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HomeMy WebLinkAbout3.1 written comm_Redacted CITY OF SARATOGA Memorandum To: Mayor Miller & Members of the Saratoga City Council From: Debbie Bretschneider, City Clerk Date: May 20, 2020 Subject: 3.1. Mountain Winery Annexation Project (Written Communications) After publication of the agenda packet for the May 20, 2020 City Council Meeting, these written communications were received for 3.1. Mountain Winery Annexation Project. DNVN-56577\2276740.4 1331 N. California Blvd. Fifth Floor Walnut Creek, CA 94596 T 925 935 9400 F 925 933 4126 www.msrlegal.com Arthur F. Coon Direct Dial: 925 941 3233 arthur.coon@msrlegal.com Offices: Walnut Creek / San Francisco / Newport Beach May 19, 2020 VIA E-MAIL Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers 13777 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 9070 Re: City Council Hearing of May 20, 2020, Agenda Item Nos. 2 and 3: Mountain Winery Annexation Project (Application ANX 20-0001, ENV 19-003, ZOA20-0001, GPA20-001) Dear Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers: As you know, this office represents the Concerned Citizens of Saratoga (“Concerned Citizens”), an unincorporated association of local residents who are deeply concerned with and strongly oppose the proposed Mountain Winery Annexation Project (“Project”). This letter supplements our prior correspondence to the City by focusing on the Project’s clear inconsistencies with the City’s and County’s respective general plans. As detailed further below, the Project’s proposed intensification of urban development at the Project site fundamentally conflicts with and would thwart the collaborative efforts enshrined in the County and City General Plans to protect the West Valley Hillside Preservation Area (“WVHPA”). By way of brief background, in connection with a public hearing before the City’s Planning Commission on February 12, 2020, our firm submitted a comment letter to the Commission highlighting numerous legal and technical flaws in the Environmental Impact Report (“EIR”) prepared for the Project. At that hearing, the Planning Commission received substantial public comments, all of which unanimously opposed the Project. After receiving and considering this testimony along with our letter and other written correspondence on the matter, the Planning Commission unanimously voted (7 to 0) to recommend that the City not move forward with the Project. For your ease of reference, please find a copy of that letter attached hereto as Attachment 1 (“Initial CEQA Comment Letter”).1 1 As noted in the Initial CEQA Comment Letter, it reflected our client’s’s preliminary concerns regarding the Draft EIR’s numerous technical and legal deficiencies. If the City Council Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 2 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 On March 12, 2020, in anticipation of this item being considered by the City Council, our office submitted another letter describing in detail numerous inconsistencies between the Project and the goals and policies of the Local Area Formation Commission of Santa Clara County (“LAFCO”) and related state LAFCO law, and highlighting how pursuing the proposed annexation is contrary to applicable LAFCO law and the local guidelines and policies. For your ease of reference, please find a copy of that letter attached hereto as Attachment 2 (“LAFCO Inconsistency Letter”). We strongly reiterate our clients’ opposition to the City moving forward and spending any additional time or financial resources on the Project — approval of which would clearly violate CEQA, as well as state LAFCO laws and regulations — as documented more fully in the Initial CEQA Comment Letter and the LAFCO Inconsistency Letter. Moreover, we also believe it is critical to point out that Project approval is also precluded due to the Project’s numerous inconsistencies with relevant policies of the City and County general plans. While typically a local agency will be given a fair degree of deference in making such consistency determinations, the conflicts here are so stark, glaring, and fundamental that the Planning and Zoning Law prevents the City from moving forward with the Project. The City attempts to present the Project as a response to what it claims are the County’s historically irresponsible land use policies for the subject properties and further asserts that no “actual” development (certainly not a 300-room hotel) is proposed. But these assertions cannot be squared with reality and perpetuate a patently false narrative. Consistent with the long-held preservation policies and goals for the Project site, the County’s current land use and zoning designation for the site have allowed a continued grandfathered operation of the historic Mountain Winery pursuant to the 2000 use permit that legalized its previously unpermitted historic operations and brought them under regulatory land use controls, while at the same time preventing unchecked and unsuitable intensified urban development at the site and its sensitive surroundings. The Project would contravene the City’s and County’s long held General Plan goals by allowing unsuitable, environmentally damaging, and poorly thought out intensification of urban uses on a sensitive and protected hillside area. Furthermore, the notion that annexation would not lead to additional development (at least anytime soon) is objectively false and misleading. Approval of the proposed GPA, rezoning and Precise Plan would mean that the property owner would have an absolute right to develop a 300-room destination resort with no further discretionary land use approval from the City, subject only to design review. Said another way, the legal nature of the GPA, rezoning and Precise Plan all but ensure that decides to move forward with the Project, we will further delineate and document the extensive inadequacies of both the Draft EIR and the Final EIR for purposes of the administrative record. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 3 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 substantial urban development can — and will — proceed. To claim otherwise would be to misunderstand the law and would defy reality. For these reasons and for those further set out below, the Project should be terminated because it fundamentally conflicts with the City and the County’s General Plan goals and policies for the Project site. I. THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD NOT SUBSTANTIVELY CONSIDER THIS MATTER AT ALL UNTIL THERE CAN BE MEANINGFUL, IN- PERSON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS. As a preliminary matter, it is critical to note the disturbing path the City has apparently elected to pursue by continuing its substantive consideration of the Project during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Despite state and county-wide emergency orders, the City is still required to comply with the Brown Act. (Cal. Const. Art. I, § 3(b)(7).) Although Governor Newsom’s March 17 Executive Order gives municipalities some flexibility in the manner they can conduct public business such municipalities must: Adhere as closely as reasonably possible to the provisions of the… Brown Act, and other applicable local laws regulating the conduct of public meetings, in order to maximize transparency and provide public access to their meetings. (March 17 Executive Order, at pg. 4.) By rushing the City’s consideration of this highly controversial project while it is impossible for members of the public to comment and participate in person at a City meeting or even to fully exercise their associational rights to meet and discuss the Project among themselves outside of public meetings, the City arguably violates the spirit of transparency and public participation underlying the Brown Act, under the circumstances here where there has been a minimum of genuinely meaningful opportunity for prior public participation. The Project does not pose or address an emergency, and there is no other factor compelling its hasty consideration; there thus is no reason why the Council’s consideration of the Project cannot be continued until after state and County emergency orders are lifted. We continue to be concerned by the City’s lack of transparency and failure to adequately ensure public participation in the Project review process. At the outset, the City chose to obfuscate the true nature of the Project, framing it as merely an annexation of County land to allow the City to control future land use there. However, actual project designs and proposed approvals amount to far more than “annexation” or sound land use policy and would allow for a significant intensification of development on a sensitive and currently protected site. Notice Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 4 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 procedures followed by the City have also been sub-optimal, with many of our client’s members only learning about the Project shortly before the Planning Commission’s February 12, 2020 hearing on the Project. In response to community concerns regarding the above, the City expressed an interest in ensuring full public vetting and participation in its review of the Project. Nonetheless, the City continues effectively to impede meaningful public participation in its review of the Project by holding this hearing on the Project during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. The hearing should be continued to a future date when more normal and robust public participation in the process can occur. II. THE PROJECT IS IN FATAL CONFLICT WITH NUMEROUS RELEVANT GENERAL PLAN GOALS AND POLICIES A. The Project Site and Its Existing Conservation-Oriented General Plan And Zoning Designations Are Intended To Protect This Historic Site And Vicinity From Urban Development. The Project would involve annexation to the City of two parcels (APNs 503-46-006 and 503-46-007) totaling 358 acres (“Project site”) [with a corresponding expansion of the City’s Urban Service Area (“USA”) and sphere of influence (“SOI”).2 The Project site consists of the Mountain Winery, which is a historic resource listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is designated a California Historical Landmark (#733), surrounding open space and scenic vineyards. Much of the Project site is characterized by exposed ridgelines visible for a large distance and from the valley floor below. As detailed in our March 12, 2020 correspondence, the Project site is located within the WVHPA. The site’s inclusion in the WVHPA is critical because it reflects the County’s and the City’s longstanding recognition, in their respective general plans, that the Project site should be protected from the type of unfettered and massive urban development that the Project proposes. The WVHPA is the culmination of more than twenty years of collaborative efforts by the County, the City of Saratoga, and other West Valley cities to prevent urban development on West Valley Hillside areas like the Project site. These collective efforts form an integral part of both the City and County’s General Plan land use goals and policies. Consistent with this collective objective of maintaining the rural nature of this area, the Project site’s current general plan and zoning designations are non-urban in nature and reflect the 2 The Project would also involve annexation of the Project Site into the Cupertino Sanitary District to allow for potential future sanitary sewer service to be provided to the Mountain Winery and proposed development, and would necessitate a growth accommodating and growth-inducing expansion of the capacity of that system. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 5 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 goals of, among other things, minimizing visual impacts from development and preserving the natural landscape. B. The Project Would Transform The Long-Held Conservation Vision To Urban Uses If The Council Approves The Proposed GPA And Re-Zoning. To enable the annexation and the concomitant expansion of the City’s USA, the Project would result in reclassification of approximately 176 acres of the Project Site from its current conservation-focused general plan and zoning designation to a commercial designation. Specifically, the Project would re-designate the Project site from a Hillside/Hillside D1 General Plan and zoning designation to a “Regional Commercial” general plan and zoning designation. This new designation and related rezoning would allow for an expansive range of urban uses consisting of “visitor serving commercial uses” including lodging, outdoor recreation, dining, and restaurants, entertainment, meeting and special event facilities, and similar commercial uses. The Project would also trigger the need for the substantial extension of utilities, public services, utilities, and infrastructure to facilitate such urban development.3 The expansive urban nature of this designation clashes with the Project site’s current General Plan and zoning designations in both the County and the City, all of which classify and treat the site as a protected rural and/or conservation use, as well as LAFCO’s relevant and applicable goals and policies for the protection of hillside and ridgetop open space such as the Project site. Without exception, these goals and policies seek to conserve and minimize visual impacts to the scenic attributes of such lands; limit new uses to non-urban uses that are compatible with the hillsides’ natural appearance; discourage and prevent any urban expansion into the hillsides; preserve the rural nature of the hillsides by limiting incompatible development; and requiring any development in hillside areas to undertake visual analyses and mitigate any significant visual impacts. (See February 22, 2020 letter from Arthur F. Coon to City Planning Commission, at pp. 8-9, and citations therein.) As made clear by First Carbon Solutions’ visual simulations of the intensive urban development that would be authorized by the Project at the Mountain Winery property, the Project would violate all existing County, City, and LAFCO policies and would destroy the rural and sensitive nature of the Winery’s current setting. The Project would also destroy the aesthetic and cultural integrity of the site of a designated and iconic historic landmark. (See, e.g., Georgetown Preservation 3 The Draft EIR as well as the Precise Plan, along with City correspondence from staff and certain decision makers, appears to be attempting to minimize and/or ignore the reality that substantial urban infrastructure and utilities would need to be extended to accommodate the Project. This not only results in a failure to analyze and disclose potential environmental impacts, but also underestimates the amount of urban sprawl that would be triggered through this expansion. The LAFCO Inconsistency Letter provides additional information and analysis in this regard. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 6 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 Society v. County of El Dorado (2018) 30 Cal.App.5th 538 [despite required compliance with county’s historic design review guidelines, substantial evidence supported fair argument of significant aesthetic impact requiring EIR analysis of project to locate commercial building within downtown area of Georgetown, an area designated as a State Historical Landmark]; Protect Niles v. City of Fremont (2018) 25 Cal.App.5th 1129 [EIR analysis required of aesthetic impacts of mixed-use residential / retail development to be located in city’s officially designated Niles Historic Overlay District].) Like the areas at issue in Georgetown Preservation and Protect Niles, the Mountain Winery site presents a particularly sensitive context when it comes to analysis of the aesthetic and cultural impacts of additional urbanized development. This is true not only because of the site’s protected rural hillside and near-ridgetop location and land use designations, and its iconic cultural status, but because of its official designation as a National and State Historic Landmark. The City’s EIR is woefully deficient in its failures to analyze the impact of the proposed new, massive, and unprecedented urban development uses on the physical and visual integrity of this particularly sensitive historic resource and setting. To put it simply, a massive resort hotel and associated commercial activities on this site, with their attendant 24/7/365 traffic, noise, light, glare, pollutant, and visual impacts, will utterly and irreversibly destroy this irreplaceable, iconic, and historic treasure. Nor will these impacts and their irreversible damage be limited to the Precise Plan’s 73-acre “disturbed area” – which would be bad enough in itself. The Project’s proposed Regional Commercial zoning designation extends far beyond that area and would actually allow additional intensive future urban development on an additional 103 acres of mostly pristine rural habitat in APN 503-46-006. III. THE PROJECT FUNDAMENTALLY CONFLICTS WITH NUMEROUS GENERAL PLAN POLICIES THAT GOVERN THE COUNTY’S LAND USE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS FOR THE SITE As detailed below, the Project conflicts with numerous County General Plan policies related to the Project site, many of which were developed collaboratively by Saratoga and other West Valley Cities to preserve West Valley hillsides. The irony of this wholly unnecessary conflict was not lost on the Planning Commission and other Project opponents, and should not be ignored by City staff and decision makers. The County has adopted and continues to implement very protective land use goals and policies which have ensured, to date, that the Project Site has remained consistent with these conservation- and preservation-oriented goals. Those protective goals and policies would be subverted and turned on their head by the City’s proposed Annexation Project. To be clear, it is the City — not the County — that is seeking to fundamentally undermine all these protections by its Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 7 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 proposal to incorporate urbanizing land use policies into its key planning and regulatory documents that would thwart and defeat longstanding preservation efforts for the Project Site, causing harm for decades to come. This critical point was driven home by the May 18, 2020 letter to the Council concerning this Project from four well respected environmental preservation groups deeply concerned with the negative environmental impacts that would result from the City’s proposed actions. That letter from Green Foothills, the Santa Clara Audubon Society, the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, and the California Native Plant Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter, urges the termination of the Project for numerous reasons. The letter cogently observes that the Mountain Winery site is far better protected from the adverse impacts of undesirable urban development under the current regulatory land use regime and jurisdictional boundaries than under the project: Mountain Winery, established in the established in the 1950s, was a legal nonconforming use for decades before being brought into compliance with County regulations through a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in 2000. That CUP allowed some expansion rights, which are now nearly all exhausted. Under County regulations very little additional development would be permitted at the site, which is in the Hillside designation. In terms of lodging and facilities, a 6-room bed-and-breakfast would be the most that would be permitted. It is worth noting that a facility with the Mountain Winery’s current operations would not be permitted under County regulations for the Hillside area. Only the fact that Mountain Winery was grandfathered in enables this facility to operate as it currently does. Although the CUP allowed some expansion of the Facility, approval of any additional expansion by the County would require that the County act in conflict with its own General Plan policies and zoning code. By contrast, the Project, if approved by the Council will automatically approve a significant expansion of both type and level of use in the form of a significant number of overnight lodging accommodations. (5/18/20 letter at pp. 1-2.) This analysis hits the nail on the head – the alleged premise of “annexation for protection” is a patently false narrative with absolutely no factual or legal support. The best protection for the Mountain Winery site against unlawful and environmentally harmful urbanization is to reject the Project and leave the Project site where it currently resides within the County’s boundaries and jurisdiction and subject to land use regulations that will preclude the type of urban expansion that would be allowed by the City’s annexation Project. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 8 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 A project that is inconsistent with a jurisdiction’s applicable general plan cannot be approved as a matter of well-established law. And while local agencies have considerable discretion in interpreting and balancing conflicting general plan policies, they do not have discretion to approve projects that plainly conflict with clear, mandatory, and fundamental general plan policies. (Families Unafraid to Uphold Rural El Dorado County v. Board of Supervisors (“FUTURE”) (1998) 62 Cal.App.4th 1332, 1341, 1342; Napa Citizens for Honest Government v. Napa County Board of Supervisors (2001) 91 Cal.App.4th 342, 378-381.) A project is consistent with a general plan policy if it would further, and not obstruct the attainment of the policy. As described further below, the Project would conflict with, fail to further, and affirmatively obstruct the attainment of numerous applicable, mandatory, and fundamental County and City General Plan policies. A. West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area The entire Project site is within the County General Plan’s West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area (“WVHPA”). The establishment of this area “was a collaborative planning project involving the West Valley cities of Cupertino, Monte Sereno, Saratoga, Los Gatos and the County.” The County and Cities established the WVHPA “to protect the scenic appearance of the West Valley Hillsides… most visible from the valley floor.” (Santa Clara County GP (“SCC GP”) at Q-30.) While adopting the WVHPA “the cities… agreed to delineate long term growth boundaries that will serve to minimize further urban encroachment into the hillsides.” In return, “the County has assured the cities that the development it allows outside their urban service areas will be appropriate for rural hillside areas and will have minimal visual impacts when viewed from the valley floor.” (SCC GP at 30.) The County adopted the following policies as part of the collaborative effort to preserve the WVHPA: R-LU 198: “New Development in the West Valley hillsides area should be located and designed to minimize its visibility from the valley floor.” R-LU 199: “New land uses within the West Valley hillsides areas should be limited to non-urban uses that are compatible with the preservation of the natural appearance of hillsides.” R-LU 200: “Urban development and extension of urban services should be limited to those areas most suited for urban development. Further expansion of the urban area into the West Valley hillsides should be discouraged.” R-LU 202: “The West Valley Cities should delineate and adopt long term growth boundaries indicating lands to which they are willing to provide urban services within approximately the next 20-30 years in order to: a. preserve the predominantly natural character and natural resources of hillsides by preventing urban development from encroaching onto them b. Reinforce Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 9 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 fundamental policies concerning the appropriate location of urban development c. Protect public health and safety by preventing urban development in hazardous areas.” The Project directly contravenes all of the above policies. The Project’s proposed change in the Project site’s land use and zoning designation is specifically to allow for construction of an expansive regional resort hotel with up to 300 overnight rooms operating 24/7/365, and other urban regional commercial uses. However, the Project’s impacts on the WVHPA would not be limited to the 73-acre Precise Plan Area as a total of 176 acres in the vicinity would be re-designated and rezoned to an urban Regional Commercial land use and zoning designation. The Project would extend urban services and development into the very West Valley hillsides where the County General Plan expressly discourages and seeks to preclude such urban development. Moreover, the Project would encourage unsuitable urban development on protected hillside and ridgeline areas surrounding the valley floor. B. County Non-Urban Land Use and Zoning Designations The Project would also clearly conflict with the County’s current General Plan and zoning designations for the Project site.4 The County General Plan designates the Project Site as Hillside (HS). The HS designation is aimed at resource conservation and allows agricultural type uses, parks, low-density recreation, natural land, wildlife refuges, and in very limited circumstances commercial, institutional, and institutional uses that are specially suited for rural environments. The County also designates the entire Project site with a Hillside d1 District (HS-d1) designation, with southern portions of parcel 503- 46-006 zoned Hillside d1 District – Scenic Roads (HS-d1-sr). The HS-d1 combining district: Is intended to conserve the scenic attributes of those hillside lands most immediately visible from the valley floor and allows all the uses listed under HS, including residential. This district is intended to minimize the visual impacts of structures and grading on the natural topography and landscape. Permitted and conditionally permitted uses under the HS-d1 combining district do not include hotel or motel type uses. Again, the County land use and zoning designations for the site seek to limit the Project site to conservation and agricultural uses that will not have significant aesthetic, lighting and visual impacts on the ridgeline and hillsides, including as viewed from the valley below. The Project violates these goals. Moreover, the Project EIR’s claim that pursuing urban general plan and zoning designations for the 4 Perhaps this may explain, at least in part, why the Mountain Winery did not seek approval of its grandiose hotel development plans from the County. