Submissions to Saratoga City

Residents' Alternative Plan Updated

Over the last few years, the Preserve SRC Campus coordinators have developed several proposals, seeking an acceptable compromise to the PRS proposal. Our latest proposal, known as the "One Building Proposal" was submitted to the City in September 2023. Here are the full details.

City Council Meeting June 5th 2024 Oral Comments

Many SRC residents gave oral comments to the City Council at its meeting held on June 5th, 2024 that discussed and the approved the proposed expansion plan. Despite not prevailing at the meeting, we clearly impressed the Councillors with our thoughtful and deeply felt comments. Here is a recording of these comments.

City Council Meeting May 15th 2024 Oral Comments

Several Saratoga citizens (not all SRC residents) gave oral comments to the City Council at its meeting held on May 15th, 2024. Here is a recording of these comments.

Planning Commission Meeting May 8th 2024 Oral Comments

The Saratoga City Planning Commission held a meeting on May 8th 2024 during which there was three and a half hours of presentations and discussion. At the end of the meeting the City administrator ruled that motions that would "cherry pick" from among the various buildings are not permissible, and that the Commission would have to have an up-or-down vote on the entire proposal (Alternative 4). The Commission voted (with obvious great difficulty from several members of the Commission) to forward the Master Plan proposal to the City for approval. There was about an hour of oral presentations, nearly all against the PRS proposal. Here is a recording of the oral submissions from members of the Preserve SRC Campus Interest Group. Here is a recording of the complete meeting.

We are considering our next steps.

Planning Commission Meeting April 10th 2024 Oral Comments

Several residents gave oral comments to the Planning Commission at its meeting held on April 10th, 2024. Here is the recording of these comments.

Planning Commission Meeting March 13th 2024 Oral Comments

Several residents gave oral comments to the Planning Commission at its meeting held on March 13th, 2024. Here is the recording of these comments.

Planning Commission Regular Meeting November 8th 2023 Oral Comments and Story Pole exception discussion

Several members of the public, including several residents, gave oral comments to the Planning Commission meeting held on November 8th 2023. The meeting had a substantive agenda item to consider the Story Pole Exception Request submitted by PRS. Here is the recording of these comments.

Planning Commission Study Session Oral Comments

The Saratoga City Planning Commission held a Study Session on September 27th, 2023. This was very well attended by both SRC Residents and other Saratoga citizens. One Commissioner said that he counted over 100 people wearing green t-shirts, most with the motto "Preserve SRC Campus". Numerous attendees took advantage of the opportunity to make 3 minute oral comments. Here is Part 1 of a recording of the oral comments. Here is Part 2 of a recording of the oral comments.

Here are transcripts of the comments (v3) that some of the residents made.

Residents' Comments on the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)

Here is a summary of the Residents' Comments on the DEIR and the project. SRC Residents composed over 300 letters which have been individually signed and which were delivered as a collection to the City on August 21st, 2023. The collection does not include letters mailed individually or submitted by email. In addition to the collection of letters, the Preserve Coordinators prepared a summary of the main comments made in these letters. Here is a pdf file of the summary.

Pacific Retirement Services

Pacific Retirement Services have submitted a proposal to expand the accommodation and facilities at the Saratoga retirement Community.

Further details of the PRS proposal and its progress through the various stages of its consideration can be found on the City Planning Department website here.

Residents' Alternative Plan

In June 2021 a group of residents submitted the Residents' Alternative Plan for SRC Expansion for consideration by the City during the Environmental Impact Review.

Here is the pdf file of the submission

We updated our submission in December 2021 with the following three documents. The first is an extract of the Q&A on our web site.

Addendum to the residents submittal to the City
Alternative proposed site plan
Alternative proposed building C

We updated our plan again in September 2023 to be just one building. Here are the full details.

Draft Housing Element

The City of Saratoga, CA has invited comments on the so-called Draft Housing Element, which lays out the City's housing development plan in response to the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA). See Saratoga City Draft Housing Element Update. It seems that the proposed SRC Expansion Plan would not contribute to the City needs. Over 80 Independent Living residents submitted this letter pointing this out in response to the Draft Environmental Impact Report.

Story Poles issue

The City of Saratoga, CA has a Story Pole requirement, 15-45.075, that states “Story poles are required to be installed as set forth below for all projects subject to design review approval in order to depict the elevations and silhouettes of a proposed new structure or an addition to an existing structure requiring design review approval. Trees proposed for removal in conjunction with a proposed project shall be clearly marked in the field as set forth below”

PRS have submitted to the City a draft request with accompanying engineering drawings for an exception to the story pole requirement. They propose instead a 3D simulation, available on this web site:

https://360.ankrommoisan.com/panos/Saratoga-Retirement-360-Tour/

A copy of the draft exception request can be viewed at the City offices. If/when PRS submits a formal request, this will be considered by the City's Planning Commission.

The Preserve SRC Campus group strongly object to any such exception, and have submitted the following materials to the City:

Letter to the City concerning Story Poles
Current and PRS Proposal Views of Manor drive
Current and PRS Proposal Views of Building A
Estimated story poles locations

PRS are now including the use of at least some story poles, to be installed during April 2024.

Arborists' Reports

Here is the pdf file of the latest version of the Arbor Resources report, commissioned by PRS

Here is an extract from this report, showing the maps of the affected trees and annotated photographs showing whether the trees will be removed (most of them) or retained.

Here is the pdf file of the approval by the Saratoga City's Arborist

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