Saratoga News
News
Burrell seeks feedback from city on his ambitious Village project
By Shannon Burkey
Although it is a process that could take years to come to fruition, the initial steps of a Village revitalization project have begun.
The Saratoga City Council and Planning Commission met at a joint study session Sept. 6 to discuss the preliminary Saratoga Village Mixed-Use Project proposal and offer feedback to the owner--the Frank L. Burrell 1937 Trust--and hear community feedback.
"The meeting was a good first step in a process that could take years," Frank Burrell said. "We will evaluate the comments we heard and go from there."
The owner is proposing to demolish the current Saratoga Village Center that sits on a 1.3-acre site on Big Basin Way where the Buy and Save Market and Wells Fargo Bank currently do business. The project would add 13,500 square feet of retail space and 58,500 square feet of residential space to the Village.
The mixed-use development would consist of ground-floor shops and restaurants with two levels of residential units above the commercial space. Two three-story 1920s California courtyard-style residential buildings would also be located on the site. All the residential units will be for sale. Additionally, a two-level underground parking structure with 150 stalls is proposed.
"It's smart of the developer to make their plans visible so early," said Councilwoman Kathleen King. "Basically, they are coming in with a conceptual plan. At the study session we don't make any decisions or pass any resolutions; it's just to study the issue and offer feedback."
Project architect Kenneth Rodrigues presented the council and commission with preliminary designs of the project and explained what he and the owner envision for the project, stressing it is not meant to be a specific proposal and they were looking for feedback and an exchange of ideas.
"This is a very conceptual and preliminary plan," Rodrigues told council and commission members. "We would like to see this as a very pedestrian-friendly place, conducive to outdoor gatherings."
One of the issues raised at the session was that there would be too little retail space. The site currently has 25,000 square feet of retail space. The plans would cut the amount of retail space by more than half.
"This site in general will make or break the Village retail. I can't conceive of losing retail space," Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith said. "This has to be done right. I would really like it to plan for retail and throw in some condos. The way it is now I can't see it as something that would make the Village prosper."
Many of the residents who commented on the project said they felt that for the project to prosper it would really need a larger anchor store, such as a high-end grocery store, to draw people to the area.
"If there was a quality grocery store downtown, people would go there," said Saratoga resident Brian Berg. "This could be the biggest opportunity for Saratoga in decades. With the right mix of retail and residential space, it could thrive."
Maintaining the character and style of the Village was also a concern of the council and commission.
"No building in the Village comes close to 35 feet tall. I am against a third floor," said Planning Commissioner Jill Hunter, referring to the three-story buildings being proposed. "I want something unique; we have an historic Village and this could be so amazingly exciting but it needs to be done beautifully."
While many people support the project but would like to see changes to the initial proposal, Saratoga resident Dr. J.J. Salehieh said he "will rally this community to save it from a project like this" if the amount of residential units and proposed building height stays the same.
"This is not just a Saratoga issue; this is the jewel of Santa Clara County," Salehieh said. "I am not against the project. We just want to see it done right. We don't want another Los Gatos."
Breakaway Bike Shop owner Dave Home said he thinks any kind of revitalization of the Village will be a great thing.
"This is the greatest project to happen to Saratoga in 50 years," Home said. "Saratoga has been a sleepy little town, and for the people who have businesses here it is suicide. Everything closes at 4 p.m."
For now, according to Burrell, it is too early to tell what direction the Trust will move in next.
"We will sit on some of the comments we heard. We may move forward from there or we could do nothing," Burrell said.
