Letters

Taking parking structures above grade is wrong

I have been following the parking structure issue since the original Watry Report came out about a year ago. There have been countless Planning Commission, Town Council, Chamber, Parking Commission, and Neighborhood meetings with everything in between. I have done my best to attend many of them to keep informed and involved as I think these projects will have a dramatic effect on our town.

Throughout this past year, I witnessed the council narrow down the choices to two proposed sites on Lot 2 and Lot 6. After much discussion, research, fact finding, and community input, I heard council members say they were in favor of parking garages that were to be built at grade or below.

I was extremely disheartened to hear at the Feb. 22 council meeting that members (with the exception of Randy Attaway who was absent) want to reconsider the at-grade and below restriction due to our lack of funds.

I heard the council wanting to get numerous different estimates for many different designs, all of which were above-ground structures. I felt as if we were thrown right back to the beginning of this whole process in a matter of minutes!

Council seemed all too willing to build structures above grade because of a reduced cost. There was also discussion of looking at getting two parking structures for $12 million instead of one structure for $9.2 million. If we can't afford $9.2 million, how can we possibly afford $12 million?

And even if we could, what monstrosities would we get for that aside from two concrete monolithic boxes poking out of the ground?

In addressing the council at this same meeting, Larry Arzi brought up that it was the will of the community to keep the structures at grade and below. I have to agree. The Downtown Specific Plan states "Parking facilities in downtown Los Gatos shall be at or below grade." While it allows one level above grade on Lot 6, it also requires that "there be excellence in design, minimize impacts on adjacent property, and be consistent with the town's character." For the cost it would take to follow these guidelines and make the elevated structure consistent with the town's character, we might as well sink it into the ground. I have never seen a beautiful parking structure, either in other towns, or in any of the proposed designs for our own town.

In addition, in the Godbe public opinion survey of August 1999, it was found that Los Gatos voters were most responsive to a proposed pay-for-parking system when informed that "almost all of the new spaces will be at or below ground level" (page 7). Clearly there is a very strong desire by Los Gatos residents to keep our parking structures at or below grade.

At the Feb. 22 council meeting there was much discussion about mass, scale, excellence in design and neighborhood compatibility concerning an appeal for a home addition. I believe all these criteria are important in discerning whether a project should go forward.

Just as our projects as homeowners must be scrutinized according to these guidelines, should not the town be held to the same high standard? Should it not be exemplary in anything it builds if it is to require its citizens to do the same?

If I as a homeowner want to build or add-on to a home that is more than I can afford, then I must downsize my project or wait until I have enough money to complete it. I cannot compromise on the quality of my project nor should the town do so either. Whatever structure is built, it will essentially be with us forever. While it may cause a momentary easing of our parking pressure, it will be a permanent addition to the landscape of our town.

We cannot compromise the beauty and charm of our precious Los Gatos! Therefore, I implore the council to please reconsider elevated parking structures for a reduced cost. We can either downsize the project or find a method of paid parking that would be acceptable to the community to help fund the project.

In closing, let me say that I truly understand the very difficult position council members are in. There are many competing interests involved in the building of additional parking. I can only hope and respectfully request that the council seriously consider the ramifications of elevated parking structures in our town and what sort of legacy we want to leave behind for future residents of Los Gatos.

Carol Braham
Los Gatos

Correction

Because of an editing error, the letter from Fred Norris in the April 12 issue of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times referred to a Los Gatos/San Francisco track meeting. In fact, the letter was referring to a Los Gatos/St. Francis track meet.

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