Los Gatos Weekly-Times Ogilvie coming back with plans for an upscale hotel on Main Second traffic study says impact will be minimal Businesses push approval By Jeff Kearns After another round of studies, Eva Ogilvie's proposed hotel at 220 E. Main Street is scheduled to come back to the Los Gatos Planning Commission on Sept. 23. The design, which is mostly unchanged, incorporates suggestions from previous Planning Commission meetings and the Conceptual Development Advisory Committee. The hotel would have 83 rooms and include a 240-seat restaurant. In a project summary sent to the town, the hotel's architects say that in addition to bringing in more hotel tax and other fees to the town, the project would also "provide distinctive new commercial development along E. Main Street, helping unite the east end of town with downtown Los Gatos." Downtown business owners are also pushing for approval. "Those of us who have made that leap of faith by leasing space in the Soda Works Plaza Buildings believe in the future of East Main Street," wrote Jay and Sallie Druian, owners of the French Cellar. "We need the influx of new travelers and business people who will help contribute to our bottom line." The owners of the Los Gatos Brewing Company and Los Gatos Meadows have also written letters in support of the project.A second, more intensive traffic report for the project reinforced the findings of the first study and concluded that the hotel would only have a marginal impact on traffic and parking in the area. Most of the car trips generated by the hotel would likely be in the afternoons and early evenings. Town traffic engineer Mark Wessel's report said the greatest number of stalls needed at any given time would be 120 to 130. The plans make provisions for 107 on-site spaces, about half of which would be in an underground garage. The hotel will also pay for 57 spaces in the town's parking assessment district, bringing it closer to the 172 spots required by town code. Ogilvie's architect says the restaurant won't pull in as many cars as other restaurants because some restaurant customers would be hotel guests, and others would be likely to arrive on foot. But on about 20 nights per year, Wessel said, that overflow from hotel guests would be likely to conflict with cars parking for special events at Los Gatos High School, including football games, dances and graduation. "Fortunately, most of the conflicting events are scheduled for Friday and Saturday nights, when the hotel is least likely to be full," the report said. Ogilvie wants to build the hotel on the 1.8-acre site where Kerful Cleaners and La Strada restaurant are currently located. The Historical Preservation Committee studied the Kerful Cleaners building this summer, on an earlier request from the Planning Commission, and determined the building wasn't of much architectural or historical value. The Planning Commission meets Wednesday, Sept. 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Town Council Chambers, located at 110 E. Main St. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, September 23, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.