Attachment 2From : Jon Robberson [m a il t o:Jon@cele bra t ionconce rts.com ]
Sent: Tue sday, January 16, 2018 12 :36 PM
To: Rob Renni e ; Ste ve n Le o nardis; Marcia Jen sen ; Marico Sa yoc; BS pector
Cc : Tow n Manager
Subject: Acce sso ry Dwelling Un it s ... CAREFUL !
Dear City Council persons.
My wife and I are 30 year long, voting LG residents. We urge you to be very carefu l,
VERY careful about allowing secondary units on lots. There are many problems
associated with this including:
LG is already crowded regarding traffic. Last thing we need is for a res idential lot now
serv ing one unit with 2 or 3 vehicles to have ANOTHER 2 veh icles f or a unit in the back.
I won't review all the negative concerns here but there are many reasons to restrict
secondary units.
A quality town and living environment goes downhill on step at a time and provi ding
ways for overcrowding is a BAD start.
Housing crisis as it is; attempts to solve it by wrecking the current environment is not a
positive .
Protect the livability of Los Gatos!
Town Co de Am e ndment Appl ication A-17-003 . Project Location : To w n W ide : Town of Lo s Gatos.
Cons id e r Amendme nts to Ch apter 29 (Zon i ng Regulation s) o f the To wn Cod e rega rd i ng A ccesso ry
Dwe lli ng Units.
Thank you!
JON ROBBERSON
Celebration Conce rts
Director -SWC Fe stiv al s
408-369-8222
Email : Jon@Cele brationC oncerts.com
ATTACHMENT 2
Sally Zarnowitz
From:
Sent:
To:
Cc:
Subject:
Attachments:
Nicole Montojo < nicole@si liconvalleyathome.o rg >
Tuesday, January 16, 2018 3:00 PM
Rob Renn ie; Steven Leonardis; Marcia Jensen; Marico Sayoc; BSpector
Sally Zarnowitz; Laurel Prevetti; Pilar Lorenzana
Re : 1/16/18 Council Meeting -Item 13 (ADUs)
SVH_ADUs_Ol162018 Lo s Gatos TC.pdf
Dear Mayor Rennie, Vice Mayor Lenoardis, and Councilmembers Jen sen , Sayoc, and Spector:
On behalf of SV@Home (Silicon Valley at Home), I respectfully submit the atta ched comment letter regarding Item 13
(Accessory Dwelling Units) on tonight's Town Council Agenda . Thank you for the opportunity to provi de feedback .
Sin ce rel y,
Nicole Montojo
Policy Associate
SV@Home
nicole@svathome.org
(408} 780-4758
sv @ home
SV@Home has a new website!
Check out the Resource Hub for all your housing data needs.
1
Board o f Dir ectors
Ron Gonzales. Chair
H1soan1c Foundotton
of S1/ico11 Valley
JJnH.:e Jensen, Vice Chair
Habitat far 1-lumonitv
Ecs r Bay/Smcon Volley
Kevm Zwick. Treasurer
Hov~i11g !'rust Silicon Volley
r,athy Th1borJeal•X, Secretary
/\M Tn1bodeaux Consulting UC
Shiloh Ballard
51/icon Volley Bicycie Coalition
Bob Brownstein
Wa1king Partnerships USA
Chr1st1ne Carr
RahulChandhok
Son Francrsco 4Clers
K.itie r errick
Linkedln
Amie Fishman
Non-P,.:J{it Housjng Assoootion of
Northern Co;;formo
Javier GO•llalez
GoL>gle
Poncho Guevara
Sacred HeCll t Commvnitv Service
Jan Undenthal
MiaPen HOU)ing
Je11n1fer Loving
Destinotio11: Home
Mary Murtagh
[All Housing
Chris Neale
T/:e Core Companies
Andrea Osgood
Ede11 Housing
Kelly Snider
/\eliv Srnder Collsuitmg
Jennifer Van £very
The Vo11 f very Grot1p
Staff
Leslye Cors1glia
F<ecutive Director
svlQlhome
·------··-··--··--·-------------····---···---·-----------·--·--------------·----·-----·----------··-------···----·---··-····-····-·---------------------
January 16, 2018
Honorable Mayor Rennie and Members of the To wn Council
Town of Los Gatos
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA
Dear Mayor Rennie , Vice Mayor Lenoardis, and Counci lmembers Jensen , Sayoc, and
Spector:
Re: January 16, 2018 Town Council Meeting Agenda Item 13
(Accessory Dwelling Units)
Silicon Valley at Home (SV@ Home) is a policy and advocacy nonprofit whose missi on is to
drive the creation of affordab le housing for a more v ib rant and equitable Si licon Valley. We
represent a broad range of interests, from lea ding employers w ho drive the Ba y Area
economy, to labor and service organizations , to loca l government agencies, to nonprofit
and for-profit de velo p ers who p rovide housing and services to those most in need .
