Desk Item - General Plan Joint Study Session
PREPARED BY: Jennifer Armer, AICP
Interim Planning Manager
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, and Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
STUDY SESSION AGENDA
MEETING DATE: 09/20/2021 ITEM NO: 1 DESK ITEM
DATE: September 20, 2021
TO: Mayor, Town Council, and Planning Commission
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Joint Town Council and Planning Commission Study Session regarding the
Draft 2040 General Plan
REMARKS:
Attachment 6 contains public comments received between 11:01 a.m. on Thursday, September
16, 2021, and 11:00 a.m. Monday, September 20, 2021.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachments previously provided:
1. Draft 2040 General Plan (available online here: http://losgatos2040.com/documents.html)
Attachments previously received with September 20, 2021 Staff Report:
2. GPAC Recommended Changes to the Vision and Guiding Principles
3. Housing Element Annual Progress Report
4. Santa Clara County RHNA Allocations
5. Public Comments received by 11:00 a.m. on September 16, 2021
Attachments received with this Desk Item:
6. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m. on Thursday, September 16, 2021, and
11:00 a.m. Monday, September 20, 2021
This Page Intentionally Left Blank
ATTACHMENT 6
From: vacarpio
Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2021 1:27 PM
To: Jennifer Armer
Subject: Plant Based Nutrition Education in the Town's 2040 General Plan
Hello, Jennifer,
I am a resident of Los Gatos and I am writing to express my support for funding a plant-based education
program (including speakers, videos, vegfests, cooking and nutrition classes, etc,) in the Town's 2040
General Plan.
I am 82 years old and a very healthy resident of Los Gatos since 1974. I am not a vegetarian or vegan but
I do eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and consume far less meat than I used to. Why? It's because I
concluded several years ago that obesity and malnutrition are all around me, not from lack of food but
from lack of understanding what plant based nutrition is and therefore eating improperly, I see many
overweight children and adults streaming out of MacDonald's and Costco munching on hot dogs and
chips and practically begging for a stroke or heart attack. To their credit, both these food outlets began
offering healthy salads and low carbohydrate selections several years ago; but I am sure that they sell
far more french fries than salads.
The other concern I have is connected to climate change and global warming partially resulting from
raising so many livestock and using toxic chemicals to produce perfect produce. By being part of the
overall effort to promote more plant based awareness, our residents will benefit with healthier eating
preferences and, in turn, help our planet reduce its environmental damage.
There are many lovely children growing up in my neighborhood and my wish for them is to become
healthy adults; and to appreciate, as I do, their wonderful Town and the efforts of its leadership to
support good health in our community.
Thanks,
Virginia Carpio
On 9/18/21, 7:17 PM, "Sonny Stearns" wrote:
Sent from my iPad. I imagine a general plan can be updated. Get beyond not wanting 17 widened in
Los Gatos. If that were widened with another lane , for us who live in Los Gatos life would be improved
on the weekends. Also, let’s quit with the WOKE banners, look ,listen, change , bla, bla. I’ll choose my
own philosophy. Just put up Leo and Liona. These new ones are offensive. Fellow Stearns, DDS.
From: Matthew Benson
Sent: Saturday, September 18, 2021 7:53 PM
To: GP2040 <GP2040@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: consider restoration of santa cruz - los gatos railway
Hello!
I have reviewed the 2040 plan and have a suggestion.
I have lived in Los Gatos since i was born in 1999, And over the past 2 decades I have seen a
considerable increase in traffic generated from highway 17.
A possible solution would be to rebuild the railway between los gatos and santa cruz as a mixed use
freight and public transit project that will benefit all residents.
If we actually care about the environment trains are the way to go. they are by far the most energy
efficient terrestrial transportation method.
asphault, tires, batteries, and lower electric car and truck lifespan will create greater pollution in the
environment. everyday you can see 30+ year old gas cars still in use, compared to modern electric teslas
which can't last 5 years because of impossible to service/expensive (and toxic) electronics totalling the
vehicle.
a typical train line can carry 50,000 people per hour compared to 2,500 people in a single freeway lane!
train wheels and tracks are made of non-toxic steel compared to asphalt and tires. 1 train engine can
replace hundreds of electric and gas vehicles, not only lowering manufacturing and running pollution,
but also opening our local roads for more bikes and pedestrians.
I look forward to seeing how our community develops over the next 2 decades!
sincerely,
Matt Benson
From: tony alarcon
Date: Saturday, September 18, 2021 at 8:44 PM
To: Matthew Hudes
Subject: Re: Shaping the Future of Los Gatos
Mathew
This direction and verbiage this council is using makes me wish I had run for council. Who chose these
words??? Unbelievable.
“In addition to the State-mandated elements, the Los Gatos Draft 2040 General Plan includes
elements that address Racial, Social, and Environmental Justice, Mobility, Public Facilities,
Services and Infrastructure, Environment and Sustainability.”
Taking the quote into deeper context it would mean racial justice, social justice, and
environmental justice is being planned into the 2040 GP. That is NOT the roll of the council.