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 10 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 site, which permit substantial urban growth as a right, would be more protective than existing County designations is patently false. C. County General Plan Growth and Development Policies The Project would also fail to further, conflict with, and obstruct the County General Plan’s Growth and Development Policies. These growth and development policies are designed to be consistent with and reinforce the LAFCO policies we discussed in our March 12, 2020 letter to the City Council. Specifically, the County’s Growth and Development Policies are aimed at preventing unnecessary urban expansion and promoting in-fill development in appropriate areas. The County General Plan notes that: [a]lthough the potential for urban expansion has lessened somewhat over time, the strategies and policies discouraging unnecessary expansion are no less important today for the purposes of preserving open space, avoiding development in hazardous areas, minimizing the costs of extending urban services, and promoting compact development within the urban areas. (County General Plan B-5.) The County General Plan incorporates the following relevant Growth and Development Policies: Policy C-GD 1: Most of the future urban growth of Santa Clara County should be accommodated within the existing urban areas, through infill development, rather than through the expansion of the urbanized area into hillsides and resource areas. Policy C-GD 2: Urban development shall occur only within the cities’ urban service areas (USAs) and under city jurisdiction. The County shall not allow urban development on unincorporated lands outside cities’ urban service areas. The Project fails to further, directly conflicts with, and violates and obstructs implementation of the above policies by promoting urban sprawl and development at the predominantly rural, hillside Project site. IV. The Project Conflicts with Several City General Plan Policies In addition to contradicting County General Plan policies, the Project violates the City’s own General Plan policies. Consistent with longstanding collaborative efforts to preserve the WVHPA, these policies seek to constrain the very type of urban development in rural hillside areas that the Project proposes. Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 11 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 The proposed Project and Precise Plan’s fuzzy and toothless design policies would utterly fail to control inappropriate urbanized development at the Mountain Winery because they conflict with, fail to further, and would affirmatively obstruct and defeat the numerous city general plan policies and goals intended to prevent such harmful development. A. Environmental and Resource Protection Regarding Environmental Resource and Protection, City General Plan Goal LU 6 seeks to “’[p]rotect natural resources and amenities through appropriate land use and related programs.” (City General Plan, at 23.) The Project would contradict this goal by promoting urban development in a sensitive hillside area identified by the County, the City of Saratoga, and Santa Clara County LAFCO – and the Nation and State - as a historic and culturally significant and sensitive site, and one warranting protection from new urban development. B. Hillside Development The City General Plan also has a number of goals and policies aimed specifically at limiting development in the West Valley hillsides area. The City adopted these policies as part of the collaborative area effort to protect the WVHPA. For example: Goal LU 8: The natural beauty of the West Valley hillsides area shall be maintained and protected for its contribution to the overall quality of life of current and future generations. Goal LU 9: Preserve the rural nature of the hills by limiting incompatible development. Policy LU 9.1: Limit expansion of urban development in the hillside areas. Policy LU 9.2: Limit the amount of grading within hillside areas to the minimum amount needed for dwellings and access. Goal LU 10: Minimize the visual impacts of hillside development, especially on ridgetops. The City’s General Plan outlines the following relevant implementation measure to achieve these goals: LU 9.a: Ensure protection of the hillside areas by designating medium density, multi-family-residential and non-residential land uses in the Land Use Map in the flatland areas only, where they are considered more Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 12 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 appropriate. Parks in the hillsides may be permitted provided they are planned in a manner that is compatible with the rural nature of the area. The Project would clearly violate and thwart the above goals, policies and implementation measures by allowing for new substantial urban development on the Project site. V. Conclusion. After reviewing relevant County General Plan, and City General Plan policies, it is clear that a project proposing a new 300 room resort hotel and related amenities would fail to further, and would violate and obstruct the attainment and implementation of those policies in a fundamental way, and is neither legal nor appropriate for the Project site We are aware that the Project EIR claims the Project is consistent with the above policies because the Project site is already an “urban” setting. However, this is simply not the case. Outside of the historic Mountain Winery and limited appurtenant structures and amenities, some existing, and some to be built or updated, the Project site primarily consists of vineyards and undeveloped open space. These limited and grandfathered existing uses are compatible with the County’s existing HS and HS-d1 land use and zoning designations for the site, which are aimed at protecting hillside areas from large-scale urban development. The Project would result in a significant urban intensification and exceedance of permitted uses in violation of decades of collaborative efforts to preserve West Valley hillsides and ridgelines. The Council should reject it. Again, we respectfully request that the Council terminate its pursuit of the Project, and in accordance with its Planning Commission’s unanimous recommendation, vote to direct staff not to move forward with the Project in any form. Very truly yours, MILLER STARR REGALIA Arthur. F. Coon Arthur F. Coon AFC:tzb/klw cc: James Lindsay, City Manager Richard S. Taylor, Esq., City Attorney Debbie Bretschneider, City Clerk City of Saratoga Planning Division ( Honorable Mayor Miller, Vice Mayor Bernald, and City Councilmembers May 19, 2020 Page 13 DNVN-56577\2276740.4 Neelima Palacherla, Executive Officer, Santa Clara LAFCO Dunia Noel, Executive Assistant Officer, Santa Clara LAFCO ) Nadia L. Costa, Esq. ( Matthew C. Henderson, Esq. ) Travis A. Brooks, Esq. () Concerned Citizens of Saratoga ATTACHMENT 1 CITY OF SARATOGA Memorandum To: Saratoga Planning Commission From: Debbie Pedro, Community Development Director Date: February 12, 2020 Subject: 14831 Pierce Road (ANX20-0001, ENV19-0003, ZOA20-0001, GPA20-001) – Supplemental Memo 3 The attached public comments for 14831 Pierce Road were provided after the staff report was prepared. Attachment 1 –Letter from attorney Arthur F. Coon, Miller Starr Regalia, dated February 12, 2020 Page 1 of 14 Attachment 1 Page 2 of 14 Page 3 of 14 Page 4 of 14 Page 5 of 14 Page 6 of 14 Page 7 of 14 Page 8 of 14 Page 9 of 14 Page 10 of 14 Page 11 of 14 Page 12 of 14 Page 13 of 14 Page 14 of 14 ATTACHMENT 2 From: r; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Friday, May 15, 2020 2:06:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Glenda Aune Phone Number Email Address Subject Comment for May 20 Mountain Winery Annexation Public Hearing (replace comment submitted for March 18 Hearing) Comments Dear City Council Members, Please stop the Mountain Winery Annexation. I learned about the annexation of the Mountain Winery and the rezoning of Parcel 6 (194 acres) to Regional Commercial in late January of this year when I received a letter from my neighbors (not Saratoga!) alerting me to this project including a potential 300 room hotel. Initially, I was only against a hotel of any size. Now, after weeks of research – talking with the County Planning Department and LAFCO and reviewing related documents – I am against the annexation because it will open the door for more and more urban sprawl in our residential hillsides. The City says that the annexation of the Mountain Winery will “finally” limit the development of the property to the currently disturbed area (74 acres of Parcel 6) while preserving the remaining hillside (approx. 120 acres of Parcel 6) and will give Saratoga “control” over future development. These are good arguments in favor of annexation. The footprint of the developed area has increased since the 2000 Conditional Use Permit (CUP) was approved for the property. And in 2000, Saratoga appealed the approval of the CUP since the City’s inputs for mitigating noise and traffic were not adequately addressed. And residents continue to complain today about the noise and traffic from Mountain Winery concerts and events. However, this annexation plan does NOT mitigate these basic issues. It makes them worse. Annexation equals urbanization. Cities should only annex properties they plan to urbanize. If this property is annexed by Saratoga, in two years there will be nothing – no County input, no LAFCO regulations, no CEQA laws – to stop a future City Council from renegotiating the Precise Plan and Joint Development Plan with current or future owners of the Mountain Winery and allowing expansion of commercial uses and development of more of this property that will already be zoned Regional Commercial. And, if LAFCO agrees to change the USA and SOI for Parcel 7, there will be nothing to stop Saratoga from annexing this property and approving more and more commercial uses within our residential hillsides. Can the City Council guarantee that this will not happen? There is no guarantee what will or will not happen during the next twenty-five years, the time period to be covered by a Joint Development Agreement with the Mountain Winery. In 2002, the County Board of Supervisors denied the appeals against the 2000 CUP (including Saratoga’s appeal) and stated in their approval for the permit that development would be confined to the currently disturbed or developed areas of the property. Sound familiar? And, while the development has been focused in the disturbed area – the concert bowl expansion and the parking lot expansion were included in the 2000 CUP and the 5 new buildings were replacements for demolished buildings – the footprint has increased. And, further expansion of the footprint can happen whether this property is annexed or remains in the County. Things can change in the County just like they can change in the City. However, based on current regulations and policies, I truly believe that the best way to preserve our Saratoga hillsides is to the leave the Mountain Winery property in the County where it is zoned “Hillside.” • The County is committed to preserving the resources and character of the “rural” area. • The County cannot provide sewer which is required for large scale development. While there are septic tanks and waste water treatment systems designed for large development including hotels, the County may not approve these due to environmental concerns. • The County will not approve a hotel for this property. The property is zoned “Hillside” which allows Seasonal Outdoor Entertainment (i.e., concerts and events) and a 6-unit bed and breakfast, but not a hotel. And the County will not rezone this property for commercial uses due to the location within residential areas and the mountainous terrain. • The County will only approve a new CUP for uses defined in the zoning ordinance for Hillside. The Mountain Winery has built out to the limit of their 2000 CUP with one exception – they have not built the bungalows that are allowed in the plan. If the Mountain Winery wants lodging, the County will approve a 6-unit bed and breakfast per the zoning ordinance or small bungalows per the Mountain Winery 2000 CUP. While a B&B could be built on a location other than the currently disturbed area, this would still have less impact on the environment than a hotel. Why allow more commercial uses including a hotel of any size in this residential hillside area? Why allow high density residential units (also allowed per the Precise Plan) to be built in this low density residential area? These uses will greatly increase the traffic, noise, risks from wildfire, and other environmental impacts for the local residents and the wildlife that live in these hillsides, and not just during concerts and events but 24 hours a day x 365 days a year • Pierce Road is the main access road to the Mountain Winery. The EIR traffic study states that an additional 1,431 daily trips generated by a hotel will have no significant impact in this narrow, winding rural road that is already saturated with traffic. Really? This is an average of 100 additional trips an hour, assuming most traffic will occur during 12 hours per day. • This is a high-fire area, and the risk of wildfire is real especially during drought periods. During a wildfire, hundreds of guests of a Mountain Winery hotel may be required to “shelter-in- place” when the access driveway and Pierce Road are blocked by emergency vehicles. And, if the guests are allowed to exit the property, the additional traffic on Pierce Road and surrounding roads could significantly impact residents trying to exit the area. I have lived on Pierce Road for thirty-five (35) years. I love this area. It is beautiful. And, unlike many of my neighbors, I love the deer and the rabbits that eat everything in my yard. It is home. When we first moved to Pierce Road, the traffic was light, and we saw coyotes at our house a couple of times a year. After the residential development started off Mount Eden Road, we began seeing coyotes more and more often, and occasionally we would see a bobcat. Now, after all the residential development in this area, the traffic on Pierce Road can be very heavy and loud throughout the day. Even on a Saturday afternoon, it can be dangerous to walk across the road to get the mail. During the dry summer months, coyotes are in our yard almost every day. Bobcats and foxes come around regularly all year. And, a few weeks ago we captured a video of what appears to be a mountain lion on our back patio. Other neighbors have posted photos on Nextdoor of mountain lions in their yards. These are signs that we are slowly destroying our hillsides and the habitats of the wildlife that live here. Yes, the drought has caused wildlife to expand their territories to find food and water. And, yes, we have more motion detectors and cameras today to capture photos and videos of the animals that cross our properties. But we are invading more and more of the space that the wildlife call home with our houses, fences, and traffic. Where does this stop? It stops with us! Most of us moved to Saratoga for the beauty and quiet rural atmosphere, an escape from the congested Silicon Valley. And we need to do whatever we can to stop or at least mitigate the urban sprawl before our beautiful hillsides are gone forever. Annexation of the Mountain Winery property, regardless of the City’s zoning and the Precise Plan, equals more urban sprawl that we will not be able to stop. There will be nothing to stop future City Councils from changing the Precise Plan and the Joint Development Plan with the Mountain Winery. We need to stop this before it starts! Annexation is NOT the best way forward to preserve our hillsides. We should leave this property in the County and zoned Hillside. Saratoga should work with the County on any proposed future development or CUP for the Mountain Winery. This will help ensure that we preserve our hillsides for current and future residents and the local wildlife rather than opening the door for more and more urban sprawl. Respectfully, Glenda Aune Email not displaying correctly? . From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Friday, May 15, 2020 9:29:49 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Mike Seifert Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Comments As a nearly 30 year resident of Saratoga, I wish to express my opposition to the annexation of the Mountain Winery parcels by the City of Saratoga. I have read the 375 pages of public comment and I could only find two residents supportive of the annexation while scores of residents opposed this proposal. Even the Mayor's long-time neighbors opposed the proposal! The City Council should listen to its constituents who overwhelmingly oppose the annexation--for all the many reasons stated. I would like to believe the Mayor's public statements saying local City control is better than the County of Santa Clara but after reading the County Conditional Use Permit, local City control would likely open up more change/development NOT prevent it. All the changes that have happened in the last 20 years have been beneficial and closely controlled by the County. If the City gained control, California SB35 would likely be activated, and then a future developer would have more say in development and the City's jurisidiction would be limited. Please end this process now! Email not displaying correctly? From: er; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 2:37:49 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name KEN CZWORNIAK Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Comments I am absolutely against the Mountain Winery Annexation as it will lead to increased traffic congestion in the Saratoga Village and nearby areas. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 8:26:54 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Jasim Ahmad Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Comments Council members and Staff Saratoga City Council needs to Stop the Mountain Winery Land Annexation. Please enter my objection into the record of the upcoming meeting on May 20, 2020 Q&A from the City and comments by Peggy Lynne, Bank Mill Lane, Saratoga 40. Does the City have the power to override Measure A? Measure A called for the creation of a Hillside Specific Plan, which the City adopted in 1981 and updated in 1994. The Hillside Specific Plan does not apply to the Mountain Winery parcel proposed for annexation as it is located outside the boundaries of the Specific Plan. https://saratoga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php? view_id=9&clip_id=1068&meta_id=69887 Being that you, the City Council are aware of the intent of Measure A, you were negligent in not notifying the entire City of Saratoga, prior to the March 19, 2019 meeting of your intent to drive forward this Mountain Winery land Annexation. I do not think you had anybody in the cambers that evening, and had you notified the entire city prior to that meeting, how many do you think would have been there? In that meeting , you promised, that the density of the land use would not be increased. Then months later, you present a draft , which includes, a 300 room Hotel, and other high density uses. As a City Council you are failing your residential community. What you have done, appears to be a bait and switch on your citizens at large. 64. What are the financial impacts on the City of annexation? The City is currently undertaking a fiscal impact study of the annexation in preparation for the application to LAFCO. While the study is not complete, the City is expecting the annexation to have a modest positive fiscal impact. I believe, the question was, what is the financial impact on the City Budget. Where do you see any income from this increased , management project. How many more man hours are going to be needed in the planning and permit departments. How much more time is going to need to be spent by the Planning Commission and Traffic Commission on this development ? I’m not even asking you , at this time, to line item all the money and city employee man hours you have already spent on this. Why are you, Howard and Manny, being your terms are up in 2020, hanging this Annexation on both the new Council Members and the Citizens of Saratoga, that do not want it. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 11:51:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Cheriel Jensen Phone Number Email Address Subject Mt. Winery, for Meeting May 20, 2020, Comments for both items concerning the Mt. Winery Rezoning, Redesignation and Annexation Comments May 16, 2020 RE: Second letter concerning both items. Dear Mayor and City Council Members, Under the language of SB 35, land with a Resource Conservation General Plan Designation and Hillside Zoning, such as the Mt. Winery land now in County jurisdiction, is excluded from State SB 35 dense housing requirements. As long as the land remains in a Resource Conservation Designation with appropriate “Hillside” zoning, this land cannot be considered for forced housing such as now being facilitated and fast tracked by our City Council at the Quito Center. These are county General Plan designations and zoning. Saratoga has nothing comparable. Saratoga is now deciding May 20, 2020, whether to continue with plans to annex this Resource Conservation Hillside, change the General Plan and Zoning of it to a new zone they invented, RC which allows a hotel with 300 Rooms, or equivalent Condominiums, and it then becomes subject to SB 35 where residential uses and densities can go even higher than 300 units and there will be nothing we can say about dense residential use there. Never mind that it is nestled within in the most extremely high fire zone, that we already experience rolling blackouts several times throughout the summer, that we are still overcharged by about double for water due to water shortages of 5 years ago and less of our local heavens-sent water will recharge our aquifer due to the planned hardscape, that this excess runoff will cause downstream flooding, that we could have another water shortage as soon as this year and shortages are becoming more and more frequent, that both roads leading there having been built on landslides, one of which is constantly active, and the other road is located on a fault and through a fault zone, that the land has no safe or guaranteed access in case of fire, utilities such as gas, electricity and sewage will have to be built on landslides and can be expected to frequently fail sending raw sewage into our creeks, releasing gas as a fire hazard, interrupting power as a added fire hazard, and that if condominiums are built, there is not even mention of providing classrooms for the children. This scheme was hatched in secret over a year ago while the EIR was prepared without proper notice leaving no time for citizens to comment or insist on full disclosure. I urge you to stop this plan now before even more money and time is spent, and your citizens become even more angry at this irresponsible scheme. Yours truly, Cheriel Jensen Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 11:53:55 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Thomas Lawrence Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery annexation and development proposal Comments Dear Mayor Miller and City of Saratoga Council Members, I have two concerns regarding this proposal: Concern #1: Pierce Road traffic safety: Pierce Road is shared by cyclists, pedestrians, cars, trucks, construction vehicles, and busses. From Surrey Lane to Highway 9 the road is very narrow and winding, with blind curves and an overhanging tree canopy that forces large trucks and busses to drive in the center of the road to avoid damaging to their vehicles (in particular, the blind curve where Saratoga Hills and Pierce intersect). Cars and trucks regularly ignore the double yellow lines in areas of limited visibility to pass slower moving cyclists and pedestrians. My wife and I have been Saratoga residents for 45 years, living in the hillsides on Via Regina. We have been very fortunate. Despite a number of near misses, we have only been hit head on once on this area of Pierce Road ... by an oncoming car going too fast, losing control, and crossing into our west bound lane. We escaped injury. The driver of the car that hit us was not as lucky. The traffic volume counts commonly used in EIR's do not capture the volume of vehicles driving in the center of the road or the near misses from cars passing cyclists in areas of limited visibility. Pierce Road traffic safety has suffered from benign neglect by both the County and City for years, and any action by the City increasing traffic, and the volume of unsafe driving in this section of Pierce Road, would be unconscionable. Concern #2: Ongoing noise and light pollution for all adjacent hillside residents in the area: The goals and policies in the City's Hillside Specific Plan include: "Land use regulations shall be consistent with the preservation of the irreplaceable natural environment of the Measure "A" area." "Access shall be compatible with preservation of rural character and reduced density of development." "Impacts on the overall natural environment shall be minimized in order to preserve the rural character .. " "Land use in the western hillside area should be limited to agricultural and residential uses and appurtenances thereto ..." The Mountain Winery currently creates both noise and light pollution for the adjacent area that is inconsistent with the above goals, but, thankfully, it occurs mainly during the show season and is short lived. Allowing a hotel and condominiums to be constructed on the Mountain Winery ridge contradicts these goals. It will make noise and light pollution ongoing, and it will degrade the environment for all area residents. The City Planning Commission has already studied and rejected this annexation and development proposal. I urge all of you to also reject it. Email not displaying correctly? From: o Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 2:14:15 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Dipak Basu Phone Number Email Address Subject Public Hearing on Mountain Winery annexation project May 20, 2020 at 7 pm Comments We are residents of Saratoga, living right across from the Winery on Vintage Lane. We wish to register the following: 1. We support the effort to stop the annexation process while everyone is in a shelter-in-place status. Some reasons for this: - Not everyone has access to Zoom technology to videoconference. - Technology problems lead to difficulty hearing and understanding speakers on occasion. - A critical part of the process is not possible - people can't have discussions at cafes, restaurants, social gatherings, or even at homes. We need to be sure everyone has a chance to participate at a public hearing on a matter so vital. 