By Rob Black
The constant rhetoric about out-of-control development in Saratoga has finally convinced me to write. I grew up in Saratoga and have lived here most of my life, but the constant whining about how terrible things have gotten is getting old.
There seems to be a highly vocal group in Saratoga that considers that the property owner has few, if any, property rights and should be strictly regulated. I think that a more moderate view is shared by the less-vocal majority: People should be able to use and improve their own property within certain established guidelines. Open space should be preserved by public acquisition of private land. Change is inevitable and should be controlled but not stopped altogether.
I am not advocating apartment complexes, wrecking yards or shopping malls, but let's face it, there isn't that much space left. Most of the flat land is developed to the level currently allowed, and those few open places left will be watched very closely by the highly vocal group. The hillsides should be the biggest concern, but growth and development should be limited by strictly enforcing the current rules, not creating new ones.
I have been through the existing planning process in Saratoga and found it is already stressful, frustrating and overburdensome. Decisions seem to be made in total disregard to facts, professional opinions or the majority view. Consider the Paul Masson property on Saratoga Avenue, for example. Under the current rules, an existing house could not be remodeled to look like one of those new homes.
The system encourages the homeowner to minimize any exterior changes, even if the proposed changes would be significant enhancements.
Our experience: We only wanted to add a second story to our home in an area where there are some but not a lot of two-story homes. We followed all of the published guidelines in our design but found that the Planning Commission had the right to deny a permit simply because members did not like two-story homes.
After sitting through several commission meetings, watching and waiting while the issue of the Kerwin Ranch was debated, our original design was rejected because it was "massive and bulky." However, out of the goodness of the commission's collective heart, we were given less than a week to come up with a new design. We quickly redesigned the roof lines and resubmitted.
The major change was to the rear elevation, which can only be seen from the homes immediately behind ours. The original design was intended to limit the view from the rear of the neighbors' homes on the sides, one of whom decided during this process that two-story homes were inappropriate in our neighborhood. When it finally came to a vote, our project was approved, 3-2.
Luckily, two commission members were absent. One of the current proponents of more regulation was one of the absent members and had previously committed to voting against our project. What the commission ignored was that the new design allowed a greater view into the side neighbors' yards than did the original design. The view was the only real complaint from the objecting neighbor.
Since we've finished construction, several strangers have stopped just to tell us how nice they think the house looks. The city offices were being expanded during this time. I wonder how many people have commented on how beautiful those buildings are. Certainly not anyone I know.
Rob Black is a Saratoga resident
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, March 27, 1996.
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