EDITORIAL: A welcome ruling on Allied Arts EDITORIAL: A welcome ruling on Allied Arts (June 09, 2004)

Barring a successful appeal, Superior Court Judge Quentin Kopp has ended nearly two years of bitter feuding over renovation of the popular Allied Arts Guild in Menlo Park.

Judge Kopp's recent ruling came in a lawsuit filed by a group of neighbors, who claimed the city should have required an environmental impact report before it approved the renovation plan and regulations for events at the guild, which is owned and operated by the Woodside-Atherton Auxiliary. Kathy Parker, a neighbor involved in the suit, told the Almanac last week that she was disappointed and did not know if the group would appeal.

We hope the neighbors will avoid further litigation, which seems foolhardy in light of Judge Kopp's ruling. He said the city, the guild and the auxiliary had "...acted with palpable care, consideration and scrupulous conformance with the state and city statutes and ordinances" in approving the plan that will renovate many of the guild's historic buildings and could expand the number of special events held there.

Judge Kopp noted that the parties had worked in good faith to ease any impact from the renovation. In fact, the city permit imposes substantial conditions on the operation of the guild, including limitations on the number of events to "reduce any neighborhood traffic, noise and pedestrian safety effects and prevent abuse of the residential character of the neighborhood," he said in the ruling.

The judge might have added that many of the stipulations in the city-engineered compromise were settled in favor of the neighbors. For example, the guild had sought 50 to 60 evening events per year but settled for 43, with 35 on weekend nights. No more than two evening events may be held per week, and events may not be held on a Friday and Saturday of the same weekend.

In addition, Friday and Saturday night events must end by 10 p.m., with clean-up allowed until 11; amplified music is permitted only indoors and must comply with city noise ordinances; and to resolve complaints, the guild must designate a community liaison person who is equipped with voice mail and pager and on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Like Judge Kopp, we believe these safeguards protect the neighborhood and will keep this historic Menlo Park institution in business. Allied Arts is not a typical commercial enterprise. It is the neighborhood's namesake and its world-class gardens and artisans' shops have been open to visitors and patrons for nearly 75 years.

Auxiliary members have said all along that a stepped-up schedule of events is necessary to pay for renovations that were initially estimated to be in the $4 million range, a cost that has now grown to about $8 million, due in part to the conflict with the neighbors. Without renovating the historic 1920s-era buildings, which were suffering from dry rot and termite damage, auxiliary members said the guild would have to close its doors and sell the 3.25-acre property on Arbor Road.

Despite the lawsuit, the auxiliary decided some time ago to proceed with the renovation project. It is well under way and grand opening activities will begin in September. The popular Discovery Shop is scheduled to reopen October 1. All proceeds from Allied Arts operations benefit the Lucile Salter Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

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