Item 06 - Twin Oaks Dr - Desk Item and Exhibits 2-3•
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF REPORT
Meeting Date: September 9, 2015
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ITEM NO: 6
DESK ITEM
PREPARED BY :
APPLICATION NO:
SUBJECT:
LOCATION:
Marni F. Moseley AICP , Associate Planner
MMoseley@ losgatosca.gov
Planned Development PD-1 0-006
Env ironmental Impact Report EIR 14-00 1
General Plan Amendment GP-12-001
Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for Twin Oaks Drive PD
The 17 -acre site is bounded by Twin Oaks Drive, Cerro Vista Court,
and Brooke Acres Drive. Primary access to the site is from Twin Oaks
Drive. Assessor Parcel Number 532-16-006 .
PROJECT SUMMARY: Requesting of a General Plan Amendment from Agriculture to Hillside
Residential and property rezoning from RC to HR: 1 :PO for a ten-lot
single-family subdivision.
RECOMMENDATION: Open and hold a public hearing to allow the public to provide verbal
comments on the Draft EIR.
EXHIBITS: Received under a separate cover
1. DEIR
Received with this report
2. Request for continuance, received September 2 , 2015 (one page)
3. Letter from neighbor, received September 8, 2015 (two pages)
REMARKS:
Staff received the attached correspondence (Exhibit 2 and 3) after the staff report was finali zed.
While the Commission can consider a continuance of the comment hearing, state law requires
that all comments on the DEIR be received within the required 45 day comment period, which
ends October 9, 2015 ; the public hearing must be held within the public comment period.
Comments on the DEIR and responses to those comments will be provided in the final EIR,
which will be provided to the Commission, Town Council, and the public prior to consideration
of the proposed project.
Planning Commission Staff Report -Page 2
Twin Oaks/Surrey Farms PD Draft Environmental Impact Report
September 9, 20 15
Prepared by:
Marni F. Moseley, AI
Associate Planner
LRP:MFM:cg
N :\DEV\PC REPORTS\20 15\Twin OaksDEIR-DESK.docx
f,i;o&b(c~ r
Laurel R. Prevettl
Town Manager/ Community Development
Director
From : Jill Fordyce [mailto :jafordyce@aol.com]
5ent: Wednesday, September 02, 2015 3:47PM
To: Planning
Cc: dbmooney@d c n.org; craig.fordyce@colliers.com; wmeleyco @comcast.net; kmeleyco @comcast.net;
jon@westernstatesglass.com; marshmelol@gmail .com; mark@weiner-family.net; briggsz oo@gmail.com
Subject: Request for Continuance of September 9 Meeting Regarding Twin Oaks Drive Draft EIR
Dear Planning Commission ,
We are writing to request that the public hearing regarding the Twin Oaks Drive Proposed Development
Draft EIR currently scheduled for September 9 be continued to a later date so as to accommodate
meaningful review by and valuable input from the public .
The Draft EIR is a 717 page document. We received a ten-day notice of this hearing, wh ich includes the
Labor Day weekend .
We believe a continuance of at least ninety days is necessary to allow the public to have a reasonable
amount of time to review and consider this document.
Additional time is also necessary to notify all interested parties . Any new development in Los
Gatos has the potential to gravely affect our community as a whole, not just the
surrounding neighborhoods, and this requires wider notification of the hearing date.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Jill & Craig Fordyce (Longmeadow Drive)
Jon & Marsha Witkin (Twin Oaks Drive)
Bill & Kathy Meleyco (Longmeadow Drive)
EXHIBIT 2
This Page
Intentionally
Left Blank
September 8, 2015
SUBJECT: AGENDA ITEM 6-SURREY FARM ESTATES PLANNING DEVELOPMENT
Dear Members of the Planning Commission:
RECEIVED
SEP 0 8 2015
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING DIVISION
I am writing in reference to the Draft EIR for the Surrey Farm Estates {Planned Development D-1-006). I
strongly oppose this PD and find that the Draft EIR makes statements that are untrue. Even if you
ultimately approve the EIR, I believe you should reject the project because of the false conclusions
drawn in the DEIR.
Below are just a few of my issues with the DEIR .
VIOLATION OF GENERAL PLAN GOALS AND POLICY
This project would clearly violate these parts of the General Plan:
Goal OSP -2 To preserve open space in hillside areas as natural open space.
Goal OSP-2.1 Preserve the natural open space character of hillside lands, including natural
topography, natural vegetation, wildlife habits and migration corridors, and viewsheds.
Goal OSP-5 To create and maintain open space areas and parks that enhance and blend
into existing natural habitats, residential neighborhoods, and other Town features .
Policy OSP-5 .1 Maintain the Town's high standards for landscaping and tree preservation,
helping to maintain cohesiveness between existing neighborhoods and surrounding open
space areas and reducing disturbances to adjacent natural habitats.
The project would utilize roughly 81% of the site, destroying the beauty of the hillside area. Leaving only
3.32 acres as open space on a 17.55 acre site clearly violates the General Plan mandate to preserve open
space on our hillsides. Relocating trees and other landscape features cannot be considered adequate
preservation measures. The DEIR falsely concludes that leaving 3.32 acres for open space on the site
should satisfy Town Plan goals and policy.
AESTHETICS
The DEIR finds no aesthetic issues with the PD. I believe most Los Gatos residents would strongly
disagree. This property is close to my home and I have enjoyed it as I drive past for all the 31 years
during which I've been a Los Gatos resident. The findings under Aesthetics are certainly subjective and
don't align with this resident's opinion. The DEIR writers in all likelihood don't live in Los Gatos and don't
drive by this beautiful open space area on a regular basis as do many residents. The development
would in fact:
• Substantially impact scenic vistas
• Substantially damage scenic resources
• Substantially degrade the vi sual character of the site and its surroundings
TRAFFIC
EXHIBIT 3
Again, the traffic impact of 10 residences may not be significant in and of itself but must be considered
part of the drip-drip-drip of increased traffic that is clearly harming our Town . In 2011, the LOS at
Kennedy and Los Gatos Boulevard was already a D. It is unlikely that there has been any improvement
since then . New development at this site can only make matters worse.
This project will reduce the "unique sense of place" that the Town General Plan is supposed to protect.
It clearly disrespects the Longmeadow neighborhood, which was built with the understanding that the
Open Space it backs up on would remain untouched. And it clearly disrespects the Town in general,
which needs to retain its current, dwindling open space areas.
If you approve the EIR, please be aware of its limitations in relation to respecting aesthetic, traffic, and
the goals of the General Plan.
Sincerely,
Barbara Dodson
239 Marchmont Drive, Los Gatos