Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Mixing apples, oranges causes confusion

By Chris Wiley

I have been apprised of the SummerHill project since its inception. Because I've participated as a member of the General Plan Committee and attended Planning Commission hearings as well as followed news reports on the project, I know that all involved did their homework.

The op/ed piece by Dave Weissman and Cecil Mansfield in the June 3 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times suggested that the community consider limits on growth, using SummerHill as an example of too much density and growth. This is just another example of comparing apples and oranges and confusing the audience.

And it only tells half the story.

Weissman and Mansfield have compared the SummerHill project with others in our community that have different charters. In fact, they are very different. Most of those mentioned are small-property/high-density proposals. By all town standards, SummerHill's plan is a low-density one that is consistent with the surrounding neighborhood.

That is why the town's General Plan Committee recommended that the SummerHill plan be approved. It was environmentally sensitive.

Weissman and Mansfield say neighbors requested 24 homes be built on 22 acres, because that was called "environmentally superior" in the environmental impact report. All this would give us are huge houses that we do not need any more of!

Weissman and Mansfield wrote that 350-450 units could "easily" be built in Los Gatos based on current proposals and anticipated proposals--although only the Landmark project has been approved.

At any rate, SummerHill's plan is to build only 44 homes, but the size of their property, 110 acres, is greater than all those previously cited properties combined, less the proposed golf course in the Santa Cruz Mountains (which is actually in the county). Again, let's not mix apples and oranges.

While not a small parcel, the Yuki property is a prime example of an idea in the planning stage. Like Elaine Breeze of SummerHill, the Yukis are spending time with the General Plan Committee to obtain insight as to what the town and community would like to see on this approximately 40 acres on Los Gatos Boulevard near Lark.

SummerHill's project was also previously discussed with the town's committees at length. These folks could have been less cooperative like some other developers and just go ahead and build their projects without working closely with the neighborhood.

Instead, SummerHill listened to the pulse of the entire community as well as the pulse of the nearby neighbors. They did their homework by working day and night with the government and the town folks. They studied traffic at all times of the day, spoke with the neighbors to get their feelings, responded to the geological engineers, performed an environmental impact report, met with current owners and land users, park rangers, the town's historical preservation committee, trails committee and more. And they have changed their plan substantially, even since the General Plan Committee approved their plans.

I think that SummerHill looked at how the original land was used and how it has been neglected and is no longer an agricultural spot.

The developer also realized the town folks would like open space and an orchard, and not a bunch of big homes crowded together right up to the hilltops. Elaine Breeze spent many hours working closely with the neighbors to make sure that the project fit in with the existing community.

Weissman and Mansfield mentioned that the General Plan Task Force found a strong citizen response against growth and in favor of open space preservation, but the authors conveniently ignored the fact that SummerHill's proposal includes the preservation of almost 90 acres of open space and the construction of a "ready to use" park to be forever open to the public.

I know some people are not pleased with all the changes in town, and I fully understand; I have been there and done that. When I first came to Los Gatos from New York City, I spent many hours with my brothers riding horses all through the hills of Los Gatos--all the way to Santa Cruz following deer trails. Imagine three youngsters from the hustle and bustle of NYC finding great peace and quiet in their new lifestyle.

Then we were shortly cut off from that beautiful experience by homes popping up and their respective owners telling us we could not ride through their property. We were a bit crushed by the fact that growth had stopped us from having fun. We were not pleased with this change, but we accepted it. We all knew right then and there that future generations would miss this experience of being in the great outdoors and running with the deer and other wildlife via horseback. We knew if we wanted to continue this lifestyle, we would have to move or travel to other places with open space that accepted equestrian enthusiasts. We still have the trails open to hikers and bicyclists throughout the Los Gatos hills.

But here is an opportunity for everyone in town to have beautiful open space put back into public use and to protect it from becoming someone else's property forever. And it doesn't come at the expense of having to have a disappointing residential project, either--that side of the SummerHill plan is truly special in and of itself.

And now you've heard the rest of the story.

Chris Wiley is a resident of Los Gatos.

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