After hearing more than an hour of statements from residents, neighbors and Montalvo Association board and staff members, Saratoga City Council members advised Public Works Director John Cherbone on March 3 to move forward with planning a route following an existing pedestrian trail around Villa Montalvo.

The exit road has been a hot issue for residents, city officials and the Montalvo Association since it was brought up several years ago. Residents originally proposed a route through Montalvo's new artist-in-residency cottages, but the association opposed that route out of concern that it would disturb the site's tranquility and isolation. It proposed an alternative road that would skirt around the edge of the property. That option proposed widening an existing path to 10 feet—just wide enough for cars to get down while emergency vehicles travel up existing roads.

Council members said they supported the alternate route because the land would be given to the city at no cost. Had the council members supported the original route, they would have had to begin unfriendly condemnation proceedings.

Though the chosen route will cost more to construct, Cherbone and council members said legal and acquisition fees would have made the original proposal much more expensive and time-consuming in the end.

Three additional roads not touching Montalvo property were proposed, but Cherbone said fire department officials called these options "undesirable" because of a number of safety concerns.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, several residents of the hillside property said they supported the original proposal for several reasons.

David Dolloff said the alternate road would be dangerous in an emergency evacuation.

"If you miss a 10-foot road by a foot, you're going down 30 or 40 feet," he said. "When people are coming down the mountain and are in a rush, they aren't going to be as careful as you would like them to be."

Norton resident Rob Vermillion said he was concerned because the staff report on the issue did not mention any measures to prevent Montalvo visitors from driving up the access road to his street.

"Norton Road is totally unsuitable for Montalvo traffic," Vermillion said.

Cherbone said the association had not mentioned any desire or plans to use the road, but that the concern could be addressed.

Several Montalvo representatives also spoke, most about the desire to keep the artist-in-residency site as isolated as possible.

Robert Milnes, the director of the San José State University School of Art and Design and a Montalvo board member, said the original proposal would likely open up the path for bicyclists and pedestrians, disturbing the solitude of the site.

"I think the thing that artists use more than anything else is the need for isolation and contemplation," Milnes said. "That aspect would be destroyed by this route."

Though Cherbone mentioned measures that could be taken to prevent foot and bicycle traffic on the road, the council unanimously supported the alternative route in the interest of economy and timeliness.

Mayor Ann Waltonsmith complimented the Montalvo Association on its desire to find a solution that all parties could live with.

"I appreciate that Montalvo is trying very hard to present an alternative," she said.

Vice Mayor Kathleen King said she also appreciated Montalvo's willingness to give the land for the proposal. She said she could not imagine any other organization giving up land at no cost.

"I try to think of any organization that would say, 'This is something we're going to do as a good neighbor,' " King said, "and I can't."

Cherbone said he would now look into funding options for the road and present them to the city council in the near future.