By Linda Taaffe

A group of residents is urging the Los Altos City Council to consider adding a woman’s spa to the list of land uses it is currently considering for the city-owned lot on the corner of First and Main streets.

Members of Spa Los Altos launched a petition drive last month asking the council to incorporate the spa into the future development of the Main Street lot. More than 300 members had signed the petition last week, according to spa owners Bruce Cunningham and Rosie Ruiz.

Cunningham and Ruiz sold their building on San Antonio Road to the David and Lucile Packard Foundation earlier this year with plans to relocate the business to a larger facility in Los Altos or Mountain View.

The spa will have to move out of its current site by the end of this year, Cunningham said.

Cunningham said he and Ruiz have talked about turning the spa into a non-profit, member-owned facility - something that would benefit the community more than the hotel or movie theater that the council is considering for the Main Street site.

The spa currently has 1,400 members, including 600 from Los Altos, Ruiz said.

“(The spa) is something for the community. … The city should be on forefront of a women’s health facility,” Cunningham said.

Their former San Antonio site is 9,500 square feet.

Ruiz said they are looking for a facility with about 15,000 square feet and space for 60-70 parking stalls.

In a letter to Los Altos Mayor King Lear, Ruiz and Cunningham wrote, “…. While it is somewhat late in the planning cycle, we believe you would find broad, community-wide support among the voters of Los Altos.

“… In short, the city can have a voter-owned, first class facility as the entry way to the downtown area that is on the leading edge of women’s health issues and that can benefit all downtown merchants.”

Cunningham said the spa brings a steady group of consumers to Los Altos.

Spa Los Altos provides a variety of fitness services, including yoga classes, aerobics and weight-training.

Members described the spa as a way of life, a community, a place to recuperate from illness.About 400 members use the spa each day, according to the letter.

Cunningham said the city and local merchants could benefit from indirect sales taxes that members would bring through shopping and eating downtown.

Cunningham said last week that the city had not yet responded to the letter.

Jacqueline Degner, a six-year member of the spa, said she plans to bring the petition to the public if that’s what is needed to capture the city council’s attention.