstanding (multi generational) citizen spoke before the planning commission about the impact the project will have on the downtown. Not to mention Grosvenor's legal wrangling's that night, it clearly proved to meDon's character and to what length this developer (or their henchmen) will go in order to get their project approved over the best interests and quality of life for us, the taxpayers and citizens. Clearly, this is a quality of life issue before us with the question being; will the town council stand up to yet another out of town developer who puts their interests above those of us who will be living here long after they are gone? Respectfully, ~ J. M. Whalen This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Tina Lally <Tina.Lally@sli-systems.com> Monday, April 04, 2016 10:34 AM Marni Moseley; BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Rob Rennie; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen North 40 To Ms. Moseley & Whom it May Concern at the Town of Los Gatos, I have lived in Los Gatos for 40 years and never have I been less proud and more disappointed with our very special town. I am not 100% clear (I plan to hear both arguments and become fully educated on this topic) but I believe the recent development plans of the North 40 and current development on the corner of Shannon and Los Gatos Blvd. have mostly to do with the rights of land owners to build and develop and the need for lower income housing for teachers and service people to live in our town. I am sure the need is there. However, it is simply unacceptable that it can take 30 minutes to go 2.6 miles on a school day to drop my children off at St. Mary's School in Los Gatos, or worse 15 minutes to go 1 mile to Lark Ave. Highway 17 freeway entrance. The traffic in, out, around Los Gatos is absolutely an abomination. It isn't just Santa Cruz commuters or beach traffic on Highway 17. I too lived in the 70s, 80s, and 90s in Los Gatos-we always had beach traffic and our town was never grid locked. This is daily traffic in the mornings and afternoons when our children are walking and biking to school or we are driving them to school and then getting ourselves to work (outside of Los Gatos)-it is simply overpopulation and local traffic. I currently live on the corner of Shannon Rd . and Hilow Rd. and have for 14 years. Shannon Rd is bumper to bumper at Sam and looks like Highway 85, not to mention the Google bus trying to avoid running kids over who are simply walking to school-believe me this is a broken town and adding more housing is NOT going to fix it. I personally plan and time when I leave my house, where I go and what I do based on the hour of the day and our traffic. I work in Downtown San Jose and leave after 9:30 to avoid Los Gatos gridlock. I avoid going downtown to shop and run errands and go outside of Los Gatos to avoid our horrible congestion. What are we doing about this? Is North 40 a sound idea, really? An extra lane on Highway 17 does not solve this problem. It is unsafe for my children to play on our street due to the amount of cross traffic zooming down Hilow to Topping, Marchmont, Englewood, and Kennedy trying to avoid Los Gatos Blvd. Adding 11 homes to barely 1 acre parcel seems ridiculous. Let alone hundreds of new homes on Los Gatos Blvd and Lark Ave./North 40. It takes 15 minutes to get through the light on Shannon and Los Gatos Blvd or the light on Kennedy and Los Gatos Blvd or the light at Los Gatos Blvd. and Lark ... often with angry, road rage drivers trying to cut through Gem, Filmer and Harding nearly taking out precious young students and families making their way by foot to Van Meter and Fisher. Recently I had a man so angry that I had to merge into his lane that he followed me to my destination and I had to call the police in order to get out of my car!! I'm fairly confident that the two new large home developments on Los Gatos Blvd. and Roberts and Los Gatos Blvd. and Kennedy have had significant impact on our traffic. I don't know anything about the enrollment numbers at our local schools but have friends and family that are teachers or have/are students at our local schools-All whom complain about the over enrollment in our schools. I need to understand what is going on. I need to understand why that when I was the appointed Vice President and Board Member at Mariposa Montessori school on Ferris we were blocked from adding 9 students to our precious preschool by the Town of Los Gatos and how that the same body of elected officials could possibly approve this level of housing development. Why not put a new corporate business center at this location, two floors only with ample parking or a new sports facility for our children who have to play baseball at Union little league when our fields are too full, or a combination of homes on large lots, a sports facility and business? Why more condensed multi level housing and that much more people, students, traffic, congestion, etc.? How many people can realistically live in this town . What happens if there is a natural disaster and we all need to get out? What then? Something is terribly wrong and I have to understand the common sense logic beh ind it-not the town ordinances or number of affordable housing units we must have etc. I need the town to really understand the impact and come up with other solutions to meet the local, 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: sarah@kensler.me Monday, April 04, 2016 5:54 PM Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Rob Rennie; Steven Leonardis; Marni Moseley sarah@kensler.me Concerns re: North 40 development Dear Vice-Mayor and Council Members- As a Los Gatos resident I wanted to register my concerns about the North 40 development. The density and height of the development as evidenced by the story poles makes for something way too dense and structures far too high, thereby blocking off the magnificent views. The congestion in our town is at an all time high, and adding yet more buildings will add to the traffic and parking issues. In addition we will continue to see many of the local businesses fail as our once small-time town become the venue for commercial stores. In addition the plan does not include reference for addressing the school situation: as it is our schools are underfunded and over-extended; what is the plan for accommodating the additional children that will be part of our school district? As someone who has lived in Los Gatos for the past 22 years I strongly implore you to ensure that the North 40 project will follow the development guidelines set forth by Los Gatos to ensure the development conforms to the unique character of the town we love. 'I would like to see more open space (not less!), an investment in our schools and education, and a focus on improving the town's infrastructure, public transportation and community services. Regards, Sarah Sarah Kensler sarah@kensler.me 408.406.6546 (mobile) 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Rhodie Firth <rhodab52@aol.com> Monday, April 04, 2016 8:57 PM Marni Moseley North Forty To the members of the Town Council I recently read an article written by residents of Cupertino who are fighting a mega development to replace the Valko shopping center. They li st five side effects of mega developments. These side effects are enormous traffic gridlock, worsening air quality, unprecedented strain on electrical, water, and sewage systems, hampered ability of first responders to deal with disasters, and students crammed into t i n-can mobile units on every campus. There is no doubt that the proposed development for the North Forty will expose our community to all five of these side effects. How scary! I have great admiration for how hard most of you have worked to do the right thing for Los Gatos when these developers designed something that has nothing to do with the flavor of our community. They must be stopped or we will lose the Los Gatos that we all know and love. Wish I had called various conservation organizations when this all started. Maybe one of them could have purchased the land and saved it. I didn 't think of doing that. Thanks for your time, Rhodie Firth -15905 orange Blossom Ln .-Los Gatos Sent from my iPad 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Sara Fishersmith <sarafishersmith@gmail.com> Monday, April 04, 2016 10:02 PM Marni Moseley Subject: North 40/Los Gatos The Planning Commissioners and the Town Council must be OUT OF YOUR MINDS!!!!! What were you all thinking when you approved a plan to allow a developer to to build 320 housing units, 66,000 square feet of commercial space etc etc etc????????? The area from Hwy 85 south to Main Street, Los Gatos Blvd . to Quito Road CAN NOT TAKE ON ANY MORE TRAFFIC!! I!! I! Have you tried to find a parking spot at noon within this town? At seven at night????? By ten in the morning the parking places are already at a premium. Did you travel from Hwy 9 south to Main street this past July and August?????? The town was grid locked with beach traffic. It took 30 to 45 minutes just to travel several blocks. Grid locked . Remember????????????????? ARE YOU MAD OUT OF YOUR HEADS???? What (besides revenue) were you thinking? Think-THINK-of the impact another 320 houses would add to the traffic that is already existing in Los Gatos . Let's see ... 320 houses adds 640 more cars. And what about the cars/traffic new businesses will bring? There are only a few ways not and out of town. Everything funnels in and out of this town on just a hand full of streets. And then there's the eye sore of the buildings. I see the orange netting perched upon poles. You are allowing the last piece of open space within this community to vanish once and forever. You may think I'm going to far, but that open space is not unlike an endangered species. Once it turns to concrete it will never be a walnut grove again . Other people will give better ideas for this space than 320 houses and commercial buldings. I'm just gonna say to you DO NOT RUIN-further ruin-Los Gatos by adding to the congestion that already is making a once wonderful town into someplace to crowded to enjoy. 1 M arni M ose ley From: Sent: To: Su bject: Camille <camille.lesko@gmail.com > Tuesday, April 05, 2016 12:17 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Hello, I am a resident/owner in Los Gatos. 