2. The Mountain Winery annexation is a controversial proposal, and the Planning Commission voted 7-0 against it. We attended and spoke at the Planning Commission’s Feb 12, where all residents were unanimously against the annexation because of the included rezoning for the 300-room hotel. 3. As next-door neighbors of the Winery, we are against the project because of: a. Greatly increased fire hazard b. Impaired egress via Pierce Road, which is our only exit, in the event of a natural disaster c. Greatly increased traffic on Pierce Road. It was proven at the Feb 12 meeting, the traffic study done as part of EIR was during a very low traffic time d. Serious safety and environment of rezoning the hillside to commercial e. Even though we live 50 yards from the Winery’s main gate we were not informed of the project and joint City Council and Planning Commission meetings until January 2020 f. We were part of a 2000-strong change.org petition to reject the project g. Potential for significant decrease in property values We request you to put a stop to the annexation and the 300-room hotel project. Sincerely Dipak and Radha Basu. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 3:28:24 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name MAJID GHAFGHAICHI Phone Number Email Address Subject MOUNTIN WINERY ANNEXATION PROJECT Comments I live in 1 Damon Ln Saratoga, and Pierce Rd. is our main access Rd. I am completely against this annexation of Mountine Winery. If cancelling this project will force the City to pay back the funds Mountain Winery contributed to this project it is OK to refund them rather than proceed with this annexation. All residents of City of Saratoga will remember the City Council Members courage to correct this ill construed project. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 6:23:28 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Thomas Howell Phone Number Email Address Subject Mt. Winery Annexation Comments If I were to propose building a 50-story skyscraper in my back yard, would the City of Saratoga commission an environmental impact study and consider changing the zoning to allow it? I don't think so. Yet we have been hearing for months, turning into years that such consideration is being given to annexing the Mountain Winery property to the city of Saratoga for the purpose of building a large hotel! This is an equally preposterous proposal. Numerous objections have been raised by citizens of Saratoga. Pierce Road cannot safely handle today's traffic, much less the increase that would come with this development. The winery is located in an area of high fire danger and low access to fire protection. Many of its neighbors have had fire insurance dropped due to being located in the "wildland-urban interface", and the winery's danger is more extreme than any of ours. Utilities such as water and sewer lines would have to be added. How and where? I hope the costs and environmental impact of those are taken into consideration. The list goes on and on. I have seen dozens of articles and letters opposing this development and not a single word in its favor except from the developers and their team. I saw that council members Kumar and Zhao voted against spending more money on this project. Who is in favor? When will we hear a single reason to do this project from a voice not controlled by the developer? What reasons could possibly be given? Will we otherwise be forced by the state to knock down rows of mansions to build high density housing? Why is this proposal not being given the quick burial it deserves? A recent letter from the developers' lawyer demands that money be returned if the City Council "changes its mind". When did the Council make up its mind, and why has any money changed hands at this early stage of decision making? I think the taxpayers of Saratoga deserve some clear answers. From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Saturday, May 16, 2020 11:08:30 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Sherman Fan Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Project - Comments Silicon Valley is short of lodging spaces. Saratoga is in the heart of Silicon Valley. If we can help relieve the lodging issue without too much adverse impact on the environment, I'm for it. A 300- room hotel will contribute to tax revenue and also enliven city economy. Added traffic will be quite limited comparing with existing concert traffic. We live on Pierce Road and we are not bothered by the concert traffic. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 7:46:31 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Coleen and Joe Wagner Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Comments Mayor and City Council of Saratoga, RE: Mountain Winery Annexation Dear Mayor and Council members, We want the City Council to accept the Planning Commission’s recommendation to terminate the annexation project. A new Regional Commercial zoning for the Mountain Winery is proposed, a mixed use commercial zoning which opens up the property to SB35 development. There are 4 bills currently in process, one is in the Senate and three others in the Assembly, that will give developers even more control and cities less control over development than what is currently included in SB35. The State is intent on taking away a city’s power to regulate their own growth. If the purpose of the annexation is for the city to have more control over development then the zoning change completely negates that. Not only is SB35 development possible but development from future legislation is assured. The idea that a company whose very existence is all about developing major venues would come in and control their development if they don’t have to is laughable. The outcome of this is a foregone conclusion, the hillside will be developed to maximize profit. The citizens of Saratoga voted overwhelmingly for Measure A and it is being ignored because according to Debbie Pedro, Saratoga Community Development Director, Measure A doesn’t apply because the Mountain Winery is not part of Saratoga. This is circular logic. Measure A most certainly applies if you want to bring the Mountain Winery into Saratoga. In the City Council meeting on March 20, 2019 it was said that no changes were anticipated for a change in intensity or use with the annexation, however when the Precise Plan came out, zoning for 300 rooms of lodging was included as well as a business center, recreational facilities including spas and a pool, a restaurant, and a parking garage. Where did these items come from? This sounds like development of a major venue and not the controlled growth that the City Council has been selling. Under no conditions can this annexation project go any further. The Planning Commission listened to the facts and made a thoughtful and considered decision that benefits the city and its citizens. We are not interested in a decision that benefits developers over our city. We want the City Council to accept the Planning Commission’s recommendation to terminate the annexation project. Coleen and Joe Wagner Saratoga residents of 30 years Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Fwd: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 9:56:32 AM Attachments:im Begin forwarded message: From: Nancy Lietzke Date: May 16, 2020 at 9:12:43 AM PDT To: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>, Mary-Lynne Bernald <mlbernald@saratoga.ca.us>, Rishi Kumar <rkumar@saratoga.ca.us>, Manny Cappello <mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>, "yzaho@saratoga.ca.us" <yzaho@saratoga.ca.us>, Debbie Pedro <dpedro@saratoga.ca.us>, "rSubject: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation  CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council members and City Attorney, We are writing to request the City Council accept the Planning Commission's recommendation to terminate the Mt. Winery Annexation project. At this time amid the shelter in place and social distancing, there is not the ability for all Saratoga residents to be heard publicly. And Zoom is not the answer to the problem. Many residents are not able to use it. And those who do know how to dial in are not able to gain access to your meeting. Even some of your own Council members have experienced difficulties with zoom. If discussions are going to continue regarding the Annexation, it needs to be in a public setting where residents can attend and speak publicly to the City Council and other residents. For now with the current Shelter in Place order, that is not possible. But when that order is lifted, a public forum to consider that would accommodate many, many Saratoga residents would be the Saratoga High Football stadium. It would also provide ample continued opportunity for social distancing. Annexation is a large important issue and needs a large meeting site. The recent letter (see below) written by Bill Hirshman to the City Council is absolutely damning!!! Whether true or not, it gives the impression that the Council in theory (head nod) had agreed months ago to the Annexation. It is a threatening letter meant to push the Annexation forward with no regards for the concerns of other residents. The amount of profits to be reaped by the CMLLC with an Annexation and rezoning begs the question why the City Council ever shared in the EIR costs to begin with??? At the March 20, 2019 meeting https://saratoga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=9&clip_id=1068&meta_id=69887 an update regarding the Annexation was given by Debbie Pedro. Discussion ensued and Mr. Miller you made the following comments. “I think we should be clear that the intent is so that the Mt. Winery is under the City perview. We are not annexing them to turn it into a rock 24 hour rock venue or you know a 36 hole golf course or high rise condo development. We are annexing them so that we have jurisdiction. We are not annexing them to change. But I think that we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process. However it is far much better than trying to say we don’t need to get much public input and short circuit it.” Two comments stand out: “We are not annexing them to change." If that was true, how did a 300 room hotel get added to the Annexation language 7 months later in the Precise Plan dated October, 2019? “But I think we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process.” If public input from the beginning is what you wanted, why was there such a lack of transparency and public notification? We would appreciate you addressing our concerns in the upcoming May 20, 2020 Council meeting. Regards, Nancy and David Lietzke Mt. Eden Estates From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 11:36:46 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Robert Schwartz Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Public Discourse - Politicization And Personal Attacks Must Stop Comments It is obviously essential that our city (and community) discuss and debate the pros and cons of the proposed Mountain Winery Annexation Project. No doubt, there will be valuable and continued lively debate on all sides of this important issue. What is also essential is that Saratoga as a community conduct itself with care, honesty, integrity, and compassion. The Annexation Project will ultimately either progress or not, but what will live on in our community forever is who we are as people, what we model for our children, and how we treat each other. The discussion of this potential project has devolved into a rancorous argument replete with false statements, misdirection, personal attacks, shameful politicization and I, for one, am embarrassed for our 155-year-old town. I thought Saratoga was above the sort of narrow-minded, divisive, shameless politics that have recently become the norm at the national level. I am 100% in support of a vigorous, fact-based, mutually respectful debate but I am sickened by the false statements being made by various angry factions and the use of innuendo, manipulation, fear mongering, and personal attacks. I do not think it is ever appropriate for one side to insinuate that anyone on the other side is compromised or has nefarious secret motives because they disagree with that side’s view. This is simply wrong and will impact our ability to have a rational discussion in our city going forward. I have known the owners of the Mountain Winery since they acquired it in 1998. I know them to be honest, smart, generous, and honorable people who have always done what they promised to do and not do what they promised not to do. I have lived just 3000 feet below the Mountain Winery for 23 years (22 of them with the current owners making decisions as our neighbors). They and their families are members of the Saratoga community and I find it offensive that other members of our community are wrongfully attacking them personally. They did not request to have their property annexed and they are just trying to be reasonable, fair, and honest in their dealings with the city as the city seeks to annex their property. We can and should debate the merits of the proposed plan to annex the Mountain Winery property but attacking the owners and questioning their motives in how they make decisions is repugnant, unfounded, and counterproductive. We should all agree to stop that immediately. I have known our Mayor, Howard Miller for over twenty years in the schools, at AYSO, in City Government, and as Mayor. I have zero doubt that Howard is a man of utmost integrity, and that he has contributed to the prosperity and quality of life in Saratoga selflessly for decades. For anyone to insinuate that Howard is somehow “compromised” because he is interested in fact-based discourse on the possible benefits and conditions involved in the Mountain Winery Annexation Project is just evil and probably libelous. If someone, if anyone, has any real factual evidence to demonstrate that Howard is discharging his duties with any thought other than what is best for Saratoga then please provide that so that legal action may be taken. If the only evidence proffered is that he might disagree with your point of view, then it is immoral and disgustingly manipulative to cast aspersions about Howard Miller’s character simply for that reason. Shame on anyone trying to advance their point of view on the controversial project by attacking the integrity of a community member with decades of civic service from which we benefit every day. To the people doing that – how dare you? We as a community should have zero tolerance for such personal attacks and politicization. If you have points to make about why you think the annexation should or should not happen then please make them and please argue passionately. If your passion extends to a baseless personal attack on any member of our community, then stop yourself. Remember what you were taught about being a good person and a member of a community. Stick to the facts (real facts) and do not lower yourself and our community into the abys of false argumentation based on dragging good people who always try to do the right thing into the mud. Saratoga, we are better than this. Stop it. Just stop it. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 12:41:49 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Robert Schwartz Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Public Discourse - A Neighbor's Perspective Comments We live at the corner of Damon Lane and Mount Eden which is ~3000 ft (as the crow flies) from the Mountain Winery. We moved here 23 years ago and continue to be very happy that we live in Saratoga. I am posting this because I think that a vocal subset of Saratoga residents have been attacking the very idea of the city’s potential annexation of the Mountain Winery and I do not believe their no growth, no change view represents the entirety of this city’s opinion. As a close neighbor of the Mountain Winery, it certainly does not represent my family’s opinion. I am certain that there are at least an equal number of Saratoga citizens that are supportive (and appreciative) of our city’s desire to responsibly improve and grow into the future. The potential annexation, done responsibly (as I’d expect the city would, especially with the level of scrutiny and oversight that will come from engaged citizens), will help Saratoga in many ways and my family and my friends are thoroughly supportive of the city trying to find a way forward that works for all sides. Below are what I believe are the key items to think about: 1) I have met the Mountain Winery ownership and management (20+years) and I know them to be responsible people (and residents of Saratoga). We have been part of the Winery Neighborhood Outreach they continuously drive, and they have never done anything they promised not to do, and they have always done everything they promised to do. These are good people and are nothing like the descriptions I have heard from the citizens commenting at City meetings. They are also residents of Saratoga and care about this city just like we all do. The idea of the Mountain Winery annexation is coming from the City of Saratoga and the time is appropriate. If this cannot be negotiated now, I believe it never will be. 2) We knew what the Mountain Winery was when we moved in (1997) and have been delighted how the venue and its offerings have developed over the 22 years since the new owners took over. We believe it enhances our Saratoga experience and makes Saratoga a more attractive place to live and visit because of what they have done. We believe the presence of the Mountain Winery and its evolution has enhanced our lives and the value of our home. Listening to people who do not live anywhere near the venue talk about the impact on homeowners that live nearby baffles me. 3) I am convinced that this annexation and the potential for long term responsible development of the Mountain Winery would have benefits for the City of Saratoga, its residents, the neighbors, and the venue itself. It would be better for the City of Saratoga to be intimately involved in what is approved in terms of future development via annexation than be a bystander to whatever the Mountain Winery negotiates with the County. No doubt everyone involved should be responsible and thoughtful but I (and many residents that I know) believe it is time for Saratoga to think about careful progress and stop the “no change no matter what” thinking that has stifled the city under the guise of “maintaining the special nature of Saratoga”. This is not an either/or situation. As with most change and progress it is more nuanced than that. There is plenty that is special about Saratoga, but there is nothing special about a dying downtown area, limited financial capability to maintain our streets, and no resources to make meaningful investments in Saratoga’s aging infrastructure. Change is hard but responsible, thoughtful change is life’s blood to a community. 4) I have no doubt that the city will evaluate the environmental impact of any development at the Mountain Winery and negotiate an envelope for future changes that benefit the residents and the city while fully mitigating any potential negative impacts. I have no doubt that the owners of the Mountain Winery will continue to be the engaged, responsible members of the community they have always been. I think the city should keep doing what they have been doing on this: engage the owners, seek outside advice, seek the community’s input, and then negotiate something that works for all parties if possible. Let us find a way forward that works rather than wrap ourselves in the cozy blanket of doing nothing because of fear of change. Doing nothing is doing something. It’s going backwards as the world moves forward. I’m not advocating for a 300 room hotel. I am advocating for finding what we as a community will support rather than fold our arms and say that there should be no change at all. The 300 room mantra of the naysayers has no basis whatsoever. It was an arbitrary number (a maximum) to use in the EIR. I am confident that a limit on size/scope could be negotiated (far less than 300 rooms). Why would we miss the opportunity to have that discussion? 5) Saratoga and its residents would receive tremendous benefits from the annexation handled in this way. Meaningfully increased revenues (I have heard it is at least $2million per year of incremental city revenues that could be spent in useful ways in Saratoga), a revitalized downtown area (I understand from restaurant owners that as much as 40% of the down town restaurants business takes place during the Mountain Winery season), a wonderful centerpiece in a potential evolution of Saratoga as a nature/wine/vineyard-themed beautiful lifestyle gem in Silicon Valley, jobs associated with the venue, and increased home values for everyone in the city. In short, this is an opportunity for progress. Let’s do it and let’s do it like the thoughtful community we are. In these uncertain times we cannot afford not to try. 6) Of course, we should grow and evolve responsibly. The number of rooms in a possible (not even planned yet) high end hotel should be carefully negotiated, traffic must be carefully planned and monitored, water, power, appearance must all be carefully planned and curated to make any potential project a positive for Saratoga. That is obvious and I think that is what the City is exploring. I’m interested if the annexation could enable improvements on Pierce Road where tree encroachment causes powerline and interference issues and cyclists ride on a narrow hill at their peril. Is it possible to make any improvements to Pierce as part of this? 7) The idea of annexing the Mountain Winery with no possible changes at the Mountain Winery in the future is just silly since it would benefit Saratoga but offer no benefit to the Mountain Winery. Why would they do that? Doing nothing is stagnation. Doing the wrong thing is destructive. Doing the progressive thing responsibly will benefit us all. My family, and many residents I know (who like us are neighbors of the Mountain Winery) are thoroughly supportive of the City of Saratoga moving forward on this thoughtfully and responsibly. Please don’t let a vocal group of stagnancy advocates lead you to believe that residents close to the Mountain Winery or of Saratoga in general monolithically oppose this idea. We instead want you as stewards of our city to negotiate with the Mountain Winery to see if there is a set of limits that might work for everyone. 