It was a foregone conclusion. The Sobrato Development Company met a receptive panel when its representative, John Shenk, went before the Los Gatos Town Council on April 23 to request a modification to its already approved plan to develop the property on Winchester Boulevard between Lark Avenue and Highway 85.
Sobrato had approval to construct two buildings of 120,000-square feet for research and development and office space adjacent to a 290-unit residential complex. But when Netflix expressed interest in moving from its University Avenue home to the Winchester site—and required an additional 40,000-square feet for its operation—Sobrato asked for approval to modify the project.
The planning commission voted to approve the modification, but noted six areas of concern: the increase in building height from 49 feet, six inches to 55 feet; the lease parameters; the elimination of wheel stops in the parking garage; a freeway sign advertising Netflix on the side of one of the buildings; the community benefit of $50,000 to be made available for public works improvement; and the removal of excess dirt due to the larger project.
The council addressed all of those concerns at the special meeting on Friday afternoon. Once satisfied with the cooperation of Sobrato and Netflix on four of the items the only contentious issues that remained were building height and signage visible from Highway 85.
To a member, the council stressed the importance of maintaining the 49 feet, 6 inch height limit, and they all voiced concern over the look of the signage on the freeway side of the project. Despite the concerns, though, the council voted 4-1 to approve the modified plan, Councilwoman Sandy Decker the lone voice of opposition.
"This is going to be a unique property, and it goes a long way toward enhancing our community," said Councilman Joe Pirzynski, his enthusiasm echoed by other council members.
But while council members were supportive of the Sobrato expansion and the idea of keeping Netflix and all of its sales tax and property tax dollars in town, they were also cautious.
Before voting her support, Councilwoman Diane McNutt told Sobrato and Netflix that she was going to "encourage staff to be incredibly tough on you."
At the end of the day, the council decision changes little in regards to the Sobrato construction on Winchester Boulevard—the development company already had approval to construct a facility on the site. It does, however, allow the town to keep a business here that generates more tax dollars than any other business in Los Gatos. And in the current economic climate, that's certainly not a bad decision.
Still, it's incumbent upon Sobrato and Netflix to now be good neighbors. Given the favorable ruling by the town, they need to work in good faith within the parameters requested by the council on the issue of building height and the installation of a freeway sign that will be keeping with the charater of the town.
