Saratoga News

Neighbors indicate approval for 'Hayfield House' project

Pinn Brothers worked with local residents

By Sarah Lombardo

Neighbors bordering land on which a historic Julia Morgan house stands seem content with plans for the property's subdivision, if their comments to the Saratoga Planning Commission are any indication.

"In total summary, we are in support of this project," Curt Garbe, a Barksdale Court resident, said. "The bottom line is that we have been working with Pinn Brothers [Construction] for the last nine months ... and we feel comfortable that [they] have been very responsive to our needs."

"I think it's a fine design," a Douglass Lane neighbor said.

Plans for the land include the subdivision of about 19 acres located between Douglass Lane and La Paloma Avenue into 15 individual lots. The houses would be accessed by two cul-de-sacs, and the neighborhood would include a riparian easement along Wildcat Creek and a pedestrian footpath between the two cul-de-sacs, in addition to one that already runs through a portion of the land. The property's Julia Morgan house, known as the "Hayfield House" and built in 1919, would remain untouched on about three acres of land, but another home and a gatehouse are slated to be torn down.

The Planning Commission could not take action--or even open a public hearing--on the issue because the public review of an environmental impact study is still ongoing. In addition, the Planning Commission did not have enough members present Feb. 25 to have a quorum; commissioners Richard Siegfried and Marcia Kaplan were absent, and Cheryl Martlage excused herself because she is a neighbor of the proposed subdivision.

But although neighbors said they were pleased overall with the proposal, some said they still had some concerns about the traffic and the preservation of the other structures on the property.

"The gatehouse itself has been a landmark in the area," said a Douglass Lane resident, who also questioned whether anyone was going to see to the repair of La Paloma Avenue and Douglass Lane when construction--and the traveling of large trucks on the streets--had ended.

Other neighbors simply said they were sorry to see the open space go.

"This is a rather solemn moment for this neighborhood," one resident said. "This property is really a gem."

The issue is scheduled to return to the Planning Commission March 11. A final decision is expected later in the month.

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