8) I think some well-meaning citizens have mounted a PR campaign 100% based on resisting a “300 Room Hotel Project” at the Mountain Winery and positioning it all as if the idea of Annexation is some sort of gift to the owners. It just isn’t, it is a negotiation between the parties to see if there is a possible mutually beneficial outcome that can be arranged. Further, some community members have launched personal attacks on anyone supportive of trying to negotiate annexation of the Mountain Winery. That is simply disgusting and beneath our community on an ethical basis. My expectation is that the city and the owners are and will behave like rational, responsible parties to a negotiation. Neither side will agree to something that makes no sense for their constituency and this is all a process of discovery to see if there is common ground. It’s disheartening that a subset of my fellow members of the Saratoga Community are trying to polarize the discussion unnecessarily. Let’s talk about what we might (might) agree is feasible rather than drawing a divisive “no change” separation of the community. Since the public is seized on the idea of a 300 room hotel (this number is a maximum worst case scenario to bound the EIR) I guess there is no way forward without addressing that number now. I think there is about zero chance a 300 room hotel would make business sense in this location. But if the agreement is 30 years then the owners would probably want to have the biggest envelope possible (I know I would). So either there needs to be more flexibility (reviews at different points in time to change the limit), or the limit needs to be reduced up front, or a combination of the two variables. Obviously, regardless of any annexation agreement, the City would retain the ability to address any changes needed as a result of changes in the knowledge we have now (water, power, safety, fire, whatever). I really doubt the developers/owners want to build a 300 room hotel. Assuming the timing/flexibility issues are cast in concrete by law/rules then I guess it’s a narrow negotiation around two uestions. First, should there be any hotel provision (y/n)? If “yes”, then, second, what is the maximum size? I think community members would be foolish to take the position of “no hotel of any size, ever” for reasons I already described and I also think the owners would be foolish (and I do not think they are) to accept annexation with a provision of “no hotel ever”. So assuming the teapot of Saratoga can agree that “maybe a future hotel” is a viable starting place then the negotiation gets simpler and is just about the 300 room number. There are 261 rooms at Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. There are 121 rooms at Rosewood Sand Hill Road. There are 45 rooms at Rosewood Coredevalle. There are 47 rooms at Saratoga Inn, 115 Rooms at Toll Hose Los Gatos, and 72 rooms at Hotel Los Gatos. There are generally not 300 rooms at any hotel in the area (looking at more residential/resort properties not convention/business properties). So I think that if the EIR makes a 300 room hotel feasible from and environmental perspective (an obvious requirement based on an extreme number), then I think 300 is not a number that any rational business person would seek to approve. A negotiation will yield a lower number I am sure. As a neighbor of the Mountain Winery I’d be supportive and excited about the idea of a resort property (Four Seasons, Rosewood, Ritz Carlton, or equivalent) on top of the hill with a room limit of 100-200 rooms max. 150 rooms maximum looks like a solid compromise to me but I’m sure others will have very different views. My point is why don’t we discuss what number would work as an upper bound rather than just dig our heals in and say “0”. Personally, we’d be very excited if there were some residences for elderly people included. It is my view that the area is woefully short of upper end wealthy senior living options and perhaps this location could add some senior high- end housing as well? My father ended up moving from Saratoga to Los Angeles (where my sister lives) because he could not find a solution for upper end senior independent living. He’s turning 90 this year, still drives, but has a full-time helper, etc. He would have stayed in Saratoga near me/grandkids, but we just could not solve that particular problem. I think there is massive demand here (for either residents or parents of residents). I know that is far afield, but I thought I would mention it. I hope my note isn’t too long and that some of it proves useful. Please keep this dialogue moving to see if there can be common ground. I trust that the City is being diligent and putting the interests of all of us in primary place. I also believe the owners are rational and very moral people. We should be able to find a compromise if the community members would let the process find its natural balanced conclusion rather than polarize the discussion into uninformed argumentation. This should be a discussion about what growth? and how? rather than about “no growth, no change, no facts”. The city doesn’t want a 300-room hotel and I bet the owners don’t either. Why don’t we see what limit would work for both parties if possible? This is a now or never situation I can’t imagine it makes sense not to try to make it work for all sides. In a post COVID-19 world, with City revenues at a deficit, with a fantastic venue amenable to a discussion about annexation, with $2M revenues and countless jobs on the line, I believe it would be irresponsible of the City not to try to hammer out a mutually acceptable deal with the Mountain Winery. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 1:46:02 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Mehran Aminzadeh Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Comments I live on Orchard Meadow off by Mt. Eden which is 1.2 miles from Pierce road. My wife and I build our house on Orchard Meadow Drive 22 years ago (in 1998) and love the City and our community. We have strong concerns about annexation of Mountain winery and expansion of commercial facility and 300 room hotel. The following are a list of our concerns about this project and hope the City of Saratoga and Santa Clara County make the right decision and disapprove this plan for the following reasons: 1. Pierce road is a narrow and winding country road and it simply does not have the capacity and safety requirements to accommodate having a 300 room hotel on top of the hills. We have teenage children who drive to school on Pierce road and worry about the safety of our teenagers particularly when there are commercial vehicles or other drivers who are not familiar with the narrow winding roads. 2. There are no bike lanes and no shoulders on Pierce road and there are plenty of bikers on these roads and residents have learned to drive safely and slow down when observing bikers and occasional jugers on the road. There is a very HIGH RISK of accidents and fatalities if the traffic increase on Pierce road. If the City or County is unable to widen Pierce road and add bike lane or side walk then they should reject the annexation and expansion of any commercial use for Mountain winery. 3. Expansion of the facilities at Mountain winery has several negative consequences such as increased chance or fire and flooding for nearby residents and residents down the hill. 4. There are negative environmental consequences for such a massive expansion such as pollution and negative impact on wildlife. 5. Our community is a safe community and the residents in Saratoga would like to keep it that way. Increase traffic will have negative impact on safety and security of residents living in the nearby vicinity. 6. Property values will be negatively impacted if a 300 room hotel or condo is approved. Hopefully the City Council considers the concerns of its citizens and tax papers and reject the proposal for the annexation and expansion at Mountain winery. Thank you, Mehran Aminzadeh Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 4:46:17 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Jin Kim Phone Number Email Address Subject Annexation to open a hotel Comments I do strongly oppose the annexation, preserving water resources, Fire prevention, landslide prevention, prevent heavy traffic to occur, etc. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Sunday, May 17, 2020 5:09:40 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Raymond Persico Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation and Development Comments I urge the Council not to proceed with annexation of the Mountain Winery property. The proposed hotel and further development of this property will have significant negative environmental impacts in the area surrounding the Mountain Winery property, as well as reduced quality of life for the residents in this area. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 5:46:50 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Henry Coles Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject Annexation Comments Dear City Council, Please vote to end annexation efforts related to the Winery. The increased traffic on the local road network will further reduce the safety for pedestrians and cyclists. -Henry Coles Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 7:58:14 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Donald Dasher Phone Number Email Address Subject Mt Winery Annexation Comments To The Council, As a citizen of Saratoga, I am strongly opposed to the annexation of Mt Winery property. Some of the reasons are that it is nestled within an extremely high fire zone, that Saratoga is already experience rolling blackouts several times throughout the summer, that Saratoga is still overcharged by about double for water due to water shortages of 5 years ago and less of rain water will recharge our aquifer due to the planned hardscape, that this excess runoff will cause downstream flooding, that we could have another water shortage as soon as this year and shortages are becoming more and more frequent, that both roads leading there having been built on landslides, one of which is constantly active, and the other road is located on a fault and through a fault zone, that the land has no safe or guaranteed access in case of fire, utilities such as gas, electricity and sewage will have to be built on landslides and can be expected to frequently fail sending raw sewage into our creeks, releasing gas as a fire hazard, interrupting power as a added fire hazard, and that if condominiums are built, there is not even mention of providing classrooms for the children. Thank you, Don Dasher Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 10:13:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name David Leitzell Phone Number Email Address Subject Mt. Winery Annexation Comments I am against this annexation and want the project stopped. This is the most deceitful proposal I have seen. Every meeting and all communications I have seen from Saratoga residents are against it. It have provisions, such as the 300 room hotel, that seems to have been added after the fact by an unknown entity;. The planning commission has recommenced it be cancelled. Yet it is still under consideration by the city council. If this is not cancelled you will experience the wrath of the voters at the next election cycle. You were elected to represent the will and best interest of the voters. CANCEL THIS PROPOSAL Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 10:15:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name David Reis Phone Number Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation Comments Saratoga City Council It appears to me this whole issue of the Mountain Winery Annexation needs a reset. In the public realm there is a lot being said, but with little understanding and rumors are becoming “facts”. For one, the Mountain Winery is not owned by a Big Bad Corporation: The Mountain Winery is owned by two families, and has been for over twenty years. Both families are an active part of our community. There is no Big Bad Corporation. Secondly, although annexation ordinarily is viewed by the public in a positive light, in this case “annexation” has become synonymous with 300 Room Hotel. And that just isn’t accurate. The City (Saratoga) has been interested in annexing the Mountain Winery for over a decade, and there are obvious reasons why: Benefits of Annexation: • Increase Revenue- 2 to 3 Million dollars in tax revenue per year (a welcome addition these days). • Upgrade Ingress and Egress to the area. • Contain Future Development - Take control of any future Mountain Winery development away from the County of Santa Clara and put that control in the hands of the ones most impacted…Saratogans. The City’s motivation is clear, but what would be the incentive for the Mountain Winery to voluntarily submit to Saratoga’s “rule” without some kind of agreement in place. And why would anyone agree up front to No Growth for the next thirty years. That is unreasonable. If the Mountain Winery remains under the control of Santa Clara County, then Saratoga has little or no say in the future development of an important property that has become part of our community fabric. Elephant in the Room- Lodging: A 300 Room Hotel was never requested by the owners. To my knowledge, there are currently no plans to build any hotel in the foreseeable future. The number 300 came from the application for Annexation submitted by the City of Saratoga, not the owners. The intentionally high number of 300 was chosen for the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) to ensure that the Report was sufficiently stringent to uncover any potential issues. The Mountain Winery had no control over what was included that application. For a venue of that size, with artist and visitors coming in from all over the country, it seems very reasonable that there be lodging on the Mountain Winery’s property. The issue would ultimately be how much lodging the City could “tolerate”. I’m not informed enough to speak to that issue, but that issue should be at the heart of this debate…not the credibility of our elected officials or the property owners. I am personally supportive of the Annexation. If we, Saratoga, do nothing, it would be a sorely missed opportunity to gain some control over the future of a significant historical property in our own backyard. I would encourage you to make every effort to work it out! Thank you, Dave Reis Former Saratoga Planning Commissioner Email not displaying correctly? . From: Subject:FW: Mountain Winery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:04:06 PM     From: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 12:03 PM To:  Cc: Manny Cappello <mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>; Mary-Lynne Bernald <mlbernald@saratoga.ca.us>; Rishi Kumar <rkumar@saratoga.ca.us>; Yan Zhao <yzhao@saratoga.ca.us>; James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: Re: Mountain Winery   Good to hear from you Stan!   As a former council member you know, to change (or end) a project directed by the council, the council has to take action!  That can only be done in a noticed council meeting!  May 20th will be the first chance for you and others to hear what the council member think after reviewing the EIR, 2 planning commissions and numerous public comments.    Thanks!   Howard...       On May 16, 2020, at 2:28 PM,  wrote:   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council: Ample evidence has been presented to conclude that a 300 room hotel on the Mountain Winery property would have a negative effect on the surrounding neighborhood, and the city generally, in terms of traffic congestion and public safety. To get a better idea of the scale: the Claremont Hotel in the Berkeley hills , visible from many points in the Bay Area, has 276 rooms. At this point in the process, there has been almost universal opposition to annexation of the Mountain Winery by Saratoga residents. So why are we still having this discussion? We are led to believe that if Saratoga annexes this site, the city will have more control over future use and development. That might be the case if the city wasn't giving away the whole store at the get-go. What meaningful leverage does the city really have when it agrees to a 300 room on the site? Clearly, this argument is bogus. Two forces appear to be driving this effort. First, there may be a desire of some city councilmembers to have a legacy when they leave office. If you can't have your name on a public building or park, then why not go down in history as the moving force to develop a major destination resort in your city? Second, there is the ongoing institutional agenda to secure existing staff positions and generate new ones. These two forces have been in play in cities since the beginning of time. Neither is in the interest of residents who live in Saratoga. Should annexation move forward, it is not unreasonable to expect costly lawsuits on the environmental issues of the annexation plan. The city cannot afford this, especially in light of the national health crisis and anticipated economic depression to follow. Individual councilmembers who insist on furthering the annexation of the Mountain Winery also need to understand that they will face the consequences of their actions, up to and including removal from office by recall. Regardless of the neighborhood in which they live, Saratoga residents have paid a huge premium to purchase homes here. We all clearly understand that once a precedent is set in one neighborhood, it is easy for a city council to move on to the next one. Our quality of life is diminished, not in one cataclysmic explosion, but incrementally, until we're no different than the rest of the valley. Stop spending taxpayer money on further studies and mitigation schemes. I strongly urge the City Council on May 20 to simply vote to withdraw the application for annexation of the Mountain Winery. Thank you. Stan Bogosian Saratoga, CA 95070   From: To:; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:18:03 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name John Linney Phone Number Email Address Subject Mtn Winery annexation Comments As a Saratoga resident I strongly oppose the current proposal to annex the Mountain Winery with associated rezoning. This proposal is inconsistent with the city mission and the infrastructure to support. Email not displaying correctly? From: Cc: Subject:FW: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 12:38:43 PM     From: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 12:21 PM To: Nancy Lietzke > Cc: Mary-Lynne Bernald <mlbernald@saratoga.ca.us>; Rishi Kumar <rkumar@saratoga.ca.us>; Manny Cappello <mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>; yzaho@saratoga.ca.us; Debbie Pedro <dpedro@saratoga.ca.us>;  Subject: Re: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation   Good news Nancy, people can also call into and participate in the meeting on the telephone.  More residents have access to a phone than have transportation to attend a council meetings.  Saratoga like other agencies are experience greater participating in the on-line platform than the in-person platform.  We know that the extensive public out reach is working, because we have received more public feedback on this project than any other project since Kevin Moran Park in the early 2000’s.   The council did in fact decide to investigate an annexation almost 2 years ago.  We mutually agreed with the owners to proceed with that investigation and the cost sharing agreement.  An investigation does not assume that this is decided.  The process was done in a series of public meetings with public participation.  Including meetings after the Mach meeting you referenced.  This is a long process including lots of opportunity for public input.   On May 20th, for the first time in 9 months, the council will get to consider the current situation in light of the draft EIR, the two planning commission hearings and public comments.   Two years after we started, we know a lot more now.  So I hope that you would look forward to actually hearing from your council members on this important topic rather that to live in a world of speculation an assumptions!  Don't presuppose an outcome!   Thanks!   Howard Miller Mayor or Saratoga         On May 16, 2020, at 9:12 AM, Nancy Lietzke > wrote:   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council members and City Attorney,   We are writing to request the City Council accept the Planning Commission's recommendation to terminate the Mt. Winery Annexation project.     At this time amid the shelter in place and social distancing, there is not the ability for all Saratoga residents to be heard publicly.   And Zoom is not the answer to the problem.  Many residents are not able to use it.  And those who do know how to dial in are not able to gain access to your meeting.   Even some of your own Council members have experienced difficulties with zoom.  If discussions are going to continue regarding the Annexation, it needs to be in a public setting where residents can attend and speak publicly to the City Council and other residents.  For now with the current Shelter in Place order, that is not possible.  But when that order is lifted, a public forum to consider that would accommodate many, many Saratoga residents would be the Saratoga High Football stadium.  It would also provide ample continued opportunity for social distancing. Annexation is a large important issue and needs a large meeting site.   The recent letter (see below) written by Bill Hirshman to the City Council is absolutely damning!!!   Whether true or not, it gives the impression that the Council in theory (head nod) had agreed months ago to the Annexation. It is a threatening letter meant to push the Annexation forward with no regards for the concerns of other residents.  The amount of profits to be reaped by the CMLLC with an Annexation and rezoning begs the question why the City Council ever shared in the EIR costs to begin with???        <image.png>       At the March 20, 2019 meeting https://saratoga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php? view_id=9&clip_id=1068&meta_id=69887 an update regarding the Annexation was given by Debbie Pedro.  Discussion ensued and Mr. Miller you made the following comments.     “I think we should be clear that the intent is so that the Mt. Winery is under the City perview.  We are not annexing them to turn it into a rock 24 hour rock venue or you know a 36 hole golf course or high rise condo development.  We are annexing them so that we have jurisdiction.  We are not annexing them to change.  But I think that we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process.  However it is far much better than trying to say we don’t need to get much public input and short circuit it.”   Two comments stand out:   “We are not annexing them to change."  If that was true, how did a 300 room hotel get added to the Annexation language 7 months later in the Precise Plan dated October, 2019?   “But I think we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process.”   If public input from the beginning is what you wanted, why was there such a lack of transparency and public notification?       We would appreciate you addressing our concerns in the upcoming May 20, 2020 Council meeting.   Regards,   Nancy and David Lietzke Mt. Eden Estates                                     From: Subject:Statement against Resolution 20-002 and request for information. Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 1:41:48 PM Attachments:MOTION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MOUNTAN WINERY ANNEXATION PROJECT 3.docx CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Debbie, Attached is a communication I sent to the City Council members. I did not know if you were copied. So here is a copy. Ken May 17, 2020 Dear Saratoga City Council Members, This is a letter requesting the termination of Resolution No. 20-002, The Mountain Winery Annexation Project. As you are aware, on February 12th 2020, the Saratoga Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council not move forward with the Mountain Winery Annexation Project. MOTION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MOUNTAN WINERY ANNEXATION PROJECT. MOTION PASSED. AYES: AHUJA, ALMALECH, FITZSIMMONS, KAUSAR, MOHIUDDIN, PASTUSZKA, WALIA. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: NONE. ABSTAIN: NONE. https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/590055/021220_Minutes_Draft.pdf DRAFT MINUTES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 SARATOGA PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING (which have been confirmed). As you are aware, at that meeting over 60 residents spoke against the project at the February 12th Planning Commission meeting and no one supported it. In addition, hundreds (est.) of Saratoga residents attended the meeting to express their opposition to resolution. As you are aware, several hundred communications have been sent to the city and Council members against proceeding with the annexation. As you are likely aware, local social media, such as Nextdoor, indicates that Saratoga residents are united in opposition to the annexation project. As you are aware, line one of the Preamble of City of Saratoga Code of Ethics and Values states: The proper operation of democratic government requires that decision-makers be independent, impartial, and accountable to the people they serve. (emphasis added) https://www.saratoga.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/585/Saratoga-City-Council-Code-of-Ethics-PDF?bidId= The residents of Saratoga have spoken and they are against the annexation, as am I. As you are aware, Neelima Palacherla, LAFCO Executive Officer, informed Debbie Pedro of the Saratoga Community Development Department on December 16th of 2019, that the annexation plan is in conflict with County General Plan Policies. Quoting paragraph LA-5 on page 2 of 2 of the letter: “… further urban development and intensification of existing uses is not consistent with County General Plan Policies for the West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area. The proposed project will result in more urban development in an area identified as not suited for further urban development.” The response by the city ignored the increased urbanization being proposed. https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/512191/Attachment_9_a_Mountain_Winery_FEIR_FINAL_01152020.pdf It is clear that neither the residents of Saratoga nor county officials want increased urbanization of the west valley hillsides which is what the Precise Plan authorizes. For example: the Mountain Winery Precise Plan states: “The new land use designation, zoning and Precise Plan would allow existing onsite uses to continue, while also allowing for up to three hundred (300) units of overnight lodging accommodations referred to as a “Lodging” use. The Lodging use may take any number of forms. Among the various arrangements that could be possible subject to the development standards and design guidelines in this Plan are a traditional single building hotel with lodging units located on multiple floors or a multiple building hotel with lodging units in buildings separately sited. Lodging units may be separately platted and titled condominiums, located on one or more additionally subdivided lots, and marketed and sold to buyers for overnight use through a management program operated by the hotel, with total lodging unit count limited to 300. https://www.saratoga.