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Published on 10/27/1999 All articles from this issue

Council kicks play-structure issue to commission

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By Joanne Griffith Domingue

Special to the Town Crier

Los Altos residents may soon need a building permit to hang a swing in the front yard or build a treehouse in the back. At its Oct. 12 meeting, the Los Altos City Council voted to send the issue of play-structure regulation to the city's planning commission "for consideration."

"I'm concerned that there (currently) are no regulations, especially regarding safety and privacy," said Mayor Lou Becker.

On the other hand, "I don't want to get carried away with regulation," said Councilwoman Kris Casto. "Play structures reflect a friendly community."

She called treehouses and play structures "good family projects."

Two such projects in town, a treehouse in a back yard on St. Joseph Avenue and a swing set in a front yard on St. Charles Court, fuel the current controversy regarding play structures.

James Dunford is not happy about the treehouse he can see from his backyard. A Robinhood Court resident, his yard is downhill from his neighbors on St. Joseph Avenue.

When his neighbor above him built a treehouse, Dunford, concerned about his loss of privacy, called the city and wrote letters. "It's visible from six of the eight windows in the back of my house," he told the council. "From my bed, I look up at a window on the side (of the treehouse). We cannot escape the influence of this structure."

Harold Robinson built the 56-square-foot treehouse for his two daughters. It's 20 feet from his rear property line, "and modest compared to others," he told council members. "We talked with three city officials, and we did not need a permit. We've taken every measure we could think of" to be sensitive to privacy issues.

"We even took a leaf down to the paint store to match the paint" so the painted treehouse would match the "canopy of the tree," Robinson said.

But that's not enough for the Dunfords.

"We want the council to regulate play structures," Dunford said.

On St. Charles Court, the play structure is in the front yard. The colorful swings and climbing apparatus sit at the end of the cul-de-sac, accessible from the street.

One neighbor is not happy.

"Would you like this park-like structure next to your house?" Jack Kwei asked councilmembers.

"It affects my property values and the safety of my children because it is not guarded," Kwei said. He wants the council to enforce "privacy, safety and property values."

Councilman Francis La Poll said he doesn't like "putting in ordinances that we don't need." But he was concerned about safety issues and aesthetics.

Councilman John Moss agreed that "perhaps it is out of place in the front yard. Let the planning commission decide."

"None of us is against treehouses," said Councilman King Lear. "But some type of better process is needed."