Who: Old Town theater supporters
What: Appeal to Town Council of the Planning Commission's decisions to give architecture and site approval for Old Town and approval for the partial demolition and rehabilitation of the Old Town shopping complex
When: Monday, March 3, in the Town Council Chambers
Background: A group of theater enthusiasts, in a last-ditch effort to save the Old Town Theater, a one-time school auditorium, has filed a formal appeal to overturn the Planning Commission's approval of the proposal to partially demolish and rehabilitate Old Town and to build an addition above the parking lot across the street. Theater enthusiasts say they don't want to halt the renovation of Old Town, but they do want to force the developers to save the theater, which once housed a thriving company but which has fallen into disrepair and been dormant for several years. The small core of theater supporters has grown in recent months, and the group's attempt to force a referendum on the Old Town project did stimulate some interest in local theater.
What's at Stake: The theater people want Old Town developers to renovate the theater and offer "reasonable" rent for a theater company that would establish the theater as its home. The theater supporters hope that getting the decision overturned will give them the leverage they need to force the developers to save the theater. Developers Deke Hunter and Ed Storm maintain, however, that to make the project viable, the space where the theater now exists must become retail. A decision to overturn the Planning Commission could, at the very least, cause further delays in the Old Town renovation.
Staff Reports: Call the Planning Department, 354-6872.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, February 26, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.