Saratoga News | 0234 | August 21, 2002

August 21, 2002 Saratoga, California Since 1955

Comments on Gateway design to be accepted—one more time

By Kate Carter

Interested individuals get one more chance to comment on design guidelines for the Gateway area this week before the planning commission gets its chance next month.

The planning commission had originally been scheduled to hear the new guidelines in June. But at that meeting, several property owners nearby and within the commercial area along Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road between Prospect Road and the railroad tracks had expressed concerns that their input had not been included the proposal. The commission asked that another meeting of the project task force, business owners and neighbors be scheduled before the commission discussed the item.

That meeting was held July 26. Because of the size of its attendance and the amount of discussion, however, five hours of going through the proposal "line by line" left the group with still one more topic to address—signage guidelines, according to Danielle Surdin, the city's economic development coordinator.

A meeting Aug. 23 from 8 to 10 a.m. at city hall will be held to discuss that remaining topic.

Surdin said the July meeting, though long, helped to address many of the concerns that had been raised at the June planning commission meeting. Many of them came from the business community, which felt the proposed guidelines could actually hinder the area's commercial viability rather than help it.

Zoe Alameda-Farotte, owner of the Saratoga-Cupertino Funeral Home, was among those. She said the July 26 meeting was productive and that city staff acknowledged the concerns, adding caveats to the guidelines that would allow business property owners to rebuild their structures to the same footprint if they'd been destroyed. The new guidelines, with larger required buffers between business and residential areas, would have prevented such rebuilds.

"I think everybody went away feeling very good," Alameda-Farotte said. "I have high hopes that this meeting will be just as positive."

The proposed guidelines regarding signs are particularly complicated, she said, as certain requirements seem to contradict others. Also, residents are concerned about bright neon signs.

Alameda-Farotte said she is confident that the group will be able to resolve the concerns and reach an amicable agreement. She also said the road improvements and beautification of the Gateway area will help make the stores and their signs more visible, which has always been a problem for businesses there.

The city council last spring approved a master plan for the public right of way that would narrow the street and create a more attractive and pedestrian-friendly space. The project, which was largely supported by both the business and residential communities, is expected to cost Caltrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority $2.8 million and be completed next year.