By Town Crier Staff Report

While the Los Altos City Council is trying to decide on the best development use of city-owned property at Main and First streets, the downtown business community also plans input on the matter.

Both downtown merchant groups, the Los Altos Village Association and the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, will be conducting a joint survey of downtown businesses to get an idea of what local merchants would like at the .78-acre site.

Kathleen Byrne, executive director of the Village Association, said last week the survey had not yet been drafted, but would consist of six basic questions.

“We want to make sure the business community has the opportunity to tell us what they want and think would be the best use of the property,” Byrne said.

A joint meeting of the business associations is scheduled for 8 a.m., March 22, at Los Altos City Hall, 1 N. San Antonio Road.

Julie Rose, exeucitve director of the Chamber, said discussions about a survey were informal and not finalized.

The council has been wrestling over the best use of the land virtually since the city purchased the property in 1995. The land is currently tied up in long-term leases through 2006. Neither owners of the home consignment store nor the dry cleaners on the property have indicated a willingness to break their leased.

Discussions have proved controversial. A group of residents, led by Mayor King Lear, has been vocal about wanting a movie theater at the site. Another group, favoring a boutique hotel, cites much better tax revenues that could allow the city to improve services, such as better park maintenance.

AROUND TOWN: Byrne said a store with a Western theme is slated to take over the site at 205 State St., vacated by Heintzelman’s Bookstore, but she had no further details.