The council unanimously approved the district's latest designs after roughly two hours of discussion, with comments heard from council members, district representatives and community members. The majority of those who spoke insisted the fire station remain at its current location at 14380 Saratoga Ave. and called the revised plans a "vast improvement."

"Eighteen months ago, when we formed an ad hoc committee, I made a commitment to get this done. Tonight, we have a better fire station," Mayor Nick Streit said moments before the council voted.

The plans, designed by architect Mary C. McGrath of RRM Design Group, feature a 25-foot setback from the corner of Saratoga Avenue and a 15-foot setback from Saratoga­Los Gatos Road. The designs include a landscaped public plaza and will enable the district to retain 24 parking spaces while leaving the city with 10 spaces. To help offset the cost of construction, the district plans to sell to its neighbor, the Federated Church, portions of the existing Contempo building on 20473 Saratoga­Los Gatos Road, which is to be the site of the temporary fire station.

The designs that were brought before the city council were the same as those the district had submitted to the planning commission in late September, with some clarifications.

Before approving the plans, the council requested the addition of a few conditions. These included moving the church's exit gate up from the proposed site off Highway 9 so that it is closer to the property line between the church and Contempo building, and a guarantee that the gate will function automatically.

A second condition the council wanted to add was for the "no turn on red" sign to be removed from Saratoga Avenue's westbound lane to increase traffic flow. Finally, the council directed the district to put in writing that the parking lot—even if space is bought by another party—can only be used for parking, unless otherwise approved by the planning commission.

Following the council's decision, Fire Chief Ernie Kraule said that going into the meeting he was 80 percent sure the plans would pass, though he anticipated that a new concern would be brought that night.

"I was pleased that we had covered all the elements of the project and they all came together as a complete unit, that there was 100 percent consensus on the part of the council," he said.

Before the night was over, the council also unanimously adopted a resolution for the city to vacate George Whalen Way, the alley between the current fire station and postal office, to increase the fire district's space. Vacating the alley means terminating the public's right to use it. Currently, citizens drive through the alley to access the post office's drop box. With this vacancy, a temporary drop box will be erected at the Contempo site.

Supporters of the proposed station are happy that the building will remain consistent with the Federated Church, which was designed by Julia Morgan. To keep the station in character with the rest of the neighborhood, the district suggested a hand-troweled stucco exterior and a Mission tile roof.

The district's original plans last year had the station standing at a maximum height of 34 feet 6 inches and 33 feet 11 inches. Those plans gave way to a new design that calls for a structure with a maximum height of 29 feet 2 inches and which slopes downward to 26 inches 4 inches where it is closest to the post office.

Kraule stood before council members last week and promised that the district will continue to engage in good outreach efforts with residents throughout the construction. Last September, the city rejected the district's initial plans when it was brought to the council's attention by two members of the public that the district had failed to solicit input from nearby residents about how construction would impact them. Since then, district representatives have met three times with the Village Green Association, Kraule said.

Fire Commissioner Jay Geddes came forward to say that any future problems will be dealt with.

"Yes, there will still be problems. Not everyone will be happy. I'm sure there will be slip-ups and problems, but be assured we will work to ameliorate those," he said to the council.

One man, among the 20-plus community members who spoke, voiced complete opposition to the project. His opposition stemmed in part from doubts that the district will be able to build the new station with the existing funds from Measure B, a bond that voters approved in 2000 to provide the district with $6 million for the project. Bob Egan, chair of the Saratoga Fire Protection District board, later insisted to all that money is available and that the district would not seek additional funds from residents.

Other than a few concerns from the public, the majority of community members reminded the council throughout the night that voters had spoken in 2000 when they approved Measure B. Sentiments echoed most often included those about it being due time for construction to get under way and that all parties involved—including the district, post office, church and Village Green—felt the new design "significantly improved."

"This is a just reward for some people who have worked really hard," resident Richard Krause said of the firemen who can look forward to a new station at the district's requested site.

The next step for the district will be the demolition of the Contempo building and construction of the temporary station, which should occur within the next 2¹/2 months, Kraule said. The district will also work on developing a structural plan to submit to the city's building department.