On behalf of our members, we thank the Town of Los Gatos for taking action to not only
align its ADU ordinance with State requirements, but also conside r further policy changes
that go above and beyond these requirements. We write today to conve y our support for
these efforts, and in addition, share a fe w concern s and recommendations for
strengthening the Ordinance.
We be lieve that ADU s can serve as critical tool for addressing Santa Clara County's
affordability challenges by creating a broader range of affordable housing options in Silicon
Va lle y. Because of their smaller size, AD Us can be more affordable to rent that the average
apartment. They can also keep families together, often providing a way for retirees,
extended family members, and returning college graduates to continue living near fam ily
when they otherwise would not be able to afford hous ing in Silicon Va lle y. Additionally,
because of State policies that require streamlining of ADU permits, ADUs can i n crease our
housing stock more quickly than other forms of residential development that require more
lengthy permitting processes. But in order to fully leverage the opportunity that AD Us
provide, loca l jurisdictions must institute further po licy changes that simplify building
requirements, strea m lin e pe rmitting processes, and lower costs assoc iated with the
constr uction of ADUs .
As the Town considers options for expanding ADU opportunities, one important
consideration is that many unlawful nonconforming ADUs provide an existing home for
someone. It is critical that these units can continue to provide stable and safe housing for
their current residents . Los Gatos' current ord inance inclu des a provision (Sec . 29 .10.315
(f), Attachment 11, page 5) stating that "Existin g unlawful second dwelling units need not
comply with the development standards required by the zon e in which the property is
located nor the development standards required by section 29.10. 320 for new second
dwelling units," which has been stricken in t he revised d raft Or di nan ce.
350 W. Julian Street, Building 5. San Jose, CA 9Sl10
408.780.2261 • www.svathorne org • info@s1liconvalleyathome.org
Honorable Mayor Rennie and Members of the Los Gatos Town Council
Re: January 16, 2018 Town Council Meeting Agenda Item 13 (Accessory Dwell ing Un it s)
January 16, 2018
Page 2 of 2
• We strongly recommend preserving the Ordinance's current language regarding development
standards for existing lawful units in Sec. 29.10.315 (f). Th is is an i mporta nt prov ision -one w hich
we commend the Town for having estab lished , and that we are encouraging oth er juris di ctions to
also adopt -that encourages owners to come forward and bring their units into comp liance w ith
bu ilding and safety codes, wh ile keeping current tenants from being pe r ma nently displaced. While
their un its may not comply with current zon ing standards, if they are saf e for occupants and
neighbors, these units should be allowed to meet safety requirements and be legally occupied ,
w ithout facing any pena lties .
• Additionally, to encourage owners of unlawful and/or nonconforming ADUs to come forward and
establish compliance, we recommend reducing any restrictive administrative requirements (such
as those included in Sec. 29.10.325 regarding nonconforming units) associated with the process
that create significant barriers. These barriers simply keep unla wful units in the shadows and ma ke
it more difficult for homeowners wanting to attain lawful status to actually do so.
