Los Gatos residents may still utilize story poles to visualize the potential scale of new developments, but the state has cautioned that imposing strict story pole requirements could hinder the construction of new housing in the town. Upon receiving notification from the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development that the town’s story pole policy posed a constraint to new housing construction and could potentially impede the approval of its Housing Element, the Los Gatos Town Council opted to relax these requirements in a split vote. The town council had previously submitted its Housing Element to state officials in March, paving the way for state approval later in the summer. On April 16, the council voted 3-2, with Mayor Mary Badame and Vice Mayor Matthew Hudes dissenting, to limit the instances where story poles must be installed at proposed development sites. Story poles will no longer be mandatory for projects exceeding 55 feet in height, and signage will be permitted as an alternative for certain residential developments. Los Gatos’ planning manager, Jennifer Armer, indicated that the impetus for revising the town’s story pole policy originated from exemption requests received prior to efforts to develop a new housing element. Public outcry from residents who witnessed story poles being installed on the North 40 property prompted the developers in 2016 to withdraw plans for the first phase of their development in East Los Gatos after the council rejected those plans. While council members generally concurred on the essence of the revised story pole policy, they diverged on a revamped notification policy for informing residents about new developments. Hudes and Badame favored implementing revisions such as posting information about newly proposed developments on social media, but the motion failed with a 3-2 vote. The council instructed town staff to present a revised notification policy at a subsequent meeting. ‘I believe the consensus is that we support the motion’s intent, but certain details require refinement,’ stated Councilmember Maria Ristow. ‘By bringing the notification issue back, we can further define where and when it occurs.’
Los Gatos Eases Story Pole Requirements to Facilitate Housing Construction
