The General Plan Fracture — What Kind of Town Does Los Gatos Want to Be?
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Los Gatos is in an unusual and legally precarious position: the Town Council voted to rescind the Land Use Element and Community Design Element of its 2040 General Plan in April 2024, following a resident-driven referendum, leaving the town operating under a patchwork of elements from different plan vintages. The rescinded Land Use Element had upzoned over 800 acres across the town — far more than the roughly 80 acres needed to meet RHNA requirements — and more than 3,000 residents signed the referendum petition, viewing the broader upzoning as "irresponsible land use planning" likely to generate traffic, pollution, and development that would fundamentally alter the town's character. The result is ongoing legal and planning uncertainty: the town must replace the rescinded elements, but any replacement plan will face intense scrutiny from both state housing regulators and local preservation advocates.
Related cause: Development & Neighborhoods
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