Aside from these concerns, we are thrilled by the following changes that staff has incorporated into the
draft Ordinance, which would address many of the regulatory barriers that homeowners face when seeking
to build an ADU:
• Allowing ADUs in the R-D zone: Land is a scarce resource, and in Los Gatos, like much of Santa Clara
County, the majority of the land is zoned for residential use. AD Us can increase the supp ly of
housing by adding "hidden density" within the Town 's existing land use patterns . Th i s change wi ll
unlock more opportunities for ADU creation where res i dential land ma y be underutilized .
• Eliminating the additional 15% lot coverage maximum for detached ADUs (Attachment 11, page
12): The ex isting 40% maximum building lot coverage requ i rement effective ly regulates lot coverage
on its own without an additional ADU-specific requirement. This change wi ll prov ide ho m eowne rs
with more flexibility, and thus, make ADUs feasible on more lots.
Lastly, we strongly recommend that the Town of Los Gatos further simplify its development requirements
by removing the minimum lot size requirement and exempting ADUs from the FAR standards established
by the residential zoning codes. As noted above, the current bu ilding lot co verage req u irement alone
sufficiently controls for development only on appropriate lot sizes , and in effect, it dictat es the minimum lot
size and maximum additional FAR allowable for ADU development. Removing these duplicative layers of
policy will gr eatly simplify the requirements and encourage homeowners who are often discou r aged by
confusing and challenging regulation s and permitting processes .
Again, we thank the Counci l for its consideration and ongo i ng efforts to i mplement its Housing Element's
Enhanced Second Unit Program. We appreciate the opportunity to provide our feedback and hope to
continue supporting the Town's broader efforts to create thrivi ng, sustainable , and affordable commun ities.
Sincerely, ...
Pilar Lorenzana
Deputy Director
350 W. Julian Street, Building 5. San Jose, CA 95110
408.780.2261 • www.svathome org • info@s11ico nvalleyathome.org
From: Ro be rt He ncke n [mai lto:rhencken @hd c-llc.net ]
Sent: Tuesday, January 16 , 201 8 3 :3 8 PM
To: Jan ette Judd
Cc: Joe l Paul son; szarnowitz@losgatos.gov
Subject: Town Council Meeting 1/16/18 Item No : 13
Honorable Mayor and Councilmembers :
I wish to take this opportunity to thank both Council and Staff for their efforts in bringing forward
the proposed Amendments to the Town Code regarding Accessory Dwelling Units (ADU ). The
critical lack of housing opportunities both locally and throughout the Bay Area highlights the
importance for your consideration and approva l of the proposed amendments which
w ill facil itate and promote the addition of Accessory Dwelling units in the Town of Los Gatos . I
belie ve the proposed amendments as outlined in the Staff report and included in the Draft
Ordinan ce, for the most part, address elements necessary to implement a successful
program . First and foremost, the proposed 10 % increase to the FAR provides the relief
necessary to achieve any reasonab le size ADU , which is not attainable under the current FAR
requirements . This increased flexibility gained with the proposed FAR revision , however may be
constrained /reduced by the table in Section 29 .10.320 (5) on page 7 , which establishes a
maximum size of 900 SF I 2-bedroom unit on a lot less than 10 ,000 SF. By example , an
existing 2,500 SF SFD home on a 9,000 SF lot in the R-1 D zoning district could be eligible for
an ADU up to 1,200 SF under the proposed FAR increase to .45. However, the size of this
unit shall be limited to only 900 SF I 2-bedroom unit as specified in the table . This does not
seem consistent with the intent of the proposed amendments .
In summary, I would ask Council for their support and approval of Staff re commendati o ns w ith
the additional consideration of removing the un it size maximum based on minimum lot size
a s spec ified in Section 29 .10 .320 (5) and relying on the proposed FAR (.45 ) and
the maximum building lot coverage of 40 % to determine the unit si ze instead .
I have the pleasure to be working with and representing some close friends who are longtime
resident s of Los Gatos. They wish to provide an ADU on their property for the benefit of their
daughter and her family, who would otherwise have no chance of ever becoming residen ts and
e xperien ci ng all the benefits that the T own has to offer. They are hopeful this can become a
reality.
We thank you for your thoughtful consideration on this issue and look forward to the opportunity
t o work with the Town in the future .
