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Council, Argonaut officials resolve neighborly dispute
The owners want first-class center
By Steve Enders
When Starbucks Coffee faced city planners to allow outside seating at its new coffee shop in Argonaut Shopping Center, neighbors vigorously protested, eventually calling on the City Council to do something.
Nick Streit and Evan Baker agreed to represent the council, and said they'd set up a meeting between the parties to iron out the differences.
Then Jamba Juice followed Starbucks, and the brouhaha grew to even greater proportions.
Making good on their promise, Streit, Baker and Community Development Director James Walgren have met with Argonaut owners Paul Hulme and Carole Rodoni. Relaying the information from that meeting, Baker met July 27 for two hours with a group from Blauer Drive, who originally lodged the protest.
According to Streit and Baker, Argonaut's owners have been nothing but helpful in resolving the conflict.
"They were very nice," Streit said. "They want to do nothing less than build a first-class mall. They have really bent over backwards to make it a good mall, based on the original plans seven years ago."
The Argonaut neighbors were upset that they were kept in the dark on decisions to lease property to Jamba and Starbucks at the edge of the shopping center. They said the shops would bring too much traffic and disturb their quiet neighborhood, and they would have rather seen the businesses locate nearer Safeway.
Neighbors were also concerned that litter and noise could increase because of the outdoor seating area in front of the coffee shop. Additionally, they argued that bright lights installed in the center were disturbing, and that cars routed toward their homes through the parking lot would shine their headlights into their windows.
Streit said that to appease neighbors, the owners will post a large map in a storefront between Longs and Safeway that will show where and which tenants are opening stores in the center.
The move is unusual, because real-estate transactions are usually left undisclosed until finalized, and the only reason Jamba and Starbucks came before the city was because they needed use permits to operate. That won't be the case with most other ventures in the center.
Argonaut owners have also agreed to plant a large hedge along the parking area where cars' lights might shine.
Baker, on his way to see that the map is posted, said the meetings were productive.
"Honestly, I can understand the concerns [the neighbors] had," he said. "But what I've asked the homeowners to do is to give us some slack. I always try to operate on the rule of reasonableness. ... If nothing else, they can't say the City Council as a body isn't responsive. We'll continue to follow and check up on it."
Baker said that if anything ever gets out of hand, the council reserves the right to review the use permits and could bring strict solutions, including revoking the seating outside.
"I don't believe this will even be an issue," Baker said. "I'm satisfied that we have been responsive to the neighbors, and we're getting good cooperation with the owners at the center."
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
