Owner Gloria Maciel has applied for a conditional use permit to construct a three-story, 11,963 square-foot building so she can expand and relocate her existing business, at 1042 Lincoln Ave. The structure would include an underground garage and a street-level parking lot that would provide 37 parking spaces. The new and larger day spa would encompass about a quarter-acre of vacant land at 1030 Lincoln Ave. near Coe Avenue.

The new location would provide several personal care services, including a hair and nail salon, facials, body wraps, whirlpool mineral baths, massage and a steam room.

But at a community meeting on Dec. 9, residents expressed concerns about the impact the salon would have on both the surrounding area and the community at large. The designers for the building, Abitare Architecture, who was represented by project executive Igino Pellizzari, said he sent more than 160 notices to residences within 500 feet of the proposed development, but only a handful of people attended the meeting.

Some attendees said the notices that Abitare Architecture mailed to nearby residents were not adequately marked.

"The envelope looked like junk mail," said Lissa Slean, who lives near the development site.

Residents who did show up for the meeting, however, were vocal in their dissent. Several people said they were concerned that the business could increase traffic on Lincoln Avenue.

"The end of Lincoln is congested, and people speed all the time," Willow Glen Neighborhood Association member Ellen Santomauro said. "Adding 37 more parking spots will definitely increase traffic."

Slean agreed that the centralized location of the proposed salon could bring too many cars to the area.

"We need to bring less congestion to the center of Lincoln Avenue," she said.

Several people also complained that the three-story building was too large and would dwarf the surrounding homes.

"It's massive," Slean said. "I will look out on my front porch and this is what I am going to see."

Her brother, Jay, agreed that the building's size would not conform with the other structures in the immediate area.

"It's huge," he said. "Why do we need anything this large in our neighborhood?"

Pellizzari responded that the two-dimensional design sketches that he and his colleagues placed in the front of the room were not an accurate depiction of the height of the building.

"Size-wise, we don't anticipate that this building will have any greater impact than other businesses," Pellizzari told the Willow Glen Resident after the meeting. "The third story is only a partial story, and its presence won't be felt from the street."

According to San Jose planner Ed Schreiner, the presentation materials Abitare Architecture used at the meeting did not provide a good representation of the actual size of the building.

"What the architects presented was maybe not the best perspective," he told the Resident. "I feel like the building is not as large as the neighbors are concerned about."

In addition to its size, residents also disapproved of the design of the building, and said the architectural style would cause the salon to stand out amidst the other buildings in the area.

"I'm disappointed in the architecture," Slean said. "It doesn't fit in Willow Glen."

Santomauro agreed that the architecture of the salon was unlike the design of the surrounding homes and businesses and wanted to take a more wait and see approach.

"It's different," she said. "It is pretty and tasteful, but different. But Willow Glen is kind of eclectic."

But the longtime spa owner, Maciel, said the new building would improve both downtown Willow Glen and the surrounding neighborhood.

"It's a gorgeous building," she said. "There aren't many pretty buildings on this side of Lincoln. It will bring up property values around the site. It goes with the style of Willow Glen."

Schreiner said the Planning Department intended to hold a second community meeting, which would probably take place sometime in January to address additional neighborhood concerns about the project.

"For the next meeting, we'll try to reach out and get more involvement," the Schreiner said.

Maciel said that at the next meeting residents will find a more accurate presentation and materials with additional information will be provided.

"The presentation is going to be much better," she said. "We'll provide a three-dimensional model."