There's got to be a better way

It’s no secret that many downtown Los Altos businesses are struggling, even as the economy begins to turn around. And when a business does find success, it seems something stands in the way of it becoming even more successful.

Such is the case with Adventure Toys on Main Street. The good news is that owner Leslie Chiaverini wants to expand her business to vacant space next door. The bad news is that the city isn’t letting her - at least until a long process occurs - because of rules and regulations regarding “nonconforming” uses of the 1950s-era buildings at issue.

The city, business owner and landlord are in dispute over 95 square feet of space. Applicants want to bring the front entrance of the proposed expanded space forward to match other buildings on the street, instead of the diagonal appearance currently in place. The city says the proposal, however small the expansion, still violates a 1989 law preventing additional square footage. The applicants have applied for a variance.

There seems to be some miscommunication going on with this application. The store owner and landlord said they applied for a permit in February, then had to apply for a variance in July when the planning commission turned them down. City officials said the variance should be heard by the city’s Board of Adjustments within six weeks of the variance filing.

City officials also said they tell applicants outright if they feel an application won’t meet with board approval. But apparently, this wasn’t the case here.

Meanwhile, Adventure Toys will likely miss an opportunity to capitalize on the Christmas shopping season because this unique situation cannot be addressed in a timely fashion. An October celebration planned to mark the expansion and the store’s 20th anniversary has been canceled.

If helping downtown businesses is a city priority, why can’t the planning department - or the city council - find a way to expedite the process?

We understand our city government is relatively small and staff must juggle dozens of such projects. Everyone has a place in the queue. However, priorities should be set, considering how much has been made of local businesses staying afloat downtown - so much so that the city hired an economic development coordinator to help.

So here’s a chance for a business to really blossom and the city - however fair-minded its intentions - throws up a roadblock. If staff is just following the rules, then the rules need to be changed. If this is simply miscommunication, it needs to be resolved. This is where the council needs to step in, and quickly.