PASSED AND ADOPTED at a regular meeting of the Town Council of the Town of Los Gatos, California, held on the 17' day of March 2020, by the following vote:
COUNCIL MEMBERS:
AYES: Rob Rennie, Marico Sayoc, Barbara Spector, Mayor Marcia Jensen NAYS: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
SIGNED:
MAYOR OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA
DATE:
ATTEST:
A\C
TOWN CLERK OF THE TOWN OF LOS GATOS
LOS GATOS, CALIFORNIA
DATE: a IQ OECD
3of3
Resolution 2020-008 March 17, 2020
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EXHIBIT 6
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EXHIBIT 7 Page 759
TAIT AV
NB HIGHWAY 17
UNIVERSITY AV
SB HIGHWAY 17
BACHMAN AV
N SANTA CRUZ AV
N CREEK TRAIL
E MAIN ST
MASSOL AV
W MAIN ST
VICTORY LN
BEAN AV
MILES AV
GLEN RIDGE AV
S CREEK TRAIL
BROADWAY
EDELEN AV
COLLEGE AV
WILDER AV
APRICOT LN
VILLA AV
NICHOLSON AV
WOOD RD
CLELAND AV
DITTOS LN
ALMENDRA AV
WRAIGHT AV
TOWNE TE
WOODLAND AV
PARK AV
CHESTER ST
BAYVIEW AV
ELM ST
CHURCH ST
MONTEREY AV
BIRD AV
S SANTA CRUZ AV
BOYER LN
BELMONT AV
ELLENWOOD AV
GRAYS LN
ROYCE ST
AVERY LN
LOS GATOS-SARATOGA RD
STATION WY
VILLAGE LN
KIMBLE AV
PAGEANT WY
PENNSYLVANIA AV
MILL ST
MULLEN AV
MAPLE LN
LUNDY LN
HIGHWAY 17
NB 17 TO S SANTA CRUZ
HIGH SCHOOL CT
SAN BENITO AV
BACHMAN CT
BENTLEY AV
BELMONT CT
MONTEBELLO WY
MASSOL CT
ALEXANDER CT
WHERE OFFICE USES CAN BE LOCATED ON
THE GROUND FLOOR IN THE C-2 ZONE PER
TOWN CODE SECTION 29.60.320 (c).
OFFICE USES ALLOWED ON THE
GROUND FLOOR
OFFICE USES NOT ALLOWED ON THE
GROUND FLOOR UNLESS AN OFFICE
USE HAS EXISTED CONTINUOUSLY
SINCE JULY 17, 1991 (SEE SECTION
29.60.320 (c)(2) FOR FULL EXPLANATION
OF EXEMPTION)
EXHIBIT 8
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PREPARED BY: Sean Mullin, AICP
Senior Planner
Reviewed by: Santa Clara County Fire Department, Planning Manager, Community Development Director, and Town Attorney
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6872 www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
PLANNING COMMISSION
REPORT
MEETING DATE: 04/26/2023
ITEM NO: 2
ADDENDUM
DATE: April 25, 2023
TO: Planning Commission
FROM: Joel Paulson, Community Development Director
SUBJECT: Forward a Recommendation to the Town Council on Land Use and Economic Recovery Amendments to Chapter 29 (Zoning Regulations) of the Town Code Regarding Personal Service Businesses, Bars, Markets, Banks, Financial Services, Formula Retail, Group Classes, Veterinarians, Offices, and Definitions. The Proposed Amendments to the Town Code are Not Considered a Project Under the California Environmental Quality Act. Town Code Amendment Application A-23-001. Project Location: Town Wide.
Applicant: Town of Los Gatos.
REMARKS:
Exhibit 9 includes public comment received between 11:01 a.m., Friday, April 21, 2023, and 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
EXHIBITS:
Previously received with the April 26, 2023 Staff Report:
1. Required Findings
2. Draft Ordinance Amendments
3. Strategic Priorities 2023 - 2025
4. Economic Vitality and Land Use Streamlining Information
5. Resolution 2020-008
6. Resolution 2022-066
7. Resolution 2023-011
8. C-2 Ground Floor Offices Map
ATTACHMENT 4
PAGE 2 of 2
SUBJECT: Economic Recovery Code Amendments
DATE: April 25, 2023
EXHIBITS (continued):
Received with this Addendum Report:
9. Public Comment received between 11:01 a.m., Friday, April 21, 2023, and 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, April 25, 2023.
EXHIBIT 9
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LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION 4/26/2023
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A P P E A R A N C E S:
Los Gatos Planning
Commissioners:
Jeffrey Barnett, Chair
Steve Raspe, Vice Chair
Susan Burnett
Melanie Hanssen
Kathryn Janoff
Emily Thomas
Town Manager: Laurel Prevetti
Community Development
Director:
Joel Paulson
Town Attorney: Gabrielle Whelan
Transcribed by: Vicki L. Blandin
(619) 541-3405
ATTACHMENT 5
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P R O C E E D I N G S:
CHAIR BARNETT: We’ll now move on to Agenda Item
2, which is a request that the Planning Commission forward a recommendation to the Town Council on Land Use and
Economic Recovery Amendments to Chapter 29 (Zoning
Regulations) of the Town of Los Gatos Code Regarding
Personal Service Businesses, Bars and Markets, Banks and Financial Services, Formula Retail, Group Classes,
Veterinarians Offices, and the Definitions, and the
proposed amendments to the Town Code are not considered a CEQA project.
I’ll ask if there are any disclosures by the
Commissioners. Seeing none, I’ll ask if Staff has a report on Item #2.
SEAN MULLIN: Thank you and good evening.
Throughout the years the Council has identified strategic priorities related to community vitality, economic
recovery, permit streamlining, and policies and ordinances related to supporting the business community. In line with these priorities Staff has brought forth a series of policy
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and ordinance changes over time offering reduced costs, streamlined processes, and flexibility.
In response to the pandemic emergency the Town
Council adopted an Economic Recovery Resolution to provide businesses with options for flexibility to modify their business offerings. As a result, the Town experienced fewer vacancies and business attrition during the pandemic and was quick to assist businesses in reopening.
The Council recently adopted a priority related
to economic vitality and pandemic recovery, and tonight as a first step Staff is bringing forward recommendations for code amendments to formalize some components of the
Economic Recovery Resolution and to continue the
streamlining work that began prior to the pandemic
emergency to support the business community during the
recovery.
Your Staff Report and exhibits detail the six
subjects for which Staff is seeking a recommendation from the Commission to the Council, and briefly these six items are: 1) Allowing personal service businesses as a permitted use in the C-2 and O zones; 2) Defining new uses to
increase flexibility and opportunity for different business models within the restaurants to bars spectrum; 3)
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Introducing new definitions for banks and financial
investment services to better clarify the uses; 4) Reducing regulatory impediments to large formula retail businesses; 5) Allowing group classes as permitted use in the C-2 zone; and 6) allowing veterinarians without a kennel to operate in the C-1 zone with a CUP. A thorough discussion of each topic is included with your Staff Report. An addendum has been distributed including public comments received after publishing the Staff Report.
In conclusion Staff recommends the Planning
Commission review and provide a motion on each of the
proposed amendments and forward a recommendation to the Town Council.
Along with Planning Staff, Monica Renn, the
Town’s Economic Vitality Manager, is here tonight to
support your discussion and answer any questions you might have.
This concludes my presentation and I’m happy to
answer any questions.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you, Mr. Mullin. Are there
questions from the Commissioners? Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I have two questions. One
is about a personal service business. I seem to remember
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reading in the news a while ago that there were some
issues, and I did a little bit of checking. There has been on and off issues with massage parlors and illicit
activities of various sorts, none that I could find in Los Gatos, but in the Bay Area, San Jose and whatnot. I didn’t see it clearly called out as a permitted use in the
discussion, but then when I looked at the definitions page massage therapist was in there, so my question is do we have a reason to maybe think twice about that particular category?
SEAN MULLIN: Thank you for that question. I know
you have a follow up as well. It is permitted in certain zones, and those massage therapists that want to come in and open that business need to obtain a Use and Occupancy Permit as well, and under that permit process they need to receive clearance from the police department and provide that information to the Town. That’s how the Town typically is regulating it, and the Commission could discuss carving that out if that’s something that they’re amenable to.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I was just kind of
curious, and I do imagine that we have not only code
enforcement but also our police department, so should
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anything like that happen and people report it, it could be addressed.
SEAN MULLIN: To follow up on that, the
regulations that we’re looking at in the C-2 zone are real specific location-wise. It’s really about ground floor in the C-2 zone. In other zones it’s a permitted use, and in the C-2 zone if you’re not ground floor it’s a permitted use.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Very good. My other
question is about the formula retail, which has been a big discussion topic for many, many years. There was a time where I thought we used to track the percentage of large retail versus smaller retail. Do we do that anymore, and where do we stand?
MONICA RENN: Monica Renn, Economic Vitality
Manager. We stopped tracking that back when we got rid of the formula retail regulations for establishments fewer than 6,000 square feet. Right now the question is do we want to expand that to those over 6,000 square feet? I
could probably quickly look down North Santa Cruz on a map and come up with a number for you, but since the removal of that regulation I think we’ve only even had one or two come in, and that was in 2018.
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COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Okay, very good.
CHAIR BARNETT: Do other Commissioners have
questions of Staff? I’m not seeing any, so we’ll now open the public portion of the public meeting and invite
comments on this item from members of the public. We do have a card on this now, and Mr. Paulson, are there any members of the public on Zoom who wish to speak? Again, if you’d please come to the microphone to speak and state your name and address, if you wish.
CATHERINE SOMERS: I’m Catherine Somers,
Executive Director at the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.
I’m surprised there are not a lot more people wanting to speak on this issue.
I’m here on behalf of my Board of Directors. We
would like to express our appreciation of the Staff’s
continued work on economic recovery and streamlining of the new business permitting process.
Certainly the June 2020 Economic Recovery
Resolution did create flexibility and increased
opportunities for existing and new businesses. We
particularly appreciate the subsidies provided for those that wanted to update their CUPs; it added vitality and vibrancy.
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Tonight we’re here to support almost everything
that the Staff recommends in this report as it relates to making that 2020 resolution permanent, however, we have a few exceptions.
We hope tonight you will take a little closer
look at the language around specialty retail and how it might relate to the coffee industry. The downtown core
currently has a unique and abundant variety of coffee
businesses. We feel the discretion provided at the
Development Review Committee level would be appropriate to guide any newly proposed coffee businesses in the C-2. In other areas, we’re not as concerned.
We also want to point out that for formula
retailers 5,000 square feet was a policy meant to regulate larger box retail. In hindsight, that number could have been altered or addressed a few years ago when the
resolution was put in place and it was not. There are some spaces in the Commercial zone, again C-2, that would
benefit from marketability of what would be considered a formula use as an approved use within the zone. There are leases in place, building size, and other constraints that self-regulate the concern of overly competitive big box
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retailers entering the market and creating destructive
competition for our Mom and Pop retailers.
The notion of formula retail is antiquated. With
the aggressively changing landscape of retail we almost want to welcome a few quality retailers that are left to bolster our shopping experience and gain tax revenue. We suggest eliminating this limitation completely.
Lastly, we also think the definition of banks and
financial institutions needs to be more straightforward.
Recalling the Planning Commission meeting about a year ago, you unanimously agreed to allow Charles Schwab to open in the now vacated Gap space. The Chamber appealed that. The Council agreed with our appeal and denied the project. In that we did say that the definition should include ATMs and having cash on hand. I think you should really be specific with that definition so that we don’t run into that same problem, that is, if you do not want to have offices on the ground floor.
Again, we appreciate everything that you do and
all of the elements of this plan.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thanks so much for that
presentation and for all you do for the Town of Los Gatos.
Are there any questions? Commissioner Hanssen.
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COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Thank you as always for
your great comments and help in what we’re doing for our town businesses. There was a letter in the addendum from one of our General Plan Committee members who is also an architect raising the question about the competition with the small businesses, and I felt like I knew the answer to it because I attended a presentation on the future of
retail about five years ago, and everything has come true and is continuing to come true.
My question to you is I don't know if you’ve seen
that letter, but do you feel confident that were we to make these changes that we aren’t going to push out a bunch of small business owners that would want to be setting up
retail locations?
CATHERINE SOMERS: I have a perfect example of
that. Our House, which is taking over Banana Republic and the Sur La Table space, I want to say—and Monica Renn may know—it’s at least 8,000 square feet; it’s a huge space. I was a little concerned when I heard they were coming into the Old Town space, and before I could even go out and talk to some of our members or business owners that I know,
Cherie Rose said it’s awesome that they’re coming. She said that, and so did The Maids Quarters, and the reason is when
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you have a draw like that in town people come to that, but then they stay and they have lunch and then they venture into Cherie Rose, and they go into The Maids Quarters, and the go into the boutiques. Those big retailers that are now out there that have made it through all of this attrition of all the legacy stores, those are the ones that people come to and they will help our Mom and Pops; I really
believe that.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I have a follow up to that
question, and again, thank you for coming tonight and
offering some suggestions. Do you feel like your members feel that way with Sephora and Anthropologie there? Sephora is not that big, but is that what they’re seeing with those two locations, that people are coming to those spots and then staying around downtown?
CATHERINE SOMERS: Yes. As much as competition is
certainly a thing I think it’s the crowd massing that is more important, and so people are coming for Sephora.
Again, exactly as I said to Commissioner Hanssen, they do then walk around. They park once and they’re like what else does this town have to offer? I’m going to come here for dinner. They see so much, Anthropologie, all of those
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stores. Warby Parker, a huge addition to town because
people are coming here for that and then they venture out and see everything else that we have here.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I do have a follow up, if
that’s okay.
CHAIR BARNETT: Please.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: You just want to eliminate
all… There are no issues associated with that? Can you just repeat your recommendation?
CATHERINE SOMERS: That’s a big ask, and that is
what my board actually does recommend, eliminating it
completely, partly because they think—and Monica Renn could answer some of this as well—the market economics downtown, first of all there are not that many spaces that are over 10,000 feet. The Williams Sonoma, (inaudible) Ranch, that whole space is 6,800 square feet, and that would be more marketable to a really high-end, cool retailer if it
doesn’t have all these restrictions and other stuff lopped onto it that’s going to take a long time to go through the building process. Those big companies still look at all that stuff and think how do I come in easily and open up shop as quickly as I can, which is what Our House was able to do. I don't know if that answered your question. I don’t
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think you have that problem downtown. I don’t think you have to worry downtown that that’s going to happen, that there are going to be retailers that we don’t like
downtown. We want to make it as easy as possible.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Thank you. My other
question was could you clarify the definition about the banks?
