PC 02/26/97 - Laserfiche WebLink

Charles Bernstein, 445 East Charleston Road, Palo Alto, stated that he now feels the project addresses all of the concerns raised in the first meeting and is here to answer any further questions. Dr. Bernstein again stated ELI desires to be a good neighbor, they are going to be here for the long term. They are committed to taking responsibility for any problems that they may create. They are very proud of their project. ELI has received a letter from Hacienda Business Park attesting to the fact that they have had no complaints about ELI's usage in the Hacienda Business Park during the last seven years. Dr. Bernstein expects the same situation to occur at the Stoneridge site as well. ELI has accepted and is willing to operate within the limited hours of operation, however, they have eliminated themselves as being a community meeting place, allowing soccer on their fields, etc. Because the building scale was reduced to accommodate all the changes, some of the decorative features had to be eliminated. They have enriched the building by adding more windows and therefore more light. Regarding fencing, they had put in a range of fence heights because previous public comments said they wanted tall fences. ELI is very willing to have a six foot fence. The black clad vinyl fence is also acceptable to ELI. The comments of wrought iron or wood fencing materials will need to be considered further. Terry Kamp, Project Planner for ELI, stated that he feels they have made some very dramatic compromises, they have reduced their building in size and scale, changed the exterior to be more compatible with the neighborhood. They have also increased the parking, and site circulation is one of their paramount issues. Mr. Kamp feels staff has done a wonderful job in their report and staff has been very responsive and cooperative during the project revision work. Holly Baumback, 2982 Garden Creek Circle, stated this is very emotional for her because this is a very important issue to her. She bought her home for the long haul and did not expect to be moving soon. She is still opposed to the project. She feels that having a driveway at the end of the street will be a hazard to the children in their neighborhood. She very much believes that people will be parking on the street. It is unrealistic to believe that people will not park on the residential streets and allow their children to walk into the school. Ms. Baumback inquired where the playgrounds are located; are they close to their homes? She is very concerned about the noise factor of the school. She does not want this school in her neighborhood; she would rather have it in a larger, open area. The speaker also has concern about the procedures regarding school field trips. Are they bussed or do parents drive, etc.? She feels the project is visually unattractive. Another concern of Ms. Baumback are exhaust fumes; her windows face the sidewalk. Further, where will the children eat lunch--outdoors, near the fence line? Lunch time is the noisiest time of the day. Ms. Baumback also stated that she did not feel her comments pertaining to noise and this parcel being used for this sort of school were accurately reflected in the previous minutes. Steve Norton, 3841 Stone Pointe Way, does not feel this is a good use of this small piece of land, there is too high a concentration of schools and churches in this area. He feels that with the extension to El Charro, people will be taking shortcuts down Stoneridge to avoid freeway traffic. Page 4 February 26, 1997 Planning Commission Minutes