Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Survey says high-density housing and growth hurt Town's character

The General Plan Task Force begins work of prioritizing

Council report due in January

By Dale Bryant

When the General Plan Task Force sent out a survey to discover what Los Gatans thought about a variety of topics, the group didn't know if there would be much response.

Participation, it turns out, wasn't an issue. Los Gatans had plenty on their minds. More, it turns out, than is apparent from looking at the numbers that have now been compiled.

Just ask Suzanne Müller. She looked at each of the 1,397 completed surveys when they came back. She not only made note of every one of the 23 checked boxes, she read each additional comment and saw every underlined sentence and every single exclamation point.

And she says, "There were plenty of exclamation points!"

The survey covered a broad base of topics, ranging from neighborhood noise pollution to housing density. If one message comes through loud and clear in the survey results, it is this: Los Gatans like Los Gatos just the way it is; they are not enthusiastic about changes that would alter the character of the town, and they hate the idea of high-density housing. At least that's what those who completed and returned the survey said. Müller served as chairwoman of the task force subcommittee in charge of putting together, disseminating and tabulating the survey.

The survey is just one tool that the task force is using to fulfill its charge of identifying for the Town Council issues related to the general plan and to both the downtown- and the hillside-specific plans.

The town adopted its general plan--the "blueprint" which guides the town in making land-use decisions--in 1985.

Planning Director Lee Bowman, who staffs the task force, said that a look at the general plan in 1990 resulted in no major changes. "I have a sense, though, that this is the first step in what will be a major overhaul," he said.

Müller is quick to point out the limitations of the survey. It was not a scientifically controlled study. Surveys went to each resident as part of The Cat's Meow, the town's newsletter. There were also copies available in such locations as grocery stores. Some questions may have been asked in such a way as to influence the response, and since respondents were self-selected, there may be some skewing of results toward particular causes.

Still, 1,397 Los Gatans completed the surveys, the most people who have ever responded to a town questionnaire.

"As a general guideline," Müller said, "there are some trends that are pretty obvious. The response against growth was surprisingly strong, for instance."

She also noted that residents responded overwhelmingly that they feel safe in the town. Some 61 percent of the respondents said they'd favor more control of hillside development. "Judging by the numbers and the comments," Müller said, "it appears that people in Los Gatos have a strong ownership of the 'viewshed.' "

Another trend that was surprisingly strong, according to Müller, was the desire to protect open space. "Quite a few people said they'd be willing to pay for more open space," Müller said.

Given a variety of choices for the best use of the Yuki property, approximately 40 acres near Lark Avenue, Los Gatos Boulevard and Highway 85 (currently a walnut orchard), respondents said they preferred to see the property become a public park.

Of those who responded to the survey, 52.9 percent favored extending light rail along Winchester Boulevard to Route 85, but asked if they agree with town policy to encourage high-density housing in order to take advantage of mass transit, 80.1 percent said no.

While recognizing the limitations of the survey and the fact that it was intended as just one part of a larger process of identifying community issues, Town Council members are, nevertheless, taking the survey results seriously.

"I don't see it as a mandate," Mayor Joanne Benjamin said. "Still, it gives an overall feeling of how the people who turned it in feel, and I take note of that."

Vice Mayor Linda Lubeck, who is an accountant, had not seen the survey results when the Los Gatos Weekly-Times questioned her, but she said of surveys in general: "Any survey has the potential for misuse by all sides. Nevertheless, it's part of gathering information, and we have to do that."

Councilmember Randy Attaway, who cast the lone vote earlier this year against accepting the housing element of the general plan, said of the strong feelings expressed in the survey against high-density housing: "Some things are forced on us by the state, but we can also be responsive to the community. If our constituency opposes high-density housing, when we set down zoning laws, we can go for the lower end of the range rather than the higher end."

The task force currently is winding up its work. Last week, Müller presented the survey results, and the 27-member group began the work of distilling and prioritizing issues it will present to the council in January.

The town hired the San Francisco consulting firm of Public Affairs Management to facilitate the task force process. According to Planning Director Bowman, "Planning staff didn't have the time required to devote to it, and we also thought it was important to have a neutral party do the facilitating."

The task force began its work in July with a bus tour to various Los Gatos locations; members also did informal polls among their neighbors or constituents and participated in brainstorming sessions and networking activities in the community to gather information. Members have also studied planning documents extensively.

In addition to Müller, members of the questionnaire subcommittee were M.E. Allari, Michael Burke, Louie Leu, Woody Nedom, Greg Pesedo-Floyd, Judy Rogers and Emmie Young.

Copies of the survey results are available in the Town Library, the Neighborhood Center and the Planning Department.

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