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/2231/Mountain-Winery-Precise-Plan-PDF “ For example: the Maximum Building Coverage Development Standard (B1) authorizes 610,000 square feet of enclosed building footprint. (calculation: 14 acres times 43,650 square feet per acre). Design review seems to be waived for single story buildings in the implementation section: “Design Review approvals by the City of Saratoga Planning Commission shall be required for the development of future guest lodging any proposed new buildings or structures exceeding 18’ in height”, thus not required under 18 feet. B2 Maximum Building Height authorizes 3 stories up to 45 feet high. Theoretically, this could authorize up to 1.83 million square feet of usable enclosed space. (calculation: foot print of 610,000 square feet times 3 floors) Further, the Development Agreement Terms provides the owner of the property 25 years to build out the property and only be subject to post annexation regulations it agrees to. This one agreement will stop both the Planning Commission, City Council and City of Saratoga from imposing new regulations concerning the use of the property if the owner does not agree. These provisions above will violate much of Saratoga’s Values Statement for which I provided a few examples below. https://www.saratoga.ca.us/274/Mission-Values-Statement . Saratoga is a Community... Where the common good prevails; not the good of a single company focused on maximizing the value of its investment Where the natural beauty of the city and its hillsides are preserved; not damaged by authorizing hundreds of thousands of square feet of building development Where government is inclusive and values community involvement; not a city staff which refuses to answer who proposed various sections of the Precise Plan like the 300 unit hotel/condominium project and huge building footprint authorization Where a small town, picturesque, residential atmosphere is retained; not a city where a single developer can create a massive development damaging both property values and quality of life for the local residents Where neighbors work together for the common good; the community is working together to stop the annexation project and Precise Plan for the common good of Saratoga and its citizens Where leadership reflects community goals; the community is against the annexation project and Precise Plan, your vote will inform us if your leadership reflect the community goals As you can see, the annexation and Precise Plan as proposed is in opposition to the values of Saratoga and the desires of its residents. As our representatives you should vote against Resolution 20-002. I am also concerned by the correspondence from William Hirschman of Chateau Masson, dated May 14th, which implies that the council has informed the owner(s)/managers of Chateau Masson that the Council is in favor of the resolution. Chateau Masson stated that they wanted funds returned which they provided to supplement the cost of the EIR because “…no reason other than the council having changed their minds.” I do not recall seeing minutes stating City Council members had told the owners of Chateau that they were in favor of Resolution 20-002. If side meetings have occurred there is potential that violations of the Brown Act have occurred. Violation of Section 54952 if a quorum existed or Sections 54952.2(c)(1) and 54952.2(b) if serial meetings occurred. These details will be sorted out during the discovery process should this resolution proceed to court. I was shocked to read that “ CMLLC (Chateau Masson) feels strongly that there is no basis for the Council to not proceed…”. Clearly the owners of Chateau Masson do not believe their neighbors or members of the Saratoga community views should be taken into consideration. That adversarial attitude makes the Development Agreement Terms covering 25 years even more dangerous to enter into. During the past few months you have learned the breadth and depth of the citizens desire to reject Resolution 20-002 (the annexation and adoption of the Precise Plan). Citizens have bonded together to make sure our concerns are voiced and hired attorneys to ensure, if ignored, there will be a future opportunity in court to stop this poorly constructed proposal. In conclusion, please terminate Resolution 20-002. Also, I request that I be informed of who requested the 300 room hotel/condominium project and 610,000 square feet of footprint of enclosed building be added to the Precise Plan. Thank you for your time. Ken Schulz May 17, 2020 Dear Saratoga City Council Members, This is a letter requesting the termination of Resolution No. 20-002, The Mountain Winery Annexation Project. As you are aware, on February 12th 2020, the Saratoga Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the City Council not move forward with the Mountain Winery Annexation Project. MOTION TO RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL NOT MOVE FORWARD WITH THE MOUNTAN WINERY ANNEXATION PROJECT. MOTION PASSED. AYES: AHUJA, ALMALECH, FITZSIMMONS, KAUSAR, MOHIUDDIN, PASTUSZKA, WALIA. NOES: NONE. ABSENT: NONE. ABSTAIN: NONE. https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/590055/021220_Minutes_Draft.pdf DRAFT MINUTES WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2020 SARATOGA PLANNING COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING (which have been confirmed). As you are aware, at that meeting over 60 residents spoke against the project at the February 12th Planning Commission meeting and no one supported it. In addition, hundreds (est.) of Saratoga residents attended the meeting to express their opposition to resolution. As you are aware, several hundred communications have been sent to the city and Council members against proceeding with the annexation. As you are likely aware, local social media, such as Nextdoor, indicates that Saratoga residents are united in opposition to the annexation project. As you are aware, line one of the Preamble of City of Saratoga Code of Ethics and Values states: The proper operation of democratic government requires that decision-makers be independent, impartial, and accountable to the people they serve. (emphasis added) https://www.saratoga.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/585/Saratoga-City-Council-Code-of-Ethics- PDF?bidId= The residents of Saratoga have spoken and they are against the annexation, as am I. As you are aware, Neelima Palacherla, LAFCO Executive Officer, informed Debbie Pedro of the Saratoga Community Development Department on December 16th of 2019, that the annexation plan is in conflict with County General Plan Policies. Quoting paragraph LA-5 on page 2 of 2 of the letter: “… further urban development and intensification of existing uses is not consistent with County General Plan Policies for the West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area. The proposed project will result in more urban development in an area identified as not suited for further urban development.” The response by the city ignored the increased urbanization being proposed. https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/512191/Attachment_9_a_Mountain_Winery_ FEIR_FINAL_01152020.pdf It is clear that neither the residents of Saratoga nor county officials want increased urbanization of the west valley hillsides which is what the Precise Plan authorizes. For example: the Mountain Winery Precise Plan states: “The new land use designation, zoning and Precise Plan would allow existing onsite uses to continue, while also allowing for up to three hundred (300) units of overnight lodging accommodations referred to as a “Lodging” use. The Lodging use may take any number of forms. Among the various arrangements that could be possible subject to the development standards and design guidelines in this Plan are a traditional single building hotel with lodging units located on multiple floors or a multiple building hotel with lodging units in buildings separately sited. Lodging units may be separately platted and titled condominiums, located on one or more additionally subdivided lots, and marketed and sold to buyers for overnight use through a management program operated by the hotel, with total lodging unit count limited to 300. https://www.saratoga.ca.us/DocumentCenter/View/2231/Mountain-Winery-Precise-Plan-PDF “ For example: the Maximum Building Coverage Development Standard (B1) authorizes 610,000 square feet of enclosed building footprint. (calculation: 14 acres times 43,650 square feet per acre). Design review seems to be waived for single story buildings in the implementation section: “Design Review approvals by the City of Saratoga Planning Commission shall be required for the development of future guest lodging any proposed new buildings or structures exceeding 18’ in height”, thus not required under 18 feet. B2 Maximum Building Height authorizes 3 stories up to 45 feet high. Theoretically, this could authorize up to 1.83 million square feet of usable enclosed space. (calculation: foot print of 610,000 square feet times 3 floors) Further, the Development Agreement Terms provides the owner of the property 25 years to build out the property and only be subject to post annexation regulations it agrees to. This one agreement will stop both the Planning Commission, City Council and City of Saratoga from imposing new regulations concerning the use of the property if the owner does not agree. These provisions above will violate much of Saratoga’s Values Statement for which I provided a few examples below. https://www.saratoga.ca.us/274/Mission-Values-Statement . Saratoga is a Community... Where the common good prevails; not the good of a single company focused on maximizing the value of its investment Where the natural beauty of the city and its hillsides are preserved; not damaged by authorizing hundreds of thousands of square feet of building development Where government is inclusive and values community involvement; not a city staff which refuses to answer who proposed various sections of the Precise Plan like the 300 unit hotel/condominium project and huge building footprint authorization Where a small town, picturesque, residential atmosphere is retained; not a city where a single developer can create a massive development damaging both property values and quality of life for the local residents Where neighbors work together for the common good; the community is working together to stop the annexation project and Precise Plan for the common good of Saratoga and its citizens Where leadership reflects community goals; the community is against the annexation project and Precise Plan, your vote will inform us if your leadership reflect the community goals As you can see, the annexation and Precise Plan as proposed is in opposition to the values of Saratoga and the desires of its residents. As our representatives you should vote against Resolution 20-002. I am also concerned by the correspondence from William Hirschman of Chateau Masson, dated May 14th, which implies that the council has informed the owner(s)/managers of Chateau Masson that the Council is in favor of the resolution. Chateau Masson stated that they wanted funds returned which they provided to supplement the cost of the EIR because “…no reason other than the council having changed their minds.” I do not recall seeing minutes stating City Council members had told the owners of Chateau that they were in favor of Resolution 20-002. If side meetings have occurred there is potential that violations of the Brown Act have occurred. Violation of Section 54952 if a quorum existed or Sections 54952.2(c)(1) and 54952.2(b) if serial meetings occurred. These details will be sorted out during the discovery process should this resolution proceed to court. I was shocked to read that “ CMLLC (Chateau Masson) feels strongly that there is no basis for the Council to not proceed…”. Clearly the owners of Chateau Masson do not believe their neighbors or members of the Saratoga community views should be taken into consideration. That adversarial attitude makes the Development Agreement Terms covering 25 years even more dangerous to enter into. During the past few months you have learned the breadth and depth of the citizens desire to reject Resolution 20-002 (the annexation and adoption of the Precise Plan). Citizens have bonded together to make sure our concerns are voiced and hired attorneys to ensure, if ignored, there will be a future opportunity in court to stop this poorly constructed proposal. In conclusion, please terminate Resolution 20-002. Also, I request that I be informed of who requested the 300 room hotel/condominium project and 610,000 square feet of footprint of enclosed building be added to the Precise Plan. Thank you for your time. Ken Schulz From: To: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:07:58 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Alicia Moore Phone Number Email Address Subject Stop Hillside Re-zoning, Winery Annexation and Fiduciary Mismanagement of City Funds Comments City Council Members: Over 1900 Saratogans signed a petition to stop the current re- zoning of the unincorporated hillside that includes the Mountain Winery. Over 60 people attended the last in person publicly held City Council meeting and spoke up against the project. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to abandon the proposed project. Even if the stated objective of the Mayor are true (that the City simply wants to exercise control over the future development of the property), this proposal contrary to meet that objective. By changing the zoning designation, the City will open the door to aggressive commercialization, and loss of control over the development. Under this proposed course, the City will have, at best, some limited design review. Rather than reserving the question and control of whether the land will be commercialized, the City will be reduced to contemplating the nature of the doorknobs and other finishes. Not a wise or fair trade against the current controls. Furthermore, even if the exchange were in any way objectively worthy, the time to give up the leverage of zoning is when there is a proposed design to evaluate. The City's proposal to give away such valuable (and once given away, inalienable) rights before knowing exactly what is in trade, is ill-advised at best, untimely, and fiduciarily irresponsible at worst. The problems with the process and its substantive lack of notice, lack of transparency, and lack of reasonable due process will expose the City to inevitable litigation, costing taxpayer money to defend against, with the ultimate result of increasing the waste occasioned by this unpopular proposal, should the City force this project to proceed at this time. This project is directly in contravention of Measure A, which received overwhelming support of Saratoga citizens. At minimum, should the City Council desire to proceed in contravention of express voter wishes, it should put the matter to a vote in November. Please do your duty to represent your constituents, who overwhelmingly oppose this ill-conceived and poorly executed plan to enable gross over-commercialization of our rural and beatific hillside, and cancel this project immediately! Alicia Moore Saratoga Email not displaying correctly? From: Cc: Subject:RE: Please terminate the proposed Mountain Winery Annexation/Rezoning Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:14:13 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. City Council Members: Over 1900 Saratogans signed a petition to stop the current re-zoning of the unincorporated hillside that includes the Mountain Winery. Over 60 people attended the last in person publicly held City Council meeting and spoke up against the project. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to abandon the proposed project. Even if the stated objective of the Mayor are true (that the City simply wants to exercise control over the future development of the property), this proposal is contrary to meet that objective. By changing the zoning designation, the City will open the door to aggressive commercialization, and loss of control over the development. Under this proposed course, the City will have, at best, some limited design review. Rather than reserving the question and control of whether the land will be commercialized, the City will be reduced to contemplating the nature of the doorknobs and other finishes. Not a wise or fair trade against the current controls. Furthermore, even if the exchange were in any way objectively worthy, the time to give up the leverage of zoning is when there is a proposed design to evaluate. The City's proposal to give away such valuable (and once given away, inalienable) rights before knowing exactly what is in trade, is ill- advised at best, untimely, and fiduciarily irresponsible at worst. The problems with the process and its substantive lack of notice, lack of transparency, and lack of reasonable due process will expose the City to inevitable litigation, costing taxpayer money to defend against, and with the ultimate result of increasing the waste occasioned by this unpopular proposal, should the City force this project to proceed at this time. This project is directly in contravention of Measure A, which received overwhelming support of Saratoga citizens. At minimum, should the City Council desire to proceed in contravention of express voter wishes, it should put the matter to a vote in November. Please do your duty to represent your constituents, who overwhelmingly oppose this ill-conceived and poorly executed plan to enable gross over-commercialization of our rural and beatific hillside, and cancel this project immediately! Alicia Moore Saratoga From: Subject:FW: Mountain WInery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:08 PM     From: Dave House <>  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:18 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain WInery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House < Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:24 PM To: Howard Miller  Subject: Mountain WInery   Howard, I hope you are healthy and safe. I look forward when I can welcome you back to the House Family Vineyards Tasting Room! As you well know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Please call me. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Subject:FW: The Mountain WInery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:14 PM     From: Dave House <  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:17 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: The Mountain WInery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House > Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:32 PM To:  Rishi Kumar  <r Subject: The Mountain WInery   Rishi, I have supported you in your campaigns in the past and continue to support you. Although we agree on most items, I fear we may disagree on the annexation of the Mountain Winery. I want you to understand and consider my position on this issue. As you know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Please call me. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Subject:FW: Mountain WInery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:20 PM     From: Dave House >  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:16 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain WInery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House  Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:28 PM To: Yan Zhao  Subject: Mountain WInery   Yan, I hope you and your family are healthy and safe. As you know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Please call me. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Subject:FW: Mountain WInery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:26 PM     From: Dave House >  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:16 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain WInery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House > Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:25 PM To: Mary-Lynne Bernard  Subject: Mountain WInery   Mary-Lynne, I hope you and your family are healthy and safe. As you well know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Please call me. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Subject:FW: Mountain Winery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:32 PM     From: Dave House >  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:16 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain Winery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House <> Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:26 PM To: Manny Cappello  Subject: Mountain Winery   Manny, I hope you are healthy and safe. As you well know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Subject:FW: Mountain WInery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:37:42 PM     From: Dave House <  Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 3:15 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain WInery   CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. James, I am forwarding to you the emails I sent to all five Council Members yesterday. Dave House From: Dave House < Date: Sunday, May 17, 2020 at 4:25 PM To: Mary-Lynne Bernard < Subject: Mountain WInery   Mary-Lynne, I hope you and your family are healthy and safe. As you well know, I am a long-time resident of Saratoga, having lived here since 1978, and a longtime supporter of our City; a donor to several community organizations including Montalvo, Hakone, the Saratoga Senior Center, the Prospect Community Campus, the Parker Ranch Trail, etc. and a Saratoga small business owner. I am also one of four equal owners of the Mountain Winery. As you also know, on Wednesday evening the Council will address the annexation of that property into the City. My position; the Mountain Winery property will be developed, and taxes paid, during the next 25 years under County or City control. The question is; will the City or the County control that development and collect the taxes generated by the Mountain Winery? Over the past 20 years the County of Santa Clara has repeatedly permitted development at the Mountain Winery as reported on pages 1 & 2 of the Saratoga Staff Report https://legistarweb- production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/594961/Mountain_Winery_Staff_Report_051420.pdf In 2006 the County permitted 1) the replacement of the 1,700 seat concert bowl with a new 2,500 seat concert bowl, 2) the removal of the old wooden addition of the Winery Building and replacement with a new, larger addition including a full commercial kitchen, event restrooms, a VIP room, VIP restrooms, performer green rooms, a performer kitchen and a performer dining room, 3) the removal of the old deck on the valley side of the Chateau Building and the construction of a new, larger deck with restrooms below, 4) the construction next to the Chateau Building of a large commercial kitchen with an entertainment deck above. In 2018 the County approved the addition of six new additions including 1) a three-story building with offices, retail and event space, 2) a Bar and Tasting room, 3) an event building, 4) a storage building 5) a ticket office and 6) an outdoor garden terrace. Following the completion of the 2019 concert season construction started on two buildings in the Plaza, the office/retail/events building and the Bar/Tasting Room. From past actions it is clear that the County will continue to allow development on the Mountain Winery property and collect the sales a property taxes from the Mountain Winery. As an owner of the Mountain Winery, I don’t really care if we are annexed or not. We will develop the property in either case. As a resident of Saratoga, I am very much in favor of annexation. The Mountain Winery is part of Saratoga, in some ways it is the spirit of Saratoga. It drives much needed business to our downtown area. It utilizes Saratoga roads and services. The taxes paid by the Mountain Winery should to go to improving Saratoga. I want the Mountain Winery to work with my hometown of Saratoga in planning our joint future together. Please call me. Dave House Saratoga, CA 95070 From: Cc: Subject:Comments of environmental groups on Mountain Winery Annexation Project Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 3:39:29 PM Attachments:MountainWinery_joint_enviro_letter_5.18.20.