CATHERINE SOMERS: With the banks, I don't know
if you remember, last year it was Charles Schwab, I
believe, that wanted to go in where the Gap space is, and it was a big contentious debate about what qualified as a bank. We really believe that to be a banking institution, or to consider yourself a bank where people are going in and out all day so that it brings people in, it’s not an office, you really do need to have an ATM and you need to have cash on hand that you’re doing transactions with
people, and you’re talking and you’re not just going into your office; an office is like a Charles Schwab.
That brings up a whole other conversation really
about our banks in town have such a big footprint; it’s like what to do with them as we move through. I think that may be next to come, but I think banks are getting smaller and smaller, and so you really do want to make sure that
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you have that face-to-face communication at the banks.
Maybe that’s the other thing you put in, there’s got to be some face-to-face or at least face with an ATM machine.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Okay, thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: Other questions of the speaker?
No. Thank you very much. We have a card from Bess Wiersema.
BESS WIERSEMA: Hi, I’m Bess Wiersema; I’m a
local architect. You guys all know me probably from my one business, Studio3, which is in town.
I also own another business called Shop the
Studio that is a trade only showroom, and it occupies about 8,000 square feet and it sits at that second level of the opera house.
I would like to concur and support exactly what
the Chamber is saying, because I hear it from both my own clients at Studio3 who are looking to have maybe some work done on their own homes or are building a home, but as well as a ton of other designers and architects that use the trade show room that we operate, and that is that if
downtown is vital it’s easier for them to get clients to come and visit here and stay more.
One might assume that Our House going in, similar
to like a Restoration Hardware or something, might be in
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direct competition with a designer who maybe wants to be able to sell to the trade or only product available as
opposed to having their clients go in and shop at an Our House, a Restoration Hardware, or Harvest or anything like that, but honestly, they’ve all said that they welcome it, just like Cherie Rose did.
I think the more we can establish ourselves as a
boutique destination with not big box stores that are like Bed Bath and Beyond or Walmart, but with ones that fit at that more niche level, and those are the kinds of
businesses that are only going to take 10,000 square feet or less.
Those of us who have to do business plans and
qualify for SBA and meet the general needs of running a business, whether it’s retail or trade only, manage all the time any bank loans with what is the footprint of our
space. How much traffic are we getting, and how can we
increase traffic to us while still maintaining the unique nature of why we have chosen to be in a location.
I would encourage you to let the architecture of
the space and the footprint of the space do the talking, and eliminate exactly what you’re afraid of and create a space and a place that can become something besides just
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the same old stuff that we see downtown, because that’s the only thing right now we’re attracting is the same thing that we all know exists. That’s it, just a local business owner.
CHAIR BARNETT: Before you go, I want to ask
Commissioners if they have any questions of you. I’m not seeing any, so thanks again.
We don’t have anyone on Zoom or a further card,
so I will now close the public portion of the public
hearing on Item 2.
I’m going to propose to my fellow commissioners
that we proceed through each of the suggested amendment groups A-F in turn and ask the Commissioners on each item if they have questions of Staff, wish to comment on the request, or make a motion to the Town Council concerning the proposed amendments. I understand that each motion will need to include the required findings that are in Exhibit 1 on page 27 of the report. Let’s see if we have anything further before we go on.
It was my intent to see if we can get through
this item before we take a break, but if it ends up being rather long, then we’ll certainly take a break, and anyone can suggest that we do that.
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Is there a Staff Report on this item?
SEAN MULLIN: Staff would be happy to provide
additional detail if you’d like as we go item-to-item. I didn’t prepare remarks, but I can provide a brief summary as we go, or we can just answer questions, whatever you prefer.
CHAIR BARNETT: Why don’t we proceed in that way?
permitted use in the C-2 and O zones, and this relates to all the many businesses that are described there, which I won’t read. I’ll ask Commissioners, based on the Staff
Report or any questions they may have of Staff, what their thoughts are on that proposed amendment? Commissioner
Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: After reading through it
the only question I have is the one that I brought up about the massage parlors, and I’m satisfied with Staff’s
response to that in that they have to communicate with the police department prior to operating their business anyway, and we also have code enforcement and police enforcement should anything happen.
Considering the spirit of this, that we really
need to give all our businesses all the help they can get
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(inaudible) think we should take away any more impediments to opening these kind of businesses, and these are exactly the kind of businesses that don’t have a lot of money to throw into permits, so I would say yes on A.
CHAIR BARNETT: Other comments? Commissioner
Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: I wanted to kind of back up
a bit and say what the Town did to provide assistance
during the pandemic. The Town was struggling before in some respects with regard to retail; the pandemic just sort of forced the issue. The changes that were put in place made a whole lot of sense at that time, and they still make really good sense. Reading through the entire item, I was happy to see so much good change that would be assisting businesses.
The other thing I’d like to say is we’ve been
reminded on occasion that businesses really know what
businesses need to do to be successful themselves, so
creating hurdles when we don’t need to have hurdles, when business owners already know. They tick through the
requirements, what their expectations are, and this has come up with regard to parking as well. If they can make an argument for themselves and their bankers to be successful,
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then I think we should do whatever we can to make that a successful outcome, so I’m also in favor of item A.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you. Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I had a question about
adding personal service businesses to the required parking for retail and commercial shops. I know that we’re kind of the trend around the country and here in that we’re trying to reduce parking minimums and everything, so could you just elaborate on that and talk about what’s happening with that? Thank you.
SEAN MULLIN: Sure, thank you. This is actually
just recognizing formally how we already regulate it; it’s just not in the code. This is an opportunity not only to introduce these streamlined processes and flexibility, but also to catch some things that are contained in Staff’s knowledge and put it in the code to provide more clarity and make it easier moving forward.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: So we’re already doing this
is basically what we’re saying?
SEAN MULLIN: That’s correct.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Is there any concern that
we soon in the future might be moving away from what we are
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currently doing because the trend is to go away from
parking minimums and things?
SEAN MULLIN: I think Planning Manager Armer can
speak to that.
JENNIFER ARMER: Thank you for that question.
Yes, I would say that we do hope in the future to be
looking comprehensively at our parking regulations, but at this time it is helpful to Staff to be able to have that clarity in the code consistent with what the regulations are for other uses.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: So we would have to update.
If this is included, it’s not like then we’re going to have to go back and undo it, because we’re going to have to go back and undo a lot of stuff across all of our code?
JENNIFER ARMER: Correct. I anticipate a
comprehensive update if we do get to the point of updating parking code.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Perfect. Thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: Other questions or comments on
this item? Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thank you, Chair. Just a
procedural comment as to the form of the motion. I
understand we have several changes that would be included.
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Would the motion include all those changes, or could we simply refer to changes noted in the report?
SEAN MULLIN: You could simply refer to the
report.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: With that being said, Chair,
I’d like to make a motion.
CHAIR BARNETT: Please proceed.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thank you. With respect to the
category of Personal Services Businesses as a permitted use in the C-2 and O zones, I would like to forward a
recommendation to the Town Council for the changes as noted in the Staff Report on page 5 of our Staff Report
specifically. Do I have to make specific findings?
JENNIFER ARMER: You can make the findings that
are listed at the end of the report, or we could have a final motion referring back to the individual motions, at which time the findings could be made; it’s up to the
Commission.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Chair, I’ll just make the
findings as referred in the report so it’s a self-contained motion.
CHAIR BARNETT: Very good. Do we have a second?
Commissioner Janoff.
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COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Second.
CHAIR BARNETT: Discussion? Seeing none, I’ll
take the roll. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote yes as well, so it
passes unanimously.
Now we can move on to Item B, which is on page
16, and this concerns Bars, Markets, and other
miscellaneous commercial businesses, and Staff is standing by for any questions that we may have, but at this time I’m going to invite any questions or comments that
Commissioners may have on Item B. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I was just going to make a
comment that I read through the comments on Item B and I
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didn’t find anything that needed to be changed or that I was concerned about.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you. Other comments? Vice
Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thanks, Chair. Just one
question. The tap tasting room has operating hours of 10am to 10pm, and I was curious as to how those hours were
determined? Is it what other jurisdictions are using? I’m curious as to how we came up with that definition.
SEAN MULLIN: Thank you for that question. We
looked at some businesses in other cities and looked at their hours. I tried to find some other municipalities that had this category and I wasn’t very successful in that. But we also recognized what the ABC licensing would be for
alcohol, which is I believe it’s like 6am to 2am, and
wanted to make a strong distinction between a bar and a tap tasting room. The opening times of similar businesses that we found was not before 11am, so we decided to give the flexibility of 10am and then 10pm as consistent with what we found with these types of businesses, and that also
aligns with our Entertainment Policy.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thanks for that answer.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Other question or comments? I
have one issue and I think it’s a very small nit, but on the bottom of page 17 the last sentence says, “Food service is not required for tasting rooms or taps,” and I wanted to raise the question with Staff whether that should be made, “Food service is possible but not required”?
SEAN MULLIN: We could certainly make that change
if that helps clarity. I think in the end it says the same thing, but if it’s more approachable with that language, we certainly can make that change.
CHAIR BARNETT: I appreciate that. Commissioner
Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I had one question with
regard to what Ms. Somers brought up. What she said about coffee, that it would be a self-resolving process, I just wanted to bring up if there was any discussion that we
needed to have around that, because we went through a thing a few years ago where we had a bunch of juice companies, cold pressed juices—and they even brought juices to the Commission—so you can get this herd effect. I’m asking a question of the other Commissioners or Staff: Do we need to worry about having too many coffee places?
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MONICA RENN: The coffee is actually captured
under the specialty retail, so the next…
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Is that a separate
category?
MONICA RENN: Are we doing those all under B?
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I thought it was all under
B.
MONICA RENN: If the Commission will indulge me
for a minute, I spoke with the Board president of the
Chamber at length yesterday and we walked through different stakeholder groups and what their position was on the
coffee piece.
From a Staff perspective what we try to do is
present the Commission with a very wide menu, really wide open, and Mr. Foley and I started walking through some of the possibilities and some different things that have
happened in the past, and I think what Commissioner Hanssen is referring to is just different cycles of businesses, and coffee seemed to be one that could be concerning.
Right now a coffee house is a restaurant. Once
you do something made-to-order it becomes a restaurant, so when we were looking at this new specialty retail
definition we tried to align it with our traffic impact fee
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definition, which does include coffee, and the concern from the Board president of the Chamber is when there is a
public hearing, even though any coffee house could come in and apply for a Conditional Use Permit through a restaurant and would likely go through the process, there’s still a public noticing, and so he felt like for the sake of some of our smaller coffee shops having that public hearing was a piece of mind for them, and so I think that’s where those comments from the Chamber are stemming from.
It’s not like we don’t want any more coffee shops
or we’re trying to say no juice or no this or that, but there are some things that could throw off the balance, and so on one hand we let the market control what happens, and then on the other hand I think there is some preservation and that Los Gatos has always come from a place of
presentation, so I do think that’s where the concern came from and it was definitely coffee-specific, but I think that the Commission could definitely talk a little bit
about that definition and your comfort level with it based on how the Chamber feels about that made-to-order piece being added and now being allowed by right.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: What you said, for
example, Great Bear Coffee is considered a restaurant?
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MONICA RENN: Correct. Actually, anything that
makes something to order, so every ice cream shop,
everything that you can walk up and specialize something is a restaurant.
CHAIR BARNETT: Did that answer the question?
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes. It sounded to me like
there might be further discussion, but since people that have made-to-order foods are not part of this streamline process, they would have to go through the process that a restaurant would.
MONICA RENN: Correct, which is the DRC.
Specialty retail is a by right use and it does not need a CUP, whereas a restaurant does, and so what we were looking at with this modification was to broaden the specialty
retail definition and allow businesses that may have been restaurant before to now be a specialty retail, a frozen yogurt shop for example, so it would really be the
Commission’s purview to look at that and see where you
think that stop/start should be between a restaurant and a specialty retailer. Perhaps you think what the Town has been doing works; that could also be a recommendation
that’s going to Council. I just don’t want to stand up here
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and advocate for something that I’ve heard very strongly from one of our biggest business advocates in town.
CHAIR BARNETT: Other questions or comments?
Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Just to clarify, on page 20
we have a table and the coffee house is showing current code as a CUP and a DRC approval. The amended use is
specialty shop over the counter, and I want to clarify, is what we’re hearing tonight the recommendation that a coffee shop not be moved to a specialty use?
MONICA RENN: This is what we’ve heard from the
Chamber, correct. I think what Ms. Somers came forward and was asking was that particularly coffee shop causes a pain point if we move it into the specialty retail category.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: All right, thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: Further questions, comments?
Motion? Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I have a question for
fellow commissioners and Staff, I guess. How do we
distinguish between… I guess where do we draw the line? That’s what Ms. Renn is saying, that we need to decide. So what type of business is considered specialty, that we feel like is specialty food retail versus a full restaurant? I
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do understand right now if there is any food prepared, it’s a restaurant and everything is considered a restaurant, but we do need to be moving more options into specialty food retail shops so that smaller places can open. Where do you all see us drawing the line? What type of food retail? And I don't know if you guys have some other definitions, or where this was pulled from, or what other towns have done.
Any more information would be helpful.
SEAN MULLIN: I can offer a couple of things.
First, the definition was sort of developed by looking at the two policies that are floating around with the Town, the Traffic Impact Policy and the Director’s Policy, and in close consultation with Monica on the reality of the
business community. Planning Staff doesn’t always have our ear to the ground with that, so it’s very valuable to get that information.
The second piece that I’d point out is just from
a functional standpoint. If there’s a particular category that you see listed here in this draft definition that you didn’t want to include, instead of just removing it from the definition we can specifically call it out that it is not considered specialty food retail or that it is still
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considered a restaurant, but we can take your direction and provide that.
CHAIR BARNETT: Follow up?
