By Anne Gelhaus
With a little help from Robie Lane residents, the Town Council last week hashed out what will probably be the final refinements to Calvary Church's expansion plans.
The church's neighbors on Robie Lane have opposed the plans primarily because of proposals to expand the parking lot and to make the new multi-use building two stories high. Many Robie Lane residents who spoke at a Feb. 5 public hearing pointed out errors in the town's staff report and requested a few more revisions to Calvary's plan.
The plan calls for a 6-foot-high gate to block vehicle access to Robie Lane, but Jim Lowe pointed out that the existing fence along that road is only 2 feet tall. Mayor Randy Attaway agreed that the gate should be the same height as the fence.
The council also agreed to the neighbors' request that the new parking lot's gate be closed at 5 p.m. daily instead of 8 p.m., as was originally noted in the staff report.
Planning Director Lee Bowman said the time of gate closure will be moved up only after a signal light is installed at Los Gatos Boulevard and Nino Avenue. The church has agreed to pay 25 percent of the costs involved in installing the signal light; the rest will come from the town's Capital Improvement Program budget.
Councilmember Joanne Benjamin asked that bus pickup at Calvary be restricted to the front of the building, rather than the parking lot. She also asked that the church let neighbors know whenever a special event is being held: The town has restricted the church's hours of operation to Sunday-Thursday, 7 a.m.-10 p.m., and Friday-Saturday, 7 a.m.-midnight; the church may exceed these hours only 28 times a year.
Attaway said the council will vote on a formal resolution that includes all these changes at its Feb. 20 meeting.
"We're looking for a final refinement," he added.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 14, 1996.
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