By Fallen tree, efficient service

About 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 26, the large old oak tree on University Avenue in front of my house split in two. The larger trunk fell with a crash into the street taking with it the electrical line. It started some small fires from the sparks.

The police and fire department responded very quickly and had the situation under control. A policeman came to our door to reassure and explain to us how it was going to be handled and urged us to stay inside. About 2 a.m., our city tree maintenance crew came and, using their chain saws and grinders, cleaned up the mess. It took them about six hours. They were very efficient and hard-working and we appreciate them very much.

Mary KayeLos Altos

Contemporary home within guidelines

As the applicants for the new home design on Benvenue Avenue mentioned in your Nov. 28 edition, we would like to provide additional information that was unfortunately not included.

We take exception to your statement, “The contemporary home proposed for Benvenue Avenue fits the design guidelines except for style.” The Design Guidelines specifically include Contemporary Style homes as a common Los Altos style, as noted in Appendix page C-11.

The existing home we are replacing is a contemporary style home, and our new home will not be the only contemporary house in Los Altos. Los Altos has many other contemporary style houses, and there are at least seven within blocks of our house.

We firmly believe that we meet all design guidelines, as does the A&S (Architectural Site and Control) Committee who voted unanimously in support of our design. Even if there is some issue over style, the guidelines specifically state, “Significant deviations could be cause for mitigation” and “Mitigation may include change in size, increased setbacks, large trees or other landscape materials for screening.”

During the design process, we met with neighbors to address concerns. The result is a house that is principally one story, with 2,600 square feet of living space on the first floor, and a single room, 350-square-foot second story, that has a height of 22 feet and is setback 84 feet from the front.

After the appeal was filed, we wrote to all 24 households represented in the petition, encouraging them to meet with us to better understand the design. We spoke with three who responded and all withdrew their objections. Our house will be contemporary, yes, but modest in size, responsive to the neighborhood, and well-landscaped.

Alison and Steve Hussey

Los Altos