Attachment 6 - Additional Public Comment ATTACHMENT 6
From: Jim Foley
Sent: Friday, April 16, 2021 11:50 AM
To: Council <Council@losgatosca.gov>
Cc: Clerk <Clerk@losgatosca.gov>; Catherine Somers; Andrea Romano; Sue Farwell; Joe Pirzynski; Brian
Bernasconi; Kevin Youkilis
Subject: Funding for Parklet Program and ARPA funds
Dear Honorable Mayor and Esteemed Council Members,
We would like to request you reconsider the proposal made by the Chamber of Commerce at the April
6th Town Council Meeting. We have made a few adjustments and clarifications to the request. Needless
to say, there was a lot happening that night, so the Chamber would like to propose that at the Town
Council Meeting next Tuesday night, April 20, when discussing the Parklet Program, you reconsider our
requests that may not have gotten enough attention or discussion that evening.
As we understand the funding parameters, we fully support that you decided to use a portion of the
ARPA funds to balance the 2020-21 budget in the estimated amount of $3.2 million and to waive the
rent for NUMU and the Los Gatos Saratoga Recreation Center and to mitigate some of the financial
challenges facing a few of your non-profit partners. But even after you have fulfilled those identified
needs, there are still additional funds to invest more into the recovery efforts we have outlined.
We want to modify our request to fund the parklet program from the remaining balance of the Town of
Los Gatos Recovery fund that was allocated last year from the streetscape fund. In recent conversations
it has become clear that a streetscape masterplan is 7-10 years away. The downtown could not handle a
project such as that at this time anyway since the businesses need to recover over the next 12-24
months before any further major disruption. There is still in the neighborhood of $1.5MM in the fund
that we suggest using for the grant structure for parklets described below. The money from the fund
that was previously spent on temporary parklets and emergency recovery efforts was the one of the
best uses of money ever seen in this Town. In fact, that investment saved our Town as we navigated our
way through this global pandemic. Since this money was originally intended for downtown
improvements and streetscape, reallocating it to be used for parklets that will enhance the downtown is
logical.
All of the businesses in the downtown agree that the parklets have revitalized downtown and draw
visitors that spend money at all of the businesses, not just the restaurants that are operating them. We
cannot afford to make a mistake here or waste any valuable time, this is the fastest way to get a vibrant
new streetscape downtown that will benefit Los Gatos as a whole.
Our revised proposal:
1. Invest in the construction of parklets on No. Santa Cruz Ave. and Main Street in the
downtown core of Los Gatos. Subsidize 75% of construction costs for each participating
restaurant, up to a maximum of $40K.
2. Provide the $2500 allowances to each business with a temporary parklet that complied
early on with the Town’s ADA requirements during Covid and made the Town safe and
accessible for all.
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3. Confirm the grants for the semi-permanent parklets will be retroactive, to include the
pioneers of the program that spent private money on the original five parklets. This laid the
groundwork for the program and paved the way for everyone else to embrace the
opportunity.
4. Set aside funding for additional outdoor dining improvements for restaurants that are
unable to participate in the semi-permanent parklet program for various reasons (physical
constraint, landlord cooperation, etc).
This proposal is fairly simple and will scale better than any other investment you can make at this time.
The success, and frankly the broad introduction of outdoor dining in Los Gatos was the silver lining of
the COVID- 19 crisis.
By investing the 75% per parklet, the Town gets:
1. Buy in and enthusiasm from the restaurants and the community. Without this investment,
the restaurants will not be able to pull this off due to the fact that they are still just getting
back on their feet financially.
2. “Skin in the Game.” The Restaurant owners will still have to come up with a portion of the
investment, indicating their commitment to making it a success. They also have the burden
of furnishing and maintaining the parklet above and beyond the hard costs being discussed.
3. With the assistance of the Chamber of Commerce, we get these projects done efficiently
and by the end of this year. We may be able to get a lot of it done in the next few months
since the restaurants will work with private contractors, and potentially the contractors that
have already built parklets.
4. The Town already has streamlined the architectural, engineering, and permitting process
so this program is on the shelf and ready to go. This maintains consistency for a first class
look downtown as opposed to the existing cornucopia of designs. Alternatively, the
businesses will implore you to keep the controversial and not attractive k-rails and tents in
place for another 18-24 months as they recover.
When the time comes in five to seven years, the Town will be ready to fully “reimagine” the streetscape
and do it the way it was meant to be done. We cannot afford to do that now for the reasons stated
above. At some point though, we will have to embark on that major project. With the Town investment
in the parklets between now and then, there is a greater partnership that is advantageous when it
comes to repairs, utility issues beneath the parklets, and ultimately how the streetscape master plan
unfolds.
Other proposed uses for the ARPA funds:
1. Events. We have to organize a few top tier events this summer and next fall. Please help us
in this endeavor. The Chamber is offering up staff to help with facilitation. The Chamber will
also solicit sponsorships to help offset Town’s investment. The Chamber has weathered the
pandemic storm, but does not have the money to invest what is necessary into the events
that need to happen. See special event permits for Thursday Promenades – with a No. Santa
Cruz Ave street closure, music and security, etc. Also, see proposal for Picnic in the Parks
“Celebrate Home”. Please consider some of our DEI projects and an investment into cultural
celebrations and street art of all kinds to make for a more welcoming and inclusive
community. And last, but not at all least, our Los Gatos in Lights was a huge success last year
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despite the shelter in place order. Let’s celebrate those lights in 2021. The Chamber has
rough budgets to share for all of these efforts.
2. Needs outside of downtown. While downtown is a major draw for Los Gatos and its identity
as a whole, and all areas of the Town benefit from the commerce driven by the visitors
attracted by downtown, there are other needs for other areas of Town. We are working to
identify what those may be and agree that some funds should be set aside for consistent
messaging, improvements, beautification, signage, etc. that unifies the entire Town. We
support any other specific requests coming from areas outside of downtown that support
the overall unified recovery efforts.
We appreciate you taking the time to reconsider our requests.
Jim Foley
Director/Chair
Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce Board/Subcommittee on Legislative Affairs & Economic Vitality
CC:
Catherine Somers
Andrea Romano
Sue Farwell
Joe Pirzynski
Brian Bernasconi
Kevin Youkilis
Jim Foley
Principal
DRE # 01841825
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