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Published on 08/14/1995 All articles from this issue

One more step to permanent St. Joseph Avenue closure

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By Jan Shaw

Special to the Town Crier

No one's singing hallelujah yet, but a recent Cupertino city council vote will probably allow St. Joseph Avenue in Los Altos to remain a quiet, narrow rural road - and not a thoroughfare from a large development planned on nearby land.

"I have reasonable hope that the three parties - Cupertino, the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Jose and Los Altos - can work out a satisfactory arrangement," said Los Altos Mayor Bob Gray.

But there are some steps that must be taken before permanent closure of St. Joseph is assured, officials said.

First, the Cupertino council's preliminary 3-2 vote last month to allow a 178-home development on Cupertino land belonging to the diocese must be made final. The vote is scheduled for Sept. 5. The diocese has said that if the council approves the development, then it would be amenable to permanently closing the gate between diocese land and St. Joseph.

Second, Los Altos and diocese officials need to make those intentions legal. That requires an agreement among the diocese, Los Altos and the courts to reverse a decision - now on appeal - that established the diocese's right to use St. Joseph.

"If the Cupertino city council approves the final 178-home development, we are hopeful that some kind of legal arrangements can be made to keep the gate closed to vehicular traffic," said Jim Dozier, who has been active in trying to permanently close the road to through traffic.

Los Altos City Attorney Bob Booth said the parties are proceeding at "deliberate speed" to see how the process plays out in Cupertino.

"We don't think the Cupertino council will change its mind so we're quite pleased from that standpoint," Booth said. "But we're less pleased with the decision to not build a second street to Stevens Creek Boulevard to take traffic pressure off Cristo Rey Drive (which is also located in Los Altos). No one seems interested in doing that over there."

Los Altos officials, responding to concerns from Cristo Rey neighbors about increased traffic from development, had hoped Cupertino's final environmental impact report would require a new road to bypass Cristo Rey. That didn't happen.

If Cupertino approves the development, which includes 165 acres of permanent open space, the only other hitch could come from the November elections.

A new Cupertino council with a different attitude to development could re-amend the general plan, said Cupertino city planner Ciddy Wordell, although there are steps the diocese could take to lock in this council's decision.

The Rev. Michael Mitchell, vicar general of the diocese, said he has "every confidence that the council will affirm its preliminary decision" and that the diocese will make every effort that assurances given in the general plan process are carried out after the election.

"We realize that we haven't been able to meet every one's objections but I don't think there is a project on earth that does that," Mitchell said. "But I believe we've come to a compromise that results in a great public benefit and achieves the goals that we wish."