By: Chloe Wilson
Humor Editor
On Mar. 4, the Los Gatos Town Council approved the San Ramon-based company SummerHill Homes to begin construction to replace the Los Gatos Lodge near downtown with a 155-unit housing complex. This complex will have units with up to four bedrooms. Near 50 Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, the buildings would include 16 priced for low income, 26 below-market-rate units, and 10 priced for moderate income. Additionally, it would include 330 parking spaces.
In support of the project, Vice Mayor Rob Moore approved it because of the diverse housing options it provides for residents like him. At the meeting regarding this housing complex, Moore stated, “I’m one of the one-third of renters that lives in the town of Los Gatos, who, as it currently stands, does not have a pathway to home ownership in this town. When I see this sort of development where these units are likely to go for less than a single-family home goes for in Los Gatos, I see a place where I could see myself potentially living one day.”
The development would have a path south of the project from the road to Los Gatos High School and also an emergency exit for residents and students. In an effort to work with the town of Los Gatos, SummerHill Homes resisted the builder’s remedy, which reduces municipal authority over housing projects by enabling developers to bypass local zoning and development regulations.
With a 4-0 vote, the council members approved of the development. Councilmember Mary Badame was excluded from the discussion due to the close proximity of her residence to the project site. The construction will begin this year in hopes of finishing by the spring or summer of 2027.
At the meeting, Mayor Matthew Hudes noted, “I do see a project where the architectural deficiencies have not been addressed, one where we haven’t figured out the safety profile of traffic that could be exiting onto Los Gatos-Saratoga Road, a lack of clarity about how pedestrians will magically appear on this property to use the pedestrian path that’s occurred, how 20 guest spaces will be sufficient for 155 units.” He said that he only voted yes because the council was concerned about the mandates from the state to add homes, but he still expressed his concerns about the project.
Rob Stump, a resident at the meeting, said, “I’m concerned about public safety related to traffic congestion, including emergency evacuation. To this point, the development at the lodge property is moving forward with no consideration for a new public roadway for Los Gatos High.”
As the destruction of the Los Gatos Lodge comes with this project, the general manager of the lodge, Cecilio Reyes, said that the staff has not thought much about the effects to come with the approval of the development, as the process has been slow since the submitted plans by SummerHill homes in 2023. Construction is set to begin this year, bringing new housing to Los Gatos despite ongoing concerns about traffic and safety.
(Sources: Mercury News, NBC Bay Area)