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Planning Commission approves vineyard, grading permit for Cerro Vista Drive property
Summary
The Los Gatos Planning Commission approved a grading permit and conditional use permit for a private vineyard at 16135 Cerro Vista Drive, including a 231-cubic-yard cut, an 8-foot deer-fence exception and limited hillside exceptions; appeal rights to the Town Council were explained.
The Town of Los Gatos Planning Commission voted unanimously Feb. 25 to approve site improvements, a grading permit and a conditional use permit to allow a vineyard greater than 3,000 square feet at 16135 Cerro Vista Drive (APN 537-30-018).
Project planner Sury Nathan told commissioners the proposal includes a crawl space and stairway that "will create an additional 231 cubic yard of grading," and that the project meets town code requirements for floor area, building coverage, parking and height. The applications are listed in the record as SDash25Dash036 (architecture/site) and UDash25Dash006 (conditional use permit).
Joel Lemons, who filled in for the applicant, described how the patio and outdoor kitchen extend beyond the typical floor level and said the area under the kitchen is "not usable space because it's it's under the limit for habitable space," characterizing the additional excavation as storage and mechanical space. Commissioners asked whether the removed material would be exported; Lemons said the spoils would "probably be distributed on the site" but he would confirm whether export was required.
Vice Chair Barnett moved to approve the request, saying the commission could "make all of the findings in Exhibit 12" and incorporating the amended improvement plan shown on Exhibit 15; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously with one commissioner absent. Town staff clarified that any grading would be reviewed by the parks and public works division and that on-site spoils must meet compaction and engineering standards if reused.
Town staff (Mullen) explained appeal rights, saying the commission's decision "can be appealed to the town council by any interested person as defined by town code section 29.1 0.02" and that appeals must be filed within 10 days on forms available online with fees paid. The project file and related exhibits will remain available per usual public-record procedures.
The decision completes the Planning Commission's review stage; appeals must be filed within the 10‑day window to move the matter to the Town Council.
