The rhetoric leading up to the March 26 vote on the utility-users tax might have led some to believe that this year's budget hearings would turn into a veritable barnyard brawl.
There was a strong suggestion by those who opposed the measure that the people had lost confidence in the Town Council and that residents would pack the council chambers during the budget hearings to help guide leaders who were adrift without a compass.
On the other hand, the spirit of cooperation and the broad community involvement in the Los Gatos Boulevard design charrette suggested that the community would happily embrace the new structure at the corner of Blossom Hill Road and Los Gatos Boulevard.
Instead, the budget hearings so far have elicited a big yawn, and the Byer Center is creating near-hysteria in some corners.
It's hard to figure. When Los Gatans had an opportunity to tell town officials whether they were willing to cut services during a series of community forums, back when today's budget crisis was still a blip on the radar screen, the few people who showed up said: Don't cut services.
It was from those same forums that the council got what it believed was a nod for the utility tax.
But when the question was actually put to a vote, the people said: No way! Now the people are staying away in droves from the budget hearings even though programs will definitely be cut.
It seems to suggest that Los Gatans are happy to let town officials do whatever they want with the budget--just so long as they don't have to pay any new taxes.
Meanwhile, lots of folks are weighing in on the Byer Center. Some have written letters to the editor, and others have contacted the Planning Commission.
Critics are calling the structure, designed by Kenneth Rodrigues and Partners Inc., an eyesore. Many say it's too big and too close to the street. Some have questioned why anyone would tamper with the look that to date has defined Los Gatos Boulevard--suburban sprawl and big parking lots full of cars.
What's the problem here? After all, this is the first major structure to be built following the principles set forth in the well-attended design charrette and followup meeting.
Didn't everyone agree that Stevens Creek Boulevard was not an appropriate model for Los Gatos Boulevard? Didn't literally everyone say they didn't want the boulevard dotted with little strip malls?
Could it be that, in spite of its good intentions, the design charrette produced a set of principles that many of those in attendance didn't have the professional design skills to fully comprehend?
Perhaps one has to be a trained architect to understand that "pedestrian-friendly," a phrase much in favor at the charrette, means buildings close to the street with parking hidden from view.
It may very well be that a day and an evening of brainstorming by nonprofessionals was not enough of a basis on which to base design principles or the architectural guidelines currently being hammered out.
The only thing that seems certain is that when the council encourages participation in the decision-making process, there's no predicting what will come of it.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, May 1, 1996.
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