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I hear that in my brain,
and this is for my fellow commissioners, like what is the difference between coffee and, let’s say, tea at the tea shops that are downtown versus really then what is the
difference between the tea shops and yogurt places? That’s what I want you guys to tell me. Thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I want to ask a clarifying
question. I’m looking again at page 20 and it says, “Frozen yogurt shop, coffee house,” and then, “specialty food
retail shop offering alcohol for offsite on onsite
consumption.” So in the case of a coffee house, if I
understand what Staff just said, the Chamber was advocating for us not to include coffee houses even though it was in the Staff Report this way, so a possible recommendation from us could be to say yes, because we’re concerned about potential conflicts with the existing businesses, we would do everything except for coffee houses and leave coffee houses the way it is now where they have to have a CUP?
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SEAN MULLIN: That’s the potential motion,
correct.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: That’s a potential outcome
of this.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thanks, Chair. I wanted to
respond to Commissioner Thomas’ comment; I think it’s a good one. I think logically there is no difference between a coffee shop, a tea shop, a juice shop, and as I read the definition this past week to me it was a logical grouping that it made sense to treat equally.
That being said, it’s clear that there’s
something more than words going on here, there’s an
economic impact that these words would ascribe to our
community and that specifically impacts the coffee houses, and so to me the difference then is not the words, it’s the result of those words, and I think we need to lean into our Chamber.
If the Chamber believes that including the
language of specialty foods has a deleterious impact on those businesses, then perhaps the best is to exclude
coffee houses from specialty and proceed that way even
though logically they’re grouped together, because the
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impact would result in something that as a town we don’t want.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for that comment.
Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Great question,
Commissioner Thomas. I think if we were only looking at the size of business, type of business, then there really isn’t a difference, but I appreciate the comments that Mr. Mullin has made regarding Staff didn’t know, so we checked with Economic Vitality and Economic Vitality is checking with the Chamber of Commerce. This means experts are talking to experts about what we don’t fundamentally know, because we’re probably not shop owners of this nature.
So while it may seem like it’s an inconsistency
to treat one type of what could be a specialty use
differently, I think the economic arguments that have been presented to us tonight are compelling. We don’t have juice makers or ice cream shops or other issues coming to us, it’s just this one particular niche, and I think if we
respect our community and want our community to thrive, we do what we need to do to ensure that that happens, so I’m comfortable making a motion that would remove the coffee house from the specialty use.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Other comments or questions? If
not, that sounded like a motion. Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I just want to ask Staff,
do we need any justification other than we just want to do this? This isn’t putting us in legal jeopardy of being sued because what’s the difference between coffee and tea or something like that, correct?
JENNIFER ARMER: Unfortunately, we don’t have our
Town Attorney with us this evening, but this is a
recommendation to Town Council as to what types of business you want to be seeing in different parts of town.
One thing I’d say, and I think you’ve already
discussed it some, is that there may be some kind of tricky situations where somebody has got a juice shop but they want to serve coffee, or it’s a tea house but they want to have coffee available and how do we draw that line? That’s one of the things that Staff would then have to work to implement, so it does make it a little less clear, but if that is the direction the Planning Commission wants to go, then that could be added as an exclusion from the
definition of specialty food retail that’s on page 19 of your Staff Report.
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COMMISSIONER THOMAS: As a follow up to that, I
think that just because this is a recommendation and just going to Town Council that hopefully we can continue to reach out to the community and make sure there’s not any other categories that would feel particularly impacted, like coffee houses would be, because I wouldn’t want them to miss the opportunity and for our downtown character to be changed drastically, because we have some other
longstanding businesses like Dolce Spazio has been there for a very long time; I don't know if that would be a
concern of theirs too. So I am comfortable and I’m happy that we had this discussion, but in forwarding this
recommendation to Town Council I would request that we
investigate and make sure that coffee is the only one that should be switched.
MONICA RENN: If I may, given the fact that the
conversation that I had with the president happened so late in the game—it happened yesterday morning—I think before I can commit to you, before we go to the Council, we will do some more discussions at the Chamber. We can even invite in some of the businesses and have some conversations, and also do a little more benchmarking on maybe what other
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communities do; we’ll check in with our attorney. I hear those concerns and I share them.
I think the number one thing that we were trying
to reach was transparency with this one so that the
community felt heard if all of a sudden we had a 5,000
square foot coffee house come in that could afford that, because the majority of our small ones can’t and don’t.
It’s really difficult because it is a case-bycase and kind of an environmental issue, like what that issue is in that exact location, but I can commit to doing a little more background and research so that we have some more information when we get to the Council. Thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: I’m looking for raised hands or a
motion. Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: I can try the motion again.
With respect to the category Bars, Markets, and Other
Miscellaneous Commercial Businesses I move that we forward a recommendation to Town Council to accept and implement the changes noted by Staff in the report, subject to the change that the definition of specialty food retail would not include coffee/tea houses.
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Point of clarification: do you want to include a
specific exclusion for it or just remove the language of coffee houses?
CHAIR BARNETT: I’d defer to Staff on that issue.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Can we just remove the
language, or should we insert a specific exclusion?
JENNIFER ARMER: Because there is an interest in
not allowing coffee houses to use the specialty retail
definition, we would recommend that that be specifically excluded. My understanding from your conversation was that tearooms or teahouses would still be maintained as part of it.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes, so again, forward the
recommendation with changes noted by Staff as presented in the report, with the change of the definition specialty food retail to delete the word “coffee” in the phrase
“coffee/teahouses,” and to insert language specifically excluding coffee houses from the definition of specialty food retail. Chair, did you also have one additional change to add language?
CHAIR BARNETT: I think Mr. Mullin gave me the
answer I needed in terms of clarification, but thank you.
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VICE CHAIR RASPE: Very good. And as part of the
motion I will make the findings as set forth in the Staff Report.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for that complete
motion. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I’ll second the motion,
but I would ask if the maker of the motion would agree to request that Staff do the additional research we discussed before going to Council to make sure that we aren’t
creating a problem of unintended consequences?
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Absolutely agree. Thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: So we have a motion and a second.
Any discussion? Seeing none, I’ll call the roll.
Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
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CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote as well in favor of
the motion, and so it passes unanimously. Thank you for that.
Forging ahead, we’ll move on to Item C, Banks and
Financial and Investment Services. Are we going to have a public hearing on each of these items, or it was already covered by the blanketed first? Okay. I’ll ask if there are any questions of Staff on this matter, comments, or a
motion? Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: I just wanted to point out
the comment made regarding the definition of a bank, and we had this robust conversation when we were considering Chase moving into the Gap space. I think it’s a clear definition to include. The point that was the main issue of
disagreement was whether Schwab was offering cash exchange or that kind of service, and I think it’s a good addition to add.
CHAIR BARNETT: Other comments? I agree
completely. That was a very hard decision to be made by the Planning Commission on the Schwab matter. Commissioner
Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: While you were talking, I
was looking at the definition and it does not specifically
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say cash per se. It does not include payday lending
businesses or check cashing, but I don’t think people are going to think about that. It was more about like having an ATM, so I concur we should add that to the definition that people would be able to withdraw cash using ATM or other methods.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thank you. Yes, I think ATMs
should somehow be incorporated within the definition of bank. My concern is ATMs are so ubiquitous now that they’re in facilities that are not banks. They’re in grocery
stores, they’re in standalone kiosks, so my concern is if we throw ATM into the bank definition it might create
issues.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Thank you. I think the
clarification to the definition I’m interested in seeing is ATM and cash, because certainly we don’t want to be like a 7-Eleven that’s got an ATM machine, so I think the notion that there has to be a person there whose function as a clerk is to distribute cash would be part of the change of the definition.
CHAIR BARNETT: Further comments?
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COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes, I was thinking like a
teller also; I think that’s what they’re still calling bank tellers. But also I did have some questions about that, because I know that banks have really changed their hours of operation; like Bank of America is not open a lot, the one over at Blossom Hill and Los Gatos Boulevard. Is that just the trend that is happening? All of those bank-like retail locations are just not becoming a thing anymore, so if we add this definition are we basically saying no more banks in town? Not that there’s a problem with that, but is that what might possibly happen?
MONICA RENN: You bring up an amazing point. This
is something that we’ve talked about with the Chamber quite a bit, just how much real estate in general a bank takes up and then how little interaction there is. Mr. Mullin may want to expand on this, but I think what we’re really
trying to do is with the absence of a definition of a bank it caused some issues with us, so we can still have that conversation about what we want to do in general with banks and zoning at another time, but I think what we were trying to achieve here is that now we have a tool or a mechanism to say yes you’re a bank or no you’re not, and then I think it’s a much broader conversation, but you are right on.
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Is it appropriate on every other block downtown
anymore or not? But I think this is really just giving us the opportunity to define it and then they would go through the CUP process, so it doesn’t allow it by right, it just defines it.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: As a follow up to that I
think that we would have to put in a minimum number of
hours that they are available to the public, because if they’re only open one hour a day for one day a week, by definition they’re going to be a bank if they have a teller there one hour a day, one day a week. I don't know, so
that’s something, maybe not. But now I understand and I do think that that’s a good future discussion.
CHAIR BARNETT: I have a question for Staff. The
benefit of the distinction between retail bank and
financial services, although they have common features, would be that financial services would be in offices only in the C-2 zone?
SEAN MULLIN: That’s correct. As we saw during
the Schwab debate, with the lack of definition we were
relying on the applicant in that case to tell us what a bank was, essentially not having a code to fall back on.
We’re not changing the regulatory framework for banks and
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financial institutions; we’re just trying to draw a clear distinction between the two.
CHAIR BARNETT: Understood, thank you.
Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I just wanted to add for
clarity, because not everyone was on the Commission when we had the discussion about Schwab, they were going to open in a very prime retail space on University and they were
posturing as if they would be accessible. Then the
questions were could people just walk in, and then they were like hesitating a bit, and then the question came up about whether or not someone could withdraw cash, and
Schwab is not that kind of organization, they aren’t set up for that.
I think the way it’s explained here on page 20,
it says, “Primarily focus on in-person and customer
services such as deposits, withdrawals, loans, checking and savings, currency exchanges, mortgages, personal loans.” That’s not financial advisory like Schwab, so I think
there’s enough differentiation; if we add in including cash withdrawals onsite, that would add the one thing that a lot of people would go to the bank for. I don't know what to
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think about the number of hours, but maybe that’s a broader discussion that’s beyond this.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Thank you, and I would
agree that, again, adding cash clarifies it in a way that we didn’t have available before.
As far as hours of operation, to me that’s a
business model question. You might change banks if it’s only open one hour a day, but I’m not sure that we’re in the business of dictating the hours of the institution, but I would be comfortable adding cash. More than cash and ATM, but cash for sure.
CHAIR BARNETT: I was going to ask the question
about an ATM, because I’m not sure I see ATMs inside a
bank; they’re frequently on the outside of the bank, so is that what we’re talking about specifically?
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I think it was more that
you could get cash in the venue. I think it is a slippery slope with the ATMs, because ATMs are everywhere. Sometimes they’re at gas stations, they’re in the grocery stores, they could be in the pharmacy; I wouldn’t consider any of those a bank. The definition has to be broader, that they offer a range of service, including cash withdrawals. We
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may not even need to mention the word ATM, because a cash withdrawal is one service that can be performed at an ATM, but you can do others, so I would just say cash
withdrawals.
CHAIR BARNETT: All right. Anything further? A
motion perhaps? Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I will make a motion that
we should forward a recommendation of approval to Town
Council regarding the changes recommended in Item C, and I can make the findings for CEQA and for the General Plan, but that we should modify the definition of retail bank to include cash withdrawals in addition to the other items mentioned.
CHAIR BARNETT: And a second? Commissioner
Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Second.
CHAIR BARNETT: Discussion on the motion?
Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Just to clarify, so just
put “cash” in front of “deposit/withdrawals”?
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I think that’s fine.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Was that an amendment? No.
Clarification, right? Discussion? I don’t see any. I’ll call the roll? Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote in favor of it as
well, so it’s unanimously approved.
We’re making good progress, so why don’t we move
on to Item D, which is on PDF page 21 of the Staff Report.
I’ll ask if any of the Commissioners have questions of
Staff on this matter, wish to comment on it, or make a
motion? Yes, Commissioner Hanssen will start.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I asked a little bit of
questions earlier, because we also had gotten the letter in the addendum. Maybe five years ago the Planning Commission was given an opportunity to attend a presentation on the
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future of retail, and as we’re probably all familiar, it’s been fairly bleak and it’s in the news every day about new retail locations that are closing, and I think we’ve been fortunate to keep as much retail as we’ve had in our
downtown.
What’s really happened in the last few years, I
think it was mentioned by Ms. Somers and also by our
Economic Vitality Manager, is that we have these businesses that come in like Sephora and Lulu Lemon and whatnot, and those are draw businesses and then people stay in town, and I think we have to think like that.
The thing that people might be worried about,
which would be like is Walmart going to come in and open up a huge thing, we just don’t have the real estate in
downtown to make that happen. I don’t think there is retail space to do it anywhere in town honestly, maybe in the
outlying part of town, but in any case I think we should do everything we can to make it easy for businesses to be
here, and retail businesses in particular, and removing the CUP requirement I think is just fine, and just simply by the amount of square footage we have and what’s available that it will be a limiting factor to anything showing up.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for those comments? Any
further questions or comments? Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I had a question for Staff
about if you know how many retail spaces are vacant right now that are larger than 6,000 square feet?
MONICA RENN: Specifically, in downtown we have
one. We have the former Williams Sonoma. We actually had a couple of formula retailers look at it and they passed; I don't know if it was about the CUP or not; there are other factors that businesses look at when they come in. Outside of downtown we do have the former Rite Aid spot that’s
rather large that’s open, and off the top of my head I
think those are the only two big spaces.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Whatever is across the
street next to Lundardi’s too.
MONICA RENN: The Rite Aid.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: No, the other right next
door, like in between the bank. It’s been nothing for a long time. It was like a Hallmark shop, but then before that it was like a Domus.
MONICA RENN: I do anticipate there being some
changes there just given that there is a long-term land lease that’s about to expire on that space, and so that may
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have something to do with the tenants and turnover in the tenants.
