Editorials

Neighbors' opinions make a difference

It looks as if Joe McCarthy's proposal to build six homes on the 56-acre site where Guadalupe College sits is going to fly. The biggest hurdle has been crossed-- he has the neighbors on his side.

More and more, that's the way developers are approaching projects in Los Gatos. They used to complain about how difficult the Los Gatos planning process is. Then some took a cue from those who've gone before them and acknowledged that developers most often run into trouble when they antagonize neighbors by being insensitive to local concerns.

While it's recently become fashionable for residents to point to town leaders and say "they" don't listen to the people, the reality is that the voice of the neighborhood looms large in the planning process here.

Two years ago, SummerHill Homes set the standard for responsiveness when the company's representatives met countless times with neighbors to address concerns about their proposed development on Blossom Hill Road.

SummerHill's success with the Planning Commission and Town Council were a direct result of the company's success in winning over neighbors.

Last year, the town took a step in helping facilitate this kind of consensus-building when the Town Council approved public hearings intended to give developers, neighbors and planners an opportunity to meet informally to discuss concerns about proposals.

Prior to instituting these meetings, planning commissioners often felt their hands were tied on controversial proposals because they were prohibited from meeting with people or discussing proposals prior to the actual Planning Commission meeting.

The kind of give-and-take that helps bring about consensus seldom took place at Planning Commission meetings where neighbors often came loaded for bear, and commissioners knew only what they read in their staff reports.

We believe this approach to complex and controversial planning proposals makes good sense for everyone involved.

Dolph and Bill

For six years, Bill Hardwicke and his canine partner, Dolph, have been a team. Although stationed in Los Gatos, the town where Hardwicke grew up, the two traveled all over the country for the National Response Team for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

Since they teamed up, the two have worked more than 1,300 fire investigations from high-rise structures to wildland fires.

So close are the two, that Hardwicke gave the Santa Clara County Fire Department two extra years, so he and Dolph could retire together.

Now the two are making plans for some serious R&R. They'll be missed. But no one can say they haven't earned a comfortable retirement.

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