Attachment 22.. A ,Q!)I ~ llIO
RFA L EST AT F DEV ELOP 1'vH:N I
M ar ch 21 , 20 18
VIA E··MAIL (JARM FH@l.O SG ATO SCA.GO\f) tl FED!:X
Ms. Jennifer Armer
Town of Los Gatos
Community Developrnent De part ment
110 E. Main Street
Los Gatos, CA 9co31
Phone: (408) 354-6872
Ernail: jarmer@losgatosca.gov
Re: Appeal of Planning Commission Decision Denying a Request to Demolish Three Existing Office
Buildings and Construct a New, Two-Story Office Building with Underground Parking for 401 -
409 Alberto Way Proj ect
Architecture and Site Application S--15 -056
Condition al Use Pe rmit Application U-15-009
APN 529-23-018
Dear Jennifer:
T hank you for coordinating the continued processing of the above-referenced 401-409 Alberto
Way project (the "Alberto Way Project"} for the Los Gatos Town Council's consideration at its
upcoming April 3, 2018 n1eetine. We appreciated th e Town Council's thoughtful questions last nigh t
regarding minor modifications to the building design, to accommodate an increased setback on the
northern property boundary to addrnss the n eighbors' requ(~sts to expand t he view corridor. As we
e xplained, throughout this process1 we have attempted to respond to th e Town Council, Planning
Commission, Town Planning Sta ff, Town Architect and neighbors' requests for further redu ctions ln the
project size, and m e asures to preserve views and setbacks . We think that this has made for an eve n
better project.
We understand that Mayor Rennie and the Town Council wer interested in finding a resolution
t hat works for everyone . As we discussed, we are faced with certain site limit ations and requests froni
our prospect ive tenants that have con strain ed the building design and configu r ation on the property.
Nonethele ss, aft er last night's Council mee ting, our t e arn went back and reviewed the plan in light of
Mayor Rennie's suggestion to consider squaring off the northern side of the building, and to expand
535 Middle field Road ) Suite 190 , :Mc n1o Park, Ca . 940 25
650 -·3 26--1600
ATTACHMENT 22
the setback along the north side of the site to further preserve views of the mountains for nearby
residents. We also gave thought to how to adapt the northern dog park/open space area into an
amenity .space to compensate for a reduction in interior amenity space associated with a building
square footage reduction.
Based on the Mayor's and Council Mernber Sayoc's questions, we believe we would be able to
reduce the northern side of the building by another 4,000 square feet to expand the width of the
setback by another 1G feet, resulting in a 12-foot buffer width to the northern property boundary.
With this compromise in expanding the setback, the building would still be slightly over 70,000 square
feet with 35,000 square foot floor plates, which would be at the low end of the preferred floorplate
sizing for Class "A" technology office users in Silicon Valley. In order to compensate for the reduction
in square footage, we would propose to convert the open area/ dog park area along the northern
property boundary to a rr,ore flexible outdoor space for use by both building tenants and the public.
For example, along with Town Council input, this area could be reserved as an outdoor dining area, or
an exercise area with par course equipment, etc ...
We would propose that the exact design of the 70,000 square foot building would be subject to
review and input from the Director of Community Development with input from Larry Cannon, with
the goal of maximizing the view corridor on the north end of the site. By confirming the size of the
building and width of the setback through the CUP and ASA, we believe that the building design
adjustments can be addressed as a final design rneasure in irnplernenting the conditions of approval of
the Architecture and Site Application if the Council were to approve the Project.
We appreciate the Town's consideration of our revised building design in the spirit of
attempting to reach a compromise solution. We respectfully request that the Town Council grant our
appeal and overturn the Planning Commission's denial of the Project. We believe that the Town
Council has the information it needs to certify the Final EIR and approve the Architecture and Site
Approval and Conditional Use Permit with a condition authorizing our team to work with the
Community Development Director to finalize the details of the Project design to accommodate a
greater setback along the northern boundary.
Thank you for your consideration. Please do not hesitate to contact Shane or myself if you haVf~
any further quc~stions.
Sincerely,
LP ACQUISITIONS, LLC
Handy Lamb
535 ivliddlefield RoadJ Suite l 90, Menlo Park, Ca. 94025
650-326~ 1600
cc (via email): Rob Schultz, Town Attorney
Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
Joel Paulson, Cornrnunity Developrnent Director
Shane Arters
Alicia Guerrn, E q.
Jolie Houston, l:sq.
535 Middlefi e ld Road, Suite 190, Menlo Park Ca. 94025
650 -12 6-1600
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