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please find attached the comments of Green Foothills, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, and California Native Plant Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter concerning the Mountain Winery Annexation Project. Please contact me with any questions on this matter. Thank you for your consideration of these comments. photo Alice Kaufman (Pronouns: She/Her/Hers) Legislative Advocacy Director Green Foothills | | greenfoothills.org Curious about our new name and logo? Read "We Are Now Green Foothills". May 18, 2020 Saratoga City Council 13777 Fruitvale Ave. Saratoga, CA 95070 via email to Saratoga City Clerk and Councilmembers Re: Mountain Winery Annexation Project Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, This represents the comments of Green Foothills, the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society , the Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter, and the California Native Plant Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter with regard to the proposed Mountain Winery Annexation Project. Our organizations represent thousands of members in the region, including in the City of Saratoga. We have a strong interest in preserving the open space, wildlife, and native plant h abitat in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and in ensuring that inappropriate urban growth is kept out of the rural areas of Santa Clara County and does not threaten vulnerable habitats and landscapes. The Mountain Winery Annexation Project (Project) should be terminated by the City Council, as was unanimously recommended by the Planning Commission on February 12. Revising the Precise Plan to reduce the number of rooms contemplated, as suggested in the Staff Report, would not prohibit future development of up to 300 rooms of overnight accommodations. Because the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) analyzed the impacts of up to 300 rooms, and because the General Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment do not place any limit on the level of development allowed in the Regio nal Commercial district, the door would be open for some future Council to approve an amendment to the Precise Plan to allow additional rooms to be constructed. The Council should refuse to certify the Final EIR and terminate the Project. The Mountain Winery site, located in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and on a narrow, winding road that restricts emergency access and evacuation in case of wildfire, is no place for a hotel of any size. Construction of a hotel, and the new water tank and sewer connections that would be needed to support it, would impact the surrounding native plant species and wildlife, including sensitive species such as dusky -footed woodrat, and would encourage further growth in this undeveloped foothills area. The Project would not only create unacceptable impacts to the surrounding landscape and wildlife habitat, it is in direct conflict with the well-established state policies of the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) with regard to annexation and sprawl, and the policies of the Santa Clara County General Plan with regard to appropriate land uses in the West Valley Hillside Area. History of Mountain Winery and County Regulation Mountain Winery, established in the 1950’s, was a legal nonconforming use for decades before being brought into compliance with County regulations through a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) in 2000. That CUP allowed some expansion rights, which are now nearly all exhausted. Under County regulations, very little additional May 18, 2020 Page 2 of 4 development would be permitted at the site, which is in the Hillside designation. In terms of lodging facilities, a 6-room bed-and-breakfast would be the most that would be permitted. It is worth noting that a facility with Mountain Winery’s current operations would not be permitted under County regulations for the Hillside area. Only the fact that Mountain Winery was grandfathered in enables this facility to operate as it currently does. Altho ugh the CUP allowed some expansion of the facility, approval of any additional expansion by the County would require that the County act in conflict with its own General Plan policies and zoning code. By contrast, the Project, if approved by Council, will automatically approve a significant expansion of both type and level of use in the form of a significant number of overnight lodging accommodations. Revising the Precise Plan Will Not Eliminate the Project’s Unacceptable Impacts As noted above, the Project EIR analyzed the potential impacts of a 300 -room hotel. Regardless of any revisions the Council might make to the Precise Plan, if the Council certifies the Final EIR and LAFCO approves the adjustments to the Urban Service Area (USA) and Sphere of Influe nce (SOI), some future Council could then use the certified EIR as the basis for a hotel expansion down the road. Over the many years our organizations have been advocating on behalf of the environment, we have seen examples of development projects being p ut forward with claims that EIRs from as much as 20 years prior provided adequate analysis of environmental impacts, or with claims that brief (and not publicly noticed) Addendums were sufficient to bring the obsolete analysis up to date. In addition, if the Council were to adopt the proposed General Plan Amendment and Zoning Amendment, the door would be opened to extensive future development not just within the 73 acres covered by the Precise Plan, but throughout all 176 acres of mostly pristine habitat (including coast live oak woodland, grassland, chaparral, and based on topography, very likely riparian and/or wetland habitat) in parcel 503 -46-006. Granted, any expansion of use beyond what was analyzed in the Project EIR would require additional environm ental impact analysis, but the major hurdles of expanding the USA and SOI, and changing the General Plan and Zoning designations from Hillside to Regional Commercial, would have been passed. The extremely broad definition of allowable uses in the General Plan Amendment and the fact that no restrictions are placed on the extent of development that can be approved in the Regional Commercial district means that even the 300 -room limit contained in the Precise Plan as currently drafted would not be the limit of potential expansion of use on these 176 acres. Anything from additional hotel rooms to additional restaurants, convention centers, or other entertainment venues could be contemplated as long as an amendment to the Precise Plan was approved. New Hotels Should Not Be Built In Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zones In the past few years, the risk of loss of life and property from seasonal wildfires in the wildland -urban interface (WUI) has become increasingly clear. The Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destr oyed much of the town of Paradise, the Tubbs Fire that killed 22 people and destroyed more than 2,000 homes in Santa Rosa, and many other wildfires have made it evident that building new structures, especially large gathering places, in the WUI should be undertaken with great caution. In this case, where the proposed site is in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone and the access to the site is along a narrow, winding road with numerous residences along that same route, the risk is not worth it. We must not forget that the town of Paradise had detailed evacuation plans, had conducted emergency drills with residents, and had a warning system in place. None of these were sufficient to avert the disaster of the Camp Fire. Since then, the wisdom of continuing to build any new development in areas prone to wildfires has been increasingly questioned. The EIR concludes that the addition of overnight guests at the Project site would not significantly impact evacuation procedures, because hotel guests would “merge” with existing residents on local roads. The addition of potentially hundreds of hotel guests to the number of existing residents all trying to evacuate at the same time cannot be considered insignificant. Moreover, by introducing overnight visitors at Mountain Winery, the Project May 18, 2020 Page 3 of 4 would create impacts that would exist 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, rather than primarily during concerts as is currently the case. The Project Conflicts With LAFCO and County Policy The Cortese-Knox-Hertzberg Act established stat ewide policies against sprawl of urban uses into rural areas, and promoting preservation of open space and agricultural land. LAFCOs have authority over decisions regarding expansion of USAs and SOIs in order to carry out these policies and ensure the effi cient provision of government services. The Project conflicts with the fundamental principles at the core of LAFCO’s mission. LAFCO policies require that cities locate urban uses in infill areas rather than annexing land to put urban uses there, unless the infill area is fully built out with no vacant land for such uses. Nothing in the Project documents suggests that it would be impossible for a hotel to be located within the infill area of the City of Saratoga. LAFCO policies also state that USA expansions that include open space land should protect that open space, e.g. through an easement, an open space preserve designation, or acquisition of the open space by a public agency dedicated to preserving open space. The Project does not do this; in fact, the P roject specifically rezones 176 acres of what is currently Hillside land with very few allowable uses to Regional Commercial land where a myriad of highly intensive uses would be permitted. The Project also conflicts with long-standing County policy. In 1994, the four West Valley cities (Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Gatos, and Monte Sereno) collaborated with the County of Santa Clara on the West Valley Hillsides Joint Planning Review process. The principles resulting from this collaboration are enshrined in th e County General Plan’s West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area, which includes among its basic foundational strategies: “Limit expansion of urban development into hillside areas.” This principle has also been embodied in the City of Saratoga’s General Plan as Policy LU-9.1 (“Limit expansion of urban development in the hillside areas”) and Goal LU-9 (“Preserve the rural nature of the hills by limiting incompatible development”). Other West Valley Hillsides Preservation Area policies with which the Project conflicts include:  Policy R-LU 200: Urban development and extension of urban services should be limited to those areas most suited for urban development. Further expansion of the urban area into the West Valley hillsides should be discouraged.  Policy R-LU 202: Delineate and adopt long term growth boundaries indicating lands to which they are willing to provide urban services within approximately the next 20 -30 years in order to: a. Preserve the predominantly natural character and natural resources of hillsides by preventing urban development from encroaching into them b. Reinforce fundamental policies concerning the appropriate location of urban development c. Protect public health and safety by preventing urban development in hazardous areas. Furthermore, the Project is in conflict not merely with the West Valley Hillside Preservation Area policies, but with the fundamental principles of the entire County General Plan. County planning policy revolves around the concept that the rural unincorporated areas should be protected against urban development and their rural character maintained. The fact that the Mountain Winery, due to its grandfathered status, stands as an exception to these policies means that this site, of all places in the rural unincorporated ar ea, should not be further developed and intensified in terms of use. May 18, 2020 Page 4 of 4 In sum, the Project is an inappropriate use for its location; it would cause unacceptable environmental, land use, and public safety impacts; and revising the Precise Plan to reduce the n umber of hotel rooms will not cure the defects of the Project. The Council should terminate the Project and refuse to certify the Final EIR. Sincerely, Alice Kaufman, Legislative Advocacy Director Green Foothills Katja Irvin, Conservation Committee Co-Chair Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter Shani Kleinhaus, Environmental Advocate Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society Linda Ruthruff, Conservation Chair California Native Plant Society, Santa Clara Valley Chapter From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 4:16:08 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name David Aune Phone Number Email Address Subject May 20, 2020 Council Meeting - No on Mountain Winery Annexation Comments May 18, 2020 Dear Saratoga City Council Members, Please preserve, defend, and care for the soul and character of Saratoga. Please VOTE NO ON ANNEXATION, rezoning, and expanded urban use. Please listen to the citizens, listen to your own hearts, do what you know is right and good. Please STOP THIS ANNEXATION EFFORT NOW. Please redirect your efforts to PROTECT SARATOGA HILLSIDE AREAS by working closely with the County of Santa Clara Planning and Development to prevent urban development. Follow the spirit and wisdom of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the Santa Clara Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) to preserve our hillsides. Please carefully CONSIDER THE GREAT RISKS AND DANGERS that can be avoided and VOTE NO ON ANNEXATION. These reasons are outlined in the following letter I sent to the council on March 11, 2020. Sincerely, David Aune ----------------------------------------------------------- March 11,2020 City of Saratoga 13777 Fruitvale Avenue Saratoga, CA 95070 Email: Debbie Bretschneider (debbieb@saratoga.ca.us) RE: My comments for the City Council Public Hearing on the Mountain Winery Annexation Project to be held on March 18, 2020 Dear City Council members, Do not annex the Mountain Winery property. Please vote to terminate the annexation project currently underway. There are no terms under which the City of Saratoga should Annex the Mountain winery because: • annexation requires rezoning • and, rezoning leads to expanded urban use • and, expanded urban use leads to loss of control and many negative intended and unintended consequences If you truly want to do what is best for the residents of Saratoga, stop annexation now. I have lived in my home on Pierce Road for over thirty-five (35) years. My experience is that Saratoga is a Community... • Where the natural beauty of the city and its hillsides are preserved • Where a small town, picturesque, residential atmosphere is retained The best way to preserve our hillsides is to the leave the Mountain Winery property in the County and zoned Hillside-d1 as it is now. And, please work closely and collaboratively with the county to preserve the character of Saratoga. • The County is committed to preserving the resources and character of the rural and hillside areas per the Santa Clara County General Plan. • The County will not approve a hotel; the County will only allow a 6-unit bed and breakfast or a bungalow for this property. • The County cannot provide the sewer and water required for large scale development. • State regulations such as SB35 and RHNA (Regional Housing Needs Allocation) do not apply to the County. • Leaving the Mountain Winery property in the County controls additional uses much better that annexation by the City of Saratoga. Annexation of the Mountain Winery property is wrong because the expanded urban uses will cause: • Increased fire danger in a "Very-High Fire Hazard Severity Zone." • Increased traffic on narrow rural roads • Increased traffic accidents • Increased noise, lights, traffic on top of our hillsides 24x7x365 • Impacts on wildlife, further driving them from their homes • Increased environmental such as air pollution and watershed disturbance • Annexation by the City of Saratoga expands the “Urban Service Area” of Saratoga and makes it possible for commercial and residential development under SB35 and RHNA. • Annexation by the City of Saratoga actually reduces our control of the Mountain Winery property and creates many unintended consequences that cannot be reversed. Terminating the annexation project is the best solution to preserve our hillsides. We should leave this property in the County and zoned Hillside-d1. And Saratoga should provide comments on any proposed development in the future. This will help ensure that we preserve our hillsides for our current and future residents and wildlife rather than opening the door for more and more urban sprawl and less and less control for what happens on our hillsides. Do not annex the Mountain Winery property. Thank you for listening to my concerns. Sincerely, Dave Aune Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 4:54:46 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Lori Burns Phone Number Subject Stop - Mtn Winery annexation / zoning/ expansion Comments Councilmembers -- I hope that you will unanimously vote to maintain the integrity of our hillsides. The annexation and zoning changes to accommodate Mtn Winery expansion is irresponsible. These hillsides have been protected through the county hillside designation. Opening the door to additional commercial development or allowing additional expansion of that venue will irrevocably harm the character, safety and environment of Saratoga. The Planning Commission recommended to NOT approve these changes. I hope you will vote to protect and preserve the hillside designation by accepting their recommendation. Regards, Lori Burns Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Fwd: Terminate the process to annex the Mountain Winery Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 9:13:05 PM From: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us> Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 8:06:17 PM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: Fwd: Terminate the process to annex the Mountain Winery Begin forwarded message: From: Beth Kingsley <> Subject: Terminate the process to annex the Mountain Winery Date: May 18, 2020 at 5:51:08 PM PDT To: " email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear City Council, I am a concerned citizen of Saratoga as it relates to the current Mountain Winery annexation process. I, like many, have previously voiced my opinion on this matter via email. I strongly oppose the annexation of the Mountain Winery and the addition of a possible 300 room hotel. As a resident of Mount Eden Estates, my family travels Pierce road at least 3 to 6 times daily (during non COVID times) and I am concerned this hotel could bring a lot more traffic to Pierce Road from drivers that do not know the road. This increase in inexperienced Pierce Road drivers will be a safety concern for our neighborhood. Many new drivers to Pierce Road drive really slow and cross the line around curves, which can cause accidents. There are many bikers on Pierce Road and this could pose a big safety concern for them as well. I am really concerned about the truck traffic this could create during construction as well as trucks that may service the hotel once it is built. I can't tell you how many times I have met a truck on a curve and had to stop quickly or pull to the side to avoid an accident. As many have stated, this hotel could also add to the already existing fire hazard in the area. If there were a big fire in this area, the increase in traffic from hotel guests coming down from the Mountain Winery could really impact the resident's ability to get out safely. I read some of the traffic study done in June of 2019 and do not feel this was a representative study of the impact a 300 room hotel could have on our traffic. It seems you are just trying to push this item through without doing proper studies. Why? It makes no sense for the City of Saratoga to have a 300 room hotel on a steep hillside that could lead to many safety concerns for our citizens. In summary, I feel this is not a well thought out proposal and think the project needs to be terminated at the May 20th City Council Meeting. By terminating the project now, you will save future costs that will arise over the ongoing battle with the citizens of Saratoga over this project. I urge you to terminate the project now! Sincerely, Beth Kingsley From: Subject:Fwd: Mt. Winery Annexation Date:Monday, May 18, 2020 9:13:50 PM From: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us> Sent: Monday, May 18, 2020 8:03:37 PM To: Rina Shah Cc: Mary-Lynne Bernald James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: Re: Mt. Winery Annexation I know how you feel. It has been 9 months since the citizens have been able to even hear what the council is even thinking. That has allowed nothing but fear and uncertainty to spread! In those 9 months, we have gotten an EIR, 2 planning commission hearing and a fair amount of public feedback both for and against. BUT the messages communicated by some are about fear and distrust. And now we have someone making money off of this fear! We were supposed to discuss this in February. That got delayed with the extra planning commission hearing. Then further delayed with the virus. In all that time things have really festered. That is not right. I will make the same points again on Wednesday about the project. It was never about a 300 room hotel. That was a limit for an EIR. Nothing proposed would have impacted any view or undisturbed open space. In January, the Planning commission was supposed to in concert with the public determinate what, if anything would be acceptable for Saratoga to gain control of Mt Winery. Instead it has become completely political rather than what people want in their hearts. This was supposed to be a values discussion, not a numbers discussion. I loved your hotel pictures. My model was this: http://www.timbercoveresort.com/ No where near 300 rooms, but quaint and more compatible with a non-urban environment. But this vision was never discussed because we never got to that point in the process. Since the property is already is and has been commercial for over 60 years I am never really sure what people mean by "rezoning". If they mean remove it from a process where 4 county planning commissioners in one meeting can change the rules, to where it would require a minimum of 3 public meeting in Saratoga (1 planning and 2 council) to change rules, then I then that is better, right? Commercial is commercial regardless of it being misnamed. The question is what actual limits we would want on this property. The zoning would match that regardless of the name. And to ever change those limits would require an extensive public process right here in Saratoga! Anyway, I appreciate your thoughtful response. I agree with you 100% that living in fear and uncertainty is Not good. And despite the efforts to draw this out even longer for political gain, I am hopeful that the citizens can hear from their council, for the first time in 9 months, what we really think! Hang in there for just a few more days and things will become a Lot clearer. Again, Thank you for taking the time to communicate with us! Howard... On May 18, 2020, at 5:19 PM, Shah Rina > wrote: Respected Mayor Miller and Vice Mayor Bernald: I am going to submit the attached letter to the staff, but I wanted to let you know that my family and I are really opposed to the Mt. Winery annexation with rezoning to allow a 300-room hotel. Please reconsider this application and relieve us of the constant fear and tension that we have felt ever since City staff announced this proposal. There are so many reasons to avoid this wrong decision from occurring. I don't think the staff or the City realizes what a burden it will become for the future Saratoga residents. I have recommended approval of three of the four hotels (attached images) in Downtown San Jose and know how much it takes to even allow a 50 room hotel. It entails traffic, parking, aesthetics, noise and other environmental issues which are not suitable for our hillsides. We have invested in this area to have views, peace and quiet and really work hard to pay the property taxes, etc. But all that motivation to live in this area vanished when it was announced that the Council is considering commercial uses and rezoning of open space in our hillside. Annexation is one thing, but rezoning to allow commercial uses will really bring the area and the neighborhood down and deteriorate even further with constant traffic and noise monitoring issues. Please reconsider this proposal and prevent this from becoming a reality and a nightmare! Thanks, Rina Shah Saratogan <Letter to Saratoga City Council to stop Annexation and Rezoning of Mt. Winery.pdf> From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:35:40 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Hiok Hion Ng Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation project Comments Dear City Councillors, There have been many issues raised regarding the Mountain Winery Annexation project. I live in the neighborhood and have attended meetings regarding this. The Planning Comission has voted 7-0 against going forward with the plan as is. I'm surpirsed that the council has not affirmed the Planning Comission recommendation after all this time. If there have been errors by the Planning Comission in making their conclusions, please highlight those clearly so that residents can understand them. Otherwise please highlight the reasons the Council has continued to keep this issue on the agenda despite the overwhelming opposition to the development plan for a 300 room hotel. Please do the right thing for the residents and reject the plan and project at the next meeting. Thank you. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:04:11 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Joshua Williams joshua williams san Jose 95116 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:04:27 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Linda Omaley Morgan Hill 95037 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:04:52 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Janette Rosales Campbell 95008 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:04:52 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nina Bell Palo Alto 94306 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:05:10 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kim Lemmer Palo Alto 94306 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:06:26 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Richard Craig SAN JOSE 95124 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:08:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Bob and Carol Sippel We support Saratoga through the arts, the annual car show and food establishements Bob and Carol Sippel SAN JOSE 95126 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:08:08 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Jennifer Hetterly Palo Alto 94303 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:12:40 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Margaret Christine Robinett San Jose 95117 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:12:41 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kathryn Choudhury Moraga 94556 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:13:22 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Stacy Levy San jose 95117 From: the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:15:48 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Tanya Diamond Los Gatos 95033 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:22:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Margaret Petkiewicz San Jose 95125 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:26:20 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Mark Bishop San Jose 95112 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:28:19 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nabeel Al-Shamma Mountain View 94040 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:28:37 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Mr. John Redstrom john redstrom sunnyvale 94089 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:40:01 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Niki Lamb San Jose 95120 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:42:06 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Doria Summa Doria Summa Palo Alto 94306 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:45:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Guy Zahller Aptos 95003 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:49:43 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Thank you for your consideration. Sincerely, Karla Karla Jurvetson Los Altos 94022 From: Cc: Re: Agenda Item 3.1 for 5-20-2020 City Council Meeting. Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:32:38 PM Attachments:Agenda Item 3.1 5-20-2020Mtg.pdf CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Council Members: I am resending this message with the correct caption. Thank-you Hobart Birmingham Dear Council Members: Attached are JoAnne and my comments on the annexation proposal, Item 3.1 on the Agenda for the May 20th meeting. Thank you for your consideration. Hobart Birmingham From: JoAnne Marie Birmingham Date: Monday, May 18, 2020 at 2:47 PM To: Howard Miller <hmiller@saratoga.ca.us>, "rkumar@saratoga.ca.us" <rkumar@saratoga.ca.us>, "mcappello@saratoga.ca.us" <mcappello@saratoga.ca.us>, "yzhao@saratoga.ca.us" <yzhao@saratoga.ca.us>, Debbie Bretschneider <debbieb@saratoga.ca.us>, Mary-Lynne Bernald <mlbernald@saratoga.ca.us> Cc: Hobart Birmingham Subject: Agenda Item 0 for 5-20-2020 City Council Meeting. Dear Saratoga City Council Members, Attached is a letter from my husband and me regarding Agenda Item O for the May 20, 2020 City Council Meeting. Please give this your serious consideration. Sincerely, JoAnne and Hobart Birmingham > > > >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Sent from my iPhone From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:10:20 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Pierce Lynne Phone Number Email Address Subject Annexation of Mt. Winery Property and Hotel Comments I join the citizens of Saratoga who are against the Annexation of Winery property and changes in zoning allowing building of retail and high density dwellings in our foothills. As a group I believe we have the ability to educate the majority of Saratoga voters to understand the consequences this action will have on the future of Saratoga. The councils covert behavior and unjustified process execution will be brought to light. The negative impact of this action upon the community at large to benefit of the few and the remote will be highlighted in our opposition. Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:03:43 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Anita Spiro Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject In favor of Mountain Winery annexation Comments Dear Council Members, I am writing in support of the Mountain Winery Annexation. Here is how I think the council should vote: #1 proceed with the hearing (ie, do not cancel due to coronavirus) and #2 continue with the annexation process. First, please understand that I am writing to you from the position of a long time resident of Saratoga and the Mount Eden neighborhood. I live in the hills not far from the Mountain Winery, and any development would directly impact me. I am already affected by the throngs of cars which go up and down Pierce Road to attend concerts, so I know well what I speak about. Do I like the cars? Not that much, but I love the venue and all it offers to our city. I also care deeply about the neighborhood, my safety and the safety of others on Pierce Road and I know that the owners of the Mountain Winery consider safety first. Finally, I care deeply about the betterment of our city and know that we must continue to improve its appeal. We all know that the Mountain Winery is the number 1 destination in Saratoga. And our economy depends on it a lot. Ask restaurant owners in town where they get their business from, and they will likely tell you that it gets a huge boost on Mountain Winery concert days. You can imagine my dismay when I found out not too long along that the tax revenue from the Mountain Winery currently does not benefit our city. That revenue could pay to build a continuous Class II bicycle lane along the entire length of Pierce road. It could help fund street repairs to just make the ride smoother. It can help fund senior programs and maybe even public transportation to get kids to school efficiently. And if the City of Saratoga annexed the land, it would have some control over what gets built there over the years. Maybe we could end up with a little open space or a destination for retirees, or maybe the owners would build a lovely retreat on the top of the world with a meditation venue and day spa! But in all seriousness, maybe millions in revenue could just improve street safety. How many bicyclist accidents do we have to have on Pierce Road before we fix it? Please move ahead and help city residents, understand that annexation is not the same as approving a 300 room hotel. Further, help residents understand that if we do not proceed we are giving up so much: #1 We throw away the thousands of dollars already spent -- those are our tax dollars wasted. #2 We will probably be obligated to repay $100,000 of expenses to Mountain Winery for reneging on the expectation that the city would pursue this process in good faith, and even that probably won’t happen until after we incur extra thousands in legal fees. #3 We completely lose any future revenue opportunity (Yes, we kick a gift horse in the mouth) and #4 We lose any control over or say in future development at the Mountain Winery. As for the issue of the number of hotel rooms, I am sure Mountain Winery owners have done careful research as to how many rooms could work well on that property and know the minimum needed in order to establish a stable business for themselves and our city. I don’t know what that number is, but if 300 rooms causes too much resistance, just pick a lower number and negotiate towards an agreement that means ‘success’ for all concerned. Simple! Thank you for considering my comments, Anita Spiro Saratoga, CA 95070 Email not displaying correctly? From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:32:26 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Anthony & Sue Atwell Phone Number Email Address Subject Annexation of Mountain Winery property Comments I have read the Saratoga City Council Handbook. I am of the opinion that the council has not been forthcoming with its answers to all the questions raised at the Feb.12 meeting by citizens concerned with the annexation on the basis of evacuation of citizens, hotel staff and hotel guests in the case of fire and the quality of Pierce RD and Hwy 9 to handle heavy traffic out of the area and INTO the area by fire trucks (to avoid a Paradise, CA disaster in evacuation). Furthermore, I am unsure of ANY great advantages to the city to the annexation except for added tax money to the city coffers. An open discussion of the pros and cons of annexation have not been addressed by the Council. In fact the Council has not answered the many concerns of the citizen brought up in the February meeting with the Committee. In this regard, the Council seems to be out of line with the stated intent in the to keep Saratoga "rural" City Council Handbook. It raises a question of ethics of the Council members in keeping the public in the dark about why this issue seems to be an imperative to the Council. It IS imperative to the CITIZENS and the large turnout in the Feb. meeting should have been an indication of their concern. Will it take a recall petition to get a response from the Council? Will the public have to wait until an election to oust the current Council who is unresponsive to the community's concerns? It sounds as though the Council is not concerned when it spends another $12,000 to examine this "deal". Did you ever watch the speakers' public remarks from that Feb.meeting? Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Re: Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:19:56 PM This you for the eMail. There is much confusion about this project! Local government does not work like you see on TV. Decisions can only be made in publicly noticed meeting. The council had not had a public meeting since the planning commission made their recommendations. So there was No way for the council to consider or even "affirm the planning commission recommendation"! So please don't be surprised that we are having a meeting. That is just how government is supposed to work! Thanks for writing! Howard Miller Mayor of Saratoga On May 19, 2020, at 1:35 wrote: CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Hiok Hion Ng Phone Number Field not completed. Email Address Subject Mountain Winery Annexation project Comments Dear City Councillors, There have been many issues raised regarding the Mountain Winery Annexation project. I live in the neighborhood and have attended meetings regarding this. The Planning Comission has voted 7-0 against going forward with the plan as is. I'm surpirsed that the council has not affirmed the Planning Comission recommendation after all this time. If there have been errors by the Planning Comission in making their conclusions, please highlight those clearly so that residents can understand them. Otherwise please highlight the reasons the Council has continued to keep this issue on the agenda despite the overwhelming opposition to the development plan for a 300 room hotel. Please do the right thing for the residents and reject the plan and project at the next meeting. Thank you. Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:09:47 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Martin Rossip Phone Number Email Address Subject Mt. Winery: Yes, I support annexation. Comments Dear Esteemed Council Members: I am a long-time Saratoga homeowner and live on Mt Eden Rd close to Pierce. My property is less than 1800 ft away from the Mountain Winery. I strongly support continuing the annexation process. (Please note this is NOT the same as saying I support approval of a 300 room hotel.) I believe annexation - with some modifications to the precise plan - has important benefits for Saratoga which are worth discussing. So what are these benefits? The main benefit I see is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fund safety improvements for Pierce Rd. This is an ideal scenario for funding via revenue-anticipation bond perhaps with occupancy taxes earmarked for repayment, or a better method could be to use the Community Facilities District mechanism (Mello-Roos) which has the advantage of fine-tuning the allocation of payments in any ratio between the developer and the surrounding neighborhood, both of which would benefit enormously. Also, the Winery owns the land along Pierce south of Teerlink all the way to Hwy 9 and I am confident the owners would be amenable to discussing dedicating part of that parcel for road widening. Virtually every letter from neighbors opposing annexation mentions hazards of driving on Pierce Rd. My neighbors are all correct! The entire length of Pierce Rd from Saratoga Sunnyvale to Hwy 9 is, in my opinion, highly dangerous. It is too narrow, has no or minimal shoulders, no bike lanes, no guard rails near ravines and is unevenly paved. Higher (or lower) traffic volume will not affect these structural hazards. Pierce Rd would be dangerous with or without the Winery and needs to be fixed regardless of annexation. In fact, Pierce Rd is probably the biggest depressor of property values and biggest negative feature of every home in this area. But it does not have to stay that way. Now imagine a widened Pierce Rd, perhaps with nice wide bike lanes, perhaps with sidewalks in some places, perhaps with a 2 foot painted separator in the middle of the road separating drivers from oncoming vehicles. Imagine being able to pull over anywhere you need to and not block traffic. Imagine having your mailbox on your side of the street. Imagine being able to take a leisurely stroll along Pierce with your kid or your dog without fearing sudden death. It would be expensive, but could easily be funded using the methods above. This annexation may be our only chance to get it paid for, make our properties worth more, and most importantly make our daily lives safer. The 2nd benefit I see is having a say in what gets built. This is more important than I think most of us realize. Right now, we have no say whatsoever. The reality is the County approves virtually every project that submits correctly completed paperwork. Denials of projects by the County are exceedingly rare. And there is virtually no recourse: Saratogans who objected to a prior expansion of the winery sued the County in 2001 and lost in Superior Court. At least here we have elected officials who care about what we think and are trying to balance the issues to do the right thing. In addition to having no voice with the County, there is also no transparency with the County. Here’s an example: Most Saratogans would be surprised to learn that the county recently approved a large project on the parcel right next to the Winery. APN 503-44-019. They approved a whopping 80,958sf of new construction, including a 59,626 sf main building (60 ft tall!), the removal of hundreds (255) old-growth trees, a 16,906sf animal “breeding facility” along with a permit to operate an animal crematorium, presumably needed to burn up all the animals that are expected to die there. I’m painting a dark picture of this project, but my only point is that it was approved without any of us even knowing about it. If there’s no annexation, development at the Winery will continue in one form or another under County control but Saratoga will be out of the loop. Other benefits to Saratoga include public access to the site with it’s stupendous views and open space, ongoing tax revenue for the city, and eventual access to the Juan Bautista trail with easements on the property already granted. What a fantastic thought to be able to go to the winery anyday, sit outside at a not-300-room hotel, have lunch, enjoy the view, do a deal, visit the spa, etc. I personally believe that a modest sized luxury hotel - with the road improvements mentioned - will benefit all of us. It’s also important to understand that development will happen there whether we like it or not, and it’s naive to believe that 430 acres in Silicon Valley will stay empty if we do nothing. Far better to stay engaged and work out something desirable to Saratogans. So what exactly would be desirable to Saratogans? I think we all agree that a 300-room hotel would not be desirable. I can also say that the current precise plan is woefully lacking in benefits to Saratogans and sorely needs renegotiation. As a point of reference, annexation was considered previously in 1993 when the winery consisted of 630 acres and was under different ownership. The basic proposal at that time was: City grants zoning to allow 11 single family residences, 36 clustered homes, a 2000 seat amphitheater and a 100-150 room hotel; and in exchange, the Winery would give the City land for a new firehouse on Pierce, land for a new 350-acre public park with park maintenance paid by the winery, and give the city some revenue from concert ticket sales. My takeaway from that initial proposal is a 100-150 room hotel was felt by those owners at that time to be appropriately-sized and financially viable. But wait...where is our park? Where is our fire station? They’ve never been proposed. But I would happily trade both for a safer Pierce Rd. So in my opinion, what we still need in the Precise Plan are: 1. Agreement on Pierce Rd right-of-way dedications 2. Cost data and agreement on a method to pay for safety improvements along all of Pierce; 3. Agreement on the maximum number of rooms. 4. A clause that adds deflectors on the parking lot floodlights (so they don’t glare downhill towards all of Saratoga) would be a nice touch and much appreciated. As a way to broach a negotiation with those who oppose lodging of any kind, It may be helpful to point out that the Winery is already entitled to 6 units under the current Use Permit. So I would ask those opposed if they would be willing to accept 7 units of lodging, just one additional unit, in exchange for all the other benefits. I think they would. So if that’s the case, then there has to be some number of rooms between 7 and 299 that would be acceptable to Saratogans and also make sense for the Winery owners. On the separate issue of postponing this matter until live council meetings resume, I urge you to NOT postpone. We need more discussion on this, not less. If you shut down discussion until some indeterminate time in the future, the widespread misunderstandings will be prolonged and everyone who joined the meeting tonight to speak on this issue will feel stifled which only leads to anger and frustration. Let everyone speak. And then let everyone speak again at the next meeting and the next until everyone feels they have been heard. There is too much misinformation around that needs conversation in order to work it’s way out of the debate. So again, I’m asking you to vote to not postpone, and to vote to continue the annexation process. Finally, I want to offer some words of encouragement to all our Council Members. Be strong. Don’t give up yet. I know other residents who understand why annexation is a smart move. They are reluctant to speak up because as you’ve probably noticed, people become irrational and angry at them for expressing a different opinion. We know you only have the best interests of the city as your goal. The Council was right to initiate this process, but if you give up too soon, the $265,000 already committed will be wasted. This is a long process and requires a lot of outreach to be sure the whole community understands the issues. That’s the only way to make a wise decision. Please don’t quit now. Thank you, Martin Rossip Email not displaying correctly? From: Cc: Subject:FW: Mountain Winery and the Conservation Center for Wildlife Care Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:28:02 AM Mayor Miller & City Council Members, I’m forwarding this message on as requested. Santa Clara County approved a wild animal center to be operated by the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA just up Hwy 9 from the Mountain Winery a few years back. Take care, James From: William Hirschman Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:50 AM To: James Lindsay <jlindsay@saratoga.ca.us> Subject: FW: Mountain Winery and the Conservation Center for Wildlife Care CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. I am forwarding this is letter from the president of the Humane Society who the Winery has been working with going on two years now to help facilitate their development. I believe his letter demonstrates the Winery’s commitment to the community and wildlife as well as the development that is taking place in the County in and about the Saratoga community. I would appreciate if the council could be made aware of our efforts. Bill Hirschman From: Ken White > Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:21 AM To: '' Subject: Mountain Winery and the Conservation Center for Wildlife Care Bill, let me take this moment to acknowledge and to thank you for Mountain Winery’s cooperation as the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA moves forward with developing the neighboring site as the Conservation Center for Wildlife Care. As you know, the Center is currently under construction and will soon bring an entirely new level of hands-on wildlife rehabilitation services to the community. The three key programs are: hospitalization and eventual release back to native habitat for thousands of injured and orphaned native wildlife; in collaboration with Federal and State wildlife regulatory agencies, breeding of rare and endangered species as a hedge against extinction; education programs about wildlife and habitat conservation. In addition to a truly state-of-the-art animal hospital designed specifically around the needs of native wildlife, the Center also includes more than three dozen outdoor hillside habitat enclosures where the animals will complete their rehabilitation post-hospitalization and prior to release. The specific purpose of these enclosures is to allow the birds and mammals the opportunity to develop and demonstrate natural behaviors, observed by hidden cameras, to assure wildlife professional staff that their “patients” are prepared to make it on their own. We are confident that Mountain Winery’s current programs as well as its proposed development will not have any adverse effects on that wildlife. This exciting nonprofit Center is literally a game-changer for Bay Area wildlife. We are glad to have such a collaborative neighbor as we bring this long-awaited dream to reality. Sincerely, Ken Ken White, President Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA 1450 Rollins Road Burlingame, CA 94010 www.PHS-SPCA.org From: Cc: Subject:FW: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:50:47 AM     From: Mohini Balakrishnan [mailto:] Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:46 AM To: Howard Miller; Mary-Lynne Bernald; Rishi Kumar; Manny Cappello; yzaho@saratoga.ca.us; Debbie Pedro; Subject: Re: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council members and City Attorney, We are writing to request the City Council accept the Planning Commission's recommendation to terminate the Mt. Winery Annexation project. We are extremely disappointed that the council has scheduled this meeting during SIP. This limits residents from being able to attend the meeting and communicate their thoughts on the Mountain winery project. We have already experienced the limitations of technology and zoom meetings in earlier meetings.   We truly hope the council will represent the residents by supporting their strong, vocal and written objections, and agree with planning commission recommendations in rejecting the Mountain winery annexation and the hotel proposal.   As longtime residents of Saratoga, we have always felt that the city representatives have been open and transparent in their agenda. Unfortunately, this has not been the case here. We feel that there is a hidden agenda and that the voices of residents of Saratoga, most affected by this annexation, are not being allowed to be heard.   We fail to understand the urgency of the city council members, mayor and officials to rush this process through when there has been significant and voluble push back from residents. Balu and Mohini Balakrishnan Villa Oaks Lane, Albar Court and Maria Ln Saratoga From: To: Cc: Subject:FW: 5-20-2020 Council Meeting Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:35:52 AM     From: Jon Kwong [mailto: Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:10 AM To: Howard Miller; Mary-Lynne Bernald; Rishi Kumar; Manny Cappello; Yan Zhao Cc: Debbie Pedro; Jon Kwong Subject: 5-20-2020 Council Meeting CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. 5-19-2020 Honorable Mayor Miller, Council Members, Please listen to the outcry of the citizens of Saratoga, and put an end to the Mountain Winery property annexation and rezoning effort. Failing that, please postpone any action, big or small, to advance same annexation/rezoning, until such time when the City can hold face-to-face public hearings. In the second Planning Public Hearing in January this year with the annexation/rezoning on the agenda, around 200 citizens attended, filling up City Hall; and about a quarter of the attendees spoke, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke passionately against the annexation/rezoning. The Planning Commission's response was swift and decisive, voting unanimously against the annexation/rezoning. Every indication showed that many more than 200 attendees would be expected at the Council Public Hearing. That is, until COVID-19 struck. However, in the Council Zoom meeting in early May, less than 10% of 200 citizens were able to attend. Many citizens could not join due to technical difficulties. (Even Council Members demonstrated some technical difficulty during the Zoom) It's painfully obvious that Zoom does not constitute a public hearing, as Zoom can be contrived, controlled, manipulated; and so many citizens wishing to connect and interact with the Council are shut out, denied their equal protection under the law. The City prides itself in its transparency, and willingness to listen to its constituents, please follow through and make decisions, which the citizens have shown a vested interest in and which potentially, adversely impact their lives , face-to-face with its citizens and not behind cameras that shut so many of them out. Thank you for listening. Jon Kwong Saratoga Heights From: To: Cc: Subject:FW: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:35:34 AM     From: Comcast [mailto ] Sent: Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:35 AM To: Howard Miller; Mary-Lynne Bernald; Rishi Kumar; Manny Cappello; yzaho@saratoga.ca.us; Debbie Pedro; rtaylor@smulaw.com Subject: Re: May 20th City Council Meeting - Annexation CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders.  Dear Council members, Mayor and city attorney, Council members and City Attorney, We are writing to request the City Council accept the Planning Commission's recommendation to terminate the Mt. Winery Annexation project. We are extremely disappointed that the council has scheduled this meeting during SIP. This limits residents from being able to attend the meeting and communicate their thoughts on the Mountain winery project. We have already experienced the limitations of technology and zoom meetings in earlier meetings.   We truly hope the council will represent the residents by supporting their strong, vocal and written objections, and agree with planning commission recommendations in rejecting the Mountain winery annexation and the hotel proposal.   As longtime residents of Saratoga, we have always felt that the city representatives have been open and transparent in their agenda. Unfortunately, this has not been the case here. We feel that there is a hidden agenda and that the voices of residents of Saratoga, most affected by this annexation, are not being allowed to be heard.   