972 Cherrystone Dr. I am concerned about the add itional traffic that will r esult from all the new residences and businesses going in at the North 40 development. Without additional freeway entrance ramps, this will create a traffic nightmare . Please address this issue before proceeding with the development. Thank you, Camille Lesko 1 On Apr 5, 2016, at 12:41 PM, Kaye and Stephanie <airdale4us@aol.com> wrote: Vice-Mayor Sayoc, We are stunned at the development as currently proposed for the North 40. It is crowded, massive and, quite honestly, an eyesore. So much could be done to make it more attractive and to "look and feel like Los Gatos" as required by the Town. Some examples: a few curving streets, more walking paths, little green spaces and more 1 story, single-family homes. No three story box structures! We do not believe the Town Council will be proud that they voted to allow this development to be built as currently proposed. The Council has the power to ask for something better for Los Gatos. The Council was elected to represent the residents of the Town not to make the developer happy. Tiris large development will impact the Town like no other in recent history. Please listen to those you represent and guide the developers to build something that will make us all proud to have as a part of our Town. Los Gatos is a very special place and it is okay to ask for something better, something more "Los Gatos." Kaye Little Stephanie Adcock 453 Monterey Ave Los Gatos, Ca 95030 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Trish@Sporleder.org Tuesday, April OS, 2016 1:39 PM Marni Moseley North 40 debacle Please add my name to the list of citizens against the present North 40 plan. It surprised me to learn that the council okayed the developer's impact report. Surely they knew it was a conflict of interest? I, like so many am dismayed at the way the town is growing. I call our downtown area Westfield Los Gatos I If someone wants charm, they head for Campbell. I can't blame them. Sincerely, Patricia Sporleder 1 Planning From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear commissioners: BS Nissen <bsnissen@gma il.com> Tuesday, April 05, 2016 2:05 PM Planning proposed North Forty development My husband and I have lived in Los Gatos since 1963. Fifty three years . The growth and development in the past 1 0 years has been appalling. RECEIVED APR 13 201 6 TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING D!VIS tON On the East side of Los Gatos the first mistake was Blue Bird Lane. Even worse came Laur el Muse at the Honda Agency site. On the other side of the freeway was the Netflix/Albright project that looks l ike a city when traveling along Highway 85 and it's not even completed as yet.. What are we thinking ? Are there any Planning Commission members who see this as wrong? The small town atmosphere and charm is gone. Traffic very often is at a standstill. Our schools are overcrowded. We need a moratorium on building for at least 5 years until we can address the issues caused by this malignant growth that seems to be ok with some town officials. It was encouraging to me that the CVS project at Los Gatos Almaden Road/Los Gatos Blvd . and the housing debacle at Shannon/Los Gatos Blvd were voted down by the Planning Commission. Thank you. We are now facing the North Forty plan of adding over 300 more homes. This cannot be allowed to happen before the traffic and school issues facing us now are addressed . Why not build a soccer field , skate board park, green space for all to enjoy? There is also talk of homes being built on the site of the Los Gatos Lodge. It boggles my mind to think these new projects are even under consideration. Traffic is not going to fix itself. Our reputation for our schools is going to suffer. Please, as elected officials representing the town's population, listen to the outcry from people like us who have lived here so long and loved our small town. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Susan Nissen 103 Cardinal Lane Los Gatos 95032 1 This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sandra Livinghouse <sandra@atnpr.com> Tuesday, Apri l OS, 2016 3:13 PM Sent: To: Cc: bspecgtor@losgatosca.gov; Marko Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; rrennie@lostatosca.gov; Steven Leonard is Marni Moseley Subject: Overdevelopment in Los Gatos April 5, 2016 Subject: North 40 and Overdevelopment of Los Gatos Dear LG Town Council members and Planning Commission, I am writing to voice my opposition to the North 40 project as it is currently conceived. It is far too dense a project to be appropriate for the town of Los Gatos. In addition, I am opposed to the ongoing dense development that is being approved for this town generally, such as Bluebird Lane and Laurel Mews Being a resident for three decades, I remember a time when Los Gatos was appropriately cautious about large dense developments. For example, developments such as Kennedy Meadows required large lots and a resident-walking trail. The recent trend toward approving huge homes on tiny lots and condo developments on main streets is negatively impacting the quality of life in Los Gatos. Your decisions and developer's greed are destroying the small-town atmosphere that we moved here for. Why are the current town council and planning commission leaders now reversing decades of established planning guidelines for Los Gatos? I am opposed to the North 40 project for the following reasons: • An overwhelming increase in traffic congestion: A projected increase of 20,000 vehicle visits per day. • An increase in the number of students being added to the rolls of an already over-burdened Los Gatos School District. • An increase in traffic further escalating the gridlock we experience all summer on weekends, with beach traffic on Highway 17. • A definite and clearly measurable reduction in the quality oflife that our Town's residents most certainly deserve and have enjoyed for generations. I ask you to please immediately re-establish appropriate judgement in evaluating development plans. Single- family homes on larger lots, with built in facilities for walking trails, parks , schools, and senior accommodations is all that is appropriate. And, there should be no developments directly on major streets, including Los Gatos Blvd, Main Street, Santa Cruz Ave. and LG -SAR road. If this project is already in process (though I believe you can have the developer cut down the size of it considerably, which I expect you to do), I urge you to make the developer build a light-rail for beach goers across 17, that will also serve as the transportation for students attending Lexington School. At least that way, we will get some win out of this mess. 1 Thanks, Sandra Livinghouse 16230 Brooke Acres Ct. Los Gatos, CA 95032 408-358-4709 2 Marni Mose ley From: Sent: To: Eng , Duncan <Duncan.Eng@lfg .com > Tuesday, April OS, 2016 3:19 PM Marni Moseley Subject: North Forty I am for thls development. I know people/ neighbors that will show up against this but there are plenty for us that believe this will be good for the town. Increase tax revenue to offset the loss of the car dealerships on Los Gatos Bl vd . Just look at Campbell with what they can provide to their residents with co mmercial growth. People want to live there now. That was not always the true. 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Please call the Lincoln Financial Advisors trade desk at 1-800-237-3815. If you do not wish to receive future e-mails from me, please call me at 408-879-4217 , or e-mail me at Duncan.Eng@ LF G.com . We will comply with your request within 30 days. Lincoln Financial Advisors Corp. and its representatives do not provide l egal or tax advice . You may want to consult a legal or tax advisor regarding any legal or tax information as it relates to your personal circumstances . CRN1 09355 7-010815 1 Notice of Confidentiality: **This E-mail and any of its attachments may contain Lincoln National Corporation proprietary information, which is privileged, confidential, or subject to copyright belonging to the Lincoln National Corporation family of companies. This E-mail is intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to which it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient of this E-mail, you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution, copying, or action taken in relation to the contents of and attachments to this E-mail is strictly prohibited and may be unlawful. If you have received this E-mail in error, please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete the original and any copy of this E-mail and any printout. Thank You.** 2 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subj ect: Melissa Moses <slish528@yahoo.com> Tuesday, April OS , 2016 6:15 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Hello, I am writing to express my concern about the North 40 project. I have lived in Los Gatos for 11 years, my husband his whole 42 year old life. We are extremely worried about the traffic increases we have seen in only the past few years, and what this will mean if so many more units are added . Please, lets keep Los Gatos the amazing small town we all love, and not ruin it with blight and overgrowth. Mark & Melissa Moses Escobar A venue, Los Gatos 1 M arni M oseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Kimberly Keck <kimberlylincoln@yahoo.com > Tuesday, April 05, 2016 9:34 PM Marni Moseley Please don't develop LG Please stop the north forty development proj ect! I am a long time resident of Los Gatos and have young children in LG schoo ls and pay the high taxes to l ive in our won derful town . It a lready fee ls overcrowded and has changed so much. Please don't continue overdeveloping our town like so many of the Bay Area cities. It's a town! Keep it that way!! Kimberly Lincoln Keck 408-348-0766 mobile 1 I. Question Presented: Why does the Town of Los Gatos have $54M in employment-related liabilities, approx. $15M in unfunded road repairs, 20% of its streets presently in poor or very poor condition, need to raise taxes, can't afford a new senior center, can't subsidize and must charge our local recreation department, can't afford downtown garages and other things, and must approve large developments to fund town services? II. Executive Summary: The Town of Los Gatos has serious financial challenges because of the huge increase in employment benefits, large police budget, Great Recession and decline in Netflix sales tax revenue. In addition to ongoing cuts in important nonPD services, we are dependent on large property developments for tax revenues, which is in turn creating traffic, which the citizens are asserting the No .1 problem in Los Gatos. By refusing to restructure our budget, and the longer we do so, we will continue to worsen our traffic problem. The citizenry can complain all the want about large developments and traffic, but if we don't engage in significant reform of our budget, the Town of Gatos as we know it will probably forever change. We will become the City of Los Gatos, at which point biking will become a greater necessity for getting around. There is significant financial pressure to approve a large No . 40 project because the Town desperately needs the increased property tax and sales tax revenue. A large project will then require more mandated housing by the state, which will further impact our already over-crowded schools. III. Long Answer: A. The Town of Los Gatos approved huge increases in employment benefits. Our unfunded employment-related liabilities are $54M. Our large police department is a key driver of this increase in liabilities. 1. Quoting from http://www.noozhawk.com/article/lou cannon unfunded public pens10 n liabilities san jose 20150810 In 1999, when the stock market was booming, the Legislature passed SB 400 at the behest of Democratic Gov . Gray Davis , reducing the retirement age for state workers to 55 from 6o with pensions paying 2 percent of salary for each year worked and basing pensions on the highest single year's salary rather than the previous average of three years. 1 The state standard was widely copied by local governments, which in many cases made benefits retroactive. (emphasis added) Small wonder that Crane calls SB 400 "the single-greatest issuance of debt in state history." In 2003, the unfunded liabilities of the 8o public pension systems in California totaled $6.3 billion. By 2004, with the new provisions in effect, it had reached $50.9 billion. By 2013, it had topped $198 billion. 