The dinner conversation quickly shifted to the massive blue wedge of the Best Buy store being built behind MacKie's home. The site was once occupied by Falore Chrysler and Jeep.

MacKie's house sits directly in back of the parking lot between the sites of the new Best Buy and PetsMart stores. The retail buildings stand 20 feet from the fence line, and the Best Buy store tops 27 feet.

For the past year, MacKie and her neighbors have fought what looks to be a losing battle to keep their yards from becoming retail billboards.

"There are people on the street who can't go into their backyards without shedding a tear," said Jim Blaschke, who lives across from MacKie.

San Mateo's Sand Hill Properties is building the stores for Best Buy and PetsMart.

A controversy has focused on Best Buy and PetsMart's decision to have its store entrances face each other. This makes the stores' sides parallel to the fence line of the Chopin homes, instead of toward El Camino Real.

"Although everything was shown to residents and the city, a lot of people didn't have a good idea of what it was going to look like until it went up," project manager John Tze said.

The residents were not the first ones concerned about the orientation of the buildings. On Sept. 27, 2004, the Sunnyvale Planning Commission unanimously recommended that the council reject Sand Hill's request for rezoning to allow the construction.

Although the commission was concerned about the residents, Planning Commissioner Laura Babcock said the decision was mostly economic.

"We try to get all of our businesses to face the street, because that's what draws business in," Babcock said.

While residents were worried about the two buildings, panic didn't set in until scaffolding went up.

"None of the neighbors realized the sheer size of the buildings because none of us are in construction." MacKie said.

Hoping the planning commission's decision would heavily influence the council, few residents showed up at the Oct. 12, 2004, council meeting. Only two residents spoke up and the council voted to approve the rezoning application.

The council's decision also required a deviation from the El Camino Real precise plan, which calls for all stores to face the street. The orientation allows both stores to share the large parking lot between them.

"The design itself is not something we have control of. That design is something Best Buy has final say on," Tze said. "Owners prefer to have their parking located in front of their entrance."

Councilman Ron Swegles said he made the motion to approve the rezoning.

"The applicant told us that he had addressed all the community concerns, and when we didn't hear anyone from the community at the meeting, we assumed he had done that," Swegles said.

MacKie said she was unable to attend the meeting, but had hoped that the unanimous planning commission decision would have held more weight.

"I think the only thing they looked at was sales tax revenue, and I understand that the city needs it, but it's at our expense," MacKie said. "Yea for them, but they don't have to live here."

The council did require more screening trees for the Chopin neighbors. In addition, neighbors were given higher fences, to a maximum of 12 feet.

MacKie and her family chose the maximum height, but it does nothing to block the view of the blue wedge because it is set at an angle.

Tze said Sand Hill reduced the size of the blue wedge--which is the background of the Best Buy yellow ticket sign. As planned, the wedge was almost 38 feet tall, jutting out from the eastern face of the building, at a 90-degree angle to the Chopin homes.

"We know it's designed to stand out, but it's not supposed to stand out into people's backyards," Blaschke said.

In addition to the blue sign, the view that was once primarily treetops is now two large boxy gray buildings.

"It looks like the Berlin Wall," Blaschke said.

Sand Hill did reduce the wedge almost 33 percent, making it 16 feet narrower and 6 feet shorter. In addition, Sand Hill replaced two 24-foot parking lot lights with seven 15-foot lights.

The changes cost Sand Hill almost $150,000.

"Both the time and the money expenditures have been voluntary on our behalf. We're just trying to be good neighbors," Tze said.

While the neighbors said they're happy that some of their requests have been accommodated, Sand Hill and Best Buy's seeming lack of concern about the visual impact is still an issue.

"If the sign were moved to El Camino Real, we'd all shop there," Kathy Blaschke said.

MacKie also said that she's concerned the sign will lower property values.

"If you're looking at one house with a big blue wedge behind it, and one house without it, which do you think people are going to chose?" MacKie asked.

With Best Buy planning to open before the holiday season, the neighbors say their only options may now include picketing and political action.

"I will actively try to defeat any of the city council members that are up for reelection this year," she said.