West Valley may build new homes in risky fire zones

California is requiring two West Valley communities to build thousands of homes, while the state is ringing alarm bells over increasing fire risk where some of these homes might be constructed.Cal Fire released updated fire hazard severity maps for the first time since 2011 last month — and Los Gatos and Cupertino are in the crosshairs. Los Gatos and Cupertino‘s fire risk has spiked since 2011, with more than 1,000 acres in the red.

Both communities, reliant on the Santa Clara County Fire Department, must adopt the changes by June. Both municipalities have more than a dozen projects combined — single-family homes in the pipeline and larger proposed developments — that fall in the updated risk zones.Some of the proposed projects in the very high risk zone are using builder’s remedy, a state law exempting developers from local zoning standards enacted when municipalities are late earning state approval on mandated housing plans.



Those projects include a 58-home development at 101 S. Santa Cruz Ave. and a 12-home development at 178 Twin Oaks Drive in Los Gatos.

A separate Cupertino project filed using Senate Bill 330 — a law that makes it easier to build affordable and moderately priced housing — is also in the red. The project plans for 51 townhomes between 10857 and 10887 Linda Vista Drive.Cupertino Councilmember R “Ray” Wang said he’s worried about how the new maps will affect future residents’ ability to get fire insurance if the developments go through.

Traditional insurance companies statewide are refusing to protect homes in high fire risk zones, forcing residents to turn to costly state insurance. Insurers dropped dozens of Los Gatos homeowners last year before the Palisades fire in Southern California destroyed thousands of acres.“How do we make sure that (residents are) safe and protected? What mitigation measures will need to be there?” Wang told San José Spotlight.

“Those fire maps are going to change how we look at zoning in the long run.” Related Stories January 29, 2025 What happens to South County firefighters as district dissolves? January 24, 2025 West Valley city with highest fire risk seeks emergency manager September 23, 2024 Los Gatos homeowners risk losing fire insurance Justin Stockman, fire captain with the Santa Clara County Fire Department, said the department is helping the municipalities parse through the fire risk changes and how they can build responsibly. Cupertino must build 4,588 homes by 2031 to meet state mandates, while Los Gatos is prepping for nearly 2,000 homes.

Los Gatos Vice Mayor Rob Moore said the town has been careful to plan for housing in areas not at risk of wildfire to address the housing crisis, but builder’s remedy complicates the issue.“In my view, it is true that builder’s remedy takes away a lot of discretion from the local government,” he told San José Spotlight. “There are still important regulations that remote developments have to comply with, and I hope that anything that is proposed in a very high fire zone understands Los Gatos’ position as a community that is deeply concerned about our risk of wildfire.

”The updated maps haven’t deterred the development community or real estate business.Mark von Kaenel, a real estate broker in the local industry since 1993, said prospective buyers looking in Los Gatos aren’t put off by costly fire insurance bills, even if they’re forced to enroll in the California FAIR plan. The state insurance provides fire coverage for homes in high fire risk zones traditional insurers such as State Farm won’t protect.

Von Kaenel said despite that, realtors should tell their buyers about the issues with fire insurance.“It really does rely on the agents to fully educate their buyers to this, because we do have full-time homebuyers or people that are relocating to the area (who) don’t understand that insurance is a major issue and a major expense when they’re buying these homes,” he told San José Spotlight.Kurt Anderson, principal at Anderson Architects which is working on the plans for 101 S.

Santa Cruz Ave., said his firm follows the wildland urban interface building code requiring developers to reduce wildfire risk. Mitigation measures include fire-resistant construction materials and defensible space, which creates a buffer between the project and surrounding vegetation to slow the spread of fire.

Anderson said the firm would say no to a proposal in a high-risk area if the costs of the extra steps needed to ensure safety didn’t pencil out. He added it’s a fine balance between fire risk and housing needs, but said there are many customers who choose to live in higher risk zones and feel safer living in homes that were built using fire-resistant materials.“You got to be prepared to be proactive and aggressive and go the extra mile to save your building right? Because insurance is sure not gonna replace it,” he told San José Spotlight.

Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.The post West Valley may build new homes in risky fire zones appeared first on San José Spotlight.

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