Church's appeal has some merit
On the face of it, Hicks Road near Camden Avenue would appear to be the ideal location for a school, or even for two schools: rolling hills, a nearby creek, lots of trees. A country setting in the heart of suburban sprawl.
Unfortunately, Hicks Road is a narrow, winding mountain road which, at the spot where Challenger School proposed a campus, connects with Shannon Road, another narrow, winding mountain road.
Challenger faced an uphill battle from the start. Not only were neighbors ready to protest on the basis of increased traffic, but Los Gatos Christian Church was simultaneously proposing increasing classrooms at its school and building a large youth-recreation facility. The church property is adjacent to the site where Challenger wanted to build.
But if the church's proposal doomed Challenger's bid, the reverse is true as well.
The same set of neighbors convinced the Planning Commission to turn down both applications. Last week, the Town Council upheld the commission's decision on Challenger. On Aug. 5, the council is scheduled to hear an appeal from the church.
Now that fears about traffic from Challenger School have been put to rest, the church's appeal can be judged on its own merit. Yes, another 230 students will bring more traffic. But that's less than the 560 students Challenger wanted to add to the mix and considerably less than 790 total that would have resulted if both applications were approved.
The town has reason to give the church's appeal more weight than it did Challenger School if for no other reason than that the church is already there. And the church and the town have some history that suggests the town should lean toward approval.
Back in 1982, the church wanted to build a gymnasium--which today is being called a youth-recreation facility. When the town required a number of improvements, including paying for the installation of a light at Camden and Hicks, reconfiguration of Burke Road and the widening of a part of Hicks Road, the church complied.
It was perhaps naiveté that led the church to shell out nearly $300,000 on improvements rather than wait until the town signed on the dotted line.
But the fact is, the improvements, combined with decreased church attendance from its heyday as a hub for the Moral Majority, have dramatically improved the traffic situation.
The church may have created the traffic problem, but it also made the situation better. That should weigh on the council's decision.
Better Communications
The July 25 meeting of interested citizens and Mayor Randy Attaway on how the town can improve communications produced a wide range of suggestions. Among them: An awareness campaign to alert people to the fact that the town notices public hearings in the classified section of the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, monthly chats with the mayor in coffeehouses, a better microphone for public hearings and the availability of public documents online.
The discussion continues Aug. 8 at 4:30 p.m. in Council Chambers. The public is invited.
This article appeared in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times, July 31, 1996.
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