2. Saratoga's unfunded employment liability is a small fraction of Los Gatos, in large part because it has a more efficient policing model with the Sheriff. Quoting from http:/ jwww.saratoga . . ca.usjcivicaxjfilebank/blobdload.aspx?BlobiD=9152 BUDGET PRIORITIES With the strength of the economy improving and Saratoga's growing financial stability, the City is in a position to take steps now to invest in the City's future success and fiscal solvency. This is best illustrated by the following priorities of the FY 2015/16 Budget: • • Improve Local Roads • • Address Financial Liabilities • • Enhance Community Engagement Notable Accomplishments in FY 2014/15 Unfunded Accrued Liability The City paid $3.3 million toward its $7.7 million penSiOn liability. The decision will save the City $3.6 million in future interest payments. The City also established a plan to pay $500,000 a year for the next 15 years toward the remaining $4.4 million UAL in s t ead of followin g CalPERS suggested 30-year payment plan. This accelerated payment plan will save the City anoth er $3 to $4 million in interest payments. (emphasis added) 3. From Cupertino's 2015-2016 Annual Budget: Significant investment losses experienced by CalPERS during the great recession resulted in overall funded status of the retirement system dropping to 60.8%.1 Given the economic recovery, the funded status of the system has improved to 70%.2 However, the desired goal is 100% funded status, where assets on hand are equal to the desired level of assets needed to pay pension benefits. After a thorough analysis, CalPERS actuaries determined the retirement system was at significant risk of falling to dangerously low funded status levels under existing actuarial policies. This prompted the CalPERS Board to adopt revised actuarial policies that aim to return the system to 100% funded level within 30 years. The new method includes changing the asset smoothing period from 15 years to 5 years and paying gains and losses over a fixed 30 year period with a 5-year ramp up at the beginning of the 30-year period and a 5-year ramp down at the end. The new method is expected to increase public agency retirement contributions beginning in FY 2015-16. (emphasis added) 2 3. Quoting from Cupertino·s 2014 Annual Financia l Repo rt: Because the City contracts out police services to the County Sheriff and because fire protection is handled by a special district, the City avoids the high pension, capital, and operating costs of a City-operated public safety function. The City caps its contributions to employee health insurance premiums and recently approved a three- year labor agreement with its bargaining units that benefit both the City and employees . A build-up of operating reserves from strong revenue years, such as 2013-14, along with a traditional under-spending of budgets. enables the City to wi thstand weak revenue years that occur periodically, such as in 2009-10. (emphasis added) 4. Saratoga states they save millions with the Sheriff. Quoting from http:/ fwww.saratoga . . ca.usfcivicaxjfilebankfblobdload.aspx?BlobiD=9152 Public Safety Public safety continues to be a top priority for City Council members, resid ents, and the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff. The City has contracted with the Sheriffs Office for public safety services since Saratoga was incorporated in 1956. This partnership has been rewarding for the City in multiple ways. (emphasis added) CITY OF SARATOGA INTRODUCTION SECTION The City saves millions of dollars a year by contracting with the Sheriffs Office instead of employing an in-house police department. Evenwithan 8.1 % cost increase from the prior year-due to retroactive and cur rent year wage increases under a new MOU, th e Sheriff Contract accounts for ju st 26.7 % of the City's General Fund budget. This compares favorably to other Santa Clara County municipalities that dedicated upwards of 40% or more of their General Fund budgets on police services. (emphasis added) 5. Former Los Gatos town manager David Knapp was not referenced in the White Report. Who has more actual experience with the LGPD and the Sheriff than Mr. Knapp? He managed both. Mr. White provided projections and estimates. Mr. Knapp actually worked with the different agencies. His opinion carries more weight. Quoting from http:/ fwww.gilroydispatch.comjnewsjcrime_fire_courts/switch-to- sheriff-s-department/ article_ac2ab 15 2-0 5e4-5 2ee-aaa8-cc7b3edd 7879 .html In Cupertino, however, City Manager Dave Knapp is a convert. He admits being skeptical when he first took the post and learned that the city was contracting its police services out to sheriffs deputies. But after several years at the city's helm, he says he can't see a single drawback. 4 "I have to say, it's a good price, and we get excellent service," he said . Cupertino's city manager said there were certain issues that he is glad that the city does not have to handle under the sheriff's department agreement. For instance, Knapp enjoys the luxury of not being responsible for contract negotiations, and the city has access to specialized services such as helicopter and a bomb-sniffing dog without additional expense. Knapp added that Gilroy would be shocked how much it could save if the sheriff's department handled its policing services, yet acknowledge that most cities would not want to cede local control. (emphasis added) C. Netflix sales tax revenue dropped form 40% to 8%. D. Loss of car dealership sales tax revenue. E. The Great Recession. IV. Consequences: 1. An ongoing cut in nonPD services by millions of dollars, increasing unfunded liabilities, lack of funds for parks, garages, additional staff to expedite residential approvals, bumpy roads (like Almond Grove), decline in property values, no smart traffic lights = so more traffic congestion, larger developments to raise revenues = so more traffic congestion. 2. When we don't have money to make timely repairs to roads, cost to repair roads dramatically increases. This chart is from Saratoga's Annual Budget: http:/ jsaratoga.ca.usjcivicaxjfilebankjblobdload.aspx?BlobiD=9152 5 From: vacarpio . [mailto:vacarpio@gmail.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2016 10:59 AM To: Council Subject: Concern regarding development of North Forty property We are opposed to the proposed development of this property. 1) The increased traffic will be horrendous along Los Gatos Blvd, Lark A venue, and entrances onto, and exits from, Hwy 85. 2) The quality of Los Gatos as a community will be diminished as Los Gatos Blvd will look more and more like El Camino Real. 3) There may be an increase of revenue for the Town but its residents will be unhappy and the revenue from visitors could well be decreased as Los Gatos ceases to have the charm that attracts them. Surely there are uses that are more compatible with our Town residents and that will still bring in revenue. For example, why not consider a golf course or a park with entrance fees and concessions? Sincerely, Virginia Carpio William Walker 16383 Lilac Lane Los Gatos 95032 From: Kathy Cotton <khcotton@gmail.com> Date: April 6, 2016 5:37:54 PM PDT To: <Mmosley@losgatosca.gov> Subject: North 40 To: Ms Mosley and the Planning Commission. I am writing this email in protest to the density of housing planned for the North 40. I understand the need for the owners and the developer to make a profit in this venture. However, must we lose the small town feeling of Los Gatos in the process? Wouldn't it be lovely if single family homes with a bit of space between them could be built instead of those towering buildings. And the traffic from all those occupants! And the impact on Los Gatos Schools! Please, is there anything that can be done to trim down the size of this development? I hate what's happening to my town. Kathy Cotton On Apr 7, 2016, at 3:04PM, Martha Geiszler <mgeiszler3@gmail.com> wrote: Dear Mayor Spector and Council members, I wanted to write & thank you for voting against the North 40 Specific plan story pole exception. I urge all of you to deny the applicant's request for another story pole exception and in particular those along Los Gatos Blvd. We citizens have the right to see the entire scope of the development. The current story poles are shocking as to how much the land will change. This is the gateway to Los Gatos! Is this what we want our town to look like? I support all your time and effort in reviewing the application in full and to ensure it complies with the Vision Statements in the North 40 Specific Plan. This is a huge task which needs to be looked at with the knowledge that whatever the decision is, it changes the look and feel of our town permanently, adds to traffic congestion and school overcrowding. I have lived here for over 40 years. My grandchildren are 4th generation. here in Los Gatos. What this town is becoming is disheartening to our family and everyone we know here in town. I would appreciate complete transparency in all matters regarding the developer's application. Nothing should be omitted or left out which impacts our community. Please remember we are a town. Again, I appreciate all of your efforts. Thank you, Martha Geiszler mgeiszler3 @gmail.com 408.234 .2176 On Apr 8, 2016, at 10:32 PM, Joanne Long <joanne94@hotmail.com> wrote: Dear Los Gatos Town Council members I am writing regarding the Story-Pole-Exception Request submitted by the Developer for North 40. I want to see the fu ll extent of the proposed development plan, and am urging you to deny the Developer's exception request at the next meeting. After attending the Planning Commission meeting on March 30th, I was disappointed to learn the extent of the proposed scale and density of the North 40 Development. It is not at all consistent with the look and feel of the Town of Los Gatos as outlined in the Specific Plan. Fo r some loca l res idents I have spoken with, the story poles are their first exposure to the planned development. We should demand that the Developer show the full extent of their proposed plans. Sincerely, Joanne Long 16371 Oleander Ave, Los Gatos 408-656-4559 On Apr 9, 2016, at 8:08AM, Tom Fandre <montevinaroad@gmail.com> wrote: Please serve the people's will and stop the North 40 Development in Los Gatos. Rush hour traffic coming in to Los Gatos is much worse now than it was ten years ago, especially on Friday. With this development the Hwy 17 corridor, plus surface streets, will certainly become a nightmare. You have to see how disastrous this will be for Los Gatos. Bigger is not better! I thought that was the ethos of this town ..... Tom Fandre Los Gatos Resident Sent from my iPad On Apr 9 , 2016, at 8:22AM, Nancy Moss <qosmoss@yahoo.com> wrote: You are being played. They are asking for exceptions to fool the town into thinking that this development is friendly and beneficial when in fact the outcome will be devastating. Please do not continue. Nancy Moss Sent from my iPhone On Apr 9, 2016, at 8:37AM, ledouglas@gmail.com wrote: Hello, First, thank you for serving our town in your roles as council members. I am sad to see the N40 be developed. It would have been amazing for the town to have purchased the land to develop much needed sports fields for lacrosse, soccer and other sports. I would have donated generously to that effort as I know many others would have as well. Or to leave it as orchards so we remember the past history for generations to come. Were any of these considered? I understand it is too late for that but please do whatever you can to limit the scale and density of what is built and promote many large trees to hide as much as possible. Driving down hwy 17 into Los Gatos today is beautiful with trees and green space on both sides. You immediately feel that you are coming into a beautiful and special community. I have seen the story poles near Lark and can see how this landscape will change for the worse with high density housing uncharacteristic to the town. It is sad. I have seen Facebook posts regarding the developer being from out of the country with no clue what this community is and why it is special, and asking for exceptions to putting up building poles. If true please do not grant exceptions. For the record, I completely oppose the N40 development. I typically