City Beat

Proposal for senior residences in the Glen gains steam

Neighbors support the plans, are still concerned about increased traffic

By Michele Leung

At the second community meeting, regarding the senior housing complex at 1528 Willowbrae Ave., the Housing Authority and Congregation Sinai revealed a new configuration for the senior project. Neighbors offered comments in support of the change, but still had reservations about traffic.

The four-acre property is a wooded area, located next to the temple. The new proposal calls for placing the temple's parking area next to the dry Los Gatos creek bed, and the 90 unit, three-story apartment on the other side of the property. Parking for the complex would be on a separate lot.

The main entrance will be on Willowbrae, and officials are discussing the possibility of an emergency exit on Alta Glen Drive. Moving the units to the west side of the property came after neighbors voiced concerns about the density. Originally, the apartments and the parking were to be on the creek bed.

In a separate project, Congregation Sinai also plans on remodeling its sanctuary and adding a two-story social hall, which would be placed in the center of the lot.

While some residents were pleased with the changes, traffic remains the primary concern for the rest of the neighbors. "As the project ages, the number who drive decreases," said Barry Mirkin, representative from Congregation Sinai. "The timing is different than if someone's on an eight-hour workday. This project avoids all peak hour congestion."

Not everyone at the meeting was convinced. Tammy Myers, who lives on Willow Oak Way, worries about the safety of her five children. "I bought my property based on the fact I thought this area was going to stay in a medium-density residential zone," she said. "I'm frustrated. I would never have bought my house had I thought they were going to rezone it. The reality is that senior housing always gets passed because it looks nice," she said.

The density and height of the buildings were also an issue. Matt Steinle, housing development director at the Housing Authority, said that decreasing the number of units is not an option because the project would no longer be financially viable.

"It's not going to be two stories because they've done the math," said Barbara Black, a neighbor on Cherry Glen Way. "This type of project doesn't seem right in this area. This neighborhood is too small. People tonight aren't worried about the maintenance, just the hugeness of the project."

Aside from looking at smaller details, such as the placement of trees and speed bumps, authorities said the current architectural plan represents closely what the project will look like. "This is at least our twelfth or thirteenth scheme. We're pretty close to exhausting our creative powers," said Steinle.

"We spent three months remodeling the entire site plan. There aren't a lot of choices left," said Mirkin.

The next steps on the agenda include a vote by the membership of Congregation Sinai on the changes, and the developers' presentation of the plan to the city.

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