Planning Commission

TOWN OF LOS GATOS PLANNING COMMISSION REPORT MINUTES OF THE PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING JANUARY 28, 2026 The Planning Commission of the Town of Los Gatos conducted a Regular Meeting on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. MEETING CALLED TO ORDER AT 7:00 PM ROLL CALL Present: Chair Kendra Burch, Vice Chair Jeffrey Barnett, Commissioner Susan Burnett, Commissioner Adam Mayer, Commissioner Joseph Sordi, Commissioner Rob Stump, and Commissioner Emily Thomas. Absent: None. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE VERBAL COMMUNICATIONS Anonymous  Shared concerns around potential tax increases, medical cost increases, and North 40 Phase II, specifically around parking. Jim Ratcliff  I am the direct neighbor on the exit driveway of the West Valley Muslim Association on Farley Road and want to speak about the WVMA’s modification of their CUP. We have tried to work with the Town for the past two years to address the traffic and unsafe volume of cars,1,000 a night,during Ramadan, which is approaching again in three weeks, and it is not a safe environment. I am asking the Town to monitor traffic during this upcoming Ramadan and help mitigate the traffic flow. 110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● 408-354-6832 www.losgatosca.gov PAGE 2 OF 5 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2026 PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. 647 N. Santa Cruz Avenue Request for Review PHST-25-022 APN 410-14-015 Applicant: Lance Tate Property Owner/Appellant: 647 N. Santa Cruz Ave., LLC Project Planner: Ryan Safty Consider an appeal of a Community Development Director decision to deny a request to remove a pre-1941 property from the Historic Resources Inventory for property zoned C-1. Exempt pursuant to CEQA Section 15061(b)(3). Ryan Safty, Associate Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. Bonnie Bamburg (Applicant)  My historic preservation firm, Urban Programmers, was asked to evaluate the historic values of this property. We did not find a significant association with an event, a broad pattern that was very important in Los Gatos, or a person of importance in Los Gatos associated with this property. We found the architecture is an example of a Craftsman style, more a cabin style, that had been altered dramatically on all four facades. We found this house did not meet the standard of being of special character, which is what the Los Gatos Ordinance calls for, or of a unique, artistic, high-quality craftmanship, so the building did not meet the criteria for the State of California Register or under the criteria of the Los Gatos Preservation Ordinance. Steve Johnson  I am here to speak out against this project. You cannot allow these guys any type of variance to height limits. This photo is my back yard, and this is where they are going to build that monstrosity of condos that will have a direct line of sight from their windows into back yard, and erode the value of my property. This is a single-family residence type of neighborhood. There are no other condos anywhere near this place, and there are very few two-story buildings that come close to this height limit. Every house that is torn down is another bullet in the heart of the charm of Los Gatos. Grazia Johnson  We moved to this house with its green back yard and it has been wonderful. I don’t know or care if the house at 647 N. Santa Cruz Avenue is historic or not, but I care about why on one property where there is just one house they are going to build these six three-story houses. We won’t have privacy anymore, because there will be four townhouses looking at us. PAGE 3 OF 5 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2026 Bonnie Bamburg (Applicant)  I find myself in an awkward position, because I don’t even know what the project looks like. That was not our task. Our task was strictly to evaluate the historic values of the property as we saw it, so I can’t comment on the project other than our reports that have been delivered to the Planning Commission. Closed Public Comment. Commissioners discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Vice Chair Barnett to grant an appeal of a Community Development Director decision to deny a request to remove a pre-1941 property from the Historic Resources Inventory for property zoned C-1. Seconded by Commissioner Sordi. Staff distributed Revised Findings to the Planning Commission to read before voting. (Intermission) The maker of the motion modified the motion to incorporate by reference the CEQA findings and the Historic Resources Inventory Removal findings presented by staff. The seconder of the motion accepted the modification to the motion. VOTE: Motion passed 5-2 with Commissioners Burnett and Stump dissenting. 2. 16135 Cerro Vista Drive Architecture and Site Application S-25-036 Conditional Use Permit Application U-25-006 APN 537-30-018 Applicant: Gary Kohlsaat Property Owner: Ruben Caballero Project Planner: Suray Nathan Consider a request for approval for site improvements requiring a Grading Permit and a Conditional Use Permit for a vineyard greater than 3,000 square feet on property zoned HR-2½. Exempt pursuant to the CEQA Section 15303(a): New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures, and Section 15304: Minor Alterations to Land. Suray Nathan, Assistant Planner, presented the staff report. Opened Public Comment. PAGE 4 OF 5 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2026 Gary Kohlsaat (Applicant)  I am the architect for Mr. Caballero’s accessory structures, but not the addition to his home or the pool. We are here for a Conditional Use Permit for the vineyard with an exception for deer fencing, and also for a Grading Permit for grading around the pool and preparation for our two buildings. We also ask for a slight exception for fill heights of the patios. The vineyard was planted in 2019 by a reputable vine company, and neither they nor the owner was aware that a Conditional Use Permit was required. There were no trees removed nor grading done to create the vineyard, and with drip irrigation, it is low maintenance. The vineyard has existed for over five years, and there have been no environmental concerns such as erosion. The grading was done to finish the pool and we went over the allowed limit of 50 cubic yards to approximately 110 cubic yards. We hope to create storage space under the outdoor kitchen via an enlarged crawlspace, as a basement is not allowed. It was pointed out late in the game that we are over the 4 feet limits for the amount of cut that can be made for accessory structures; we are asking for an exception of 7 feet of cut to get this storage space under the building. Closed Public Comment. Commissioners discussed the matter. MOTION: Motion by Commissioner Thomas to continue Item 2, 16135 Cerro Vista Drive, to a date certain of February 25, 2026. Seconded by Chair Burch. VOTE: Motion passed unanimously. REPORT FROM THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT Joel Paulson, Director of Community Development  None. SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS/COMMISSION MATTERS Historic Preservation Committee Commissioner Burnett  The HPC met on 1/28 to consider two items: o Request to remove a home from the Historic Resource Inventory, which was denied. o Approve a second story addition to a single-family home. PAGE 5 OF 5 MINUTES OF PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2026 Commission Matters Commissioner Barnett  There will be Conceptual Development Advisory Committee meeting in February 2026, with details forthcoming. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:51 p.m. This is to certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the minutes of the January 28, 2026 meeting as approved by the Planning Commission. _____________________________ /s/ Vicki Blandin  This Page Intentionally Left Blank