Health & Fitness
Restore Saratoga Opposes Raising Commercial Height Limits
Go to www.restoresaratoga.com to sign the petitiion opposing the increase in Saratoga commercial height limits.
The Saratoga Planning Commission and City Council are reviewing commercial height limits in Saratoga and are contemplating raising those limits to encourage multi-story/mixed-use development.
Restore Saratoga is opposed to this change.
In 2010 the Council voted to reverse the nearly 60-year history of a two-story building restriction throughout the city.
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Shortly after that unprecedented action, a group of concerned citizens formed “Restore Saratoga.”
The group was formed to qualify an initiative for the November 2010 election. Its purpose was to reverse the Council's April decision.
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After multiple meetings between Restore Saratoga, the Council and city staff, the Council agreed to place a measure on the ballot that would limit the building height of mixed-use and commercial development. The measure became known as Measure Q.
Restore Saratoga raised approximately $12,000 but the opposition (primarily funded by the CA State Realtors' PAC, headquartered in L.A.) raised more than $50,000.
The result was that Measure Q lost by 204 votes out of a total of 14,082 votes cast.
Although Restore Saratoga officially began in 2010, the residents of Saratoga, using the slogan, "Keep it Rural," voted to incorporate and establish their own City government in 1956, according to the late Willys Peck.
Ever since, Saratoga's residents have been fighting to maintain a low density, semi-rural, scenic respite from the bustling cities surrounding us.
Recent successes include the hillside initiative, Measure G, and The Saratoga Prospect Center.
Officially, Restore Saratoga currently has more than 300 members; however, there are thousands of residents who support maintaining Saratoga as a unique primarily residential quiet community that is surrounded by lush sparsely populated hillsides.
With developers' efforts to once again raise the height limits, Restore Saratoga has recently started an online petition.
The petition states that signatories want to maintain a 20-foot height limit in the Quito, Argonaut and The Gateway areas.
The petition may be signed by going to RestoreSaratoga.com and clicking the red button.
Please sign our petition to the Saratoga Planning Commission/Saratoga City Council opposing these changes.