We fail to understand the urgency of the city council members, mayor and officials to rush this process through when there has been significant and voluble push back from residents. Thank you, Balu and Mohini Balakrishnan Villa oaks lane Mt. Eden Estates On May 16, 2020, at 9:12 AM, Nancy Lietzke > wrote:  At this time amid the shelter in place and social distancing, there is not the ability for all Saratoga residents to be heard publicly. And Zoom is not the answer to the problem. Many residents are not able to use it. And those who do know how to dial in are not able to gain access to your meeting. Even some of your own Council members have experienced difficulties with zoom. If discussions are going to continue regarding the Annexation, it needs to be in a public setting where residents can attend and speak publicly to the City Council and other residents. For now with the current Shelter in Place order, that is not possible. But when that order is lifted, a public forum to consider that would accommodate many, many Saratoga residents would be the Saratoga High Football stadium. It would also provide ample continued opportunity for social distancing. Annexation is a large important issue and needs a large meeting site. The recent letter (see below) written by Bill Hirshman to the City Council is absolutely damning!!! Whether true or not, it gives the impression that the Council in theory (head nod) had agreed months ago to the Annexation. It is a threatening letter meant to push the Annexation forward with no regards for the concerns of other residents. The amount of profits to be reaped by the CMLLC with an Annexation and rezoning begs the question why the City Council ever shared in the EIR costs to begin with??? <image.png> At the March 20, 2019 meeting https://saratoga.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php? view_id=9&clip_id=1068&meta_id=69887 an update regarding the Annexation was given by Debbie Pedro.  Discussion ensued and Mr. Miller you made the following comments.   “I think we should be clear that the intent is so that the Mt. Winery is under the City perview. We are not annexing them to turn it into a rock 24 hour rock venue or you know a 36 hole golf course or high rise condo development. We are annexing them so that we have jurisdiction. We are not annexing them to change. But I think that we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process. However it is far much better than trying to say we don’t need to get much public input and short circuit it.” Two comments stand out: “We are not annexing them to change." If that was true, how did a 300 room hotel get added to the Annexation language 7 months later in the Precise Plan dated October, 2019? “But I think we should very much try to engage with the public input process as part of the seque and we will get comments and we will have to respond to those comments that will add time to the process.” If public input from the beginning is what you wanted, why was there such a lack of transparency and public notification? We would appreciate you addressing our concerns in the upcoming May 20, 2020 Council meeting. Regards, Nancy and David Lietzke Mt. Eden Estates From: ; Subject:Online Form Submittal: Council Comments Form Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:18:55 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Council Comments Form Your Name Jon Kwong Phone Number Email Address Subject 5-20-2020 Council Meeting Comments 5-19-2020 Honorable Mayor Miller, Council Members, Please listen to the outcry of the citizens of Saratoga, and put an end to the Mountain Winery property annexation and rezoning effort. Failing that, please postpone any action, big or small, to advance same annexation/rezoning, until such time when the City can hold face-to-face public hearings. In the second Planning Public Hearing in January this year with the annexation/rezoning on the agenda, around 200 citizens attended, filling up City Hall; and about a quarter of the attendees spoke, the overwhelming majority of whom spoke passionately against the annexation/rezoning. The Planning Commission's response was swift and decisive, voting unanimously against the annexation/rezoning. Every indication showed that many more than 200 attendees would be expected at the Council Public Hearing. That is, until COVID-19 struck. However, in the Council Zoom meeting in early May, less than 10% of 200 citizens were able to attend. Many citizens could not join due to technical difficulties. (Even Council Members demonstrated some technical difficulty during the Zoom) It's painfully obvious that Zoom does not constitute a public hearing, as Zoom can be contrived, controlled, manipulated; and so many citizens wishing to connect and interact with the Council are shut out, denied their equal protection under the law. The City prides itself in its transparency, and willingness to listen to its constituents, please follow through and make decisions, which the citizens have shown a vested interest in and which potentially, adversely impact their lives , face-to-face with its citizens and not behind cameras that shut so many of them out. Thank you for listening. Jon Kwong Saratoga Heights Email not displaying correctly? From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:50:37 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. I have attended many required events at the Mountain Winery in the course of my professional life, and I always felt nervous having so many people in such a high fire zone. A hotel in this zone puts human lives at risk. Moreover, it squanders Saratoga's beauty and wildlife in the name of greed. As a Santa Clara County native, I love the Saratoga foothills and my heart breaks to think of a hotel displacing them. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Erin Redfern Erin Redfern San Jose 95117 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 7:59:04 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Linda James Linda James Aptos 95003 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:00:27 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, I grew up in West San Jose and have lived in and enjoyed the Santa Cruz mountains all my life. The potential traffic and environmental impact of a hotel on the proposed site concerns me. Additionally, the roads are not equipped to handle such flow in normal circumstances, let alone should a fire break out. Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please preserve the charm and beauty of this region. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Leah Quenelle Morgan Hill 95037-4809 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:11:01 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Even though I am not a resident of Saratoga I have learned that everything we do in the Bay Area affects all of the Bay Area. Development on our bay lands and in foothill areas like the one in this project no longer makes sense. I appreciate that the owners of the land want to maximize their business opportunity. I would like to see them think with a world view and create something truly unique that benefits them and the planet. There are many organizations around - at Stanford, Rocky Mountain institute to name a couple that could help them do that. Please vote to terminate this current project. Sincerely, Virginia Van Kuran Palo Alto 94303 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:12:15 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Although I live in an adjoining county - fires, endangered species and native wildlife do not necessarily remain within these drawn boundaries. Please realize that this project if approved will adverse affect out of district inhabitants as well. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Holly Thomas Holly Thomas Santa Cruz 95062 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:13:06 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, John Miller John Miller Los Gatos, 95033 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:13:38 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kristine Karnos Kristine Karnos San jose 95124 From: r Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:19:15 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Christine Nagel San Jose 95126 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:22:31 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, It behooves you to adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. As such, you are obliged to vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Jordan Hashemi-Briskin Palo Alto 94306 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:29:36 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Susan Steinbrecher Mountain view 94043 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:31:22 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Stepheny McGraw Palo Alto 94303 From: eider Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:32:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Shannon McEntee Shannon McEntee Palo Alto 94306 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:42:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, joann smith san jose 95120 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:49:21 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kristin Lundin Kristin Lundin Boulder Creek 95006 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:51:06 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Bill Bill Leikam Mountain View 94040 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:52:04 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Katy Fitzgerald Katy Fitzgerald San Jose 95128 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:52:31 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. Anyone leaving downtown Saratoga and driving up to the Mountain Winery easily recognizes the dangers of this proposal, in terms of wildfire risk, traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community. Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size. This project is really inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nancy Westcott, resident of Santa Clara County Nancy Westcott Palo Alto 94303 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:54:36 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, John Cremin Sunnyvale 94085 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:55:01 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Pat Lang Los Altos Hills 94022 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:58:09 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Vicki Alexander San Jose 95124 From: the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 8:58:37 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Trish & Jim Mulvey trish mulvey Palo Alto 94303 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:00:58 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Betsy Tanner San jose 95128 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:02:05 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Council members, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Sarah Sarah Weiske Saratoga 95071 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:06:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, J. Winters Jennie Winters Boulder Creek 95006 From: the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:07:42 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Ramon Mendoza Ramon Mendoza Boulder Creek 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:11:43 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Michele Voelker Boulder Creek 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:11:53 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Craig Britton Craig Britton Los Altos 94022 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:24:45 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. In addition to the concerns about noise, traffic, high fire zone I firmly believe that our present circumstances should give us pause in such ventures. It might seem like we need to rush out and jump start some new businesses immediately, but this just isn't the right tack. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Elizabeth Bacon Boulder Creek, CA 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:25:13 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, David Cook David Cook San Jose 95135 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:27:34 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Ryan Oropeza Boulder Creek 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:28:03 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Elizabeth Moore Sunnyvale 94086-8960 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:36:17 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Paul Segall Palo Alto 94306 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:36:27 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Cristine Ballinger BOULDER CREEK 95006-9213 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:39:49 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Carlos Vasquez Boulder Creek 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:41:29 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Bert Greenberg San Jose 95135 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:42:45 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, SUSAN B WELSH SUSAN WELSH BOULDER CREEK 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:44:07 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Victoria Kojola Victoia Kojola Cupertino 95014 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:45:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Edward Reed Edward Reed Sunnyvale 94087 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:49:33 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kathleen Tarlow Kathleen Tarlow Palo Alto 94301 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 9:56:56 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Cecille O'Brien San Jose 95129 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:00:06 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Council members, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Julie Wallof Julie Wallof San Jose 95130 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:02:16 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Joanie Murphy San Jose 95123 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:07:17 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Rochelle Davies Boulder Creek 95006 From:PeteKlein To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:07:24 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. I am concerned about the proposed development of the Winery property on Pierce Road. This is a more rural area of our county, a place where bicyclists, horses, wild turkeys, and residents currently co-exist. When there is a concert at the winery there is considerable traffic and the road condition is poor. The proposed development will bring much heavier volume and type of traffic both during construction and especially afterwards from drivers who are not familiar with the road. All of this will be hazardous for cyclists especially who regularly use this route to access Big Basin Way, Mt Eden and Stevens Canyon. One of the members of Almaden Cycle and Touring Club (which has 1000 members in our county) was severely injured on Pierce road several years ago by a reckless driver and can no longer ride. Why does Saratoga need a big development like this? Especially one that will severely disturb one of the more pristine areas of our county. With large construction and delivery vehicles using the roads, we are in store for more serious collisions We also have a duty to preserve nature around us. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Pete Klein CUPERTINO 95014 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:07:57 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nancy Hay Los Altos 94022 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:14:28 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. We ask you if the project - which might be multi millions - is going to pay for itself. It's expensive. Will a second road need to be created or the current road widened, both on side of a mountain? The winery is on a narrow road already and it sits on a cliff. This would tie up the neighborhood for a long time and be precarious to workers on the construction crew. Hauling in materials on a single road or flying them in to an area with small space to land seems precarious too. Do you really need to obliterate the great scenic view that some come for? It is disappointing to think that the city/county is yet contemplating another building project to block the landscape and now to the West. California is earthquake prone and this is on a mountain. Is this project feasible or would it be better somewhere else? Sincerely, Carolyn Straub and Steve McHenry Green Foothills members Carolyn Straub San Jose 95111 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:23:51 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Lucinda Lawson Lucinda Rea-Lawson Morgan Hill 95037 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:27:04 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Lynley Boudreaux Lynley Boudreaux SAN JOSE 95123 From: eider Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:27:09 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Andria Ventura San Jose 95125 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:35:58 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Jeanine Peek Santa Clara 95050 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:43:40 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Deborah St Julien San Jose 95136 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 10:54:37 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, I am a huge fan of the Mountain Winery...it is one of my favorite convert venues. The expansion to the site to allow more guest to visit is great. This hotel idea is not a good one. The road is already a challenge and ingress and egress is a nightmare at best...every time there is a show. A hotel would make this a regular occurance, damage the environment, and risk all of this. I could see a small retreat (like Seaside), but a full blown hotel (even a small one) should be abandoned. And the idea to annex it after they used the county to do certain things (maybe not allowed by a city) and to now go to the city since the county won't allow it is kinda sleazy and not in the spirit of a regional view. Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Kirk Vartan Kirk Vartan San Jose 95117 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:11:00 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Alice Anne Martineau Mountain View 94041 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:11:45 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Christine Zack Campbell 95008 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:12:43 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Jason Schwabe Saratoga 95070 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:16:39 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Miguel Vargad San jose 95128 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:23:30 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Mary Martin San Jose 95135 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:28:09 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Aside from the above, this hillsides are part of our heritage. They should be preserved for future generations to enjoy as we did. Once they are gone, they will be gone forever. Please vote to terminate this project. Allow our children to enjoy the views of a once proud valley and community. Sincerely, Mark Grzan Former Vice Mayor, City Councilmember City of Morgan Hill Mark Grzan MORGAN HILL 95037 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:34:55 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Pat Marriott Los Altos 94024 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:36:49 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Very truly yours, Valerie D. Face Valerie Face Santa Clara 95050 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:40:03 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Brian Carr San Jose 95124 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 11:49:23 AM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, I spent nearly 30 years living in the Saratoga/Monte Sereno area and my extended family continues to frequent Saratoga's downtown, Saratoga Federated Church, and the area's parks and hiking trails. Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Robin Shepherd Robin Shepherd Morgan Hill 95037 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:28:05 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Martha Schwarz, fire area resident and Mountain Winery appreciator martha schwarz Palo Alto 94304 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:33:48 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Also, as a commuter of Highway 9, the traffic a hotel would bring to this area is completely unacceptable for that of a two lane highway. I can't imagine people not familiar with the area trying to navigate their way on Pierce Road, nonetheless trying to evacuate during an emergency. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Suzette T. Crouch Suzette Crouch Boulder Creek 95006 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:35:15 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Carol Ruth STANFORD 94305 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:42:36 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nancy Martin Palo Alto 94303-4827 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:45:57 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Mary Maher Milptas 95035 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:49:41 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. I am a member of San Jose RACES and participate regularly in County emergency response drills. I am very concerned about this inappropriate development in the Santa Cruz Mountains that would put hotel guests, employees and emergency responders at great risk in the fire season. A hotel is an entirely different enterprise from an outdoor concert venue. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Barbara Canup San Jose 95139 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 12:50:06 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Patricia Blevins San Jose 95118-1808 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:07:50 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Lisa Giovanazzi Morgan Hill 95037 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:10:11 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Thomas Ferrito Los Gatos 95030-6115 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:14:40 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Theresa Sherman Theresa Sherman San Jose 95117 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:16:25 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Peggy Hennessee Peggy Hennessee Los Altos 94022 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:22:33 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, James Haskell Morgan Hill 95037 From: ider Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 1:42:11 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Thomas Carlino San Jose 95117 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:04:31 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Though I don’t live in Saratoga, I do reside near by in the West Valley area at the Border of SanJose and Campbell. I grew up in this area and I’m now in my 60’s, I’ve seen the area go from lovely orchards to creeping urban sprawl This is why, as a community need to protect the remaining open space before it is desecrated by developers. Please do the right thing and Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Paulette Rinck Paulette Rinck San Jose 95130 From: the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:12:06 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Robert Jacobsen Robert Jacobsen Los Altos 94024 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:20:07 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Nancy Schlegel Los Altos 94024 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:23:29 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Anna Stepanova Santa Clara 95051 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 2:25:53 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Alicia De Toro, Ed. D. Alicia De Toro San Jose 95118 From: To: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:05:07 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Although Mountain Winery is one of my all-time concert venues, I think adding a hotel in this area would be irresponsible - and disrespectful to the nearby communities (the ones that have built this beautiful community). Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please, please, please vote to terminate this project - our peninsula is already getting too dense with all of this high-density development. Sincerely, Shane Tapp Shane Tapp San Mateo 94403 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:16:19 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Allan Campbell San Jose 95132 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:17:42 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Chris MacIntosh Menlo Park 94026 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:40:07 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Devon Campbell Marina 93933 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:45:20 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Susan LeClair Susan LeClair Campbell 95008 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 3:45:37 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Janice Carr Janice Carr Los Altos 94024 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 4:15:30 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Judith Butts Mountain View 94040-3653 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 4:20:28 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Craige & Jan Edgerton San Jose 95138 From: Subject:Tell the Saratoga City Council Not to Approve Giant Hotel in the Hillsides Date:Tuesday, May 19, 2020 4:39:49 PM CAUTION: This email originated from outside your organization. Exercise caution when opening attachments or clicking links, especially from unknown senders. Dear Mayor Miller and Councilmembers, Please adopt the unanimous recommendation of the Planning Commission and vote to terminate the Mountain Winery annexation project. A Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone is no place for a hotel of any size, let alone a massive 300-room hotel. The wildfire risk, as well as the impacts of the traffic, lights, noise and human activity to the local habitat and the nearby community, make this project completely inappropriate for this location. Please vote to terminate this project. Sincerely, Laurie Graham South San Francisco 94080