do not write these types being an has request many exceptions to the normal process including Coming down hey The developer has requested a second exception to the town's Story Pole Policy. They do not want to complete all of the required Story Poles. They don't want you to see the full scope and INTENSITY of their Phase 1 layout proposal. Remember, the Story Poles you see off HWY 17 represent less than half of the N40 development. If you think it looks bad now, wait until Phase 2 and Phase 3 Story Poles go up. YOU AIN'T SEEN NOTH'N YET! (That's a double negative so you've seen plenty for sure). Please write your council members and urge them the deny the developers exception request. Sent from my iPhone On Apr 9, 2016, at 8:37AM, ledouglas@gmail.com wrote: Hello, First, thank you for serving our town in your roles as council members. I am sad to see the N40 be developed. It would have been amazing for the community for the town to have purchased the land to develop much needed sports fields for lacrosse, soccer and other sports. I would have donated generously to that effort as I know many others would have as well. Or to leave it as orchards so we remember the past history for generations to come. Were any of these considered? I understand it is too late for that but please do whatever you can to limit the scale and density of what is built and promote many large trees to hide as much as possible. Driving down hwy 17 into Los Gatos today is beautiful with trees and green space on both sides. You immediately feel that you are coming into a beautiful and special community. I have seen the story poles near Lark and can see how this landscape will change for the worse with high density housing uncharacteristic to the town. It is sad. I have seen Facebook posts regarding the developer being from out of the country with no clue what this community is and why it is special, and asking for exceptions to putting up building poles. If true please do not grant exceptions. For the record, I completely oppose the N40 development. I typically do not write these types of letters. But pls pls pls do whatever is in your power to limit cookie cutter and big box development in Los Gatos. Thank you, Laura Douglas 156 Jackson Street Los Gatos Sent from my iPhone From: Lynlee Bischoff [lynlee365@gmail.com] Sent: Saturday, April 09, 2016 9:29AM To: BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Rob Rennie; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen Subject: North 40 Development As a native of Los Gatos and a 14 year resident on the North 40 property I strongly urge the Town Council to require the developer put up ALL story poles NOW for all three phases of development. I make this request -even though doing so means there will be poles in my yard, poles in my garden, poles in my driveway. PLEASE-let the people of the town SEE the full extent of what is planned for this property. To do so piece meal , or to allow ex emptions is a disservice to the people of this town, whom you are sworn to serve. Be well, Lynlee Bischoff (408) 761-1063 "Be Like Water My Friend, Be Like Water". Bruce Lee This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: pe.losgatos@gmail.com Saturday, April 09, 2016 10:26 AM Rob Rennie ; BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Steven Leonard is; Marcia Jensen; Marni Moseley Patricia Ernstrom Subject: Fwd : DENY North Forty Exemptions and Plans Dear Council Members elected to represent the citizens of Los Gatos: I am traveling and unfortunately will be unable to attend the next meeting but appreciate your steadfast and unwavering representation of the best interests of all those that call this home! Please, please, please listen to your constituents. Your vote will be your legacy. Patricia From: Patricia Ernstrom [pernstrom@me.com] Sent: Monday, April 04, 2016 8:58PM To: Marni Moseley; BSpector ; Marico Sayoc; Rob Renn ie; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen Subject: RE: DENY North Forty Ex emptions and Plans Dear Members of the Los Gatos TOWN Council : Please accept my plea and those of my lifelong friends and family to DENY the Grosvenor application . Please DENY the story pole exception. I've attended and spoken at meetings for years, participated in planning sessions and have continued to BEG you to represent the will of Los Gatos-and not the will of a single family land-holder, their multi- million dollar partners and highly paid legal counsel. At last week's planning commission, the show of solidarity by those that love and care for Los Gatos and the legacy we hope to continue -was never stronger. 1 My PLEA: No matter how many meetings I have attended, this project has continued to steamroll ahead at every turn-regardless of what residents have objected to. This is so incredibly DISHEARTENING . I am so discouraged, and I just don't know what to do when those elected to represent us-seem to care about developers more than they do their constituents. What do we do? We need your help. The idea that "this has been in development for a long time" is NOT a reason to approve. It is not too late to say NO. It can't be too late to say NO! EIR SERIOUSLY? How could COUNCIL have possibly certified an EIR (that we all disputed) where you stated that there would be no impact? EVERYONE who has testified has talked about how bad the traffic is TODAY, and that doesn't begin to tell the story about what is coming with the current approved projects (projects that the COUNCIL approved with great citizen opposition). 2 NOW-you've said this current proposal will not make an impact. It doesn't take a PhD or a lawyer to make the case about negative impacts. Just ASK a 51h grader trying to get to school or someone trying to get to the hospital or even just trying home any day of the week -traffic is THE most IMPORTANT ISSUE IMPACTING DAILY QUALITY OF LIFE. Traffic today is already terrible and everyone but leadership clearly understands that with everything in the pipeline-it only get worse and worse and worse. Traffic Armageddon is what we call Los Gatos traffic NOW. Every day, every week, every weekend. All the time . I understand from the developer that this is only one parcel of the 13 or 14 parcels that will be developed in the North 40 area . Where is the demand for a REAL master plan? You can't begin to have a master plan unless you HAVE a master plan. I understand the State requirements to balance of jobs and housing. However-the leadership of Los Gatos has DONE this to the community without a sensible return or plan for the future. More development-oops ... need more housing. For every job created by adding more retail --Los Gatos will require more housing. This plan adds housing AND adds more retail which will require more housing. As I understand it-this cycle will always be flawed because our community will never catch up-so we must STOP and get a plan-a real plan before proceeding down an unattainable path. Town Managers and staff have "kicked the can down the road" in terms of keeping their pensions in-tact and "Los Gatos seemingly healthy"-not for the good of the Town, but for each of their own personal interests in keeping it whole-so they will benefit. Ultimately, the residents left holding the bag in every way--instead of dealing with the fiscal challenges---the mantra has been to grow rather than deal with structural deficits. Now what?. No more land. Traffic gridlock. Schools impacted. Property values reduced. And now staff is LONG gone and collecting pension benefits and where is the Council that approved this. Shameful. The Superintendent has clearly made a deal with the development company that is not interest of those that have a real vested interest in the health of our schools LONG TERM. She said just create "urban schools" or "drive or bus kids to Lexington". That is NOT a plan. The district "deal" with the developers smells bad. And hurts everyone's property values. How and why did it become a conversation at Town Council that Los Gatos has some obligation to solve "silicon Valley's housing imbalance"? We are a TOWN of 25,000 going on ---77 who knows-with a proportionally small (once rural) footprint. We aren't a sprawling metropolis. Urban sprawl is not our issue . We are plagued with leadership who will cover every square inch until the community we know 3 and love has suffocated and choked and there is nowhere else to build and the property values have suffered irreparably. At last week's planning commission meeting-the LG City Attorney should have stood up and just sa id he represented the developer not the Town of Los Gatos. How sad it was to see a line-up of City staff that had their own and others' interests ahead of the scores of residents that have been speaking out and rising up. I must admit-I ask myself why are the Council Members so oblivious to their constituents--and the experi ence their constituents have each and every day? It HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE CLEAR that the developer has worked the system and at each turn, staff, council and others have not stood up to do what it takes to do the RIGHT THING for Los Gatos . When what you approve is realized exactly the way we know it will... When the devastation and resulting horrific results have ruined Los Gatos forever--What then? Who do we turn to? Where do we find this Council and Staff for restitution to your constituents? PLEASE, PLEASE HELP US! THIS DECISION IS FOREVER AND THE "LAST NAIL", YOUR VOTE WILL FOREVER BE YOUR LEGACY . HELP. HELP. HELP. JUST SAY NO and go back to the drawing board . Thank you. 4 Joerg M. Borchert, Ph .D. 116 Oak Park DR . Los Gatos, CA 95032 Dear Mrs. Moseley, RECEIVED APR 9 201S TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING DIVISION Thank you very much for the opportunity of sharing information with the community of the town of Los Gatos at the March 30th Planning Commission Meeting at 110 E Main Street. It was very valuable to unde rstand the plans and the pros and cons have been presented at the meeting. As a citizen of the town since 1998 I have seen significant changes to the better and to the worse. The development and density increased significantly in Los Gatos and I can understand that the town likes to raise more income to have a balanced budget. But the town cannot control certain factors . One is the traffic. As I am living in Highland Oaks neighbor hood, I observed that the traffic has significantly increased on Lark Avenue due to more traffic to and from Netflix. The second factor has been the beach traffic that shut down the town several weekends in 2015 to a total still stand. The same observation could be made during the "Fantasy of Lights" event in December. In both cases Los Gatos Boulevard becomes a parking lot. Admittedly the traffic got better controlled in 2015 in comparison to 2014 for the "Fantasy of Lights" event. Nevertheless Highland Oaks got impacted with more traffic over the year. The development of North 40 will add significantly traffic to the and from the freeway to the neighborhood. 