Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Editorials

Many will welcome Carl's Jr. on boulevard

On the face of it, Town Council members did the unthinkable on March 3. They overturned a Planning Commission decision and approved a fast-food restaurant on Los Gatos Boulevard.

Certainly, no one wants to see the boulevard lined with fast-food chains. In this particular case, though, the decision makes sense.

The new Carl's Jr. is a good solution for a building that has long stood vacant.

The restaurant will seat 92 and take advantage of the unique carousel design--which may have made the space a hard sell--by offering a children's play area in the center.

We all pay lip service to the value of white tablecloth dining in town. After all, fine dining establishments put more money in the town coffers. What's more, expensive restaurants help perpetuate the town's toney image. And they are lovely places to relax and enjoy a quiet repast.

But in real life, most of us are eating on the run, often feeding several children in between late-afternoon team practices, homework, laundry, cleaning and surfing the Internet.

For better or worse, fast food has become a necessity in many of our lives.

These restaurants not only serve food fast, they offer meals at inexpensive prices--something attractive not only to teens and young families on the run, but to senior citizens, who are frequent patrons.

Neighbor Harlan McHugh expressed concern about trash, a problem he's apparently experienced with previous tenants. The council has tried to allay the fears of the auto dealer by requiring the restaurant to keep the outside area clean as part of the conditional use permit.

Assuming Carl's Jr. is a tidy neighbor, the restaurant should be a good addition to the developing Los Gatos Boulevard.

Theater group could stage a second act

Theater lovers in Los Gatos fought the good fight. They wanted to preserve the Old Town theater. That isn't going to happen. But that could just be the end of the first act.

For the theater group to have won this battle, Old Town developers Ed Storm and Deke Hunter would have had to subsidize a theater company and cross their fingers that there would be enough community support to keep it afloat.

That's more than the developers bargained for.

The theater group could say this battle was a one-act play and let it go at that.

But if there really is the kind of enthusiasm for a theater that the group tried to convince the council there was, then members ought to muster their resources and set about to bring live theater to Los Gatos.

Contrary to what members of the group claim, the old school auditorium was not the only place in town where there could ever be a theater.

If members of the group really want a theater, they should roll up their sleeves and open their minds to all possibilities. Where there's a will, there's a way.