It’s really interesting, those shopping centers
function quite differently, because there is one owner that has kind of an overview plan and idea, and then downtown we have an amazing group of owners, 150 or so, and so it’s a little bit different to do long-term planning, and I think that leads to Ms. Somer’s comment about it’s harder to
think we’re just going to combine all of these shops and it’s going to become this massive superstore; that’s less likely to happen downtown given the way it functions.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Thank you, Chair. My
question is one of the comment letters that we received about removing the CUP that we discussed, and of course our great Chamber of Commerce manager, but what he said
basically was yes, remove the CUP requirement for the
Neighborhood Commercial and the CH, but keep it in the
Central District in the LM, the Commercial Industrial, and the reason why he said, and it was an important point and I wish to discuss this with the other Commissioners, was that it would be an incentive for the businesses owners to help retain the small businesses over… Basically it would help
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with the owners of the properties; it would be an
incentive. I don't know if there’s a discussion on that. It could be a concern though if you think about it.
CHAIR BARNETT: I appreciate that comment.
Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: I think the question was
what about the amendment that we received and the
recommendation to keep big business or big box out of the downtown area? I read that and thought good point, that’s a really interesting point, however, the discussion tonight has been very compelling in terms of wanting businesses to come into town, and the limited number of sites that are that size anyway, so it’s not likely to transform the
character of town, so with all due respect to Mr. Meyer, who makes an interesting point, I’m listening to our
persons who are much more tightly tied to business and that outweighs that comment for me, and I think I’m in favor of what Staff has recommended for that reason.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you. Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes, I appreciate that,
Commissioner Janoff, and I agree with you. I just wanted to put that out as a question that was raised by Mr. Meyer and I just wanted to address his concerns, but I do agree.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Other questions or comments? We
had a brief discussion with Mr. Paulson yesterday in
preparing for this meeting, and he brought to my attention that the formula retail restriction has not always been in place, and I was wondering if we had some notion of how long it has been in place?
JOEL PAULSON: If I’m taking a guess, I want to
say 2004, but I could be off by a couple of years. When I first started here many decades ago there was no
distinction, but then there became a concern with formula retail in that mix and not wanting to upset that mix,
specifically downtown, so it was implemented, and then even prior to the Economic Recovery Agreement stage we actually pulled back for everything less than 6,000 square feet, so it got modified at that point, and so now this is kind of that final step.
The other piece is not only this, but any other
ones, because it’s the same thing with personal service downtown. That used to be a permitted use, then there was a concern that all of downtown was going to be salons. We haven’t seen that happen, but that’s when that was put into place, and if any of these things start becoming concerns moving forward, Ms. Renn, the planners, they’re all going
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to keep an eye on that, and we have another discussion with the Council and see if we want to look at maybe pulling back from lessening these restrictions, so there is always that opportunity too.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thanks for those comments, and I
think that’s good for us all to keep in mind. Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Thank you. I was hoping
that Staff could tell us why 6,000 square feet is the
number that’s chosen.
MONICA RENN: That was the number that was chosen
back in like 2004. We had a distinction between formula retail under 6,000 square feet and then over, so anything over 6,000 needed a CUP anywhere, and anything under only needed the CUP in downtown, and that was the way to really preserve the Mom and Pop retail through the time.
I did want to add when we removed the CUP for
under 6,000 square feet we did it for like a year,
temporary basis, and we came back to the Council and said we’ve gotten none, would you like to extend it, and they extended it again as a temporary basis. So this has now been in place since 2018, and just as we’ve done those
quick kinds of trials, we could definitely come back to you
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and come back to the Council if things start to unravel and ask do you want to try a temporary in the other direction.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: So we could temporarily
require CUPs again? Okay.
MONICA RENN: And we have become kind of a leader
in the Bay Area, because for a long time everyone was doing formula, and then the Town pulled back, and so other cities will call and say, “What happened? Did the sky fall? Is this okay?” So with this, and with the parklets, and with a lot of our streamlining we’ve been out there as a leader in the Silicon Valley, and a lot of jurisdictions look to us for making these innovative changes.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Thank you. At the end of
this section it says are there specific types of formula retailers that should still require a CUP, and along with that should we discuss expanding it or forwarding with a recommendation to it being a higher number than 6,000
square feet? What I heard from the Chamber is that it
should be higher. What I’m hearing from what’s happened, like 6,000, thus far nothing has made a difference, so
should that number be bumped up to 8,000 or 10,000?
CHAIR BARNETT: Is there a comment from Staff on
that?
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MONICA RENN: I’m not 100% sure. That’s the first
time I’ve heard that comment, so I can’t speak for the
Chamber. We really don’t have any buildings in town that I can think of outside of like warehouses that are that big.
It would really be something where someone combines them.
Most of the time if it’s going to be a new development
you’re going to hear about it anyway and it’s going to come before the Planning Commission and the Council. This is really looking at a change of use, so something that
exists, and then a new user comes in.
So you could certainly do that. I’ve heard in the
past people don’t like formula retail defined as seven or more, they like it defined more like 50 or more locations makes you a formula, or 100 or more locations make you a formula, so if that was a better level of comfort, that’s also something you could consider.
To be honest, when it comes to retail there’s
such a delicate balance between the synergy and the
competition, and even in-person shopping in general, that a lot of this conversation has just become obsolete, because those really big box retailers are online and they’re
looking for smaller footprints anyway; it doesn’t make
sense to occupy 10,000 or 12,000 square feet.
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COMMISSIONER THOMAS: And the Williams Sonoma is
6,800?
MONICA RENN: I believe it’s something like that.
It’s not bigger than that; it’s just over 6,000.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Okay, thank you.
CHAIR BARNETT: I’ll take Commissioner Janoff
next.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Thank you. I would
recommend we stick with the language we have, because it’s the language we’ve been using. These are the parameters we know. If we change more variables you can’t really measure in the same way what change might… There’s nothing to
compare to, so you’d be changing something on top of
something else. So I would recommend that we stick with the language that we’ve had, open it up as recommended by
Staff, and see what happens.
And then, as Staff has said, if it becomes a
problem it goes back to Council or comes back to the
Planning Commission for any modification and we’ll see it then, but I like the idea of taking the historic language and carrying it through to the next logical step, see what happens, and then if another change needs to be made, we can do that.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for that. Commissioner
Hanssen and then Vice Chair Raspe.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I just have a comment. If
you look at what is being proposed here, that language is all going away. The word formula will be gone, 6,000 square feet will be gone, and it’s just going to be retail. Given the dramatic changes in the retail landscape, we heard
testimony years ago from retailers here saying things like, “People walk in our store. They go outside and go on the Internet and buy it from somebody else,” and we need to help these guys as much as we can, so I think we should do like Commissioner Janoff suggested and stick with the
language here.
If there were any discussion worth having, it
would be is there any business that we would want to
exclude? I would advocate not to do that for the reasons I just outlined, and then let the process go where it goes, and if it turns out we have unintended consequences, we can always pull things back.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you. Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thank you, Chair. The last
point that Commissioner Hansson made on whether we should have any uses that we don’t want, we still want some
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limitation on; the one that’s noted in our report is
perhaps, by way of example, alcohol sales. Do we want to allow without a CUP large alcohol sales? I know we’ve had, for instance, BevMo! just opened up. I don't know how big the BevMo! space was, but it seems to me that at least we should consider maybe that’s a discussion we want to have about that’s an area we may want to limit without the CUP.
If you can let me know how big the BevMo! space is. Do we know?
SEAN MULLIN: I can add it. I’m not sure how
large the BevMo! space is, but I will add with the
specifics to alcohol the changes as proposed in here would not remove the CUP requirement for any business that wants to sell alcohol for onsite or offsite. The discussion point added here was really about if there is this further
control for these formulas over 6,000 that sell alcohol, so BevMo!, if this gets adopted and incorporated into the
Town, BevMo! would still require a CUP simply because the existing conditional use table requires a CUP for offsite sales of alcohol or onsite sales.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: So instead of belts and
suspenders, we have now have belts or suspenders, but we’re still protected from…
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SEAN MULLIN: Alcohol would still require a CUP.
It may have not been the best example provided for a
discussion point in the Staff Report, but it will help you clarify.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Thank you very much.
CHAIR BARNETT: Any further questions or comments
on D? If not, I’m looking for a motion from the
Commissioners. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I will make a motion that
we should recommend to Council to adopt the changes under D that are mentioned in the Staff Report on page 22, and I can make the findings in accordance with CEQA, and also that this is in compliance with the General Plan, and no changes recommended from what’s in the Staff Report.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for the motion. Is
there a second? Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I second.
CHAIR BARNETT: Any discussion? If not, I’ll call
the roll beginning with Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
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VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote yes as well; it passes
unanimously.
We’re making good progress. We have E and F to
complete, and E concerns Group Classes in the C-2 zone, and I wonder if Commissioners would like to make any comments on that matter? Specific issue? Maybe there is no
discussion required. If not, I’ll ask for a motion on Item E, please. Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: I have no comment, and hearing
no comments from my fellow commissioners, I would make a motion that with respect to Group Classes in the C-2 zone we forward to Town Council to accept and incorporate the changes recommended by Staff as set forth on page 13 of our Staff Report, and I would additionally make the findings as required.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for the motion. Second?
Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: I’ll second.
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CHAIR BARNETT: Discussion? Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: I just wanted to mention,
since I was on the Commission when all these group classes started, and now there are multiple cycle places, there’s Pilates, Pure Barre and whatnot, that when we had the cycle place on Santa Cruz it was a really long Planning
Commission discussion and ultimately it got approved. But when you consider the retail environment, we have to
encourage things that bring people downtown, and so those are the kinds of that will bring people downtown. Then that was sort of when the juice companies started coming in and they would go to the juice place next door, so this is all good harmonic things that are happening, so I just wanted to give my encouragement before we voted, and why.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you. So we have a motion
and a second. Is there any further discussion? If not, I’ll call the roll. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
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COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote yes as well, so that
matter passes unanimously as well, and we’re getting to the end.
Item F, Veterinarians in the C1 zone, and I’ll
call for any questions or comments on that item. I’m not seeing any, so why don’t we move ahead with a motion?
Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: I move to forward the
recommendation for Item F, Veterinarians in the C1 zone, and stated in the Staff Report. I can make the required findings and recommendations in the Staff Report.
CHAIR BARNETT: Thank you for that, and we’ll
look for a second. Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: I second that.
CHAIR BARNETT: Any discussion? Seeing none, I’ll
call the roll again. Commissioner Hanssen.
COMMISSIONER HANSSEN: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Thomas.
COMMISSIONER THOMAS: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Vice Chair Raspe.
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VICE CHAIR RASPE: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Burnett.
COMMISSIONER BURNETT: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: Commissioner Janoff.
COMMISSIONER JANOFF: Yes.
CHAIR BARNETT: And I vote as well in favor of
the motion, so it passes unanimously.
We’ll confirm that there are no appeal rights on
this matter, since it’s a recommendation.
JENNIFER ARMER: That is correct; since it’s a
recommendation to Town Council there are no appeal rights.
CHAIR BARNETT: And the findings have been made
on each of the separate motions, so I think we’re in good shape there.
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DATE: April 25, 2023
TO: Los Gatos Planning Commissioners
FROM: Catherine Somers, Executive Director, Los Gatos Chamber Jim Foley, President, Board of Directors, Los Gatos Chamber SUBJECT: Public Comment on Item # 2 4/26/23 Planning Commission Agenda Writing on behalf of the Board of Directors for the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce, we would like to express our appreciation of the Staff’s continued work on economic recovery and the streamlining of the new business permitting process. Certainly, the June 2020 Economic Recovery Resolution did create flexibility and increased opportunities for existing and new businesses. We particularly appreciated the subsidies provided to the businesses who wanted to update their CUPs. Those updated CUPs have, without a doubt, positively impacted the vitality and vibrancy in Town.
Tonight, we will be here to support almost everything staff recommends in this report as it relates to making the 2020 Resolution permanent and we will encourage you do so as well. As indicated above, the Chamber supports any steps taken toward streamlining the building process and making it easier for business to happen in Town. – with a few exceptions.
We hope tonight you will take a little closer look at the language around specialty retail and how it might relate to the coffee industry. The Downtown core currently has a unique and abundant variety of coffee businesses. We feel the discretion provided at the Development Review Committee level will be appropriate to guide any newly proposed coffee businesses in C-2. In other zoning districts in Town a byright use could be considered.
We also want to point out that formula retailer’s 5,000 sq. ft. was a policy meant to regulate larger box retail. In hindsight, that number could have been altered or addressed a few years ago when this Resolution was put in to place but was not. There are some spaces in the commercial core (c-2) that would benefit from marketability of what would be considered a ‘formula’ use as an approved use within the zone. There are leases in place, building size, and other constraints that self-regulate the concern of overly competitive big box retailers entering the market and creating destructive competition for the mom and pop retailers we cherish. The notion of formula retail is antiquated. With the aggressively changing landscape of retail, we almost want to welcome the few quality retailers that are left to bolster our shopping experience and gain tax revenue. We suggest eliminating this limitation completely. If you are not ready to take that step, the minimum should be increased. We believe that 10,000 sq. ft or potentially larger would create enough discretion to vet uses that could potentially have a negative impact to the established business community.
Lastly, we also think the definition of banks and financial institutions needs to be even more straight forward. Recalling the planning commission meeting a year ago, you unanimously agreed to allow Charles Schwab to open in the now-vacated Gap space. The Chamber appealed that decision, and it went to the Council who ultimately denied it as they did not think it qualified as a banking institution but was an office. Offices are not typically approved on the ground floor in the C2 district. While it is not out of the question, at some level, office uses on the ground floor in C-2 may be warranted. It needs to be carefully studied before allowing that to happen to ensure the integrity of the central business district is not unduly compromised. Council upheld the appeal and denied the project. That night, their definition of a bank was quite different than what is proposed here. One of the qualifications was that the bank ATTACHMENT 7
needed to have cash on hand and an ATM. We think you should include that description in your definition.
Again, the Chamber Board and our members approve the elements of the Economic Recovery Resolution and would like to see code amendments put in place to make them permanent. The Development Review Committee has done an excellent job and has certainly provided the correct level of discretion when it comes to ensuring that the Central Business District has the right mix of business types that enhance and do not compromise the charm of Los Gatos. We still have work to do around making the process even more streamlined and will keep advocating for further streamlining.
Thanks.
From: M Millen < >
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2023 10:48 AM
To: Council <[email protected]>
Cc: Monica Renn <[email protected]>
Subject: Coffee shop carve out
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi,
As a small business owner and a commercial property owner, I am writing to voice my opposition to requiring new coffee shops to get a CUP as a “restaurant”.
