By Lester Chang
Despite objections from residents, the Sunnyvale City Council approved the development of a day-care center near a PG&E facility in North Sunnyvale at its Jan. 14 meeting. Those against the center fear children might be exposed to hazardous materials.
PG&E's 23-acre facility, located within a block of the day-care center, temporarily stores compressed, flammable and combustible gases and liquids before shipping them off to be disposed of. There are also small quantities of hazardous materials. The materials are stored with permits from Cupertino's Central Fire District, which monitors the storage of materials at the facility.
The council approved May Chen's proposal to build the center by a 6-1 vote because of city documents that said the PG&E facility is operated in a safe manner.
The council also gave weight to reports that the daycare center would not generate significant traffic on Homestead Road, its proposed location.
The city Planning Commission approved the center on Nov. 25, 1996, but opponents asked the council to override the commission's decision.
Chen, founder of the New World Child Development Center Inc., applied to convert a home at 19936 Homestead Road and to add additional classrooms to accommodate up to 60 children. The project will consist of 30,000 square feet and will employ a minimum of eight people.
The only vote against the project was from Mayor Stan Kawczynski, who said he did not feel the site was appropriate for the project, and noted that the demands for child-care services are overstated.
Supporters of Chen's project said there is a 2 percent vacancy rate among child-care providers and that more services are needed.
David Lively, an attorney representing those against the project, said the city should require an environmental study.
He said information from the Department of Health and other government sources about what is stored at PG&E is inadequate. Lively went on to say that chemical spills have occurred at the site, and in 1992, the facility temporarily housed 36 tons of asbestos.
City officials said no toxic gases are reported to be used or stored at the facility.
One of 10 opponents of the project, Lola Shearer of Cupertino, said she thought the project was "horrible" because it would be put on a busy street where accidents involving children might occur.
"Homestead is already busy," she said. "It is out of the question to put that project there."
Parking isn't allowed on Homestead Road, and cars might be backed up as parents drop off their children, said Donn McPhail, a marketing representative for PG&E. "Why put children in harm's way?" he added.
Randy Kihara, a project manager for PG&E, said the company's main concern with the project is the safety of the children.
Sunnyvale resident Tom Cole, who has lived on Homestead Road since 1961, said traffic has increased over the years, and the likelihood of more accidents occurring is high.
Ed Yang, a supporter of the project, said public concern that children might be exposed to hazardous materials was not valid.
"Everything involves some risk," he said. "We live in Silicon Valley, and you are going to run into such things. It is part of living in a high-tech place. But we chose to live here."
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 22, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.