270 Or 360 home units as planned for the first stage of the developments add between 540 and 720 cars. It has to be taken into consideration that noise and air pollution will increase. It was almost comical to hear that the EIR does not see a significant impact as we already have the overcrowding traffic in summer and during Christmas season The North 40 development shall look and feel like Los Gatos . The hearing convinced me to the contrary. We have in Highland Oaks single story or maximum two story homes. The North 40 development on the other side of Lark Avenue w ith the poles won't look and feel like Los Gatos . It is a three-story development in large parts with heights up to 51 feet as explained in the hearing. This plan creates more a Santana Row feeling. Therefore it blocks the hillside view. The multi level buildings also might impact the airflow from the mountains with the cooling air at night . This can have a potential impact on the microclimate i n Lo s Gatos . The space for trees and open spaces include even the smallest green areas like little strips at Lark Avenue and between parking areas as shown in the model at the entrance of Town Council Chambers facility. It is a fact that density of the buildings and the height create a h igher density than anywhere else in the town in a residential area . I cannot follow the argument that this development is by any means in line with the look and feel of Los Gatos with hillside view and rural areas . The school issue has been discussed i n great detail and I have not seen a convincing plan that would mitigate the impact on the town of Los Gatos. The planning department did not allow me two years ago a second story in the Highland Oaks area but now let a developer present a plan that allows in 300 feet distance a multi story development. Is this a consistent plan? I like to p r opose with all descent respect that the plan needs to be drastically changed with single homes, winded streets and open space with a park feel ing to reflect the neighborhood and the heritage of the last orchard in Los Gatos. I ask the town council and the plann i ng to consider all the factors brought forward. You might call for a vote from the town citizens to allow a democratic decision about the plan. Best regards, Joerg M. Borchert On Apr 9, 2016, at 1: 15 PM, Sara Fishersmith <sarafishersmith@gmail.com> wrote: It is difficult to believe that the planning department has OK'd development on what is being called "L.G. 40". Adding three hundred housing units plus commercial to the north end of town is, only in my opinion, unconscionable. Seriously. If this plan actually goes through those who will live there and visit will not all stay at the north end oftown. So that could mean-let's see-for every housing unit count two cars which equals over Six HUNDRED ADDITIONAL CARS. Plus the looky-looz who visit the commercial establishments. How many cars would that add? Did any of you try traveling into the middle of town last summer? Along Los Gatos Boulevard? Along Highway 9? Along University A venue? Main Street? Does anyone remember the BEACH TRAFFIC bottle necks? Does anyone remember the police putting up ROAD BLOCKS for the adjacent neighborhoods? The signs on Highway 17 that read now beach traffic. Does anyone from the Mayor's office, the vice mayor, any of the council members and the planning commission actually LNE IN LOS GATOS???????????????? EVER DINE OR SHOP IN LOS GATOS??????????? Because if YOU DID you would know the town is already reaching maximum capacity for parking, etcetera-which is in direct correlation with people who live, work and visit here. If it is revenue you all are after, I would suggest that someone review how and where the revenue is being spent and cut out the wasteful. Because the revenue the town will get from this L. G. 40 project has the very serious prospect for turning the once "quaint" town of Los Gatos into a VERY REAL NIGHTMARE. 'Course, maybe I don't know what I'm talking about. Won't be the first time and it's not gonna be the last. But I can see the orange rick-rack from the freeway and I know something just ain't right. On Apr 9 , 2016, at 1:39PM, Emma Cohan <emmacohan@email.arizona.edu> wrote: Hello, My name is Emma Cohan and I was born and raised in Los Gatos. I am now in college but it really breaks my heart seeing all these changes being made in my hometown. Los Gatos is supposed to be a friendly, family orientated town. NOT city. I would hate to come home and see how everything has changed. Traffic is already out of control and approving more of this plan will only make it 1 Ox worse. I do not think developers who are from cities with no sense of towns like Los Gatos should come into our town and make these city changes. Los Gatos should be a place you feel safe in and want to raise a family. I want to raise my family there someday. Please listen to the people and do whats right for the residents. Not whats right for business. Thank you for listening, Emma Cohan On Apr 10, 2016, at 1:54PM, BSpector <BSpector@losgatosca.gov> wrote: Those interested in being placed on interest lists for residential units should contact: Market Rate Units: Summerhill Homes at asalum@shhousinqgroup.com or call (925) 244 -7536 Low Income Senior Units: Eden Housing at (510) 582-1460 Laurel, I just saw the above on the town website. I have never seen the town promote home sales for any developer . Is the Council aware of this? I would ask that you advise them as soon as possible. Thank you. On Apr 9, 2016, at 2 :05PM, gbameslaw@comcast.net wrote: The North Forty, A frighteningly horrifying plan: 1. Retail shops in Los Gatos, the REAL town, are already hurting. This will make it even harder to get in and out of there and will probably take more business from them. 2 . This will be the final death knell to the "small town charm". 3. What was the point of the City Plan, which took about 10 years to formulate and was thoroughly thought through, since it is in no way being followed . 4 . Occasionally one of the lights on Lark Avenue malfunctions, causing at least one of the intersections to become a 4-way stop. The other day traffic was snarled for about two hours. Wait until all the traffic from the North Forty and the rest ofNetflix are added to the mix. It appears that EIR's are formulated by some mis-programmed robots . And ifthe most recent one is from 2010, it is NOT recent enough. 5. Right now it can take THREE changes of lights to get through the intersection at Samaritan Drive and Los Gatos Blvd. I can't believe how long it takes to get to appointments. And God Forbid anyone should have a medical emergency. 6. Have you actually LOOKED at those story poles, from ALL angles? How can you possibly even THINK about approving the project?! 7. And then there are the overcrowded schools. You need a crow bar to squeeze in another kid. A former Town Council member told me, "The schools ' problems are the schools ' problems. Our job is to "grow the town." I love that ''Not my Problem" attitude, especially when it's directed toward our children. I thought when that mob was finally out of office maybe some sanity would be restored. I guess not. Another town council member of that same group once said, at a council meeting, that we should have (whatever they were discussing) so we could be more like Cupertino . REALLY? Does anyone actually want to be like Cupertino? Where 's the downtown·? Where 's the small town feeling? Other than shopping centers, strip malls, traffic-jammed streets and housing developments, what IS there in Cupertino and why would ANYONE want to strive to be like that megapolitan mess? For heaven's sake, Why are we putting up a fake "downtown" when we have a REAL one; one that we are treating quite badly by being irresponsible and non -supportive. Judy Marlin 108 Brocastle Way Los Gatos, CA 95032 On Apr 10, 2016, at 2:27 PM, Ben Cortez <benedicto.cortez@grnail.com> wrote: Dear Vice Mayor Sayoc, I am writing to express some of my concerns regarding the North 40 plans. I acknowledge that there is a lot more at play than I understand, such as state regulations, prior commitments etc. However, I do feel that the plan proposed by the developers of North 40 go against the North 40 Vision Statement approved by the town council , and thus the plan should not go through as currently submitted. Below in bold I'm listing the "Guiding Principles" in the vision statement, and below each point I will briefly explain why the proposed plans run counter to this. • The North 40 will look and feel like Los Gatos I am a resident of Los Gatos. I have friends who grew up in, or around Los Gatos. We all agree that the look and feel of the town is akin to a blend of bucolic neighborhoods with memorable craftsman style homes, interspaced with shopping corridors. The proposed plan goes against that bucolic feel by having an undue amount of housing density in the Phase 1 portion. Furthermore, this density is further highlighted by the proposed height of the structures. No where else in Los Gatos would there be that many tall structures in such a small area. It certainly does NOT look and feel like the Los Gatos that exists today. • The North 40 will embrace hillside views, trees and open space As stated in the density of the buildings goes against the very idea of trees and open space. The density and height in no way embraces hillside views. • The North 40 will address the town's residential and/or commercial unmet needs This may be true, but at what cost? If the town has state mandated new residential requirements, which as I understand are solely in terms of units/homes and not bedrooms then I think the developer should aim for the MINIMUM required to satisfy those requirements. And by that I mean not only pure numbers of units but that there should be no three bedroom units. Minimal two bedroom units (and no two bedroom plus den units because those will actually be three bedrooms in disguise). Studios and one bedrooms should be the vast majority of offered units. Furthermore, if senior housing counts towards the state requirements then expand the senior housing numbers and decrease the regular units available. As for unmet commercial needs, with the number of empty storefronts along Los Gatos Blvd and Santa Cruz Blvd, with more places being constructed, I don't think we have any unmet commercial needs. We still have areas (the old Chevrolet dealership) which should be redeveloped rather than the North 40 area to address commercial needs. • The North 40 will minimize or mitigate impacts on town infrastructure, schools and other community services. This is where the developer is most egregious in their violations. If they truly wanted to minimize or mitigate their impact on town infrastructure the plan would be so broad. It can take half of my 25 minute commute just getting from Blossom Manor onto Highway 17 . Adding a few hundred more commuters to the intersection of Lark and Los Gatos Blvd would make the commute even longer. As it stands it already is a bottleneck around commute times and it would only be worse with new residential and commercial traffic. The developers do not seem to be taking this into account enough, and are mainly trying to maximize profit. If they truly wanted to minimize or mitigate the impact on schools then they would divide the housing between the two school elementary school districts. Both districts will tell you that they are already filled. It makes no sense to unduly stress one district unless you're the developer, and want to maximize profit at our expense. They should build the minimum number of housing (again with no 3 bedrooms) as required by the state and spread them between the two school districts. Thank you for your time. Benedicta M . Cortez, MD Pediatric Intensivist Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara M edical Center M arn i M os eley From: Sent: To: Su bj ect: ROBERT ROSS <ross3864@sbcglobal.net> Sunday, April 10, 2016 12:10 AM Marni Moseley North Forty Planned Development A ny deve lopment which increases town population without providing for corresponding increases in town elementary, middle, and high school faciliti es and staffing is not in the best interests of Los Gatos and the Developers proposal should be denied. Bob Ross, resident. 1 \• . '· ' .. . . roWM~GAL~~~~j_:_~~~ \ ~~ APR 11 2016 Deo-.'\ ToeD'<\ Go\.A<\c.