Bright red flyers urging neighbors to protest a proposed seven-story housing project are hanging on a construction sign in Los Gatos, home to a popular home improvement store. Rumors say the store will be razed and the “picturesque town” will be damaged – but that may not be true.
The Arya, a residential development proposed by developer Arya Properties LLC, could bring 182 condominiums to 15300 and 15330 Los Gatos Blvd., including 37 affordable apartments for low-income people. The possible plans include a rooftop restaurant with three levels of underground parking and the likelihood of Ace Hardware remaining on the roughly 1.91-acre site. Project applicant Ali Moayed said the developer has been in touch with the store owners, who have expressed interest in continuing the business on the ground floor of the complex.
The project is currently under review and requires city approval for one of the tallest buildings in Los Gatos.
Moayed said the city would benefit more than harm from the development.
“I think it’s a big advantage. I don’t think it’s replacing single-family homes, but for a lot of people, it’s more advantageous to live in a condo,” he told San José Spotlight. “It wouldn’t surprise me if people want to move from owner-occupied homes to something like this.”
Even though the hardware store may remain, residents in the area are still angry about the planned development.
Los Gatos resident Janice Yeh’s home is adjacent to a home improvement store. She said she would consider moving if the project is built, even though she has lived there for 12 years. She said as an architect, she usually supports new developments but is concerned about future apartment dwellers looking into her backyard.
She added that the higher number of affordable homes does not justify this amount.
“The bottom line is that nobody is moving to Los Gatos just to live in a studio apartment. People are here for the schools and the other residential areas,” Yeh told San José Spotlight. “So why are they really building this?”
The project is one of 13 developments in the city that cite a state law that makes it easier for developers to bypass local zoning and development standards to get quick approval. The provision makes it harder for the city to reject the development.
The projects are allowed to use the provision because Los Gatos was late in approving its eight-year housing plan. The city received the green light from the state in May and official certification last month, more than a year after the deadline, but redevelopment projects submitted before that point can still move forward.
The project site has been identified in the city’s development plan as a good location for future homes.
Tom Johnson, a Los Gatos resident who has lived in a home near the development for about 20 years, said he was frustrated that the city did not get state approval sooner to prevent projects like this, which would have given the city more control. He said he supports affordable housing for the average worker who can’t live in an expensive place like Los Gatos but in a place where it makes sense.
“They missed something and I find that really sad and I will fight against it with all I have,” he told San José Spotlight.
Council member Rob Moore could not comment on the project because he lives nearby, but said the city needs projects that increase affordability. He said it’s not the projects that make the city, but the residents.
“When I think about the character of Los Gatos, I think first and foremost about the people who live here, and if we kick out all the people who love this community so much, I don’t think we’re preserving the character,” he told San José Spotlight.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at (email protected) or follow @annalise_ellen on X, formerly known as Twitter.