My understanding is that all other specialty food businesses will be exempt from this CUP requirement, and it makes no sense to treat coffee shops differently from a yogurt shop or something similar.
I have a new tenant that is a yogurt shop and it would benefit my tenant to require all other ice cream or yogurt shops to have to struggle through the time and expense of a CUP just to open the doors (just like the town forced my new tenant to do). There is no rational justification to drop barriers to entry for a yogurt/ice cream shop but to keep those exact same barriers in place for a coffee shop.
The town should not be protecting certain businesses from competition or favoring certain businesses by erecting or maintaining barriers to entry.
Please eliminate the CUP restaurant requirements for all coffee shops, and treat them like every other specialty food business.
Thank you,
Mark Millen
Los Gatos, CA
Sent from me to you
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ATTACHMENT 8
• Introductions
• Land Use Streamlining & Zoning Code Modifications
• Q&A
• Streamlining builds in flexibility and encourages business retention & growth • Strategic Priority of the Town Council
• Economic Recovery Resolution
• Evolution & current status
• Next Steps to continue efforts
• Planning Commission considered in April
• Recommendations go to the Town Council on June 20
• Expand zoning allowances & opportunities for:
• Personal service businesses
• Tasting and tap rooms
• Group classes
• Veterinary businesses
• Formula retail
• Specialty retail businesses
• Codify definitions for banks and financial institutions
• Personal Service Businesses
• Remove CUP requirement in downtown
• Allow in office zones
• Tasting & Tap Rooms
• Limited hours
• CUP with DRC approval
• Group Classes
• Remove CUP requirement in downtown
• Veterinary Businesses
• Allow use in the C1 zone
• Formula Retail
• Remove CUP requirement for +6,000 SF
• Specialty retail businesses
• Remove CUP for quick/impulse food businesses
• Planning Commission recommends coffee remains a restaurant & continue to require a CUP
• Codify definitions for banks and financial institutions • Bank must include the ability to exchange cash such as an ATM, teller, etc. • Financial institution is an office use, prohibited on the ground floor of downtown
▪ Thank you for your engagement!
▪ General questions or feedback?
▪ Detailed staff reports will be available online on
Thursday, June 15 at losgatosca.gov
▪ Public Comment is welcome in writing, no later
than 11 a.m. on June 20.
▪ Public Comment is welcome in person at the
meeting on Tuesday, June 20 at 7 p.m.
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PREPARED BY: Gary Heap
Town Engineer
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 6/20/2023
ITEM NO: 23
DATE: June 9, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive the Report on Potential Revisions and Community Input to the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813- 0218) and Provide Design Direction
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive the report on potential revisions and community input to the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) and provide design direction.
BACKGROUND:
The Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements Project would provide pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements on Shannon Road between Los Gatos Boulevard and Cherry Blossom Lane. This segment of Shannon Road is a two-lane neighborhood collector street with high volumes of bicycle and pedestrian traffic when schools are in session. The street is a popular route for students attending Blossom Hill Elementary, Louise Van Meter Elementary, and Raymond J. Fisher Middle schools. There are intermittent sections of sidewalk on both sides of the roadway. Currently, on-street parking is not allowed on Shannon Road between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m., except on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays.
At the April 18, 2023 Town Council meeting, staff presented the final design of the pedestrian and bicycle improvement project and received feedback from the Council and the community.
As a result of the discussion, staff was asked to do the following:
Revise the design to minimize large asphalt buffers, remove parking spaces, and add trees wherever possible;
PAGE 2 OF 6
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) Public Outreach Overview and Design Direction
DATE: June 9, 2023
BACKGROUND (continued):
Organize a community meeting with the opportunity to visit the site with the revised plans; and
Prioritize returning this item to Council in a timely manner to maintain the grant funding.
DISCUSSION:
On June 1, staff conducted a community meeting at the Congregation Shir Hadash at 20 Cherry Blossom Lane (Attachment 1 contains the meeting minutes). At the community meeting, staff provided a brief presentation and introduced two new project design options (Attachment 2 contains the slide deck from the meeting). The first option (2023-A) did not include on-street parking and the second option (2023-B) provided limited parking. Other than that, the two options were similar in their design and included:
Two 10-foot wide travel lanes
Two six-foot wide on-street Class II Bicycle Lanes
Two three-foot wide buffers between the travel lane and the bicycle lane A six-foot wide sidewalk on each side of the street
A four-and-a-half-foot wide planter strip with trees on each side (west of Magneson Loop only)
The detailed plans for each option can be found on the Town’s Connect Los Gatos – Shannon Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvement Project web page under the section titled Project Updates: https://www.losgatosca.gov/2687/Shannon-Pedestrian-and-Bikeway-Improveme Following the staff presentation, community members were separated into breakout groups facilitated by staff. At the end of the break-out sessions, each group reported out their thoughts and preferences between the two design options. As participants entered the community meeting, they were provided a survey to gauge their preferences on the design options and to provide comments (Attachment 3 – Survey and Results).
Following the meeting, staff received numerous emails from residents providing additional comments. These are presented in Attachment 5.
The community feedback did not yield any single consensus on design concepts. Input focused on:
1. Asphalt buffers of three feet are inconsistent with the current aesthetic of Shannon Road.
PAGE 3 OF 6
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) Public Outreach Overview and Design Direction
DATE: June 9, 2023
DISCUSSION (continued):
2. Residents bordering the project want parking, whereas users of the road who do not live adjacent to the project feel parking is a more urban aesthetic.
3. Trees are important to the rural feel of the road.
4. Option 1 (as presented at the community meeting on September 29, 2021) is strongly preferred.
With that input, staff reevaluated the project and developed a modified design that attempts to meet the needs of residents and community members while exercising sound engineering judgement. A new plan, Modified Option 1, provides parking on the south side of Shannon Road along the entire corridor. Given the short time between the community meeting and the Council meeting, staff prepared typical proposed cross sections of the Modified Option 1 in Attachment 4 and did not develop a detailed plan.
Modified Option 1 includes planter strips on the north side of the street west of Magneson Loop, and on both sides of the street east of Magneson Loop. Table 1 compares the original Option 1, the two options from the community meeting, and the new Modified Option 1.
Table 1. Comparison of Design Alternatives for Shannon Road Bike/Pedestrian Project Design Element Original
Option 1
2023-A 2023-B Modified
Option 1
Vehicle Lane Width 10 feet 10 feet 10 feet 10 feet
Sidewalk Width 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet 5 feet
Bike Lane Width 6 feet 6 feet 6 feet 5 feet
Painted Bike Buffer Width None 3 feet 3 feet 1.5 feet
Planter Strip Width 4.5 feet1 3.5 – 5 feet 3.5 feet 3 – 4 feet2,3 Parking Yes4 No Yes5 Yes4
Buffer Between Back of
Walk and Property Line None None None 6 inches
1. Along South Side Only
2. West of Magneson Loop – 3-foot Planter Strip on North Side Only
3. East of Magneson Loop – 4-foot Planter Strip on Both Sides
4. South Side Only
5. Intermittent 2-Stall Parking Bays on North and South Side Modified Option 1 reduces the bike buffer from three feet on each side to 18-inches. Bike buffers are considered fundamental to cyclist safety as they provide extra distance between a vehicle and cyclists. With 10-foot wide vehicle lanes proposed, staff felt that eliminating the buffers entirely would be inconsistent with good design practice.
PAGE 4 OF 6
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) Public Outreach Overview and Design Direction
DATE: June 9, 2023
CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS:
Staff has designed a Modified Option 1 in an effort to meet the requests of the Shannon Road residents and other community members while still meeting the Town Council direction provided at the April 18, 2023 meeting. Modified Option 1 provides bike lanes and sidewalks, maximizes the placement of trees, and reduces the bicycle lane buffer to minimum standards.
Staff recommends completing design of the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project using Modified Option 1.
Staff recognizes that this recommendation proposes more change than was expected based on the Council direction of April 18, 2023. Based on the community input received both at the community meeting and in follow up emails, staff believes that a change in direction is needed if the project is to move forward. With $940,100 in grant funding from the Valley Transportation Authority’s Vehicle Emission Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) program set to expire in January 2024 with no expectation that it can be extended, time is of the essence. If Modified Option 1 is approved by the Town Council, staff have the consultant revise the construction documents and complete this work by October 2023. Staff will then submit the plans to CalTrans for review in accordance with the grant requirements. CalTrans approval of the plans is required by January 31, 2024 to maintain the grant funding.
ALTERNATIVES:
Alternative 1 Proceed with Staff Recommendation. Staff is recommending Modified Option 1 to balance good engineering design with the community interests. Proceeding with this recommendation allows the project to move forward by developing construction documents in a timeframe that may meet the existing grant deadlines.
Alternative 2 Select a Different Design. The Town Council and community have been provided multiple design options since project inception in 2018, including the three new ideas presented in this report. Staff has presented a design that balances the community interests with good engineering design. Selecting a different design may result in a project that a) meets sound engineering design but is not supported by the community; or b) is supported by the community but presents a potential safety risk by ignoring certain design principles. Staff does not recommend this alternative.
Alternative 3 Cancel or Defer the Project. The Town Council has the choice to cancel or defer the project. The project was funded because it is a priority project under the Town’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan and serves children that attend multiple schools in the project area.
Cancelling the project would mean that safety of cyclists and pedestrians would not be improved and the goals of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan would not be met. Deferring the project would allow time for more public engagement, but given the amount of
PAGE 5 OF 6
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) Public Outreach Overview and Design Direction
DATE: June 9, 2023
ALTERNATIVES (continued):
engagement to date, it is not clear that consensus on a single design can be achieved.
Cancelling or deferring the project would require relinquishing $1,114,350 in grant funding from two sources. Cancelling funding awards is rarely looked upon favorably by granting agencies and could impact future grant opportunities for the Town. If the project were to move forward in the future, then additional Town capital funding will need to be identified.
COORDINATION:
This report has been coordinated with the Attorney’s Office, the Finance Department, and the Town Manager’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The current project funding and projected costs are shown below. If Council would like to proceed with Modified Option 1, Option 2023-A, or Option 2023-B, staff would need to develop updated construction costs. Depending on Council’s action, staff will present the updated cost information when it is available.
Budget
GFAR $ 741,296
Grants $ 1,114,350
Utility Undergrounding $ 119,204
Storm Basin $ 200,000
Traffic Mitigation Funds $ 133,380
Total Budget $ 2,308,230
Costs
Misc. Expenses $ 500
Temporary Staff Charges $ 35,000
Engineering Services $ 196,709
Construction Management Services (7.5%) $ 132,512
Construction $ 1,766,826
Construction Contingency (10%) $ 176,683
Total Costs $ 2,308,230
Available Balance $ -
Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway Improvements
CIP No. 813-0218
PAGE 6 OF 6
SUBJECT: Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813-0218) Public Outreach Overview and Design Direction
DATE: June 9, 2023
FISCAL IMPACT (continued):
Staff costs are tracked for all projects. Tracking of staff costs allows for accountability in the costs of projects, recovery of costs from grant funded projects, and identification of future staffing needs. This project utilizes a combination of full-time budgeted staff and temporary staff that support fluctuating workloads. The costs for temporary staff will be directly associated with this project while full-time staff are accounted for in the Department’s operating budget.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is a project defined under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) as being Categorically Exempt per Section 15301(c) Existing streets, sidewalks, trails and similar facilities and 15304(h) Creation of bicycle lanes on existing rights-of-way. A Notice of Exemption will be filed. Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the project is determined to be categorically excluded from a detailed environmental analysis.
Attachments:
1. Public Outreach Meeting Minutes June 1, 2023
2. Slide Deck from Community Meeting
3. Community Survey and Results
4. Cross-Section of New Modified Option 1
5. Public Comments Received between June 2, 2023, and 11:00 a.m. on June 15, 2023
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING
MEETING DATE: 06/01/2023
MINUTES OF THE SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING
June 1, 2023
The Town of Los Gatos Parks and Public Works Department conducted a Community Meeting on June 1, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. at Congregation Shir Hadash.
Council Members Present: Mayor Ristow, Vice-Mayor Badame, Council Member Moore, and Council Member Rennie
Complete Streets and Transportation Commissioners Present: Chair Ehlers, Commissioner Verga, and Commissioner Walker
Nicolle Burnham, PPW Director, gave the presentation.
After the presentation, community members had small group discussions with an opportunity to visit the project location with staff.
Community members reconvened and community input was summarized by street segment, including comments from residents who do not live adjacent to the project.
North side of Shannon Rd from Los Gatos Blvd to Magneson Loop:
Concerns about parking and no on-street parking.
Some homes in the area do not have garages and have limited driveway space. Concern about the accuracy of the right of way down on the south side of Shannon Rd. Suggestion to move the planting strip on the south side of the street for parking and reduce the width of the sidewalk on the eastbound side of the project. Kids walk along the north side of the street to access the crosswalk at the traffic signal.
North side of Shannon Rd to Cherry Blossom Lane:
Some people liked the planter strips, and some people liked the parking. People liked the project and were okay with the buffers but did not agree with the width of the buffer.
Good conversation about some of the improvements of the right of way at the property line and how that improvement might impact the construction of the sidewalk and the setback.
Discussed the color of the truncated curb ramps, the group asked whether we could use a different color other than yellow.
Good conversation about the landscaping strip and who will be maintaining the strip and if the resident could maintain the landscaping strip with plants.
ATTACHMENT 1
PAGE 2 OF 5
SUBJECT: SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING MINUTES
DATE: June 6, 2023
Talked about irrigation and how conduits might be put under the sidewalk so that irrigation can be provided from that property to the landscape strip.
South side of Shannon Rd from Los Gatos Blvd to Englewood Ave:
Repurposing space, making room for parking.
Feedback that the bike lane looked too large and made it look more industrial. Received questions on exactly how wide some elements needed to be; seven-foot sidewalk and three-foot buffer.
They want to ensure they have the best of both worlds and enough green space as they possibly can.
South side of Shannon Rd from Englewood Ave to La Chiquita Ave:
Interest in increasing the drive lane to eleven feet. Reducing the buffer for the bike lane.
Reducing the bike lane.
Discussed speed humps, ones that are out there are effective and they are slowing down traffic.
Additional speed humps in this project are important because they will help with slowing down speeds.
