Editorial
Sobrato's Winchester plan makes sense
When Sobrato Development Companies first introduced a proposal for a huge research and development project on Winchester Avenue, this newspaper argued that it made little sense to build more work space when what Silicon Valley--not to mention the town of Los Gatos--really needed was housing.
A commercial development seemed a particularly unfortunate choice because of the site's location in an area identified as a potential transit corridor.
True, some employees might enjoy the benefit of light rail--if, in fact, light rail ever came that far into the West Valley. But without a housing element, that wasn't a very strong argument from a transit perspective.
Without a housing element, Sobrato seemed to be ignoring the best use of that particular land. So the company did a smart thing: It offered a mixed-use option to be analyzed as part of the environmental impact study. And the EIR found no significant impacts for that option.
That mixed-use option is what Sobrato brought to the planning commission last week. And considering where the company started with this project, it was a pretty amazing proposal.
With the addition of 135 rental units at a location close to the spot Valley Transit Authority is considering as a light rail station, the project has garnered the backing of the Silicon Valley Manufacturer's Group, the Greenbelt Alliance and a number of transit-oriented organizations.
Without some demonstration that Los Gatos has bought into the philosophy of locating people near jobs and locating both people and jobs near transit, the town will have a hard time convincing VTA that the community is committed to transit.
But housing isn't all that Sobrato offered to change from the original plan. In response to planning concerns, the company has greatly reduced the scale of the research and development facility. The company is also proposing to build more than the required number of units priced below market rate.
This is a very big project for Los Gatos, and some will use the same old arguments to oppose it--too big, too much traffic, too much concentration of one type of housing. There are zoning issues, as well. In sending Sobrato to the town council without comment, the planning commission acknowledged the many policy issues to be examined.
Still, this project has much to recommend it, and it would behoove the council to look at it not only through the lens of what has worked in the past within the town, but through a broader regional lens, as well.
Los Gatos is a very special community, but it doesn't exist within a bubble. Most of the people who live in Los Gatos work outside the town, and improved transportation would be a benefit to them. And for the many people who work in town but can't afford to live here, the increased rental housing would be a boon.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
