Travis Hoopes, who lives on the corner of Cottle and Mildred avenues, and his friends Leo Augustin and Kate Frias originally wanted to build five single-family, two-story homes on a subdivided lot that is less than an acre.

But in an email sent to neighbors on Nov. 1, Hoopes said, "It is obvious that the five-home proposal has too many obstacles for everyone and it is not a viable option."

After considering the neighbors' concerns and city ordinances, he and his partners have agreed to build only three houses.

The proposed homes will be approximately 2,600 square feet apiece. Hoopes currently lives on the property that he hopes to redevelop with the new houses.

Neighbors living near the proposed development approached the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) for help when they learned Hoopes' plans. During the association's Oct. 9 meeting, they asked the WGNA to oppose the project, but the association chose to remain neutral.

WGNA President John Gibbs offered to work with Hoopes and neighborhood organizers Jim Stull and Tom Linvill on a format for a neighborhood meeting for Oct. 26 at Hoopes' home. Gibbs said no one approached him for help.

At the Oct. 26 meeting, Hoopes had turned his backyard into a staging area with several rows of white patio chairs to discuss his proposed project, tentatively called Willow Glen West.

He set up five easels displaying the project's conceptual design and a model of the project, with cardboard houses, Styrofoam trees and toy Edsels and Woody die-cast metal cars to suggest an "Old World" look.

About 50 concerned residents congregated in the backyard, and Total Design Solutions (TDS) architect Brian Mah, who opened the meeting with a brief overview of the project, was occasionally interrupted by neighbors wanting answers.

"It won't look anything like old Willow Glen, will it?" said one attendee.

Mah assured the audience that the project wasn't set in stone.

"This may change," he clarified frequently, gesturing to the easels.

Mah reluctantly admitted that the five-home project didn't conform to the city's guidelines for single-family houses.

Augustin said, "We understand that Willow Glen is a charming place to live, and we want very much to become part of this community."

Neighbors became concerned about Hoopes' intentions when he removed four cedar trees from his front yard without a tree removal permit. Hoopes was subsequently fined by the city. Some attendees questioned whether the developers or architect knew in advance that a tree permit was needed and wondered if Hoopes knew he would be fined and simply included it in the project's budget. Mah didn't have an answer.

When neighbors began asking about how the city's planning and rezoning department operates, San Jose Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement project manager Anastasia Aziz, who was attending the meeting, offered to address the neighbors' concerns.

Because the project involves the removal of additional trees from Hoopes' property, Aziz said a San Jose Planning Director's public hearing was required. In November, the planning director will send out a notice to residents within 300 feet of Hoopes' home, and neighbors can attend the hearing.

Residents were also concern about the proposal to create a flag lot.

A flag lot is generally described as a lot having no frontage or access to a street except by a narrow strip of land.

"The city's policies regulating flag lots are designed to address many of the concerns raised by the neighbors. If the developer plans to vary from the city's regulations, WGNA will oppose the project," said Gibbs.

During the meeting, North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association President Alison England said, "You're using a lot of words intended to appeal to us, like 'high-quality materials' and 'Old World appeal.' But you need to use the same materials that are used on the existing homes around here."

She suggested Hoopes "go back to the drawing board" and study the Willow Glen community and learn about the homes that make up the neighborhood. Mah said that if the city gives the go-ahead, all the houses would be built simultaneously.

Some neighbors insisted that five ho uses were too much and that three would be better.

One attendee asked Hoopes why he came to Willow Glen. Hoopes said he came to remodel a house on Mildred Avenue, and chose to stay "because of the nice neighborhood, its charm and Old World character."

Some neighbors believed several attendees were overly critical of Hoopes and his friends. One person said the project would "destroy the neighborhood."

Augustin argued that neighbors have every right to protect the character of the neighborhood, but asked, "What about our rights to build our dream houses?"

Peggy Stull, who lives on Mildred Avenue, said she was glad the developers and the neighbors were finally able to meet and discuss their concerns.

"I'm hoping that maybe one of the things the developers learned is that three houses are going to be beautiful and they would still have friendly neighbors."

Regarding the decision to only build three houses, Hoopes said in his email to neighborhood organizers, "I'm sure we will still not be capable of making everyone in the neighborhood happy, but this seems to be a solution and has been voiced as being acceptable to most."