\) CLERK DEPARTMENT l ,cJo,..-.:\-\\\::e. \\•e. ide'>--o~ r\o--,hl'\3 ,rno~ D"'i\Ju:_r·1 ./ -~ :1, .._)~\ \ \-)(1 \o c rawd.e ~o-.. \ ~c ha<J~o-~d ~::::> \'v--e.\ '( \o.c.e~.lhe ·· <.:. ~ o f"--\ \'le ~o-d (~ '-'~ G. .. \\~~~ ~ o t.J tb \ ~, o.JQ. oc 't' '\-c\ e Q ~ ~o o.c\~ ~ \\\~\"'~ l..~ 1he.. \Jc\~ ~\d \4ee\),c_., ~'-'~~of\ 1\'l~ \~­ IJ.) (:' r.:"" b e. c-.;·, ~ mo c-<..:. 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I"\\ \ <.~ €:'.\" ~ <::> vj \_ <.> ··, C , , \, <:.1 "> Q;.f e \fE'{'b lJ\.. \ .l wcJ'>\..-(_c.(\\ p \ e \ e :i; \ "\ 0.... \ 3 c 0.... \ be ~o._v-SQ os._, \J o( 1.; \') ~( ~ -:-1.n-~--. l1_ ;: -J r~ (JI~Y\JL Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: WM L. REAGAN <reaganlg@msn.com> Monday, April 11, 2016 1:03 PM Marico Sayoc; Marcia Jensen; Rob Rennie; BSpector; Steven Leonardis Marni Moseley north 40 Town Council Members and Planning Commission Well here's another e-mail to you regarding the North 40. We live at 209 Belmont Ave. in Los Gatos and have had the pleasure of residing here for 42 years, We've seen lots of changes in the town and do not object to change per se. However, we feel strongly that the proposed North 40 development does not look or feel like it belongs in Los Gatos. It's too massive and dense, too modern in style, too square in design. The hillsides will be blocked from views, traffic will be incredibly impacted causing safety issues and the school solution proposed is ridiculous (send the students to Lexington). Here's what we would like you to consider: -Work within the maximums and minimums of the Specific Plan and it's subjective areas -Development in the 22 acres should be phased in over time to see what the impact will be -The Developer should not be able to use the cheapest building design possible. Craftsman, Spanish or Victorian is consistent with the town as well as lots of trees and open space -The housing element should be spread over the entire 40 acres to reduce the impact on traffic and Los Gatos schools -There should be an updated EIR , taking into account all the traffic increases in the last year -The story poles and model should have been presented way before so many decisions were made by the Planning Commission, Council and committees; just as in requirements for individual homes. The planning process on large developments need to be changed The Town Council and Planning Commission should represent the people of the town and our town's integrity, not the Developer and the Yuki family who just want to make a huge profit on this property. This is the way it was during the earthquake. We were very proud of the town then and want to continue to be proud. Thanks for reading this and for all your efforts on behalf of Los Gatos. William and Sally Reagan 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Marni, Lori Ingle <loriingle1@gmail.com> Tuesday, April 12, 2016 1:38 PM Marni Moseley Proposed North 40 Parcel Please reconsider the development of the North 40 parcel to a much more reasonable scale (Single-family detached homes, open space, school, community center, nature center, historic orchard). The height and density of the current development proposal is completely out of sync with our town . I am very concerned about any additional impact to our already overcrowded schools and local roads . I live on Newell Avenue off of Winchester Blvd. The traffic increase in the last few years has been troubling. I do not support the proposed maximum development on the North 40 parcel because I am very concerned that this new development will increase traffic substantially. Regards, Bruce Ingle 156 Newell Aveune Los Gatos 95032 1 M arni M ose ley Fro m: Sent : To : Subject: Susan Lee <susanlewlee@gmail.com> Tuesday , April12, 2016 3:49 PM BSpector; Marice Sayee; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen; Rob Rennie; Marni Moseley North Forty Project Opposition To the Mayor, City Council and City Planners of Los Gatos, I am shocked with the high density of the North Forty project. Now that most of the story poles are up, it is a massive project that will change the feeling of our town of Los Gatos. It will add huge traffic problems both on Lark Ave, Los Gatos Blvd and Winchester, let alone the smaller streets that people will use for short cuts. Every morning we have to contend with the traffic mess on Lark and Winchester due to the influx of workers at Netflix. The additional two buildings on Netflix site and the proposed North Forty project will be overwhelming with the existing traffic lanes. Is it dangerous? You betcha . My husband and I use the Los Gatos Creek trail almost daily. We can barely get in and out of Charter Oaks Drive safely these days with the increase of traffic on Lark i n both directions. And the city is planning to okay this huge proj ect? I would like to see a 30% reduction in size, adding a park and greenery to keep with the feel of the town. Please think of the increase liability and i mpact to our community before accepting the builders final proposa l. Best regards, Susan Lee 15284 Karl Ave Monte Sereno, CA 95030 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: Subject: Michael Glow <glow.mike@gmail.com > Wednesday, April 13, 2016 3:08 PM Please help save our town from massive over development The photo below is of only of "Phase 1" of this huge development. Phase 2 is the "Commercial/Retail/Business" portion, 400,000 square feet of it! Is additional retail development really needed or desired when retail spaces like where Blockbuster Video, Fioli's Hallmark Store, Wolf's Camera, to name a few, have remained vacant for years on end? This additional retail space of this over development is doomed to become a ghost town of tattered stores that typically take over struggling retail strip malls. The density of development will be unprecedented, and with it, unprecedented traffic, unprecedented impact on our schools, and totally disregards the drought and our current water crisis. The current Environmental Impact Report, paid for by the developer, is totally unrealistic, and citizens should demand it be disregarded, and a new one done with realistic impacts on traffic, schools, and water supply. As an example, there are going to be 320 residential units, and the EIR estimates around an additional 150 cars will be added to traffic on Lark A venue and Los Gatos Blvd traffic. Realistically, there will be more than 320 additional cars since most households have more than one car. An additional 500 cars of residents, coming and going daily, in addition to the cars of shoppers, dinners, and delivery trucks coming and going to the commercial/retail area, would come to an estimate of 6000+ cars accessing the area per day is much more realistic. Speak out... insist that the developer is responsible for including the addition of a community school as part of the development. This is an open issue that needs a satisfactory resolution before the project commences. The best available alternative solution to this high priority community concern is to split the 320 residential units being developed between the Los Gatos schools, and Campbell schools. The North 40 is split, almost evenly, 50-50 between the two school districts. However, the plan currently has consolidated 100% of the residential units into the Los Gatos portion of the property, presumably to maximize profits, since Lo s Gatos properties command higher real estate prices. Write the San Jose Mercury News (letters@ mercurynews.com), the Los Gato s Weekly (lgwt@ community- newspapers.com) or (dsparrer@ community-newspapers.com), the Town Planner (Mmosel ey @ los gatos ca.gov ), the Town Manager (lprev etti@losgatosca.gov), the Town Attorney (RSchultz@lo sgatosca.gov), the Mayor and Town Council members ( bspecto r@ losgatosca .gov; msayoc@ losgatosca .gov;sleona rd is@ losgatosca .gov; m jensen@ losgatosca .gov; rre nnie@ losg atosca.gov), and attend the next Town Council meeting, Tuesday, April19, 7:00PM, atthe Town Council Chambers in the Civic Center, and wear orange to show your opposition to the radically dense development of the "North 40". 1 2 From: John Shepardson [mailto:shepardsonlaw@me.com] Sent: Wednesday, April13, 2016 10:59 PM To: BSpector; Marko Sayoc; Steven Leonardis; Rob Rennie ; Marcia Jensen; Laurel Prevetti; Council Subject: N 40 (taking a huge risk with our quality of life} 1 . On average over 200K cars pass thru 17/85 exchange each day. 2. Netflix buildout 485 sq ft. There is a reason for the multi-story garage. 3. Dell buildout. 4. Car wash cars. 5. Cancer center. 6. Expansion of Good Sam . 7. PAMF . 8. Swanson buildout. 9. Bay Club cars. 10. Weekend and summer holiday traffic. 11. San Jose worsening traffic. 12. Some people sitting in traffic will pull off the freeway and hang in theN. 40. 13. A defacto second downtown . 3 arterials, Winchester, can't widen, 171imited widening, LG Blvd. limited widening. Each arterial is connected by one street, Lark. Lark has limited, if any, buildout. Lark clogs up, 3 arterials in turn clog. So yes, we have a state mandate for affordable housing. However, we are loading up 320 residential units and 67K reta il in one of the most congested areas of town. Aren't we taking a HUGE RISK by putting all those units and commercial in a multi-bottleneck area? Santana Row has 3 lanes on each side of Steven Creek. We are betting the quality of life of Los Gatos that it will work now and 10-20 years from now. Isn't it more sensible and prudent to reduce the size and mass of the N. 40 and spread the affordable units in other areas? Balance. Don't clog the funnel points. JS Sent from my iPhone On Apr 14,2016, at 10 :59 AM, Kerry Stivaletti <kerry.stivaletti@ gmail.com> wrote: Good day- Please do something to stop the utter destruction and development in Los Gatos. We certainly cannot need new revenue in this town that much. Once done, we cannot undue this. Please reconsider or put some constraints in place. Come election time, many citizens will remember the votes cast for this development. Thank you , Ms. Kerry Stivaletti 103 Rio Vista Los Gatos, CA 95032 Marni Moseley From: Denise Carey <denise@carey-co.com> Thursday, April 14, 2016 12:58 PM Sent: To: Cc: bspecgtor@losgatosca .gov; Marcia Jensen; Marice Sayoc; rennie@losgatosca .gov; Steven Leonardis Marni Moseley Subject: North 40 and Overdevelopment of Los Gatos April 14, 2016 Subject: North 40 and Overdevelopment of Los Gatos Dear LG Town Council members and Planning Commission, I am writing to voice my opposition to the North 40 project as it is currently conceived. It is far too dense a project to be appropriate for the town of Los Gatos. In addition, I am opposed to the ongoing dense development that is being approved for this town generally, such as Bluebird Lane and Laurel Mews Being a resident for over two decades, I remember a time when Los Gatos was appropriately cautious about large dense developments. For example, developments such as Kennedy Meadows required large lots and a resident-walking trail. The recent trend toward approving huge homes on tiny lots and condo developments on main streets is negatively impacting the quality of life in Los Gatos. Your decisions and developer's greed are destroying the small-town atmosphere that we moved here for. Why are the current town council and planning commission leaders now reversing decades of established planning guidelines for Los Gatos? I am opposed to the North 40 project for the following reasons : • An overwhelming increase in traffic (projected increase of 20,000 vehicle visits per day )beyond the already enormous increase due to the new commercial development on Winchester as well as the escalating gridlock we experience all summer on weekends, with