Would like us to be careful about where we locate the speed humps in relation to people’s front doors and houses.
Group was for the elimination of parking.
Non-Shannon Rd residents Non-Shannon Road Residents:
None of the people in the group picked the option with parking. They liked the option with more trees.
One of the issues mentioned was visibility when they are pulling out and there is someone parked, it makes it hard to see.
Another person mentioned an increase in bicycles, pedestrians, and e-bikes, especially since the pandemic. With an increase in this activity, people are also concerned that people will get hit by a car door as bicycles, pedestrians, and e-bikes go by. They are other places where people can find parking on other streets. Had a discussion on safety and on people’s behaviors and pedestrians. Heard questions about where the storm drains will be located and why can’t there be Option 1, Option A, and Option B.
Heard a lot of concerns about parking and where will people be parking.
Verbal Communications (as a community meeting, staff provided responses to the questions as appropriate):
Resident
Has there been a parking study done historically?
Staff Response: We have not done one and I have not seen one in our project file.
PAGE 3 OF 5
SUBJECT: SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING MINUTES
DATE: June 6, 2023
Andy Horwitz, Shannon Road Resident
In the plans how much of the budget is allotted to the properties impacted? For example, the properties that have fences on the property line. What is the impact on pavers and additional landscaping? Trees are going to have to be removed even if they are in the right of way because of the sidewalk.
Staff Response:
We do not have cost estimates yet.
We will be going back to the drawing board once we hear back from Council, doing a redesign, and doing another public meeting to talk about the actual improvements. For example, on your property, you have hardscape and pavers in the right of way from your driveway and looking into alternatives.
Mark Bony, Shannon Road Resident
There is a question we asked last time, and I am not sure if we got that answer. On the state funding, I am not sure if we got confirmation that it can be extended, this is the matching funds.
Will that probably be an issue, we did not hear that it will be an issue. The question that I have as well as several others, will it be postponed or extended.
Staff Response:
I have been doing a deep dive into the two grant programs that were funded, and that were secured for the project.
The larger one the $940,000 grant program was set to expire in January 2023, but because there were projects still pending the federal transportation agencies extended it to January 31, 2024.
They are saying they will not extend it again and if the money is not obligated by that time, they will pull it. It is the whole program; it is not just our grant for Los Gatos it is the entire grant program, and they will sunset the entire program. We are moving forward on the assumption that we cannot secure the $940,000 beyond January 31, 2024. What that means is that do not have to spend it all but have to have design plans completed and approved by Caltrans before January 31, 2024, or we will forfeit that money.
Cheri Binkley, Shannon Road Resident
This road right now has a wide buffer on both sides and a lot of residents park as far over as possible onto the grass and landscape.
It will be hard to know how much use goes into it because people park all the way off to the side to give space because it is technically no parking. You will see people park all the way over to give people space while they are walking by. I feel like kids are safer biking on sidewalks. I know the original plans from fifteen to twenty years ago that were still online three-to-five-year range involved a more class one like the Los Gatos Creek Trail and having a big wide sidewalk on both sides and not having any bike lanes it would be assumed with people out there would give us enough width on both sides for parking and get everyone to a safer spot because they are up on
PAGE 4 OF 5
SUBJECT: SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING MINUTES
DATE: June 6, 2023
the sidewalk. I still think that would have been the best plan. I think there was a plan on the north side that was bi-directional that would not work. For bikes and sidewalks, a multi-use path there would be enough space for the greenery, and you can get the parking in. I think this is better and grew up in a master plan community with something along those lines and it is beautiful and really allows for trees to go over the sidewalk where people are biking, and it looks more rural, suburban vs urban.
I personally favor getting rid of the buffers altogether because without having any parking whatsoever people are going to park in and pull off into the bike lanes. I think it would be better to have the bike lanes without the buffers there. I know they are there because people are bad drivers and don’t give bikers enough space, but we are hoping to slow down traffic. I want to make the lanes look small and not look wide. Let’s get the buffers in, close the street in, slow everybody down and that is what is going to make it safer at the end of the day.
Jim Mahoney, Shannon Road Resident
I am concerned about parking, in the section where we live there is no parking in plan B and there are eight spaces east of Magneson Loop.
On the north side of Shannon, very few kids go to and come from school all go on the south side.
We can make adjustments on the south side like what you did on the other side and have some parking spaces along thereby reducing the buffer and removing the planter strip out which you have done on other sections like what you did for planning. This is really important, some of the houses have been there a long time and they only have enough space for one car, we have a driveway that allows two cars, but if anyone comes to visit us they will have to park on a side street and I am sure the neighbors will not be happy about that.
Sheldon Gilbert, Resident
I do not live on Shannon Road.
Has there been a traffic study to see which side of the street is more heavily used and between what hours?
Is this part of the design?
Staff Response:
I did find in the project file some counts from 2017. Pedestrian and bike counts had numbers of up to 150 kids in the morning as an a.m. count.
We will be talking about this at the June 20th Town Council meeting. As we prepare that memo, we will revisit some of those numbers and present that information and will be talking to our Safe Routes to School Coordinator, Wendy Riggs to see if she has any additional information about what we know and how many people are biking and walking to and from school.
PAGE 5 OF 5
SUBJECT: SHANNON RD COMMUNITY MEETING MINUTES
DATE: June 6, 2023
Resident
This is a balance thing. Clearly, there are a lot of people and kids going up and down the street.
What we need to remember is that right now there is no sidewalk, right now there is no bike lane, right now there is just a space for cars to park in, and right now there are no speed humps. Any of those things are going to be done and most likely to some degree all those things will be done. Things are going to get a lot better. I am pleased to see some progress being made.
What I am worried a little bit is that this stretch of road is being used as a showcase, I have heard multiple times we going to do it as it should be done. But that certainly becomes a template for the rest of the town. I do not think we want to make one block of Shannon Road a template for the entire town. We want to show how good of a job we can do. To sustain the character of the town while making it safer by adding a sidewalk, by adding a bike lane, and by adding speed humps. So that is why I encourage you to talk about these dreaded buffers next to the bikes.
These are the most controversial thing, why is it three feet even because someday someone hopes to add a barrier? We do not need barriers on a neighborhood street like this and therefore it could slow someone down and make it safe. Let’s not make Shannon a showcase for the maximum amount for biking. Let’s make Shannon a showcase of how much of a balance we can provide for our town, providing the best-looking street while adding a sidewalk, adding a bike lane, and adding some speed humps.
Resident
Thanked Nicolle because we never had this at all. We are happy you are doing this. We are happy Town Council is here to talk to us about this. It is just sad that two-plus years ago we were asked which concept we would like, and we said number one to make it easy on Town Council members then when public verbal communications were over and then the Town Council just discussed Concept 3. So, we really felt like we were ignored, and it was very disturbing on that Zoom call. If we went with project one, the project would have been down by now. I appreciate your time with this, and I prefer Concept A it has more greenery and consistency with a rural-type look neighborhood.
ADJOURNED 7:30 p.m.
Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway
Improvements
(CIP 813-0218)
Community Meeting
June 1, 2023
1 ATTACHMENT 2
Agenda for Tonight
Introductions 6:00 – 6:05
Staff Presentation 6:05 – 6:20
Break Out Group Discussion and Site Walks 6:20 – 7:00 Group Report Outs + Public Comment 7:00 – 7:25
Next Steps 7:25 – 7:30
2
Introductions
Nicolle Burnham, Director of Parks and Public Works
Gary Heap, Town Engineer
Mike Vroman, Senior Traffic Engineer
Tracy Wang, Transportation and Mobility Manager
Janice Chin, Assistant Civil Engineer
Corvell Sparks, Assistant Civil Engineer
Meredith Johnston, Administrative Technician
3
Agreements for Tonight
Register on the sign in sheet
Complete a survey and return to Tracy Wang
Hold questions for your breakout groups
Be respectful of staff and each other
No cross talk - wait to be called on
Allow everyone to have a voice
4
Why this Project?
Safe pedestrian and cyclist access on this collector street to three nearby schools
Priority project per Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Supported by Town Council and Complete Streets and
Transportation Committee
5
What We Heard
April 18, 2023 Town Council Direction:
Revise the Design to Minimize Excess Asphalt
Pavement Areas
Remove Parking Spaces
Add Trees Where Possible
Hold a Community Meeting
April / May 2023 Emails from the Community:
Shannon Road should look and feel like other
residential streets in Los Gatos
Concept 1 (presented Sept 2021) is preferred
Parking is required / Parking is NOT required
Planting strips are required
6
How Staff Responded
Discussed options for balancing the direction from Town Council and comments from the community
Developed two alternative concepts / sought cross sections that would provide more rural experience and look more like Concept 1
A word about bike lane buffers:
Increase distance between vehicles and cyclists
Provide space for cyclists to pass each other without entering traffic Provide safety for cyclists
Minimum 18-inches wide is recommended; 36-inch width increases safety The proposed design includes buffers due to the volume of school traffic / younger riders that use this street
And landscape buffers:
Improve aesthetics and provide more rural feeling
Increase distance between cars and pedestrians
Improve sight distance at driveways and cross streets 7
Overview of Concepts 2023-A and 2023-B
Option A does not include parking; Option B does
Providing parking reduces the amount of vegetation
Removals and private property impacts are the same for Options A, B and the Option presented to Town Council on 4/18/2023
7 Trees removed from residential property (16726 Shannon (1), 16301 Englewood (1), 16302 Englewood (4), 16623 Shannon (1)
Fence removal at 16680 and 16668 Shannon
Shrubs and landscaping located within right of way
8
Overview of Concepts 2023-A and 2023-B
Street trees will be included every 30-50 feet for Option A Chinese Pistache
Shumardi Oak
Red Maple
9
2023 Concepts vs Option 1
10 Design Element Option 1 2023-A 2023-B
Vehicle Lane Width 10 Feet 10 Feet 10 Feet
Sidewalk Width 5 Feet 5 Feet 5 Feet
Bike Lane Width 6 Feet 6 Feet 6 Feet
Painted Bike Buffer Width 0 3 Feet 3 Feet
Vegetated Buffer Width 4.5 Feet1 3.5 – 5.0 Feet 3.5 Feet2 Parking Spaces Provided Yes1 No Intermittent on North
and South Side
Notes:
1. At south side only
2. West of Magneson Loop only; intermittent buffer on north side east of Magneson Loop
Plan 2023-A (Without Parking)
11
Plan 2023-B (With Parking)
12
Break Out Group Discussions
Return at 7 PM
13
Group Report Outs + Public Comment
14
Next Steps
Staff will evaluate feedback received
Report back to Town Council on June 20, 2023 with
recommendations for design
NotifyMe emails to keep residents up to date on progress Further engagement with residents
15
Questions/Comments?
Concept 3 16
Grants
Grant 1 - $940,100 Vehicle Emissions Reductions Based at Schools (VERBS) via OBAG II
Federal Grant using Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Funds Program extended to 1/31/2024 – need CalTrans approval by this date Design must be complete by September 2023 to meet the 1/31/24 deadline Grant 2 - $174,250 Transportation Fund for Clean Air (TFCA) Original grant period: 7/1/2021 to 6/30/23
Extension 1 granted: 7/1/23 to 6/30/24
One additional grant period may be available through 6/30/25 17
Shannon Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
Community Meeting and Site Walk - June 1st 2023
Participation Form
Please share your feedback on the two traffic calming designs presented to help make Shannon Road a safer street for bicyclists and pedestrians. Thank you for your participation! Are you a resident and/or property owner of Shannon Road between Los Gatos Boulevard and Cherry Blossom?
Yes _________ No__________
Plan 2023-A (No Parking) Plan 2023-B (with Parking)
What do you like about this
option?
What do you not like about this
option?
Please indicate your preference
with a checkmark
Please explain why you chose the option you did.
ATTACHMENT 3
Shannon Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements
Community Meeting and Site Walk - June 1st 2023
Participation Form
Staff is trying to balance the need for parking with the desire for more vegetation. Please rank the following in order of priority with 1 being most preferred; 3 being least preferred:
a. Maximum trees and mulch with limited parking: _____________ b. Maximum parking with no or very limited trees and mulch: _____________ c. No parking with street trees every 30 to 50 feet: _____________ Please share any additional comments or concerns below.
Live in
Project
Area?
Yes / No
Preferred
Opion (A, B or
None) Reason for Preference (summary of Comment) A B C
No B More Rural feel 2 3 1
Yes Prefer orginal option 1 1
Yes Prefer orginal option 1
No
No A trees/smaller buffer 1 3 2
No A Save trees/easy traffic flow 2 3 1
No A More Rural feel 1 3 2
No A Vegetation/no parking 2 3 1
No B Permits residents to have parking 2 1 3
Yes B Parking option 1 2 3
Yes A Bike lane/safer for children/large sidewalk width 2 3 1 Yes A Greenery/planting strips 2 3 1
Yes A Greenery/Consistent Look 2 3 1
Yes A Greenery/Consistent Look 2 3 1
Yes A Green look 2 3 1
Yes B Parking (not crazy about either plan) 2 1 3
Yes A Like green plant strips 1 3 2
Yes A 1 2 3
Yes A Landscaping/Greenery 1 3 2
Yes
No
Preferences
Survey Results
Comments / Concerns
Bike lanes should be 5'with 18"buffer. Make bike + buffer narrower Does not prefer either of the options
Go back to option 1
Go back to the drawing board
Car lane are to small. Buffer should be 18" and bike lane should be 5' Keep as much vegetation to keep rural feel
Concern cost of project
Budget concerns. Remove buffer or reduce 0-18" max
3 ft to much buffer
Not thrilled with 3 trees/parking isn't neccessay
Was informed that a "fence planting buffer" ~2ft so the fence doesn't butt right to my fence Consider reducing buffer to 2ft. Remove the yellow truncated domes to gray Smaller bike lane/prefer not to have parking/don't like sidewalk next to fence (give an foot next to fence)
8 Parking spaces easy of Magneson Loop/Reduce to 18" W of Magnesion South Side Elimate planter strip to increase area for parking spaces. We need parking spaces Include some limitted parking/buffers are not needed
Bike lane was too wide/more greenery/reduce bike lane, no buffers Take 1.5 ft from either sidewalk/reduce buffer 18in vs 3in/reduce bike lane 5ft vs 6ft Doing so, will create 8ft width required for parking plus landscaping/greenery Plan A: Likes Greenery. Not like: Buffers/yellow truncated domes Plan B: Not like: Yellow truncated domes/Parking not used tday Parking is not an issue
I like trees
Survey Results
ATTACHMENT 4
ATTACHMENT 5
Public Comments Received between June 2, 2023, and June 15, 2023 From: Sheldon Gilbert
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 12:07 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
Subject: Shannon Road improvements
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicole,
I was a the meeting last night at Shir Hadash and found it to be very valuable. Really appreciate the town staff taking the time to hear the concerns of the neighbors.
