August 14, 2026
To: Mayor Page and Saratoga City Council members
Re: Masson Estates Appeal
Dear Mayor Page and Members of the Saratoga City Council,
The Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance and the Sierra Club Loma Prieta chapter are local environmental organizations whose members care deeply about our communities and their relationships with open space and nature. We urge the Saratoga City Council to uphold the Planning Commission’s denial of the proposed Masson Estates development.
The City’s EIR makes two important findings. First, Masson Estates alone would cause significant and unavoidable impacts related to emergency response, evacuation, wildland fire, and emergency access, even after mitigation. Second, when Masson Estates is considered together with other proposed development, including Encore Estates at the Mountain Winery, the combined impacts on emergency access and evacuation would also be significant and unavoidable. The EIR concludes that these cumulative impacts would remain significant and unavoidable.
These developments would add evacuation demand to the same already constrained hillside roadway network. The City’s recent evacuation study confirms that additional development would increase evacuation demand and evacuation times. During a wildfire, limited access can impede evacuation and delay emergency response, potentially allowing a fire to spread farther before it can be contained. The consequences could include loss of life and property, as well as the destruction of extensive oak woodland and other natural habitat.
In addition, Masson Estates would remove 367 trees and substantially disturb coast live oak woodland, along with riparian habitat and intermittent and ephemeral drainages connected to Calabazas Creek. These habitats support wildlife movement and provide potential habitat for nesting birds, roosting bats, salamanders, woodrats, and special-status plants. Although the EIR concludes that these biological impacts can be mitigated, they add to the ecological cost of placing substantial development within this largely undeveloped hillside landscape.
We respectfully ask the Council to deny the appeal and uphold the Planning Commission’s decision.
Sincerely,
Shani Kleinhaus, Ph.D.,
Environmental Advocate
Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance
Susan Hinton
Conservation Committee, Chair
Sierra Club Loma Prieta Chapter