The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously approved a mixed-use development on Los Gatos Boulevard during a special meeting on June 3.

Approved by the planning commission on April 23. the Los Gatos Green project requires the demolition of commercial buildings at 15349-15367 Los Gatos Blvd. The project includes 55 studio, two-bedroom and three-bedroom units available for sale in five separate buildings. There will also be 79 parking spaces onsite in private garages and for guests. In total, the development site encompasses 1.5 acres.

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Four of the units would be considered live/work units, allowing developers City Ventures to apply for incentives and concessions that would help reduce construction costs. The buildings will be all electric, facing toward a green space in the middle of the development. Underground chambers will be used for stormwater treatment instead of a regular bioswale.

City Ventures Vice President Pamela Salas Nieting said she had walked through the neighborhood surrounding the development site and spoken with residents, which led to several modifications to the project. Nieting said a bulbout was added to the site’s driveway on Garden Lane to help with pedestrian visibility, and trees were added to screen residents from the nearby neighborhood. The planning commission also made suggestions to adapt Los Gatos Green’s architecture to surrounding buildings in downtown.

Rich Stevens, a resident on Benedict Lane, said that even though he “hates SB330,”  he supported the Los Gatos Green project. SB330, aka the builder’s remedy law, allowed developers to propose projects outside the scope of the town’s building ordinances until the state approved its housing element.

“Knowing that Los Gatos has been mandated to add homes by the state, I believe this development is one of the better ones that have been proposed,” Stevens said. “I believe this was thoughtfully and respectfully done to fit the town and the neighborhood as much as possible, and I believe they’ve worked with the town as much as possible knowing what the end goal should be.”

The town council and other residents spoke in favor of the project, specifically for City Ventures’ efforts to make the buildings blend into existing architecture in the town and to communicate with nearby residents.

However, Shirley, an Oakwood neighborhood resident, spoke during public comment asking the town council to reject the project because she didn’t like the height of the buildings and that she and her neighbors weren’t contacted by the developers.

The buildings will be 45 feet tall, the maximum allowable height in the town.

There were also concerns about traffic around the development. According to the transportation analysis, the development would add 266 new daily trips. Traffic flows in two directions from both Garden Lane and Los Gatos Boulevard, but there were concerns about congestion in the event of an evacuation. City Ventures contested that Santa Clara County Fire evaluated the project and approved it in its current state.

The developers have also been trying to find new locations for the businesses on the property. While answering a question by Vice Mayor Rob Moore, the developers said some nail salons were able to relocate. However, Genuine Automotive still has yet to find new digs to due to zoning laws that make the business incompatible with some areas.