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Editorials
Apartment complex helps town's economic diversity
Approval by the town council of up to 49 apartments on Blossom Hill Road and Placer Oaks Drive may look like the end of a three-year battle, but in many ways, it's just the beginning.
Now that planned development zoning has been granted, the proposal by the Cupertino Development Corp. heads to the planning commission for the architecture and site stage of the approval process. That leaves plenty of opportunity for neighbors to express their concerns and for the developer to respond.
So far, the developer has exhibited a willingness to work with neighbors and has, among other concessions, redesigned the entrance to the apartment complex, relocated the proposed sound wall and offered to put up money for traffic mitigation in the Placer Oaks neighborhood.
Few developers have been willing to build rental housing in Los Gatos even though the cost of buying a home has made it impossible for many who work in the community to live here. While some eight of 42 planned units are expected to be priced below market value, any rental units will help ease the current housing crunch for those who earn modest incomes by today's inflated standards.
One of the strengths of Los Gatos has always been its economic diversity. The economic boom in Silicon Valley pushed up the price of housing dramatically--leaving Los Gatos in danger of becoming nothing more than a bedroom community for the wealthy.
With its unanimous approval of the apartment complex, council members clearly indicated that they place a high value on preserving diversity.
Vasona the best choice
This newspaper has supported--and continues to support--a skatepark in Los Gatos. We do hope, however, that the town is able to strike a deal with the county to build the facility at Vasona Lake County Park, because we would find it difficult to endorse putting it at Oak Meadow Park.
Mayor Joe Pirzynski is right when he argues that Oak Meadow is the "historic jewel of our park system."
Paving over 15,000 square feet of it is unthinkable. The reason the Los Gatos Community Foundation has fought so hard to put the cupola on a bandstand in Oak Meadow is because the historic cupola and the old-fashioned park are a match.
Aside from picnic tables on its outskirts, a playground that includes an historic--and recently restored--fire engine and the Billy Jones Railroad and carousel, this is a park for running in the grass, tossing a ball and stretching out to enjoy the sun.
Still, we don't see the harm of waiting 60 days to finalize the location of the bandstand. It's better to leave open the options as long as the possibility exists that both the bandstand and the skatepark may be vying for space at Oak Meadow.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