I don’t live on Shannon, but do live in the area. I have served on the Bicycle and Pedestrian committee and am interested in seeing the improvements that the town is making to support bike and pedestrian traffic.
One idea occurred to me after the meeting which I wanted to share with you and your team as something to consider.
The crosswalk at LG Blvd and Shannon has always been inconvenient. Because of the way that Roberts Rd. doesn’t quite line up with Shannon, there is a bit of a jog which makes the traffic lights and the cross walk complicated. If you are crossing LG Blvd from the West, you have cars turning right from Roberts Rd.that might not see you. If you are crossing LG Blvd from the east, you have to first cross onto that little island and watch for right turners coming off of Shannon from behind you. A very complicated crosswalk.
My guess for why it is located on the North side of Shannon, is that historically, that is where the sidewalk has been. Since there is no sidewalk on the South side of Shannon, it wouldn’t make sense to have everyone cross Shannon to get to a crosswalk for LG Blvd.
If the new plan is to put sidewalk and bike lane on the South side of Shannon as well I wonder what the plan is for LG Blvd crosswalks? Will you be adding one from the SouthEast corner of LG Blvd/Shannon? Will you plan to eliminate or modify the one on the NE corner that is so complicated?
Thanks,
Sheldon Gilbert
ATTACHMENT 5
From: Ryan Rosenberg < >
Sent on: Friday, June 2, 2023 3:15:39 AM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Gary
Heap <[email protected]>
Subject: Thank You (plus bonus info for you on the current width of Shannon Road) [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Nicole and Gary,
It was a pleasure to meet both of you tonight at the Shannon Road project meeting. I appreciate the challenge of being in public service...it is not easy! Both of you showed a great demeanor tonight (working late!) and willingness to put in the effort to engage with the community. Great to see.
On another topic: I went and measured the current width of the Shannon Road traffic lanes. (Don’t worry I was careful!)
It turns out the current width is 9’ 4” (as measured from the outside of the central yellow lines to the inside of the white line at the side of the road). I’m not sure exactly how you measure width, maybe you go from the very center of the road. A but even starting there it seems to me the new plans will actually keep the current width, or maybe they even widen slightly the traffic lines. They do not narrow them.
Therefore perhaps it is possible to go to a 2’ bike buffer? Just a thought.
All the best,
Ryan Rosenberg
From:
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 1:39 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
Cc: Gary Heap <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: concerned with parking in front of our home [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicolle,
Thanks for your prompt reply. Let me know when you would like to meet and I will be available. To confirm, I definitely don't want parking. I like the green-space in front of all of our homes. We have plenty of side streets in this project for parking and as I mentioned to you yesterday, we walk at night every evening and there are no cars parked on the street. I just wanted to let you know my thoughts on parking in case spots were left in the plan which I hope won't be the case.
Having green-space in front of my home is essential as it will beautify the neighborhood. I spent thousands of dollars for plants, planting and irrigation in front of my home so it would be nice if I could reuse some of my plants in the planting strip.
Thanks,
Sheila
ATTACHMENT 5
On Fri, Jun 2, 2023 at 11:44 AM Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]> wrote:
Hi Sheila –
Thanks for your follow up note. I’m sorry to hear you lost sleep over this. Please don’t do that! We have a ways to go before anything permanent is done here.
Our work for the next two weeks will be to assess the feedback we received (and I’ll add this input to that list) and prepare to discuss the themes with Council on 6/20. I don’t think we are in a posi�on to say for certain exactly where any parking would be located (and many people s�ll prefer to not have any parking). I’m hoping that a�er council hears this item on 6/20 we will be able to move toward deciding on the design specifics about where exactly parking should be located.
That said, your comments and informa�on about the Magneson Loop intersec�on is very helpful. The design team will need to assess that intersec�on during design. If parking is proposed along Shannon Road we may need to consider a no parking area (i.e., red curb) on each side of the intersec�on to insure there is enough sight distance for drivers.
I would like to see what the next two weeks bring, including the council direc�on we receive, and then revisit this issue with you, rather than going to visit now. And, full disclosure, I’ll be out of Town from 6/21 through 7/5. However, I am confident that we will s�ll have �me to work with you as the design develops.
-Nicolle
From:
Sent: Friday, June 2, 2023 11:31 AM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
Cc: Gary Heap <[email protected]>
Subject: concerned with parking in front of our home
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicolle,
It was nice to see you yesterday. If I have to choose one of the plans proposed, plan A is a the better plan for our neighborhood. I forgot to mention my issue with parking in front of my home in plan B. The first issue is the loss of visibility drivers would have trying to turn out of Magneson Loop onto Shannon road which is very dangerous. Adding parking at that corner will block visibility and is not a good decision.
Drivers take right and left turns out of Magneson Loop even with the "no left turn arrow" sign on Magneson. I hear screeching cars daily pulling out of Magneson Loop onto Shannon because of the current low visibility while pulling out on to Shannon. The parking proposed in front of my home will make it much more dangerous.
What bothers me the most with plan B is the lack of greenery in front of my home. Currently, my home has the most green space in front of my property than any
ATTACHMENT 5
other residence in the project and the engineering dept decided to put parking in front of my home without green space? I am dumbfounded to say the least. I have to say how disappointed I was seeing that. If the engineering dept insists on keeping some parking can you please remove it in front of my home and put it somewhere else? You could move it in front of another residents home who wants the parking. This really bothered me to the point of lack of sleep last night.
Also, why the parking spots with "bulb outs" they don't look nice in a residential neighborhood.
Please come out to my home so we can discuss this and I can point out the dangerous visibility issue and my greenery issue with you. I will clear my calendar to accommodate your visit availability. Would be nice if Gary could attend also.
Thanks,
Sheila & Mark
From: Helen Sun
Sent: Sunday, June 4, 2023 4:14 PM
To: Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Mathew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> Subject: Shannon Rd Project: More Observa�ons and Feedback [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Town Councilmembers and Town Engineers,
Thank you for hos�ng the very welcoming and informa�onal community mee�ng last week. I want to thank the town engineers for working hard to produce the updated plans and op�ons. I think all residents can agree that it is amazing to see the green/tree spaces added to the plans. So, many thanks to you all for that.
We have shared the ini�al feedback during the mee�ng, but felt that I should follow up with an email with more details based on what I have gathered from the nearby streets. One ques�on remains as to why this sec�on of the Shannon Rd needs all of the elements of an artery road considering it is much less busier than some of the other streets around it. Please spend a few minutes to review the lane spec on the nearby streets, addi�onal observa�ons and feedback. It is important to provide safety to users on the street, but we ask to please implement a plan that is ra�onal, balances all aspects while maintaining the look and feel of the town! Thank you!
ATTACHMENT 5
Best,
Helen
From:
Sent on: Monday, June 5, 2023 8:33:06 PM
To: Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Maria
Ristow <[email protected]>; Matthew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]> CC: Gary Heap <[email protected]>; Nicolle
Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>;
Subject: Re: [shannon-road-project] Shannon Rd Project: More Observations and Feedback [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hello, Council members and Town Engineers,
Thank you for your continued interest and engagement with the Shannon residents on this project. I felt the community meeting we had last week was well organized and had great engagement from everyone.
Initially, the PPW proposed design concept #1 as a “vetted” option for us to choose from. The good news is that design #1 already meets the intent of points #1, #2, and #3 made by Helen below and echoes what many of us have said since the start of this project! I wanted to add to Helen’s well-researched message and ask each one of you just two questions:
ATTACHMENT 5
Would the town of Los Gatos even have any need of state funding to execute design #1 which is simpler, preferred by most residents, and less costly in design, but still meets the original safety improvements goals set out by the council?
Council members: please consider answering this question before making your final decision. Design #1 is less intrusive on impacted Shannon residents, is more attuned to our beautiful neighborhood, and most importantly offers a substantial safety improvement over what already exists today.
Note: Vice Mayor Badame said * the following statement in the 4-18-23 Town Council which perfectly summarizes the impacted Shannon resident‘s main concerns. It also contains an important piece of information (bolded):
“I echo a lot of the sentiments…I think we can all agree as one team for safe roads, bikes, and pedestrians…in a staff report dated 10-14-21, staff noted that design #1 and design #3 BOTH served the purpose of improving the visibility and safety of bicyclists on Shannon Road. I continue to question the need for excessive designs based on unsubstantiated safety concerns and keeping fiscal prudence in mind…”
If design #1 already meets the safety intent and is liked by most Shannon residents, why push forward a more polarizing, expensive design?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AT7JEk5A62o&t=18811s
*2:08:42 time stamp for the relevant starting point of the above quote.
Thank you,
Mark Bony
From: Cheri Finalle
Sent: Monday, June 5, 2023 2:15 PM
To: Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Mathew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> Cc: Peter Binkley >
Subject: Shannon Road
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Town Council,
I appreciate the last mee�ng with staff and happy to have so much engagement with the Council. The future humps and sidewalks will make commu�ng to school easier/safer/more pleasant.
I humbly request the Council to please give the town staff direc�on to remove the buffer for parking in the op�on that has green space/trees/plan�ng strips. Elimina�ng all parking op�ons will only cause parking to occur in the bike lanes. Deliveries, parents of local school children, guests, contractors, service equipment all need a place to park with this many homes. I think it a mistake to have there be zero parking. Obviously the road is only so wide. But the minimal requirements for a residen�al road esp one this rural, should have both green space and parking. Please eliminate the buffers. These are beter served on the LG Blvd or Winchester. The goal on this road is to slow down traffic.
Best regards, Cheri Finalle Binkley
ATTACHMENT 5
From: Helen Sun >
Sent: Monday, June 5, 2023 10:47 AM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
Cc: Gary Heap <[email protected]>; Michael Vroman <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Shannon Rd Project: More Observa�ons and Feedback [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Much appreciated, Nicolle. Please help to make it right for the residents and the town. The roads serve many groups who use it daily, not just the bikers. We want to make them safe, but the current plan is simply over engineered with the wide lanes, buffers and speed bumps. Thanks! Best,
Helen
On Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 9:13 AM Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]> wrote:
Helen –
Thank you for these comments and the analysis. We will review this informa�on as we prepare for the June 20th Town Council mee�ng.
-Nicolle
From: Andrew Horwitz
Sent on: Monday, June 5, 2023 8:46:44 PM
To: Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Rob
Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Matthew Hudes <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> CC:
Subject: Additional perspective Shannon Rd Project: Post in person meeting [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Town Council and Town Engineers,
First, thank you for hosting the in-person meeting and coming forward with positive suggestions.
We do appreciate the efforts.
As shown very well by our neighbor, Helen, the current design is still a significant over design.
However, there is a good path to accomplishing the objectives of significant improvements in safety as maintaining the community feel and satisfy the residents of Shannon Road. But we are not there yet.
For another objective perspective, I brought my 16 year old son (rising junior at LGHS), to the meeting, who rode his bike to Fisher everyday from our previous home in the Manor on
ATTACHMENT 5
Cherrystone and rides to LGHS everyday from our current Shannon Road Home. He showed me some very valid perspectives on safety. He didn't care about parking or property impact. It was helpful to me hearing his views, which I included below. 1) Adding Speed Bumps was his biggest concern. Already in the plan, consider two with the planned space. Cars speed, so stopping speeding is the most important thing to do. 2) Both a bike walk and sidewalk are helpful, so walkers use the sidewalk and bikers use the bike path. In his opinion, that is what limits bikes going into the street when they go around walkers, less around bikers.
3) He thinks a sidewalk on one side of the road is fine, because most kids walk on the North side because of the light at LG Blvd. But he thought two bike lanes, one on each side, was needed because bikers use both sides more.
4) Many kids don't listen, no matter what the design, so enforce rules more about walkers not using bike lanes. He asked why the town just doesn't have police watching speed during the walk to and from school times. Slowing cars down was his biggest safety improvement.
From my perspective, my big takeaways from the meeting were:
1) The buffers are not needed and eliminating them won't materially change the safety of the project but will make the street residents much happier. And don't meet the neighborhood. 2) The cost and budget impact to the city for this project are not fully understood in regards to property damage. This project will cost more than currently proposed. 3) The plan for utility poles seems unclear and likely to further impact more trees as the poles are moved closer to homes.
4) The full removal of green and trees are being understated. As I have highlighted, there are 4 trees at the edge of my property that will be removed but are not in the plans. These trees are all bigger than the replacement trees planned for the road. Additionally, with the sidewalk closer to the home, many other trees closer to the sidewalk will need significant trimming to not block the sidewalk. It appears that the sidewalk will go right against many fences, trees, bushes on homeowners property which will limit useful portions of sidewalk or impact property in a negative way.
5) Plan B, with the parking, had excess sidewalk in many places, especially around parking spots, that seemed unnecessary vs. greenery. Gary did mention that those could be evaluated to make it more green.
6) The risk of losing the large grant if not a plan by January is real. So finding a plan should have urgency.
7) The homeowners on Shannon are the most incented people to keep Shannon Road beautiful via landscaping. We should keep the ownership with the homeowners as much as possible. I thought it was great that irrigation for the planters would be part of the plan.
A special thank you to Nicole and Gary for listening and being flexible.
Thank you for listening and I believe a design without the buffers more than accomplishes the safety and aesthetic objectives of the project.
Regards,
Andy
ATTACHMENT 5
From: Andrew Horwitz
Sent on: Monday, June 5, 2023 10:11:33 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
CC: Gary Heap <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Additional perspective Shannon Rd Project: Post in person meeting [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for reading my email.
My address is Shannon Road. Right at the intersection of Englewood and Shannon on the North side.
Gary did come out with me to the property.
My specific concerns are the trees and then impact to my fence (on my property) but complete landscape design flows into ROW.
As you look at my property and others I ask you to consider how much tree trimming and root destruction will happen the closer we get to the houses.
