Regarding the “Meet the Six Candidates” article, the Farley Road Neighborhood Coalition (FRNC) does not dispute that Commissioner Rob Stump advocated attendance and parking-related conditions during the Planning Commission’s review of U-24-010; however, the administrative record does not establish that his advocacy caused SCCFD to reduce an official occupancy limit from 1,214 to 566. The Santa Clara County Fire Department subsequently stated that 682 is the established occupant load based on Town historical records. These are separate issues and should not be conflated.
Furthermore, the Town’s own approved CUP list demonstrates that Los Gatos has historically approved a wide range of attendance levels and operating hours for religious and educational institutions. Examples include Los Gatos United Methodist Church (552 persons), Calvary Church/Global Community Church (1,680 persons), Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center (560 students), Venture Christian Church (1,901 seats/2,812 persons), Congregation Shir Hadash (250 regular/450 special), and Faith Lutheran/Mariposa Montessori (220).
FRNC is not asserting that every institution must have identical conditions. Rather, these records demonstrate that the appropriate question is whether the Town is applying consistent, neutral, and objectively supported land-use, parking, traffic, noise, and life-safety standards to comparable institutions.
Farley Road Neighborhood Coalition
via email
Editor’s note: The Santa Clara County Fire Department shared an update about the mosque occupancy confusion with the Los Gatan on Tuesday.
“Unfortunately, the formal permit process was not utilized. Several entities made multiple attempts to obtain information regarding occupancy. This resulted in multiple numbers being released, creating the confusion we are currently experiencing,” a spokesperson said.
“The applicant has submitted an architectural egress analysis through a building permit application with the Town of Los Gatos. SCCFD has completed its concurrent review of the building permit application for compliance with the fire code.”
“The occupant load is 682; this is based on the Town’s official records, which are dated 1989.”
From the Town of Los Gatos:
The Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center CUP does not provide a maximum limit on the congregation population or number of seats, only on the number of students enrolled at one time.
- “Conditional Use Permit U-07-152 for the Los Gatos United Methodist Church states that the congregation shall be limited to a maximum of 552 persons. The approved hours of operation state that activities shall be completed by 12:00 a.m., seven days a week.
- Conditional Use Permit U-02-009 for the Calvary Church of Los Gatos states that the maximum number of seats used for worship shall not exceed 1,680. The approved hours of operation state that activities shall be completed by 12:00 a.m., on Friday and Saturday.
- Conditional Use Permit U-01-005 for the Addison-Penzak Jewish Community Center states that the maximum school population shall not exceed 560 children at any given time. The conditions of approval do not provide a maximum limit on the congregation population or number of seats. The approved hours of operation state that activities shall be completed by 12:00 a.m., on Friday through Sunday. Closing hours may be extended to 1:30 a.m. on a Friday or Saturday no more than once a month.
- Conditional Use Permit U-02-004 for the Venture Christian Church states that the maximum number of seats used for worship shall not exceed 1,901. The congregation shall be limited to a maximum of 2,812 persons for Sunday services. The approved hours of operation state that activities shall be completed by 8:00 p.m., on Sunday.
- Conditional Use Permit U-07-154 for the Congregation Shir Hadash states that the congregation shall be limited to a maximum of 250 persons or 450 persons for a special holiday worship service. The approved hours of operation state that Shabbat services shall be completed by 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.
- Conditional Use Permit U-25-002 for the Faith Lutheran Church/Mariposa Montessori states that worship services in the main church sanctuary shall be limited to a maximum of 220 persons. The approved hours of operation state that activities shall be completed by 10:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday.”
