Discussions about the controversial North 40 project in Los Gatos came to a disappointing conclusion: The number of affordable housing units planned for the site may not reach expected levels.
At a special planning commission meeting on April 30, the second phase of the development was unveiled. It will include a mixed-use residential building with commercial space on the ground floor and 255 rental apartments, a building dedicated to affordable housing with space for an on-site manager, 127 townhomes, two commercial buildings and 3.5 acres of open space for public access. The first phase of the project, which was approved in 2017, saw the construction of 320 residential units, which included 50 affordable senior units and 66,800 square feet of commercial floor area.
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Community Development Director Joel Paulson said the town could face a “wide range” of penalties if it’s unable to meet its regional housing needs allocation. Another site in town may have to be rezoned to make up the difference and comply with housing element law, Paulson added.
Steeped in controversy, from the outset, the North 40 project has been a harbinger for housing development in Los Gatos.
Karen Yamamoto, a 25-year Los Gatos resident, said the development and others approved under Senate Bill 330 should be evaluated as a whole for its impact on the town. SB 330 allows developers to submit a preliminary application for a new housing development before providing all the information required by the town. The intention of the bill was to address California’s housing crisis by streamlining the process and making conditions more favorable for housing construction.
“This should not be looked at individually. It needs to be looked at as a whole,” Yamamoto told the planning commission. “There are 14 SB330s that are going to play havoc with the infrastructure and be very, very extremely costly for our town.”
Yamamoto also expressed concern that the second phase would be built in an area at risk of flooding and earthquakes and worsen sewer issues in nearby homes. The project is being built on undeveloped land near the intersection of highways 85 and 17. A CEQA analysis has not yet been completed for the development.
Grosvenor Property Americas civil engineer Jacquelyn Bays said the site is served by a sewer main under Highway 17, which only collects sewage from the phase 1 and 2 developments. The water connections for the two phases are managed by San Jose Water. The site collects its own stormwater and drains it to a hydromodification vault under Fifth Street and a storm drain line under Highway 17.
Resident Lee Fagot echoed Yamamoto’s concerns about about the potential environmental impact that the North 40 and other SB330 projects would have on nearby houses.
“That has to be considered by the town,” he said. “That’s going to have water issues, sewer issues, other utilities service requirements that have to be remedied.”
However, several other residents spoke favorably about the project, praising the developers for designating 16 units for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Another resident named Michelle, a special education teacher of 23 years, said she has a 20-year-old son with autism and an intellectual disability, and the North 40 development would give him and others like him the opportunity to live independently.
“Housing is not just a want, it’s a need,” she said. “Most adults with disabilities are never able to have a place to call their own home. It is a worry that parents like me are burdened with every day.”
The planning commission made no decisions or recommendations on April 30 pending the site’s environmental review. There will be another planning commission meeting on the project after the environmental review is complete.
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