Sincerely,
Robe rt P. He nc k e n
Prin c ipa l
Hencken Developm e nt Co n sulta nts
1654 The Alameda , #200
San Jose, CA 9 5 126
Te l (408 ) 2 41-1035
Mobile (6 5 0) 380-1756
Sally Zarnowitz
From:
Sent:
To:
Joe Sordi <joesordi@yahoo.com >
Friday, January 19 , 2018 4:45 PM
Sally Zarnowitz
Subject: Fw: ADU O rd inan ce
From : Joe Sordi <joesordi@yahoo.com>
To : Sally Zarnowitz <szarnowitz@losgatoca.gov>
Cc: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Sent: Friday, January 19 , 2018 , 7:36:06 AM PST
Subject : ADU Ordinance
Sally,
After watching the Jan 16 TC meeting on ADUs , I have 2 questions that I hope you can answer.
If I heard right , the TC moved to strike the table located on page 6 of the draft ordinance docu ment,
and use only the 10 percent increase in the FAR.
If so, does that not delete any separate regulation on attached ADUs? Should there not be a d ifferent
FAR for attached dwellings?
I also have a question on the FAR itself. During the last TC meeting reference was made to an
increase in the FAR from .3 5 to .45. Does mean that the
FAR is applied by simply multiplying the floor area of the main dwelling by .45? Or does it mean
using the formula as follows :
FAR = .45-((A-5)x .20)/25
I found this formula at https://www.losgatosca.gov/DocumentCenter/V iew/3 46
Joe Sordi
1
Sally Zarnowitz
From:
Sent:
To:
Joe So r di <joesordi @yahoo.c om>
Thursday, January 25 , 2018 5:30 PM
Sa ll y Zarn owitz
Subject: Fw: ADU Ordinan ce Dra ft Comments/Suggestions
From : Joe Sordi <joeso rdi@yahoo.co m>
To: Sally Zarnowitz <szarnowitz@losgatoca .gov>
Cc: Joel Paulson <jpaulson@losgatosca.gov>
Sent: Th ur sday, January 25, 2018, 3:00:14 PM PST
Subject: ADU Ordinance Draft Comments /Suggestions
Sally ,
Nothing terribly significant stands out , but yo u might consider the following before Friday final draft,
Under Article I DIVISION 1 on page 2
1. By changing name to Accessory Dwelling Units confusion with the definition of Accessory
Buildings and Structures(ABS) is introduced -need some cla rity here. Are ABSs included in
total floor space? Should be made clea r that total ADU floor space does not include ABS
space.
2. Definition of primary dwelling unit on page 2 doesn 't take into considera t ion ABSs. Incidentally,
th e re is some supe rfluo us wording in the same paragraph .
Un der Sec.29.40.075 -Floor area rati o
FAR s hou ld be defined as:
Floor Area Ratio -the ratio of the tota l flo o r area on a lot to the area of the lot itself. Total floor
area includ es primary dwelling floor area, ADU, and (?)ABS.
Under (b) (1) change to : Th e maximum a l lowable FAR. .. We are really talking about the maximum
FAR , not just any FAR that cou ld be less th an the maximum .
Th en change the formu las, for examp le,
Maximum FAR= .45 -(A-5 /25)x.2
Why are the formu las presented in boxes in such a funky way? Change a ll formulas here and in the
Summary Handout to form illustrated above. No need for brackets used in the Summary Handout
formulas.
Does not agree in word in g with the Summary Handout. For examp le, the handout addresses lot size
greater than 30000.
1
Maybe it's not possible to consider changes to the following at this late date ....
The handout specifies that lots greater than 30000 use the Hillside Standards . But the hillside
standard is MORE limiting for lots over 30000 feet. It makes more sense to specify that all lots (not
hillside) over 30000 feet have same limit as those at 30000 feet. The hillside standard l imits all over
32000 feet to max 6000 floor area . So we are really talking about bet w een 30k and 32k .
Should be a separate standard for attached and detached ADUs -or at least a lim it to ma x size less
than 1200 sq ft. for attached. For example, no larger than 640 sq ft.
Thanks ,
Joe
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