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County and temple plan on housing for seniors
Neighbors fear density, parking, traffic problems
By Michele Leung
The Housing Authority of Santa Clara County and Congregation Sinai are in the early stages of a proposal to build a senior housing complex on Willowbrae Avenue.
The temple owns the two-acre, tree-filled plot and will be leasing it to the county for 65 years. The plan calls for 90 one-bedroom units for low-income seniors 62 and older who are able to live on their own. The rent will be below market, less than $700 a month.
Congregation Sinai has looked at various potential uses and believes the senior housing is the most feasible. "We felt this is the least intrusive on our use and on the whole neighborhood," says Barry Mirkin, a member of the congregation and a volunteer on the project's steering committee.
Neighbors of the would-be complex, however, have voiced some concerns, including the height of the units, density, traffic and noise. Barbara Black, whose property line meets the proposed parking lot, worries about her loss of privacy. "This is the only paradise left in the city. We're lucky we have this," she says.
The county and Congregation Sinai have looked at ways to mitigate the parking crunch.
Another concern was the original proposal to fill in the dry Los Gatos creek bed that runs between the neighbors' backyards on Cherry Glen Way and the lot. Matt Steinle, housing director at the Housing Authority, has good news for the neighbors. "We're fairly confident we're not going to disturb the dry creek. We don't want to build into that area," he says.
While all sides agree there are issues to iron out, neighbors and developers are eager to work on the differences. "We want to sensitively design so there is a general minimum impact. We want this to be an asset to the community, and we want to work with the community," says Steinle.
"Senior housing is at a premium, and we need more of it," says Willow Glen Neighborhood Association president J. Michael Gonzales. He adds that the community isn't opposed to senior housing but only to certain logistics of the project.
All parties will meet in January for further discussion.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
