Staff Report
PREPARED BY: JENNIFER ARMER
Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Town Attorney, Community Development Department Director, and
Finance Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 02/06/2018
ITEM NO: 15
DATE: JANUARY 26, 2018
TO: MAYOR AND TOWN COUNCIL
FROM: LAUREL PREVETTI, TOWN MANAGER
SUBJECT: PROVIDE INPUT AND DIRECTION TO STAFF ON THE SCOPE AND PROCESS
FOR THE GENERAL PLAN UPDATE
RECOMMENDATION:
Provide input and direction to staff on the scope and process for the General Plan update.
BACKGROUND:
Pursuant to State law, all cities, towns, and counties must have a comprehensive, long term
plan looking out ten to twenty years, called a General Plan. The General Plan functions as the
“constitution” to guide land use and development decisions to meet the vision embodied in the
Plan. In addition, it is a policy document that guides capital improvement investments,
municipal service levels, and other issues related to the Town’s quality of life. The General Plan
reflects community priorities and values that will shape the future.
The comprehensive nature of a General Plan is reflected in the seven State mandated elements
that focus on issues ranging from land use and transportation to natural resources and safety.
Communities may also elect to have additional elective elements. All of the goals, policies, and
action items of the elements must be internally consistent with one another. The Los Gatos
2020 General Plan sets forth goals, policies, and actions in the following ten elements (seven
State mandated and three elective):
• Land Use Element (State mandated element);
• Community Design (elective element);
• Housing Element (State mandated);
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BACKGROUND (Continued):
• Transportation Element (“Circulation” – State mandated);
• Vasona Light Rail Element (elective element);
• Open Space, Parks, and Recreation Element (“Open Space” – State mandated element);
• Environment and Sustainability Element (“Conservation” – State mandated element);
• Noise Element (State mandated element);
• Safety Element (State mandated element); and
• Human Services Element (elective element).
The General Plan goals and policies are implemented through the Town’s Zoning Code, policy
documents, and programs, such as the Five Year Capital Improvement Program.
Implementation also occurs through private development that must be consistent with the
General Plan.
The last update of the General Plan was adopted by the Town Council in 2010, and was a
focused update targeting the issues of Recreation, Environment/Sustainability, Youth Needs,
and Senior Needs.
A series of public hearings on the Draft 2020 General Plan marked the culmination of three
years of effort to produce the 2020 General Plan. The following summarizes the process:
• Town Council discussed the General Plan update at the Council retreat in March 2007.
• Town Council considered a preliminary work plan for the General Plan update in
December 2007.
• Town Council approved the General Plan update work plan in February 2008.
• The Town issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) and the Town Council selected a
consultant.
• The General Plan Advisory Committee was created in 2008 and held nine meetings
between October 2008 and May 2010.
• Four Community Workshop meetings and an all-day session with four Community
Panels were held between October 2008 and April 2010.
• Planning Commission held two public hearings in June 2010 to review the Draft 2020
General Plan and Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).
• Town Council held three public hearings in August 2010 to review the Draft 2020
General Plan.
• Town Council held a public hearing in September 2010 and adopted all portions of 2020
General Plan, with the exception of the Housing Element and the Human Services
Element.
• Town Council held a public hearing in November 2010 and adopted the Human Services
Element of the 2020 General Plan.
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BACKGROUND (Continued):
• The 2015-2023 Housing Element was adopted by Town Council and certified by the State
Department of Housing and Community Development in 2015.
DISCUSSION:
This is the first opportunity for the Town Council to provide input and direction on the scope
and process for the General Plan update. To begin this discussion, Town Council may want to
consider the following questions:
• Is the 2020 General Plan serving the Town Council and the community well?
• Does the 2020 General Plan reflect the community’s values?
• Have circumstances changed necessitating specific updates to the 2020 General Plan?
• Are there new issues that need to be addressed in an update of the 2020 General Plan?
• What does the Town Council believe the scope of the General Plan update should
include?
Based on the Town Council’s direction for the General Plan update, staff would like Council’s
input on some of the parameters for designing the update process. The following provides
additional information for Town Council consideration regarding the scope and process for the
General Plan update.
• General Plan Update Scope
The scope of the General Plan update (a focused update versus a comprehensive update)
will be determined by input on the questions above, updates to particular items as required
by changes to the State law, and updates needed to respond to changes since the last
update in 2010. The following list of potential work plan items are not exhaustive, but are
provided as a starting point for discussion:
1. Since the last Update, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research published the
2017 General Plan Guidelines. Staff is reviewing the Guidelines to ensure that the
Town’s Update complies with the Guidelines as well as State law. For example, t he
General Plan needs to address State law with respect to transportation analysis [i.e.
Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) versus Level of Service (LOS)] and required updates to the
Safety Element.
2. A review of the 2020 General Plan for inconsistencies, ineffective goals and policies, and
gaps.
3. Removal of completed action items.
4. Evaluation and potential modification of existing objective standards.
5. Creation of new objective standards.
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DISCUSSION (Continued):
6. Consideration of incorporation of the Sustainability Plan into the General Plan.
Staff welcomes input from the Town Council on other items that should be included in the
scope for the General Plan update. Please note that the Housing Element update process is
scheduled to occur later because it has a deadline for Council adoption no later than
January 31, 2023. The Regional Housing Needs Allocation process is expected to kick off in
2020 and discussions are still underway with the Cities Association as to whether or not
Santa Clara County might form a RHNA subregion.
• Community Input
A cornerstone of any successful General Plan update is significant community participation.
To that end, the General Plan update will include substantial public outreach throughout
the process to provide the community with numerous opportunities to participate in the
General Plan update. Below is an outline of potential opportunities for public outreach:
Kick-Off Meeting: The objectives of this meeting would be to inform the public and
community leaders of the value and purpose of the General Plan and the General Plan
update. The direction and key issues identified by the Town Council for the update would
be presented and community members can provide input on issues, challenges, and the
vision for the future of Los Gatos.
Engagement through Technology: The Town has the opportunity of using its website as a
portal for information regarding the Update, key documents, and interactive activities to
solicit input at various stages of the process. In addition, the Town intends to use its
Facebook and other social media accounts to push out information and invitations to
workshops, meetings, and public hearings.
Public Workshops: Public workshops would be held at numerous key stages throughout the
process including, issue identification, and goals and policy development.
Panels: Discussions may be held on key topics identified by the Town Council for the scope
of the General Plan update.
Public Meetings: Town Council and Planning Commission input and direction will be sought
at major milestones during the update. These will be public meetings or study sessions that
are open to members of the public.
Advisory Committee: As with the last update, staff highly recommends a General Plan
Advisory Committee, which would provide guidance on the development of the Plan, be an
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DISCUSSION (Continued):
additional forum for public involvement, and make recommendations to the Planning
Commission and Town Council. The Committee could take the form of the Town’s General
Plan Committee or additional members of the public could be added to the GPC by the
Council.
The 2020 General Plan update process included an expansion of the General Plan
Committee by up to 10 additional members that were appointed by the Town Council. The
General Plan Committee (GPC) currently has nine members: three Planning Commission
members; two Town Council members; one Community Services Commission member; and
three community members, including one who owns or manages a business in the Town of
Los Gatos, and two members who are residents of the Town of Los Gatos. Staff believes
this Advisory Committee was a valuable part of the 2020 General Plan update process.
Therefore, staff is seeking input from the Town Council as to whether there is interest in
pursuing this option for this General Plan update. If there is interest in adding one or more
community members, the recruitment could occur as part of the upcoming mid-year adult
recruitment.
Public Notification: Legal noticing pursuant to Town and State law will take place.
Additionally, staff will provide notification through the following media and social media
resources:
• Half-page ads in the newspaper;
• A poster posted at the Planning counter at Town Hall;
• On the Town’s website home page, What’s New;
• On the Town’s Facebook page;
• On the Town’s Twitter account;
• On the Town’s Instagram account; and
• On the Town’s NextDoor page.
Staff welcomes input from the Town Council on other methods that should be used for the
General Plan update to ensure broad participation from the community.
CONCLUSION:
It is important that the Town Council establish the overall approach and scope for the General
Plan update process. This discussion provides an opportunity to provide initial input and
direction so that staff can return with a preliminary work plan for the preparation of a Request
for Proposals (RFP) for the General Plan update and EIR.
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CONCLUSION (Continued):
After receiving direction from the Town Council on the scope and process for the General Plan
update, the following are the anticipated next steps in the process:
1. If there is interest in adding community members to the GPC to serve on a General Plan
Advisory Committee, staff will return with a resolution for Council consideration.
2. Staff will prepare a preliminary work plan for Town Council review and approval.
3. Staff will prepare and issue an RFP for consultant services for the General plan update and
EIR.
4. Staff will review consultant proposal and make a selection recommendation to the Town
Council.
5. Town Council will select a consultant.
6. Preparation of the General Plan update and EIR will begin.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Funding for the General Plan update and EIR is available in the General Plan Update Fund.