And I am happy to have you interview both of my kids to hear their perspective. My daughter is a 7th grader at Fisher and walks to school each day along Shannon. Someone picks her up along the way almost every day.
Regards,
Andy
On Mon, Jun 5, 2023 at 2:45 PM Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]> wrote:
Mr. Horowitz –
Thank you for this email, and for your son’s perspective. I love hearing from the students that use the space every day!
Would you be willing to share your address with me? I would like to look more closely at the tree issue you have raised.
-Nicolle
ATTACHMENT 5
From: tim king
Sent on: Monday, June 5, 2023 7:41:35 PM
To: Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Mary
Badame <[email protected]>; Matthew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> CC:
Subject: Oh no, not another email about Shannon Rd...
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi everyone, I'll keep this as short as possible. When cars pass pedestrians or cyclists there's a statistical probability of a collision. If we bring back the school buses, there will be less cars and kids on the road which will increase safety. SInce time is $, so who wouldn't say yes to having someone drive their kids to and from school. There's my 2 cents on all this. Again, in the first discussion we had on this the officer running the call said Shannon is safer than a similar road in the area. This seems to have become a bug under someone's skin and it's somehow become contagious. The way I see it, school buses are the cure. Let's not go crazy.
Thanks-Tim King
From: Ned Finkle >
Sent on: Monday, June 5, 2023 6:39:39 PM
To: Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Mary
Badame <[email protected]>; Matthew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> CC:
Subject: Fwd: [shannon-road-project] Shannon Rd Project: More Observations and Feedback [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Adding to Helen’s comments.
Thank you for the recent meeting with the street at Shir Hadash. As one resident stated, “if we had this
engagement almost 2 years ago we would be much more
aligned right now”.
ATTACHMENT 5
Consensus feed back from the street at this point:
• Bike lane should be 4-5ft max & sidewalks 5ft max
in line with the rest of the town.
• Buffer should be no more than 1.5ft. In line with the reduced speed of the road due to speed humps (like
the rest of Shannon enjoys).
• Return the 2.5-3.5ft to the property line next to the sidewalk. Reduces damage to property and matches
LG in general.
The speed humps give us a big safety boost by greatly
lowering speed. The nature & size of the bike lane should be rationalized from there.
6ft bike lane + a 3ft buffer makes no sense for a
neighborhood street that will be 15-20+ mph after the
speed humps are installed. East Shannon road is a clear demonstration of the speed reduction.
Plan A & B must have these reductions to gain full support from the street.
Thanks
From:
Sent on: Tuesday, June 6, 2023 12:11:31 AM
To: Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Matthew
Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]>; Subject: Concept # 1 solves all safety/parking/sidewalk issues on Shannon Road
ATTACHMENT 5
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Dear town council members and town engineers,
Thank you for hosting the community meeting last week. We appreciate your efforts to try to soften the pedestrian and bike way plan.
The only option that solves any safety/parking/sidewalk issues on our street is concept #1 which has green space on both sides of the street and parking on the south side of the road and no painted buffers.
I learned at the meeting last week that the PPW dept takes all direction from the town council. Town council members-please reflect on how many Shannon Rd residents called in the on the 10/19/21 zoom meeting and and voted for concept # 1.
No residents on Shannon Rd. wanted concept #3 yet you ignored our input. You can right this wrong by directing the PPW to go back to concept #1 and this back-and-forth will be finally be over.
For your convenience, here is a refresher of concept #1:
ATTACHMENT 5
1. I spent time going through staff reports and if you look at the paragraphs below, a class II bike lane with sidewalks ( Concept #1 ) meets the standard requirements of the Town for active transportation!
( link to the staff report
below: https://mccmeetingspublic.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/losgatos-meetde6e6590f9104ff79e28d7e0ca806719/ITEM-Attachment-015- 67fb8ae9411546bba21370eb9addffb7.pdf )
2. As for the larger grant, does the town really need it? As you can see below, concept # 1 is cheaper than concept # 3 which is a more fiscally responsible option for the town which currently has a deficit problem.
3. Concept #1 is less intrusive on impacted Shannon residents, is more attuned to our beautiful neighborhood, and most importantly offers a substantial safety improvement over what already exists today.
Please council members: approve concept # 1 as it is a less expensive plan and meets the standard requirements of the town for active transportation. It is a simple and rational choice.
Regards,
Sheila Bony
ATTACHMENT 5
From: Pooja Venugopal >
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 12:50 PM
To: Maria Ristow <[email protected]>; Mary Badame <[email protected]>; Mathew Hudes <[email protected]>; Rob Rennie <[email protected]>; Rob Moore <[email protected]>; Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Michael Vroman <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> Subject: Thoughts on Shannon Road Project
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Dear Town Council,
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for hosting the highly informative meeting recently. It was wonderful to see the community come together to discuss the plans and options for Shannon Road. I would also like to appreciate the efforts put forth by the town council in developing these plans. It is evident that there has been a great deal of thought and consideration given to improving the road's safety and functionality. The addition of new features is certainly commendable.
However, I would like to draw your attention to an important aspect that requires further consideration. Shannon Road, unlike Blossom Hill Road, is not as heavily trafficked. In fact, there have been no documented accidents on this road for many years. Given this information, it is crucial that we carefully examine the proposed plans to ensure that any changes made do not inadvertently create more harm than good.
Please understand that we, as residents, fully support positive changes that enhance the safety and well-being of our community. However, we must also be cautious not to implement changes that may have unintended consequences or disrupt the character of our neighborhood. We would love to keep as much greenery as possible!
I kindly request that the town council take a closer look at the plans for Shannon Road and consider whether all the proposed elements are truly necessary. Let us strive for a solution that strikes a balance between safety and maintaining the unique charm of our road.
Thank you for your time and consideration. We trust that you will take our concerns into account as you move forward with the decision-making process.
Best regards,
Pooja Venugopal & Varun Sivakumar
ATTACHMENT 5
From:
Sent: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 3:59 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
Cc: Gary Heap <[email protected]>; Michael Vroman <[email protected]> Subject: Shannon Rd revised plans for 6/20 town council mee�ng [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicolle,
I know you are working on the plans via our feedback from last week. Could you please upload your revised plans (to present at the town council meeting) to the project website a couple of days before 6/20? Residents would like to see the plans before the meeting to prepare questions and it does take a long tome to view the entire scope of the project on our computer monitors.
Thanks!
Sheila
From:
Sent on: Wednesday, June 7, 2023 10:58:56 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>
CC: Gary Heap <[email protected]>; Michael
Vroman <[email protected]>
Subject: Shannon Rd revised plans for 6/20 town council meeting [EXTERNAL SENDER]
Hi Nicolle,
I know you are working on the plans via our feedback from last week. Could you please upload your revised plans (to present at the town council meeting) to the project website a couple of days before 6/20? Residents would like to see the plans before the meeting to prepare questions and it does take a long tome to view the entire scope of the project on our computer monitors.
Thanks!
Sheila
PREPARED BY: Nicolle Burnham
Director of Parks and Public Works
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 06/20/2023
ITEM NO: 23
ADDENDUM
DATE: June 16, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive the Report on Potential Revisions and Community Input to the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813- 0218) and Provide Design Direction
REMARKS:
A previous version of the staff report had inconsistencies regarding the numbering of the attachments. The online staff report was amended to reflect the correct order of the attachments which is:
1. Public Outreach Meeting Minutes June 1, 2023
2. Slide Deck from Community Meeting
3. Community Survey and Results
4. Cross-Section of New Modified Option 1
5. Public Comments Received between June 2, 2023, and 11:00 a.m. on June 15, 2023 Attachment 6 contains additional Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m. on June 15, 2023, and 11:00 a.m. on June 16, 2023.
Attachments received with the Staff Report:
1. Public Outreach Meeting Minutes June 1, 2023
2. Slide Deck from Community Meeting
3. Community Survey and Results
4. Public Comments Received between June 2, 2023, and 11:00 a.m. on June 15, 2023
5. Cross-Section of New Modified Option 1
Attachments received with this Addendum:
6. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m. on June 15, 2023 and 11:00 a.m. on June 16, 2023, Attachment 6
From: Ryan Rosenberg < >
Sent: Friday, June 16, 2023 1:00 PM
To: Nicolle Burnham <[email protected]>; Gary Heap <[email protected]> Subject: What wrote to residents following our meeting
[EXTERNAL SENDER]
Nicolle and Gary,
Thanks again for meeting with me today.
FYI, below is the note I sent out to residents as follow-up.
All the best,
Ryan
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Dear Neighbors,
I met with two members of the town staff today: Parks and Public works director Nicolle Burnham and Town Engineer Gary Heap.
Here are a few details I found:
1. Today they have cross-sections available. If (and when) the plan is approved by city council they will start work on updated top-down designs. Rather than create conceptual drawings (as they did for the recent community meeting) they will move directly to full engineering drawings. On the plus side those will be very accurate. On the downside, they won’t have them until the fall (they didn’t say when in the fall).
2. They assured me that, once they have the engineering drawings, they will reach out to residents to share the details and discuss comments and concerns.
3. I asked what residents could do in the meantime if they had questions and they said to contact Gary. His contact info:
Gary Heap
Town Engineer
[email protected]
408-399-5773
Gary is new in his position but seems knowledgable and I have (personally) found him to be easy to talk to. He lives in this area.
4. I asked about the planter strips. They plan to put trees in there. There are (at least) three types of trees that fit their criteria, such as being able to thrive in a planter strip, not interfering with utility lines, roots won’t damage the street, etc. I mentioned at least one resident was interested in the plans for the trees and they said when they get to that point they would be happy to share them.
5. I asked about watering and planting in the planter strips. They do indeed intend to build conduits from properties out to the planter strips (they have to work out the details). Residents will be able to run their own irrigation lines to the strips and to plant things (not trees I assume). I personally like this a lot; if many of us plant, and we take care of the plants, this could do a lot of for the street.
Finally, we discussed the project process from the beginning. They agreed that process could have been improved, especially communications. They seem (to me) to have good ideas about how to make future projects run smoother; for the benefit of the town let’s hope that is the case.
I think that was about it. If anyone else finds out other things please share! All the best,
Ryan
PREPARED BY: Gary Heap
Town Engineer
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 6/20/2023
ITEM NO: 23
DESK ITEM
DATE: June 20, 2023
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive the Report on Potential Revisions and Community Input to the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Project (CIP No. 813- 0218) and Provide Design Direction
REMARKS:
Attachment 7 contains PowerPoint presentation slides.
Attachments previously received with the Staff Report:
1. Public Outreach Meeting Minutes June 1, 2023
2. Slide Deck from Community Meeting
3. Community Survey and Results
4. Cross-Section of New Modified Option 1
5. Public Comments Received between June 2, 2023, and 11:00 a.m. on June 15, 2023 Attachments previously received with the Addendum:
6. Public Comments received between 11:01 a.m. on June 15, 2023 and 11:00 a.m. on June 16, 2023, Attachment 6
Attachment with this Desk Item:
7. PowerPoint Presentation Slides
Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bikeway
Improvements
(CIP 813-0218)
Town Council Meeting
June 20, 2023
1
Why this Project?
Safe pedestrian and cyclist access on this collector street to three nearby schools
Priority project per Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Supported by Town Council and Complete Streets and
Transportation Committee
2
What We Heard
April 18, 2023 Town Council Direction:
Revise the Design to Minimize Excess Asphalt
Pavement Areas
Remove Parking Spaces
Add Trees Where Possible
Hold a Community Meeting
April / May 2023 Emails from the Community:
Shannon Road should look and feel like other
residential streets in Los Gatos
Option 1 (presented Sept 2021) is preferred
Parking is required / Parking is NOT required
Planting strips are required
3 Option 1 Concept
Community Meeting – June 1, 2023
Meeting was attended by approximately 40 community members from Shannon Road and the surrounding streets
Staff provided a brief presentation and introduced the new options:
2023-A
2023-B
Break-out session facilitated by staff
Participants were given the option to participate in a site visit Report out on general comments from each table
A survey was also distributed to the community members to gauge design preference and to provide comments
Staff also received feedback emails after the community meeting 4
Community Feedback
Asphalt buffers of 3’ are inconsistent with current aesthetics Residents bordering Shannon wanted parking
Community members not bordering Shannon supported trees over parking
Option 1 is strongly preferred
5
Modified Option 1
Based on feedback, staff reevaluated the project and developed an alternative design which provides:
10’ Travel Lanes
5’ Sidewalk
5’ Bicycle Lanes
18” Bicycle Buffer
3’- 4’ Planter Strips
Parking on South Side
6” Buffer Between the back of walk and the property line 6
Modified Option 1 (Looking East)
7 N
Modified Option 1 (Looking East)
8 N
Modified Option 1 (Looking East)
9 N
2023 Concepts vs Option 1
10 Design Element Option 1 2023-A 2023-B Modified Option 1 Vehicle Lane Width 10 Feet 10 Feet 10 Feet 10 feet
Sidewalk Width 5 Feet 5 Feet 5 Feet 5 feet
Bike Lane Width 6 Feet 6 Feet 6 Feet 5 feet
Painted Bike Buffer
Width 0 3 Feet 3 Feet 18 inches
Vegetated Buffer
Width 4.5 Feet1 3.5 – 5.0 Feet 3.5 Feet2 3-4 feet2,3
Parking Spaces
Provided Yes4 No
Intermittent on
North and South
Side5
Yes4
Buffer Between Back of
Walk and Property Line None None None 6 Inches
Notes:
1. Along South Side Only
2. West of Magneson Loop – 3’ Planter Strip on North Side Only only
3. East of Magneson Loop – 4’ Planter Strip on Both Sides
4. South Side Only
5. Intermittent 2-stall Parking Bays on North and South Sides
Modified Option 1
Attempts to meet the requests of the Shannon Road residents and other community members while still meeting the Town Council’s direction
Balances good engineering design with community interests Provides bike lanes and sidewalk
Maximize the placement of trees
Reduce the bicycle lane buffer to minimum standards
Provides a 6” buffer between the back of walk and the property line 11
Next Steps
Staff recommends completing design of the Shannon Road Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvement Project using Modified Option 1 Staff will work with the consultant to finalize design by October Staff will present to plans to Caltrans in accordance with the grant requirements
Caltrans approval of the plans is required by January 31, 2024 to maintain grant funding
Construction is expected in Spring 2024
12
Questions/Comments?
13