After three hours of discussing the largest development project in town, the planning commission chose once again to continue the public hearing to next month. The Nov. 18 special meeting was already considered a continuation of a hearing held last month.

"What's the rush?" asked commission Chairman Paul Dubois. "I'm prepared to continue these hearings until hell freezes over."

In search of a winning design that would make both the town and the developer happy, the commission asked Sobrato to return Dec. 10 with revised plans that reflect the elimination of third floors and increased open space leading to the Los Gatos Creek. The commission voted 5-1 to continue the hearing. Commissioner Phil Micciche dissented, and Michael Burke was absent.

"We will certainly continue to consider constructive refinements to our project," John Shenk, Sobrato's senior vice president, said after the meeting. The company has worked in good faith with the town the past three years, he added.

Sobrato's most recent proposal calls for 120,000 square feet of office space and 290 apartment units to be built on Winchester Boulevard near Highway 85. Also, Sobrato now offers to provide another affordable housing unit for every five such units that the town will allow it to transfer from the Winchester site to the existing Riviera Terrace Apartments, which Sobrato owns. The plans approved last year were for the construction of 135 apartment units and up to 288,000 square feet of office space.

"This modified plan achieves so many more town goals and policies with substantially fewer impacts than the approved plan that we think it will be received in a very positive light," Shenk said.

In response to comments from commissioners last month, Sobrato has eliminated five housing units to create more open space and relocated the children's play area to a more secure site. But the developer chose not to go with the commission's suggestion to provide retail space, saying it did not want to create competition with nearby storeowners.

Supporters of the project include the League of Women Voters and housing advocates Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group and Greenbelt Alliance. These groups all said the project would bring much needed affordable housing to town.

Along with affordable housing, other community benefits of the project as cited by Sobrato include providing a shuttle to and from the Campbell light rail station, improvements to Los Gatos Creek, and allowing the police department to install a local area network site on the roof of its building so officers can access databases and automated field reporting software. Sobrato also agreed to look into installing a solar emergency phone along the creek trail.

But the soccer community continued to feel the plans left something to be desired.

"I don't see why, if they're not ready to give back to the community, the community should give back to them," Monte Sereno resident Michele Jehenson said in reference to local residents' push that Sobrato donate two acres for a soccer field.

Katie Mitchell, one of a handful of young soccer players at the meeting, said a soccer field would help generate town revenue because traveling teams would come to Los Gatos, stay in its hotels and shop and dine here.

Shenk, who played soccer from age 5 through college, said he was "embarrassed" for the town that it did not have a soccer field.

Though he did not feel this project was the appropriate site for a field, he identified Oak Meadow Park and Vasona Lake County Park as possible locations and promised to help the town search for a place.

"I'm grateful our project has become the lightning rod for this issue," Shenk said. "You have my commitment to keep pushing this through."

Commissioner Lee Quintana agreed that the burden of providing a new soccer field should not be placed on Sobrato.

"It's a very noble idea to have a soccer field, but it's not Sobrato's responsibility to provide them," she said.