 |
|
|
|
|
Editorial
Design is appropriate role for commission
No one likes Planning Commission meetings that go on late into the night. Applicants who are on the tail-end of the agenda feel they don't get a fair shot because everyone's run out of steam; those at the top of the agenda feel pressure to get on and get off because it's painfully obvious if they take too long, others will have to be there till all hours.
Then there are the commissioners whose eyes are blurry and backs are sore. Are they giving their best when meetings drag on into the wee small hours?
So what's the solution? No doubt, there are those who'd like to see site and architecture removed from the commission because they'd rather be judged on the merits of their design without concern for community standards and compatibility.
While Mayor Steve Blanton's fear of a Star Chamber of architects is a bit melodramatic, we think he has a point. An architecture and site committee is one step removed from the Planning Commission. And therefore, one step removed from the people.
And then there's is the issue of conflict. Could local architects serve without conflicts of interest? On the other hand, would it make sense if the architects weren't part of the community?
While good architecture may be the goal, not all design is suitable for the community.
Which gets us back to the issue that seems to be lurking behind every discussion about planning--should planning commissioners be designing people's houses for them?
The frustration some applicants express about planning commissioners fussing over the intensity of color and the shape of the windows is understandable. Still, this "nitpicking" does address the big picture of appropriateness and compatibility.
We think site and architecture are appropriate concerns of the Los Gatos Planning Commission because of the nature of the community.
As council member Jan Hutchins pointed out, it doesn't make much sense to restrict the commission to land-use questions in a community where there is virtually no acreage left for building.
A big percentage of the applications that go through the planning process these days are for remodels. And appropriateness and compatibility are crucial components of these decisions.
We think the idea of a town architect might be worth exploring. The look of the community is vital to the preservation of town character--especially these days when prosperity is making possible homes bigger than anyone could have imagined just a few years ago.
A staff architect could provide good balance for commissioners who are passionate about the look of the community but who are not trained architects.
We dare say that with the consultation of a staff architect, commissioners might spend less time fine-tuning details of a building's design and trust the judgment of their expert.
|
|
|
|
Los Gatos, California Since 1881
