Mutters of betrayal and disappointment from the 15 to 20 residents who turned out to protest the issue met Councilwoman Melinda Hamilton's motion to grant an appeal by the SaberCats organization to erect a tent over their practice area at the former Patrick Henry Junior High School site on Dunford Way.

The controversy surrounds a 22,000-square-foot, almost 41-foot-tall, white practice tent used to protect the team's players from inclement weather and to simulate the indoor environment of their Arena Football League. In January 2003, the city granted a temporary use permit to allow the SaberCats to put up a tent from January until the end of April. In March of last year, the city issued a second permit to extend the time through July.

In July, the team requested a permanent use permit to allow them to set the tent

up from November through July each year to facilitate continued practice.

The city denied the request at an administrative hearing, saying the project is not compatible with the surrounding architecture and does not comply with community design plans.

That decision was upheld in October by the planning commission, who also declared with their 5-2 vote that the project was incompatible with the surrounding residential neighborhood.

The SaberCats then appealed to the city council, which on Dec. 16 voted 5-1 to overturn the decision. Council granted the application on the condition that the tent be erected only from January 1 through April 31.

Hamilton was the one who made the motion to grant the appeal.

Throughout the hearings, residents complained about the visual impact of the large white tent and the problem of allowing a private group to use a piece of public property exclusively. And in response, Hank Stern, vice president of the SaberCats organization, stressed that his group had made attempts to meet the community's wishes. He also emphasized that while the team plays games in the HP Pavilion in downtown San Jose, the team practices, lives and shops primarily in Sunnyvale.

That willingness to work and be involved in the community was cited in the first council approval on Dec. 16, but the approval would not last because the neighborhood had not been properly notified of the hearing. The decision had to be brought back for the Jan. 6 meeting to allow for community input, and that input arrived in force.

Residents living near the tent turned out to voice their dislike of the "monstrosity," as some of them put it, and their opinion that the SaberCats are an unwelcome addition to their neighborhood. They held fliers and large cardboard signs that read "No Tent," some with dollar bills paper-clipped to them to signify business influence.

"They have nothing to do with Sunnyvale, they just use our streets," said Ken Jorgensen, who has adamantly opposed the tent throughout its various hearings. "To work for the benefit of the city of Sunnyvale, the council must deny the appeal."

Other residents called the tent an "eyesore" and a "big white bubble," and demanded that the council deny the appeal or risk being seen as a group that cares more about big businesses than the community.

After the public testimony period, Hamilton—to the surprise of many in attendance—motioned to grant the SaberCats' appeal to put up a tent from January to the end of April.

"The SaberCats have been a very good corporate neighbor," Hamilton said, citing the fact that in addition to quickly taking care of noise complaints from neighbors, the organization also maintains a field next to theirs that is open to public recreational use. "[The city has] received a lot of support from them," Hamilton said.

Vice Mayor Dean Chu seconded the motion, but had to bargain with Hamilton to get the tent permit extended to May 15, which is closer to the January to May 31 compromise suggested weeks ago by the SaberCats.