Lalahpolitico alternatively endorses a simple, simple, simple Hillview Replacement…
Instead of Los Altos Measure A, should we scale back to a small plan (like this 2013 two buildings plan above) that does not change the enjoyment of residential neighbors.
When Los Altans spoke in surveys and at meetings they said the $85M 2012 Phase I plan was too big and too expensive. By “big” they also meant the community center being planned was too big. They did not mean only that adding in new digs for city staff and police were a NO NO that made the project too expensive. Folks also meant that the proposed community center was too big and expensive. A center that size was a NO. The City was expecting to pump up greater demand for recreation – build it and they will come? – from Sunnyvale, Santa Clara and Cupertino! They probably will come, but Los Altans are subsidizing that? So NO. Let’s not have the Recreation department meet all the demand! Our current level of programming is pretty impressive. You’ve seen the course catalog that gets mailed to your home haven’t you? If not check it out online.
SOLUTION: Just tear down the existing Hillview and build a one story Hillview replacement — not a big square footage expansion — right on the footprint of the the old one. The old building has a lot of outdoor atriums. Maybe there should be fewer of those so there is more wide-open space? Just leave the parking as it is. Restripe maybe?
According to the latest Andersen Brûlée cost estimate, the mega 55,000 square foot community center would cost about $30-35M with soft costs. So a smaller one is what? $15-20M. Why not just pay for this out of reserves? Or borrow from a bank at todays low rates without any bond measure at all?
