Editorials

Doing the prep work may help builders

Mark Hansen of Barry Swenson Builder may not know what it takes to get a 72-unit housing project through the planning and rezoning process, but as a construction specialist he understands the value of good prep work.

And in Los Gatos, that means tuning in to the community.

Before sitting down with the conceptual advisory development committee and unveiling a plan as was originally scheduled, he and Doug McNelly, owner of the Los Gatos Mobile Home Park, will meet with members of the community first.

Opposition is likely to be strong and vociferous. Traffic and the continuing gentrification of Los Gatos are sure to be issues with this development of single-family detached homes and town homes.

Some in high places still are not convinced that the property should be rezoned. If it remains a mobile-home park, it goes a long way toward fulfilling the town's commitment to affordable housing.

So prep work clearly is the first step.

Hansen says he wants a project that "embodies the community of Los Gatos." That's a good start.

A developer can learn a lot and avoid ugly confrontations within the confines of Planning Commission meetings by getting together with people in the community--if the developer really listens. When SummerHill first proposed its development on Blossom Hill Road, neighbors were incensed.

By listening to them through a long series of meetings, the developer was able to defuse many of the more emotional issues, not the least of which was the simple fact that people didn't want their annual spring view of blossoms and mustard lost to a housing development.

Now, as the new houses begin to climb the hill, and prospective homebuyers parade through model homes every weekend, the pink blossoms on the trees planted in the orchard buffer between the street and the homes have given way to young leaves, and a blanket of yellow has spread among the trees, arriving a little late this year.

The outcome of this major proposal that calls for replacing a mobile home park with houses and town houses will have a lot to do with how well the builders do their prep work.

Plan for the summer

For those who love being a part of the community and having a say in the future of their home town, this summer offers an opportunity to make a difference. The General Plan update, two years in the making, will be the subject of many public hearings.

Right now, the environmental impact report is available for those who want a sneak preview of the plan as well as an analysis of the environmental impacts of growth in the plan.

It's not exactly what most people have in mind when they talk about summer reading, but for anyone who wants to be a part of the solution instead of the problem, it's must-reading.

Photos: Bunny's Fun Hunt brings out a flock of kids to hunt eggs

DeCinzo: MROSD rangers disciplined

LGUSD board explores solutions to facilities problems

Photo: Children's Fantasy Faire

Pictures From the Past

Sports Briefs

Los Gatos beats Saratoga twice in baseball

Heather Hennessy breaks idol Stephanie Chavez's record

Fisher girls earn two firsts, two seconds in volleyball

William McCalister leads LGHS tennis team to victory