Browse archives: 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995

Published on 08/04/1999 All articles from this issue

Despite neighbor protests, LA Council OKs Miramonte multipurpose room

printer friendly version

By Joanne Griffith Domingue / Town Crier Staff Writer

Despite a public outcry from neighbors fearing future noise, traffic and building bulk, the Los Altos City Council approved plans for a 14,500-square-foot multipurpose room at a local private school.

Miramonte School, with an enrollment of 185 and owned by the Central Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, received design approval and a use permit at the council's July 27 meeting. The new one-story building includes a regulation-size gym, music practice rooms, storage and a kitchen.

The school is located on Altamead Drive, across from the rear entrance to Blach Junior High School.

In the 3-1 decision, Mayor Lou Becker voted no. Councilman John Moss was absent.

"It's a wonderful design," Becker said. He particularly appreciated the applicant's efforts to make the one-story building look residential by using materials compatible with the homes in the neighborhood.

"But I'm concerned about the neighbors," 80 percent of whom opposed the plans. "This is a large building. I'm disappointed there was not more effort from the applicants to work with the neighbors."

Residents were out in force at the council meeting, packing the chambers and lining the walls with a standing-room-only crowd.

Noah Mesel, spokesman for the Altamead Neighborhood Association that formed to work against the school addition, said "We oppose the gym because of greatly increased traffic and noise, especially nighttime traffic." They also feared "a severe reduction in home value," Mesel said.

The school plans meet or exceed all city requirements, said Greg Richmond, chairman of the school's building committee.

He said the landscape lighting meets the residential requirements; the plans have twice the setback of 50 feet required by the city; the site coverage will be 11 percent, when code allows up to 30 percent; and the building height is 26 feet, lower than the 27 feet allowed for two-story homes, several of which are in the neighborhood.

Noise will actually be less than it is now, Richmond said. "Currently the talent program and all instruments are played outside," because there is no classroom large enough. But with the addition, this would all be "moving inside," he said.

Los Altos parents who have children at the school spoke in favor of the addition.

"With an El Niño winter, children are in their rooms all day," said Ed Bridgeman, whose two children went to Miramonte. "More room is needed."

Currently there is no space where the school can gather together or offer PE to the K-8 grades when weather is bad.

Neighbor Dave Youlton is not happy. The new building "is bigger than my entire lot. I'm afraid of that."

And neighbor Nancy Liu is particularly bothered because the addition will be on the other side of her back fence.

"It spans my entire lot. There's nothing they said that convinces me they need a building that large," she said.

Councilman King Lear pointed out that if instead of a multipurpose room the school built 19 homes, the additional traffic and noise would exceed that from a school multipurpose room. He mentioned pool parties at 3 a.m. and barking dogs.

"I feel the impact to neighbors is less from a multipurpose room than from 19 homes," he said.

The council approval came with many conditions, including a school-neighbor facilities-use committee that will meet monthly. The city will also review the use permit after two years.