By John Flood

Los Altos City Council chambers were packed to overflowing at the Sept. 12 meeting, where residents of Los Altos Gardens apartments and neighbors from the San Antonio Road and El Camino Real area expressed concerns about future development.

More than 100 residents attended the meeting, many taking the microphone to voice dissatisfaction about traffic and pedestrian safety and to share anxieties about their status if the new owner of the apartments asks them to move out.

At issue is the city’s general plan, which guides the long-term development of all areas of the city, including land-zoning designations around San Antonio Road and El Camino Real. The council invited residents to express their concerns with the understanding that no action would be taken at this meeting.

John Vidovich, a Los Altos Hills resident and candidate for Los Altos Hills City Council, is currently under contract to purchase Los Altos Gardens apartments on San Antonio. He also has proposed a three-story, mixed-use commercial/residential building next to the gardens on the site where an office building currently sits.

Local residents were largely against further development of the area.

“It’s a mistake to put a three-story housing on San Antonio,” said Paul Brandt, who lives on Del Monte Avenue. He said he was worried about increased traffic and suggested that the development was about “personal gain.”

Maureen Moreno, who has lived on Pasa Robles Avenue for 24 years, said that a three-story building would “destroy the charm of the neighborhood,” and expressed concern about increased traffic.

Rebecca Larsen, who lives on Del Monte with her two children, said she bought her house because of the “rural” feeling of the area. “If the development goes in, it will ruin our neighborhood,” she said.

Vidovich attempted to allay the concerns of the neighborhood.

“We intend to preserve the community that lives in and around the Gardens,” Vidovich said. “I have catered my development plan to allow these citizens to remain (at the apartments). It is 9 acres, and I’m developing less than 2 acres … the rest of the land is being left intact. I want to make a small profit, and I don’t want to evict those people.”

Current zoning restrictions call for low-density housing in that area, which seems to favor the residents.

“The existing zoning is very beneficial for the people around there,” said James Walgren, community development director for the city of Los Altos.

The next steps are for Vidovich to follow the standard city process. After a staff review, the planning commission will schedule two public hearings. If approved, commercial projects come to city council for another public hearing, said Councilman Curtis Cole in an e-mail to the Town Crier.

Mayor Ron Packard said that the developer should be commended for his efforts to preserve the Los Altos Gardens and work with the tenants.

“They, (the tenants) should be grateful,” Packard said.

In other action, the council:

• Approved parking restrictions around Los Altos and Mountain View High Schools from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Rescinded parking restrictions from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the east end of Joel Way near Mountain View High School.

• Made a motion not to annex the Creston neighborhood because of council and city staff concerns that the city could not adequately provide city services to the residents.

• Voted to continue the downtown parking permit program and agreed to raise annual

fees to $36 and quarterly fees to $12. The council

allocated $10,088 for enhanced downtown maintenance and appropriated $20,600 to the parking fund for increased maintenance costs.