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Published on 06/16/1999 All articles from this issue

Miramonte plans made in good faith

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Editorial

Nothing like a proposed multipurpose building to get a neighborhood up in arms. Approximately 120 neighbors contributed signatures to a May 17 petition asking the Central Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which runs Miramonte School on Altamead Drive, to significantly scale back plans for the sake of neighborhood peace and quiet.

We respect residents' wishes for minimum traffic and noise impacts. At the same time, we commend the applicant for addressing neighborhood concerns by modifying the project. These modified plans were approved at the May 28 Los Altos Planning Commission meeting.

Changes included reducing parking stalls from 99 to 71 spaces; increasing the western setback from 35 to 50 feet; eliminating windows on one side, which had residents comparing the design to the Titanic; and added landscaping. Although the proposed building was increased in size by 1,065 feet, to 14,540 square feet, city staff noted "the perception of bulk has generally been reduced by the integration of trellises, roof changes and the one-story addition to the western elevation" - less like a ship, and more in tune with surrounding residential homes.

We feel the applicants in this case have met the neighbors at least half-way, especially in screening the project with trees and changing the architecture from a warehouse look to a more homey appearance.

Neighbors' concerns are justified. They don't want a "sports arena," as one of them put it, a large building that could draw crowds for a wide range of events. Plans include a gym with a high school regulation-size basketball court, two regulation-size volleyball courts and music rooms.

However, the building provides more adequate space for current school activities and will be subject to restrictive conditions, such as limited hours. And the building, while large, is on a property approximately 25 times larger that surrounding residences.

Consider that the same school property at one time housed more than 400 students as a Japanese school. Also consider that nearby Blach Junior High School also will house Loyola School students during that school's renovation in the Los Altos School District's $94.7 million rebuilding plan. Such traffic and noise impacts appear to dwarf the Miramonte project.

Still, we understand that neighbors do not want something that has the potential for disturbing neighborhood ambiance. If plans go forward, we ask the city to keep close tabs on Miramonte, for the sake of residents' peace of mind.

focusing on new construction a 150-student private school, when nearby Blach Junior High School, in the same neighborhood, has a much larger enrollment that will draw even more students and traffic once Los Altos School District construction plans take place in 2000. Loyola School students will be housed at the Blach campus for an entire school year while Loyola construction takes place. The difference here is that public schools are exempt from many zoning laws, but private schools aren't.