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August 14, 2002
Saratoga, California Since 1955 |
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St. Andrew's making plans to rebuild
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Kate Carter
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Taking a cue from many Saratoga homeowners,
St. Andrew's Episcopal Parish and School are
planning a tear-down-and-rebuild project that
will likely require the school to move for
the 2003-04 school year.
Except for the church, everything on the
Saratoga Avenue site could be torn down as
early as next summer, said project manager
Scott Sheldon at a planning commission study
session July 24. By the end of the following
summer, the site is planned to be home to six
new structures—a two-story school building,
a two-story clergy building, a two-story
parish center, a three-story administration
building, a gymnasium/theater/parish hall and
a 55-foot-high bell tower by Saratoga Avenue
that will house the western United States'
only full peal of eight hand-powered bells.
The school and church are trying to take
advantage of the site's 10-foot downward
slope from street level to the back of its
lot in building the three-story building,
which Sheldon described as really a two-story
building above a partially visible basement.
None of the new structures will be taller
than the remaining sanctuary.
Harry McKay, head of St. Andrew's School,
said that St. Andrew's decision to raze
almost everything and start from scratch came
after an earlier decision to remodel the
existing buildings and build a two-tier
parking structure (with ground and
underground levels) was met with resistance
by the city. It was also determined that such
a structure wouldn't adequately meet the
school's and church's needs. The decision to
rebuild at all followed the development of
long-range strategic plans and master plans
that addressed the need to accommodate
increased activities in the facility and
update buildings, the youngest of which is 10
years old. The new area will provide 60
percent more space than what is currently
available.
"We had long ago outgrown our space," McKay
said. "This was the time that people felt we
really needed to address our space. It's a
big project."
He said that they don't yet have a specific
cost estimate but acknowledged that it will
be in the multiple millions of dollars. The
money will be raised through fundraising, he
said, and won't affect tuition.
The planning commission expressed pleasure
with the appearance of the proposed design
but had several concerns about the effect it
may have on traffic and nearby residents.
The commission wanted written assurance from
the school that it won't increase its
enrollment beyond the approximately 430
students in preschool through eighth grade.
McKay responded that the school is actually
eliminating its program for 3-year-olds,
which will reduce its enrollment by about 15
students, and has no plans to add any more.
The commission also wanted to be sure the 203
parking spots will be sufficient to meet the
site's general needs and the city's
requirements. The site now has 203 spots, but
those will be reconfigured slightly to
accommodate the new construction as well as
new lot lighting and landscaping.
In addition, the bell tower location was the
source of some disagreement among the
commission members, with some members
preferring it to be away from Saratoga Avenue
and others liking the proposed location. Most
agreed, though, that the neighbors need to be
specifically informed of the bell tower as
they will be able to hear the sound of
ringing at occasional times throughout the
year.
The city has received one letter from a
neighbor expressing concern about the
intensity of the future construction, but St.
Andrew's officials said few residents
attended the several community meetings they
had already hosted.
The new campus will also include a front
courtyard area, a patio in the back
connecting to the gym, and a labyrinth and
memorial garden near the church that will
serve as the final resting place for cremated
parishioners.
The commission asked to have a chance to
review the already submitted traffic and
acoustical studies and then determine whether
or not it wants to have another study session
before moving onto a public hearing. The
public hearing on the item could be held
sometime this winter—the church and school
would like the project to move as quickly as
possible in order to have the necessary
permits in place to begin work next summer.
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