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Editorials
The soup is as good as the original recipe
While the old adage about too many cooks spoiling the soup holds true in more situations than culinary ones, it's also true that a variety of cooks, each bringing his or her special talents to the mix could come up with a glorious concoction. The secret to a creative outcome lies in how well the process is conceived in the first place and then managed as the pot begins bubbling and flavors begin to blend.
Right now, Los Gatos is cooking up a revised General Plan, and from the looks of it, the original recipe was a good one: Take a cross-section of the community, including vocal town critics, and set them about the task of identifying and prioritizing issues. Then create a new task force to figure out how the General Plan could address the identified issues.
Send recommendations on to yet another group--the General Plan Committee--to create the revised General Plan.
After a process that began in 1997, the General Plan Committee has completed a draft General Plan revision that has now been reviewed by General Plan Task Force II. Soon, it will be headed to the Planning Commission and eventually the Town Council. There will also be time for public comment.
If this document doesn't reflect the convictions of the community about future growth, it's not because the process wasn't inclusive. In fact, so many people contributed at so many stages that council members can certainly trust that the document they receive is as good a reflection of what the community wants in terms of future growth as it could possibly be.
That's not to say the council has to buy the document without serious review. The original recipe calls for still more community input. And the council must listen.
It is clear from the fact that Task Force II wants the General Plan Committee to close development loopholes and strengthen sections relating to "town character," that two of the hottest topics in recent times could continue to be divisive.
Ultimately the council will have to decide not just what people in the community want, but what is good community planning.
Open Space Gift
Monte Sereno's pledge of $12,000 to help the Peninsula Open Space Trust purchase land for Bear Creek Redwood Park is worth noting. This is a city that has been trying awfully hard to do something positive for the environment, from creating open space to developing trails. But those are formidable tasks in a city with so little space.
Earlier attempts at soliciting a donation for POST failed because the property in question was not in Monte Sereno. But when council members learned that many Monte Sereno residents were park contributors, they decided the donation constituted a public benefit.
We agree. The park on the site of the former Alma College represents a unique opportunity for local public support.
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
