Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Blame El Niño for Old Town's request to open Borders early

Steamers awaits new building across University Avenue

Edelen Ave. still unresolved

By Jeff Kearns

With construction on parts of Old Town ahead of schedule and other parts lagging behind, developers are looking for permission to let the chain bookstore Borders move in ahead of schedule, possibly as early as Aug. 10 or 12.

Deke Hunter and Ed Storm, who manage the property for Maryland-based Federal Realty Investment Trust, were dealt a five-month delay by heavy winter rains, which temporarily halted construction on the new building on the east side of University Avenue, but Storm says work is ahead of schedule on the remodeled section of the shopping center. Federal recently brought in a new contractor for the new building.

Hunter and Storm bring their request to the Planning Commission July 22, asking to modify the terms of the project's conditional-use permit to allow Borders to move in early.

Steamers restaurant, which will re-open across the street when the new building is finished, was supposed to be demolished to make way for a parking lot before Borders opens, but the rain delays will make that almost impossible.

Planner Sandy Baily, who is handling the Old Town project, said that her staff report would recommend approval to the planning commissioners, because the site will have adequate parking.

In a June 10 letter of justification, the developers told the town that Old Town will have 82 spaces with Steamers still on the property, as opposed to 112 during the interim as originally approved. The final parking count will not change.

"We find it necessary to take this interim step, and we are making more progress on 'old' Old Town than we are on the new building across University Avenue," the letter says. "However, we are expediting the construction of the building across the street and, hopefully, we will have the underground parking structure ready in the next 90 days."

Most business owners aren't sweating the probable early opening of the bookstore. Shirley Henderson, who owns the Antiquarium at University Avenue and Main Street, says she's looking forward to the increased foot traffic the new story will bring to the area.

"The town isn't that busy right now," said Kurt Lemons, owner of Upstream Flyfishing on N. Santa Cruz Avenue. "It's a reasonable request, and we don't even have a bookstore downtown."

But Los Gatos Porch owner Larry Arzie doesn't think so. "Borders will burden the parking for the other stores," he said. "It's not fair."

Lisa Staywell, the new store's general manager, says the opening date is still up in the air. "There are no definite dates, yet, but we're hoping for the end of August," she said. Staywell says she has been hiring, but it will take about three weeks from the move-in date to get the store ready for business.

At 24,000 square feet on two levels, Staywell says, the Los Gatos Borders will be one of the smaller stores in the 200-store chain. In addition to books, the store will sell music and videos. There will also be a cafe, with seating in an outdoor courtyard.

Another condition of the use permit is that Edelen Avenue will be blocked off at Mullen Avenue to keep overflow traffic from clogging the residential streets around the development. Storm says he's ready to build the traffic barrier, but he's still waiting for the town to clarify issues raised by the neighborhood.

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