beach traffic on Highway 17. • An overwhelming increase in problems with parking and access to already overburdened shopping areas. • An increase in the number of students being added to the rolls of an already over-burdened Los Gatos School District. • A definite and clearly measurable reduction in the quality of life that our Town's residents most certainly deserve and have enjoyed for generations. I ask you to please immediately re-establish appropriate judgement in evaluating development plans. Single-family homes on larger lots, w ith built in facilities for walking trails, parks, schools, and senior accommodations is all that is appropriate. And, there should be no developments directly on major streets, including Los Gatos Blvd, Main Street, Santa Cruz Ave . and LG-SAR road. If this project is already in process (though I believe you can have the developer cut down the size of it considerably, which I expect you to do), I urge you to make the developer build a light-rail for beach goers across 17, that will also serve as the transportation for students attending Lexington School. At least that way, we will get some win out of this mess . Thank you, 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Hello Ms. Moseley, Shawna Rodgers <smrodgers10@gmail.com> Thursday, April 14, 2016 2:53 PM Marni Moseley North 40 Worries My name is Shawna Rodgers. I was born in Los Gatos Community hospital , 3 years after my older brother who was also born there. My family spent the early part of its life living in Redwood Estates, and moved down the hill after the 1898 Earthquake. I went to school in San Diego, and it wasn't until then I began to appreciate the uniqueness and beauty that is Los Gatos. Seeing the North 40 story poles off Lark A venue as I drive home from work every day breaks my heart. I realize this is a matter of far greater detail than I can hope to understand in this moment, but I implore you to consider the implications of your actions. You have a very unique position in this life to make a difference and to leave a positive mark on the town in which you reside and work. You've acquired a position of power through much effort and hard work. Your voice affects so many people. If you believe that North 40 is in the best humanitarian interests of the town- culture of Los Gatos, I encourage you to share your reasons with the public. I think, more than anything, the public desires honest commentary from its leaders. If, however, you may believe, even just for a moment, that this construction project is a mistake, I encourage you to follow your intuition, even if it may be the unpopular choice among your potential money-driven affiliates. I hope this message finds you in a place of open-heartedness to feedback from your community members. Best Wishes, Shawna Rodgers 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Cathleen Bannon <cathleenbannon@gmail.com> Thursday, April14, 2016 3:19 PM Marni Moseley Outrageous It is absolutely outrageous that The Town of Los Gatos has become an advertiser for the developers of the North 40 on our government website . Never have we seen a town or city advertising for the sale of housing in a private development and especially a development that has NOT BEEN APPROVED . The application/proposal has not been approved and does not comply with the Specific Plan, so why would our town supply sales information? Also, why is the developer marketing their development inside our Town Chambers Hall Thursdays between 11:30 and 12:30? Who is running the show? Remove these advertisements and to get the developer out of our Town Council Chambers for their marketing purposes. This is an outrageous conflict of interest and unethical! You are failing those you represent. Cathleen Bannon 26828 Kennedy rd 1 M arni M oseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Clay Wayman <cwayman8@gmail.com > Thursday, April 14, 2016 6:03 PM Marni Moseley North 40 project As a new member of the Los gatos community I can tell you I moved here because this had the look and feel of a town with proximity to the hustle and bustle . I didn't move here to have our town develop into more of an attraction . It is clear the town is being bought off by this developer. I will not be voting for anyone who is currently holding office the next time around . Clay Wayman 650 823 2191 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Kavitha Hubbard <kav ithamd@gmail.com> Thursday, April14, 2016 9:01 PM BSpector; Marni Moseley North 40 and Shannon Road Development Please stop the overdevelopment of Los Gatos . It's wonderful having open space and le ss traffic compared to other cities in the area. Please keep Los Gatos a town!! Kavitha Hubbard, MD 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: Kay Maurer < kayathome@yahoo.com> Thursday, April 14, 2016 9:29 PM To: Marni Moseley Subject: north 40 Grosvenor's N40 development application does not comply with the Vision and Guiding Principles of the N40 Specific Plan. The monotonous wall of side-by-side condos crammed into a rigid grid of private streets and alleys does not: • look and feel like Los Gatos. • embrace hillside views, trees , and open space . ·address Town's unmet residential and commercial needs . • minimize or mitigate impacts on town infrastructure, schools , and other community services. Re: "mitigate impacts :" On a scale of A-F , the N40 Environmental Impact Report gives Los Gatos Blvd and Lark Ave "E" grades for traffic congestion . (F is total gridlock.) Decision makers should deny the Phase I proposal, and require: • less density • appropriate architecture • views , trees, and open-space greenbelt • affordable housing mixed throughout the development • Vasona and Hacienda Light Rail Stations extension to be complete before any N40 proposal can be approved . The Los Gatos light rail extension will take hundreds of cars off our local streets and highways. This is real traffic mitigation. Light rail stations offer free parking , plus easy pedestrian and bicycle access . Hop on and be at Santa Clara Levi Stadium , in Mountain View, San Jose, or Cal-Train station in 20 minutes . Our Los Gatos Light Rail extension is designed, with completed E.I.R., and shovel-ready plans for one station near the new Netflix building-less than 1 mile from the N40-and another near Kaiser Campbell Medical Center. However, due to reduced gas-tax revenue , VTA lacks the projected $175 million to complete this essential infrastructure project. Transit-oriented developments are a win-win for public health and private enterprise. If I were British billionaire landowner Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, I'd write a check. 1 Marni Moseley From: Sent: To : Cc: Subject: Susanne Moore <susannejmoore@gmail.com> Friday, April 15, 2016 11:02 AM Marni Moseley Laurel Prevetti; rschultz@losgaotsca.gov; BSpector; Marico Sayoc; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen ; Rob Rennie North 40 and Shannon Road Developement We moved to Los Gatos 41 years ago, for the Schools and Quality of Life. We are very concerned about the development of the North 40 and the comer of Shannon Road and Los Gatos Blvd. Traffic has become a real issue, there are times during the day or week, that it is impossible to get uptown to the Library, Post Office, Doctors, Dentists and local stores. Please read again the letter in the April 8th Los Gatos Weekly from Eric Carlson and consider his suggestions for the North 40, including his suggestion of forgetting the density bonus. We are also in agreement with the concern about water. How can you approve these plans when we are all asked to conserve water? The story poles and the model of the proposed North 40, make it clear that this proposal clearly does not reflect the North 40 Vision Statement approved by the Los Gatos Town Council. Our Schools and Quality of Life are in jeopardy. We say NO to the North 40 as proposed. We say keep the zoning of the Shannon Road and Los Gatos Blvd. property as is, Commercial. Do not change it to Residential. Arnold and Susanne Moore 107 Wollin Way 1 M arni Mose ley From: Sent: To: Subject: I mportance: Marni Moseley, David Smith <dsmith@vormetric.com> Friday, April15, 2016 12:35 PM Marni Moseley To Marni Moseley, a resident of LG High I am responding North 40 project. As a current resident and tax payer, I am a bit concerned about what city council may or may not be doing in relations with the developers. I understand that the developers have a right to expand upon the property and provide an income to its investors . But please ensure that you are double checking the numbers on what is being provide to you by the developers and please ensure it's in accordance to the peoples expectations. For example, please expect ever condo/townhouse/house constructed will have at least 1 child (possible more) attending the public schools. Any mathematical "formula" less than this number is a mistake on the council part. School are a key factor to select L.G. for residence and thus paying a premium on the associated housing costs; don't be na·ive about what others outside of the current residence may tell you . On another note, currently the exit on Lark Ave has gotten worse. Any thoughts about expanding the lanes at this off ramp with the assistance of the developers. The new development will cause a backup of traffic near Lark and will need to get resolved, as this is the exit of choice for North 40. I would like to know your thoughts and if this has ever been addressed? Thank you for your time and response, Dave Smith 1 Planning From: Sent: To: Subject: Marcia Fariss <marcia@gizmology.com> Friday, April 15, 2016 5:13 PM Council; Planning North 40 development Dear Mayor Spector, Fellow City Council members and Planning Commission members, I have driven by the North 40 property multiple times and seen the story poles in place from various perspectives . I am appalled! This is a huge piece of property and and the current proposal for development of this area will destroy what was once a wonderful , charming town . My initial response was "Oh no, what are they thinking?" The current design is massive, dense, and not at all in keeping with the once cozy ambiance of Los Gatos. I remember the charm of Los Gatos when we lived there several years ago; I cannot help but shake my head in wonder with what has happened to it. There are already too many high density "stack n ' pack" developments and adding another, massive one is unconscionable. Traffic, already a major stress inducer, will likely be gridlocked along Hwys 17 and 85, Lark Avenue and Los Gatos Blvd (as well as surrounding roads, with drivers attempting to avoid the major throughways) and not just during commute times . Other issues include: Over crowded classrooms, wear and tear on existing and new infrastructure, increased noise levels and a serious deterioration of Los Gatos' quality of life. And what about parks and /or open space? I saw none planned! Is Los Gatos so desperate for money that it needs such a massive and intense development? We used to love Los Gatos and it 's small town charm; however, it is rapidly becoming just another city, with little or no charm, a sterile atmosphere with too much traffic congestion. Please do not approve this massive, intense, high density development as currently presented. At the very least, demand less intensity and a large open space. And , please don't allow another non-descript "Mediterranean architecture" development. Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider my concerns about the North 40 project. Marcia Fariss Saratoga 1 15 APRIL 2016 Marni Moseley Assistant Planner Town of Los Gatos Dear Ms. Moseley, I write to you this morning to express my dismay about the North 40 development plan currently under review. I have grave concerns that it will fundamentally alter our wonderful community and impact us negatively in a variety of ways. The housing density itself is unprecedented in this community, and I fear the crippling effects it would have on traffic and parking, especially at northeast end of town. As a physician who travels back and forth to Good Samaritan Hospital and El Camino Hospital (Los Gatos), my ability to get to and from these facilities efficiently and care for my patients will be compromised. Furthermore, I believe patients will suffer simply because ambulances will be delayed in transporting acutely ill individuals to both emergency departments. As a parent of small children I also fear the effects this proposal would have on our overburden schools. With class sizes rising and teachers already being stretched, we simply cannot afford to add this amount of housing density and expect our school districts to cope. Any reasonable person can see that North 40 is a thinly veiled attempt for developers to maximize profits by overdeveloping a beautiful piece of land in a manner that is no way consistent with our town or its culture. Sincerely, a concerned resident and community member Zachary Edmonds, MD, MBA 249 Vista Del Monte Los Gatos, CA 95030 z_edmQild~@_$J~JtJ.Qrd .~du 650-722-1879 cc: Los Gatos Weekly San jose Mercury News This Page Intentionally Left Blank Marni Moseley From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear Marni, Las Astas <lasastas@gmail.com> Saturday, April 16, 2016 7:54 AM Marni Moseley Los Gatos Resident Concern -North40 Development As a long time resident of Los Gatos, a parent to two children in the Los Gatos School district and active member of the community, I am writing the Los Gatos Town Planning Committee to express concern over the scale and impacts of the the proposed North 40 project and propose constructive considerations I solutions. My family resides in the Vasona neighborhood that is accessed through Lark Ave. Our street is filled with young families with kids who play in the neighborhood streets and attend Blossom Hill Elementary school. There are 3 areas of community concern over the proposed North40 development plan : 1. PUBLIC SAFETY. The size of the proposed North40 development will undoubtedly bring significant traffic to Lark Ave, a street that serves as the only accessible route to Hwy 17. In the past 8 years, we have witnessed frequent automobile accidents on Lark Ave., including several fatal collisions with bicyclists and other drivers. Lark Ave regularly deals with speeding problems due to downward slopes on both ends of the street which essentially makes vehicles travel even faster when passing the main roads in the middle of the avenue that contain many single family residences. With traffic and speed risk already creating incomprehensible delays and danger for residents, we would request more emphasis on : (1) creating more stop lights on streets that connect to Lark like Arroyo Grande to automate and more efficiently move traffic at safe speeds and (2) Reduction in scale of North 40 population density to maintain more reasonable impacts to the total amount of incremental traffic and reduction to safety risks of having so many incremental vehicles impacting the adjacent neighborhoods. 2. NEGATIVE IMPACTS TO ALREADY OVERLY CROWDED SCHOOLS. Schools are one of Los Gatos' most prized motivations for residents to join and stay a part of our wonderful community. As parents of young school age children, we are concerned over North40's impact and developers inadequate proposal to "mitigate" impacts to schools. Once a new high density construction is completed, the durable and long term impacts to our schools will permanently settle in for residents (long after developers have left). As residents of impacted schools like Blossom Hill Elementary, we already have to deal with incredible stress and complex filing procedures to ensure our kids can attend their nearest local school rather than being sent to another school in the district further away from our primary residences. In an ever demanding economy, we parents yearn to save every precious minute in the day to maximize our time with our children and families. North40 violates this fundamental principle by placing undue burdens on existing residents who would risk children having to attend a schools further away due to existing overcrowded (impacted) conditions--diminishing the very fundamental convenience and family need to save time in order to do the everyday work of raising families that collectively contribute to our Los Gatos community. On behalf of residents, please implore the North40 development to: (1) redefine a long term viable schooling solution that helps solve a fundamental issue : impacted schools--basic renovations to existing schools is insufficient and inadequate in size and scope as a solution when compared against the level of traffic of new students that North 40 will add. (2) Require the North40 to open a new school campus as a requirement before granting rights to develop phase 2. By sequencing and conditioning development of North40 with the development of a new school campus, both the town (representing its residents) and developers have aligned incentives and interests over a longer period oftime --with 1 properly designed incentives both parties will have flexibility to assess, evaluate and adjust for learnings. For example, if phase 1 of North40 brings in more residents with school age children than was planned for the entirety of the project development in both Phases of construction, then the town can at least control/influence the use of space in the second phase of development (I.e. Zone for more commercial and not more residential property which would even further impact schools, or require larger renovations or building a new neighborhood school if necessary to address underestimated student traffic in phase 1) 3. PRESERVING OUR UNIQUE TOWN CHARACTER . When driving and walking past the construction flags and poles marking the North40 proposal, the height, scale and size of the north40 buildings proposed obstruct the beautiful greenery and hills that make this town's local small community character so unique. Adding more dense multi story housing and commercial property in a town where our Main Street and downtown are limited to 2 story complexes is grossly inconsistent with the town's practice of enforcing and preserving the "character" of the neighborhood in approving any new projects. I would request that the town remain and act consistently with its long established practice of preserving the small town character by mandating reductions to the height and density of North 40 plans. While I fully appreciate the realistic financial needs that a project like North 40 helps contribute to our town, my letter is intended to voice a common concern from many families in our adjacent Vasona neighborhood --we understand North40 is an important development opportunity for Los Gatos , but we implore our town officials to serve as our voice to keep our neighborhoods safe, our schools great, and our town as charming as we all believe it can remain ... starting w ith a reduction in size and a reevaluation of school solutions before approving final plans . Thank you for your time and thoughtful consideration . Regard s, Andrew Sun (Los Gatos Resident) 2 From: Barry & Elina Wong <bnewong@verizon.net> Date: April17, 2016 at 2:26:56 PM PDT To: <bspector@losgatosca.gov>, <"rrennie "@losgatosca.gov>, <mjensen@losgatosca.gov>, <sleonardis@los gatosca. gov>, <msayoc@losgatosca. gov >, <lprevetti@losgatosca. gov>, <rschultz@losgatosca. gov> Subject: North 40 Development Concerns/Comments Dear Los Gatos City Council and Planning Commission we•ve been long term residents of the Blossom Manor neighborhood. Our kids have gone to Los Gatos schools. we•ve seen the huge increases in student enrollments, especially at Fisher and Los Gatos High in recent years. Those schools are bursting at the seams! We can•t accommodate any more additional kids without losing the quality of education. As the quality of the education is what draws people to Los Gatos schools, this continued uncontrolled enrollment is not sustainable. It will certainly detract from the main draw as well as impact housing value. Certainly important considerations to all of Los Gatos home owners. Please stop these new housing developments that also increase student enrollments! Furthermore, the new proposed development at North 40 will have a dramatic impact on already overcrowded middle and high schools. As you•re well aware, there is only ONE middle school in town, and only ONE high school in town. I saw commentary on the North 40 website which mentions a potential addition of an elementary school to "mitigate" overcrowding. However, these huge numbers of new residential units will undoubtedly bring a large number of new students who will not only be elementary school students but middle and high school students as well. Whoever made those responses to provide an elementary school is woefully shortsighted with regard to middle and high school impact. Will the developer also pay for building and staffing another middle school and high school? If not, it's quite obvious that school overcrowding will become unbearable. The high school is already restricting access to courses due to lack of capacity. For example, AP Computer Science course used to be open to all comers, now it•s restricted to juniors and seniors. I expect with continued enrollment and interest by Silicon Valley students/parents, additional classes will have enrollment impacts and restrictions. Morning traffic and afternoon pickup traffic to Los Gatos high is already quite a headache. Additional commuters from the North 40 development families will add to already congested Los Gatos Blvd/University/Main traffic. I see no mitigation plan nor additional ways to alleviate that type of additional traffic, given the existing lanes on the roads. Furthermore, Los Gatos Blvd is already a huge issue, especially going in to Blossom Hill during morning drop off and afternoon pickup. The section around Good Samaritan, by HWY 85 , starting at around Lark is quite congested already in the morning and afternoon. Adding North 40 commuters, and not just a few, but an additional 300+ houses which potentially mean 600 + additional cars on top of retail traffic will just look like a huge grid lock. I don•t see any mitigation that will truly address this issue in any of the developer•s plans/comments. Finally, but equally important, we are concerned with the density and potential crime that will bring to our little town. We don't mind going to Santana Row as a shopper when the crowds are light, but I really don't think any of Los Gatos residents will be happy having to deal with the Santana RowN alley Fair traffic on the weekend in addition to the beach traffic. Creating Santana Row part II here via North 40's proposed density and retail will truly take away from the look and feel of Los Gatos. Additional crowds also tend to bring with it the potential crime that's associated. We like our little town to keep its character. This density will make Los Gatos feel rather like Cupertino, and not Los Gatos anymore. The proposed height of the buildings will block our views of the hills, creating an urban environment in the middle of idyllic Los Gatos. Please keep our Los Gatos the gem it is in the Valley instead of another overbuilt dense urban jungle. Thank you for giving serious consideration to our concerns. Elina & Barry Wong Cherry Blossom Lane Blossom Manor Los Gatos