Town Council denies appeal on a carwash/gas/minimart
By Nathan R. Huff
By a narrow margin, the Town Council upheld the March 22 Planning Commission rejection of an independently owned and operated car wash/gas station/minimart project on the corner of Los Gatos Boulevard and Burton Road.
While council members agreed with planning commissioners that the project's design was exemplary, the majority voted to uphold the denial, fearful of increasing the area's preexisting traffic problems. Mayor Steve Blanton and councilwoman Linda Lubeck voted to overturn the commission's decision.
The project, designed by local property owners Bill Errico, Dennis Chegwin and Eugene Gonzales, is on the edge of the North 40, the last large, undeveloped piece of land in Los Gatos. A specific plan for the area was shelved pending adoption of the revised General Plan. Nevertheless, discussions on Errico's project revolved around the draft General Plan and North 40 Specific Plan, as well as the existing Los Gatos Boulevard and General plans.
"We are not an integral part of the North 40, but we are being treated as such," Errico told the council at the May 1 meeting. Errico said the project offers Los Gatos an alternative to "tin-box" style corporate gas stations, and its design sets the standard for future developments in the area. Audience members disagreed, arguing the service station concept did not fit the community's vision of the North 40 and provided a poor gateway to Los Gatos at Highway 85.
"One more convenience store/car wash/gas station is not exactly what the town has visualized as the Gateway to Los Gatos," Los Gatos resident Patricia Connell said. She added that the proposal would generate more traffic on the already congested boulevard and Lark Avenue. Residents of Burton Road, which would handle much of the project's in-and-out traffic, echoed Connell, citing safety concerns.
Children's hospital supporters, who are in the process of fundraising, argued that approving the gas station would make it more difficult to preserve the area as a future hospital site. Dr. Richard Fox, a local pediatrician is spearheading the hospital drive, asked that the council not make any decisions on land use in the North 40 area until the new General Plan and a specific plan are adopted.
"This is a critical, irreplaceable piece of land," Mark Brodsky said, arguing that a moratorium on piecemeal development of the area should be adopted.
Proponents argued that the possibility of a future hospital should not prevent Errico's project from going forward. They also argued the hospital would bring far more traffic to the area than the car wash, which would piggyback on existing trips.
"Nobody loves car washes and gas stations, but where would we go without them?" Gary Webb said.
The council majority was unconvinced. While councilmen Joe Pirzynski and Jan Hutchins lauded Errico's past work--the storage facility on Blossom Hill--they said the traffic issues were the deciding factor.
"Though I have absolutely no doubt about the integrity and dedication of all three gentleman to this community, I believe that one of the most significant issues we need to concern ourselves with in this area is the question of traffic," Pirzynski said, adding, "The project is an exquisite design with the wrong use." Randy Attaway joined the two after "much soul-searching" to form a majority.
Linda Lubeck disagreed with her colleagues, arguing the applicants followed the directions they were given throughout the planning process, and designed a project consistent with the existing planning documents for the area.
"I think this is a beautiful gateway," Lubeck said. "Twenty years from now, when the North 40 is finally developed, this would be a complement to whatever was there."
Errico said he was disappointed with the result of the meeting, particularly the basis on which it was rejected. "No matter what goes out there, it's going to bring traffic--be it a hospital or any other development," he said. "Ours would have been local traffic."
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
