Development Review Committee

TOWN OF LOS GATOS DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE REPORT MINUTES OF THE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING APRIL 15, 2025 The Development Review Committee of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a regular meeting on April 15, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. ROLL CALL Present: Sean Mullin, CDD Planning; Robert Gray, CDD Building; James Watson, PPW Engineering; Kenny Ip, SCCFD, and Marlon Spencer, SCCFD. Absent: None. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 10:00 AM VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS None. CONSENT ITEMS 1. Approval of Minutes – March 11, 2025 MOTION: Motion by Robert Gray to approve the consent calendar with the modification of the date within the header to be corrected. Seconded by Marlon Spencer. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. PUBLIC HEARINGS 2. 495 Bird Avenue Architecture and Site Application S-23-025 Consider a Request for Approval to Demolish an Existing Single-Family Residence and Construct a New Single-Family Residence on Property Zoned R-1D. APN 529-06-045. Categorically Exempt Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15303: New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Property Owner: FAST4 DEVELOPMENT LLC. Applicant: Clara Ren. Project Planner: Ryan Safty. The project planner presented the staff report. 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6874 www.losgatosca.gov PAGE 2 OF 4 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES OF APRIL 15, 2025 Opened Public Comment. Hui Mi, Applicant There was a little change this weekend based on public comments received. Updated plans are available now to share. The neighbors are worried about the windows on the second floor as they will have potential privacy concerns. We revised the plans to remove window 22 from bedroom four and reduce the bathroom windows (windows 23 and 26) to narrow the size and have them sit higher on the wall. Window 24 in bedroom three will go from five feet to three feet, six inches. There will still be tree screening between the two homes. Windows 24 and 21 will also be egress windows. This is a new two-story house with an attached ADU. With our design, we incorporate design elements from the neighborhood. For our landscaping, we will have to remove a few trees, but we plan to plant new trees onsite and add protective tree fencing for the trees that are staying. We are also adding irrigation. Martin Hasha, Neighbor There were issues, initially, with the property line, but that has since been resolved and we have no issues. Regarding the pepper tree, the arborist report states that it is protected, but in poor condition. We would be okay with it being removed. If it stays, we would like damage made by it to be covered because there have been times when branches have fallen and damaged our property. The privet tree looks to be on our side of the boundary, so we are wondering why it appears on the plans. There is an ancient retaining wall there that needs to be looked at, as it might not do well structurally. The existing fence is about 30-40 feet and there is a gap at the back wall to the further most west part of the house appears to be getting fixed, and we are okay with that. Lauren Scalora, Neighbor As stated in our email, we had concerns about the south side of the home around privacy. We want to thank the applicant for listening to our comments and modifying their plans to help with privacy. We wanted to provide suggestions for two other tree options, a podocarpus and laurel, aside from the cypress trees that are listed on the plans that will be fuller. On the current plans, there are no trees at the front of the house. We recommend adding trees to help with shade. As for the pepper tree, we are undecided about what to do with this tree as it provides shade to the back corner of our home, and provides space for the bees, which tend to come and go. Wen Long, Neighbor We got the notice last year when we moved in, and we sent an email to the contact at that time. We want to express our concerns. We want to confirm that safety measures will be in place during the removal of a palm tree at the property. The other concern we have is related to the driveway and curb. We see that there is a garage being added and we want to understand whether parking will be eliminated due to the garage addition. The front right window is quite large. We wonder if the light pollution would cause issues to the street in the evening. N:\DEV\DRC\MINUTES\Min 2025\04-15-2025 Minutes - DRC.docx PAGE 3 OF 4 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES OF APRIL 15, 2025 Hui Mi, Applicant Regarding the retaining wall, we have agreed to demolish this and redo it if the neighbors are okay with it. With concerns to the window, we made modifications to the best of our abilities without lessening the value of the home. Regarding the tree type chosen, we chose these three because it is narrow and grows quickly. It will also be easier to maintain and is cleaner. For the palm tree removal, we have professionals doing the work, but we are reachable if there are other concerns. We will be enlarging the driveway a little bit to the right, but will be working with the existing driveway overall. We won’t be changing the curbs at this time. Closed Public Comment. Committee members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Robert Gray to approve with the required findings and recommended conditions of approval. Seconded by James Watson. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. 3. 15310 Suview Drive Architecture and Site Application S-24-016 Consider a Request for Approval to Demolish an Existing Single-Family Residence, Construct a New Single-Family Residence, and Site Improvement Requiring a Grading Permit on Property Zoned HR-2 1/2. APN 537-24-024. Categorically Exempt Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15303(a): New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Property Owner/Applicant: James and Holly Vergara. Project Planner: Maria Chavarin. The project planner presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. James Vergara, Applicant/Owner We are available for questions. Closed Public Comment. Committee members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Kenny Ip to approve with the required findings and recommended conditions of approval. Seconded by Robert Gray. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. N:\DEV\DRC\MINUTES\Min 2025\04-15-2025 Minutes - DRC.docx PAGE 4 OF 4 DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE MINUTES OF APRIL 15, 2025 4. 220 La Terra Court Architecture and Site Application S-24-063 Consider a Request for Approval to Construct a New Single-Family Residence, Remove Large Protected Trees, and Site Improvements Requiring a Grading Permit on Property Zoned HR-2 ½:PD. APN 527-12-007. Categorically Exempt Pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines, Section 15303: New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Property Owner: LTL6, LLC. Applicant: Gary Kohlsaat. Project Planner: Jocelyn Shoopman. The project planner presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Jaclyn Greenmyer, Applicant We have removed any part of the property outside of the LRDA. We are not asking for any exceptions on the height. We have very minimal grading exceptions for egress and light. Although this house is considered visible, it is only visible by about one percent. Closed Public Comment. Committee members discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by James Watson to approve with the required findings and recommended conditions of approval. Seconded by Robert Gray. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS None. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned 10:43 a.m. This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the April 15, 2025, meeting as approved by the Development Review Committee. Prepared by: ________________________________________ /s/ Sean Mullin, AICP, Planning Manager N:\DEV\DRC\MINUTES\Min 2025\04-15-2025 Minutes - DRC.docx