This is the biggest batch of RACISM I’ve seen to date in our town.
From a housing perspective the council should educate themselves on the demographics of
home purchases over the last 8+ years. The historical demographics of Los Gatos are now the
minority in acquiring real estate!!!
Los Gatos has always been an affluent town. It is being ruined by lobbyists, CA State
Legislators, and those with political aspirations sitting on our town council.
The current town council has already proven their lack or vision and experience in the outcome
of the Dittos Lane density and “Buy Right” designation given to the N40. The proposed 2X
housing growth is a strategy to GIVE the developer of Phase II N40 the increased density, bait
and switch, they are requesting.
This is all disgusting and disheartening. Personal social agendas should have been left outside
the chamber.
From: Robert Ober
Sent: Sunday, September 19, 2021 8:55 PM
To: Matthew Hudes
Cc: GP2040 <GP2040@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Re: Shaping the Future of Los Gatos
Thank you so much Matthew
I am chipping away at reading these documents. I have some feedback, but it will take
well past Monday to read and understand. Top line ? I am not that happy with the
rhetoric, and many of the goals in the document. I am certainly not happy that the state
has quietly done what voters rejected, and now we've lost much of the control that
makes Los Gatos special. Apologies that most of what I write so far is negative. I will
say, a lot of what I have read is fundamentally good.
General thoughts:
• starting with " Racial, Social, and Environmental Justice Element” is not appropriate. Of the sections, that should be the least in prioritized order of the topics, for it should flow from resolving the others. o I would be happy to have a dialog on why this is inappropriate for a town council in the midst of a megapolis o How does the town council address East San Jose demographics, or Cupertino’s ? How about Oakland ? What about East LA ?
are whites citizens ? Americans or naturalized ? immigrants and tech workers ? do you care ? o I could not afford to buy in Los Gatos until I was 50 years old. Its the Bay Area, and its expensive
none the less - we rent a townhouse to people in Los Gatos for less than equal rate in San Jose
Why less ? People often live where they work, or live near family and friends
Worth pointing out that rental market in Los Gatos is soft right now - We'll probably sell it o I can not, will not take this “justice” element seriously when we do live in literally the most diverse place on the planet
Seriously. I travel the world and the country. How will you make our area more diverse ?
Do everything else right in running the town, and you will get equity and justice as a byproduct o We sold our house before moving to the bay area 30 yers ago, but could not afford anything but an apartment
after 5 years of saving, we bought a house in San Jose that we could afford (just)
after 5 more years we moved to a better house in San Jose
after 7 more years we bought a 2 bedroom town house in Los Gatos for the schools
after 5 more years we bought a decaying house in los gatos (then it was county), staying for the schools
and after 5 more years we tore that down and rebuilt
Why couldn’t I have owned a nice home in Los gatos 30 years ago? Thats not equitable, is it ? Not just ?
Bay area has been this way for 40 years, and Los Gatos is one of the nicer places.
People can afford where they can afford. They live close to work if they can. They sacrifice and live in dumps if they want to make tradeoffs for schools or town (we did). Or they don’t. Its their choice
My sister in law's family moved away rather than spend all their money on housing and high cost everything o Honestly - I don’t really want you helping the homeless
we used to live in the Rose Garden in San Jose, and many friends are still there. There are a lot of homeless, and its terrible
I tried helping, but it turned out 99% of them didn’t want my help
with them came drugs, drug dealing (we helped cops with several busts, some very bad people arrested), trash, petty crime, the occasional assault. Really. Why would you want to entice homeless to come to Los Gatos ? o How will you address clean and safe water, at the same time as you make housing for more people, but rely on San Jose Water ? These are in conflict unless you plan on getting more water resources • How will the state SB9 SB10 affect the Land Use / Density zoning. It seems to me it radically changes it o It seems as though missing middle housing can dramatically impact neighborhood noise, traffic, parking, etc.
I really worry about my street as gentrification happens o will you require fewer parking spots than housing units as is occurring around the bay area ? Some sections hint at that o if so - what will you do about public transportation ? and who will pay for it ? and how will it connect ? o Will limits to cutting trees still hold if someone builds one of these ? o how will limits to square foot vs land be equitably balanced for individual home owners ? o What about shadow rules ? view obstruction ? o Why do we want dense urban concepts in what is a beautiful suburban place with a tiny downtown ? (Pantheon Sorbonne University in Paris)
all my friends in Europe HATE the dense urban living they are forced to - the handful who can have moved to surrounding towns
• “addressing climate change” at a town level seems ambitious o for good or bad, this is still largely a commuting community
but most things related to climate seem to be generally good
"ENV-8.3" sounds ominous, but is unclear to me what it means.
greenhouse and particulate emissions in california would have been better off focussing on forest management rather than car emissions
but here you are again focussed on it
"ENV-8.9" requires better walkways for kids, especially in areas that were unincorporated and have no sidewalk.
Rob Ober, Shady View Ln.