Los Gatos commission outlines parking, noise and monitoring conditions for West Valley Muslim Association, continues permit to May 13

The Los Gatos Planning Commission on April 22 directed staff to prepare revised conditions for a modification to the conditional use permit for the West Valley Muslim Association (WVMA) on Farley Road, after extended public testimony, mediation status updates and a lengthy commission debate about parking, noise and attendance limits.

Chair Burch opened the continued hearing and staff planner Jocelyn Schutman explained the item had been continued from March 31 and that additional desk items and public comments had been submitted. Town Attorney Whalen clarified the record and said staff reviewed prior video evidence and found a circulating claim about an antisemitic or Islamophobic remark at an earlier meeting was not made; she also said outside posts (Nextdoor) do not represent the commission’s deliberative record.

The commission reopened the public portion to hear mediation updates. An applicant representative said the mosque offered multiple mediation options including low- or no-cost mediators and a proposed April 17 session, which the neighbors declined; the neighbors’ representative said they had researched nine mediators and faced financial constraints, and that some free options had late availability into 2026.

Much of the hearing focused on prayer schedules, peak attendance and parking. The applicant provided attendance estimates: weekday Fajr (pre‑dawn) services about 20–50 people and weekends up to about 100; Isha (evening) services typically 80–100 on weekdays and 150–200 on weekends; Friday Jummah roughly 400–500; and Ramadan peaks with reported attendance that can reach roughly 500–850 on the highest nights. The applicant said peak Ramadan nights might see several hundred vehicles and described efforts to secure off‑site parking agreements and to transition to quieter electric equipment.

Commissioners debated two approaches to manage neighborhood impacts: numerical attendance ceilings for specified prayer times or limitations tied to available parking. Town Attorney Whalen advised that any attendance limits affecting religious exercise must pass a three‑part legal test (no substantial burden, a compelling government interest and least‑restrictive means), and she recommended a parking‑based limit (vehicles) as a more defensible, objective restriction.

Vice Chair Burnett moved approval of staff’s draft resolution with numerous additional conditions including off‑site parking during Ramadan, a requirement to submit a parking-lot expansion application within six months to add at least 23 spaces, a fence‑and‑hedgerow mitigation plan, annual compliance reviews, and a condition addressing amplified sound. Commissioners debated specific language for an amplified‑sound restriction; Whalen advised the town code allows amplified sound only if it complies with code or if specifically authorized, and said any broader prohibition should document why it meets the legal test.

After an initial pair of tied votes, the commission reconvened following a short recess and passed a compromise motion that folded in the maker’s conditions with a parking‑based limit: for general hours the mosque’s Fajr and Isha vehicle usage will be limited to the site’s on‑site parking (currently 180 spaces), and for the Ramadan evening services leased off‑site parking may be counted to accommodate known peak needs; the commission also directed staff and the attorney to prepare enforceable conditions and return the item to the May 13 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.

Town staff and the town attorney will draft the revised conditions of approval consistent with the commission’s direction and return the application for final action at the May 13 Planning Commission meeting. Paulson confirmed there would be no immediate appeal during the continuance.

What the commission adopted is direction to prepare enforceable COAs rather than final, finalized permit language; the item will return for a final vote with the revised conditions.