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Published on 09/14/1998 All articles from this issue

News Briefs

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Edith/San Antonio park plans on track

After decades of weeds on the vacant lot at the corner of Edith Avenue and San Antonio Road, the promised park is coming.

Bidding is going on right now for building the park. And a subcommittee is working on a process for naming the park, said Bob Rayl, Los Altos recreation director.

"If anybody wants to suggest names, that's fine," said Los Altos Mayor Kris Casto.

The last time the city named a park was Heritage Oaks in the 1970s. A sign on the land said Future Park Site, and kids began calling it Future Park, Rayl said.

Construction will begin by the end of October or early November, Rayl said, and he expects it to be a four-month project. Following a 90-day warranty period, when the city makes sure the park plantings have taken root, the city may take over the park May 1, 1999, Rayl said.

2-story OK'd on Camellia Way

A two-story remodel for Camellia Way finally got a green light. At the Sept. 16 meeting of the Los Altos Architectural and Site Control Committee, members OK'd the applicant's plans.

The Chen family has been submitting and resubmitting plans for the past 14 months. In fact, some say it was this house that triggered the current review of the city's residential guidelines.

In this current design, the applicants reduced the size of the second story, increased the side-yard setbacks and simplified some materials, said Larry Tong, Los Altos planning director.

"A and S found it to be good design, consistent with the guidelines and compatible with the neighborhood," Tong said.

"They did make significant changes," said neighbor Cindy Sidaris. But "It is still way too massive and out of scale with the neighborhood," she said. Sidaris and other Camellia neighbors appealed an earlier approval of the two-story addition. The appeal is still pending.

"Now we have to decide as a group if we'll take action," she said. "This has been going on way too long. We are sympathetic to the Chens."

Design guidelines review progressing

The residential design guidelines task force is getting its arms around what is appropriate and inappropriate design for new homes and remodels in Los Altos.

At a Sept. 16 meeting, members reviewed with slides the 12 homes they visited on their Sept. 2 field trip.

The "appropriate" designs earned comments like "bulk mitigated by setback," "landscape helps," "wood siding appears consistent."

The "inappropriate" designs lost points for bulk, discordant or poor quality materials, a discordant style or dominant garage.

"The only house we're split on is a well done two-story house in a one-story neighborhood," said Cindy Sidaris, vice chairwoman of the task force. The group is grappling with what makes a good second-story addition and if a second-story addition can fit with a one-story neighborhood.

On the field trip, "I saw some really good designs and some not so good," said Los Altos Mayor Kris Casto who serves on the task force.

"It's the people who matter, not the facades," she said.

Fall target for Rosita fields

The original spring 1999 plan for bringing playing fields to city-owned property at 401 Rosita has been changed to next fall.

Conflicting schedules between city officials, surveyors and consultants created delays that pushed the $711,000 grading project back, said recreation director Bob Rayl.

"We're confident things will proceed and we'll have grass in the fall," Rayl said.

A status report on the 401 Rosita field improvements was on the agenda for last night's Los Altos City Council meeting.

- Joanne Griffith Domingue and Town Crier staff reports