By Clarence Cromwell
The Town Council finished a long agenda of business Oct. 7. Deliberating past midnight, councilmembers denied expansion of a restaurant in the La Cañada building, reaffirmed its decision on Los Gatos Christian Church School and heard complaints about the proposed parking plan for the area north of Highway 9.
The Mondeo restaurant proposed for the La Cañada building at 7 N. Santa Cruz Ave. can add more seats and sell alcohol but cannot expand into an adjacent retail space.
Because La Cañada had enough parking credits to support increased business, the restaurant can add more seats than were planned without expanding
Conversion of retail spaces to restaurants has been a concern to the council and the Planning Commission, which denied the application Aug. 28. Councilmembers said they want to protect the mix of businesses downtown.
The last-ditch effort of Los Gatos Christian Church neighbors to block expansion of the church's school has failed.
After perusing a lengthy, densely worded challenge to the project by opponent Michael Burke, the council disagreed with his claims that it defies the town's general plan and hillside plan, the documents that guide local development.
But in approving the project, they added restrictions on the hours the gymnasium and church sanctuary may operate, and they required the church to develop a circulation plan to lessen traffic impacts.
Peggy O'Laughlin, an attorney for Walgreens, told the council her client is dissatisfied with the $5,000-per-space fee the town wants to charge under its in-lieu parking fee program. Walgreens is reconsidering its plans to renovate the N. Santa Cruz Avenue store, according to O'Laughlin.
Walgreens and other merchants with insufficient parking in the area north of Highway 9 must either build as much parking as the town requires or pay a fee to let customers use town parking lots. Until they comply, they can't improve or renovate their buildings.
The council continued the subject to its Nov. 4 meeting.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, October 16, 1996.
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved