By Clarence Cromwell
A referendum that would have yanked the carpet from under Hunter-Storm's plans to renovate Old Town shopping center never showed up at Town Hall.
"Jan. 15 at 5 o'clock was it, so it's dead in the water," said Senior Deputy Town Clerk MarLyn Rasmussen, on Jan. 16.
Lynn Kennedy, an organizer of the referendum drive, said time ran out on the signature collectors, and they fell short of 10 percent of the town's registered voters.
"It's unfortunate we got organized too late," Kennedy said. "We felt we had a great deal of support out there."
Kennedy believes the group could have gathered a sufficient number of signatures, had it used the entire 30-day waiting period after council members voted on the initiative Dec. 16.
If theater supporters had obtained enough signatures, the referendum would have forced the town to either repeal permissions for Old Town's massive renovation or let voters decide. The referendum group hoped to force Old Town to renovate the theater and lease it to a theater troupe for a low rent.
Ed Storm, of Hunter-Storm Properties, said he wishes people would look at his whole project, rather than oppose it simply for the lack of a theater revival.
"To be honest with you," Storm said, "I've never had a written proposal in over a year. I always say, 'Give me something I can respond to.' "
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, January 22, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.