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Residents press Los Altos Hills council to protect O'Keefe Open Space amid housing‑site debate
Summary
Dozens of residents urged the council to preserve the O'Keefe Open Space Preserve and to avoid rezoning protected open space for multifamily housing; commenters raised CEQA and Brown Act concerns about a proposed citizen initiative and asked for alternative, distributed housing sites.
Dozens of Los Altos Hills residents spoke during the Jan. 15 public‑comment period to oppose proposals that would rezone the O'Keefe Open Space Preserve for housing and to urge the council to pursue other housing‑element options.
Speakers described the preserve as essential wildlife habitat and a community asset; several recounted sightings of hawks, bobcats, owls and other wildlife and warned that development there would cause permanent, hard‑to‑reverse ecological damage. Others emphasized a narrow single egress in the neighborhood and said adding high density housing would create safety risks during wildfire or other evacuations.
Multiple speakers alleged the council or staff had coordinated with selected residents to draft ballot language and that the council had discussed using a citizen initiative to evade CEQA environmental review; those accusations referenced a demand letter received in mid‑December and prompted the city attorney, Ms. Sly, to summarize the special meeting earlier the same day. Ms. Sly told the public that staff and legal counsel concluded no reportable Brown Act actions had occurred at that earlier session and explained the legal difference between a council‑initiated measure (which triggers CEQA) and a voter‑initiated citizens’ initiative.
Speakers asked the council to withdraw any proposal that would rezone voter‑protected open space and to look instead for distributed sites that would meet regional housing requirements while preserving the town’s conserved lands. A number of residents urged formation of a standing housing committee, not only ad hoc subcommittees, to increase transparency in long‑term housing planning.
Council members acknowledged the depth of local concern and said staff will continue to engage on the housing element amendment; Director Bradford presented a report on pending SB 330 applications for Twin Oaks and adjacent properties and said several applications are incomplete or raise questions about Williamson Act land swaps and density. Bradford also said any major rezoning would require general‑plan and zoning amendments and would trigger additional public review.
The council took no immediate land‑use action on O'Keefe at the Jan. 15 meeting; items related to housing element amendment timing and site suitability remain on the calendar for further hearings and staff follow up.
