VIA E-MAIL [PlanningComment@losgatosca.gov]
| Honorable Melanie Hanssen, Chair and Members of the Planning Commission Town of Los Gatos 110 E. Main St. Los Gatos, CA 95030 |
| Re: | Comments Regarding Proposed 2040 General Plan |
Dear Chair Hanssen and Members of the Planning Commission:
We write on behalf of the Los Gatos Community Alliance (“LGCA”), a group of concerned citizens, in regard to the Proposed 2040 General Plan (the “Proposed Plan”).[1] In previous correspondence to the Town of Los Gatos (the “Town”), LGCA expressed its significant concerns with the Proposed Plan’s major upzoning of every residential and commercial land use district in the Town, potentially resulting in up to 75,000 new housing units and 45 million square feet of new commercial development.[2] We pointed out how such intensification violated the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) as it was not studied in the environmental impact report (“EIR”) prepared by the Town for the Proposed Plan. We also explained that such intensification was entirely unnecessary to accommodate the 1,993 additional housing units needed per the Town’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation (“RHNA”).
By January 2023, the Town Council must adopt a Housing Element which includes an inventory of sites suitable and available for residential development to meet the Town’s RHNA. Given the pending statutory deadline and in light of LGCA’s substantial concerns with the Proposed Plan, the Town should focus first on updating its Housing Element. The housing sites inventory will provide critical information to determine what area(s) of the Town, if any, need to be re-designated in the General Plan to meet the RHNA.
[1] Members and/or supporters of LGCA include: former Mayor Joanne Benjamin, former Mayor Sandy Decker, former Mayor Tom Ferrito, former Mayor Steve Rice, former Mayor Barbara Spector, former County Superintendent of Schools Colleen Wilcox, Tim Lundell, Phil Koen, Don Livinghouse, Sandra Livinghouse, Lee Fagot, Ann Ravel, Rob Stump, Rick Van Hoesen, and Jak Vannada.
[2] See September 13, 2021 and January 5, 2022 letters from Matthew Francois to Jennifer Armer.
Melanie Allen
As a long time resident of Los Gatos I am appalled at the plans for more over development of our area. Our quality of life would be negatively impacted by much worse air quality, over drained water usage which is being greatly impacted at our present rate of usage, our infrastructure which needs rebuilding with traffic impacting our roads & bridges. The emotional well being of our residents with greater traffic impact. All of us are already experiencing the impact of the new North 40 Development in traffic delays and over crowding of our streets around that development.
Please slow this down so that the City can absorb the changes before adding others. Analysis of the situation needs to occur at least a year after this development is concluded to adequately plan for the future.