Los Gatos Weekly-Times First major project approved for Boulevard's 'North Forty' By Jeff Kearns The first major development application for the North Forty won a preliminary approval Dec. 9, when planning commissioners passed the plan on to the Town Council. Developer Bill Hirschman of Maxim Investments won the planned development zone change he needed to get started on a plan to put a two-building retail/office complex at 15089 Los Gatos Boulevard. "We're losing a rural area, but we're replacing it with a high quality development that will be a standard-setter for the North Forty area," commissioner Laura Nachison said. At 37 feet, some commissioners said the building may be too high for their liking, but that the effect will be softened because the front of the buildings will be 76 feet from the curb. The sidewalk will also be flanked on either side by a row of shade trees, and additional landscaping will be planted along the project's frontage on Los Gatos Boulevard. Hirschman agreed to remove one of two rows of parking spaces in front of the building, but not move the buildings closer to the street. Slight modifications to the plan by architect Mike McKay have increased the size of the south building from 4,596 to 5,024 square feet, and slightly reduced the size of the north building from 22,387 to 21,531 square feet. The new design is also slightly taller than the old--37 instead of 35 feet in the redesign. The extra two feet will become a parapet surrounding heating and ventilation equipment on the roof. More specifics will be decided at the project's architecture and site hearing. As a community benefit, Hirschman has offered to pay for a sewer-main extension 100 feet south on Los Gatos Boulevard which will have enough capacity to serve his buildings and other new developments in the area. To keep traffic flowing on the boulevard, left turns in and out of the project will be prohibited. Although town officials have paid extra attention to the project, nearby residents have not shown much interest in the proposal. No members of the public addressed the plans at the hearing. The application could go to the council as early as January. The commission also scheduled a study session for another Maxim project, 330 University Avenue, for Jan. 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Council Chambers. [ Back to Contents Page | Los Gatos Weekly-Times Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, December 16, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.