Plans for new Portola Valley Town Center firm up as deadline approaches Plans for new Portola Valley Town Center firm up as deadline approaches (October 20, 2004)

** Library would double in size; costs may jump 20 percent.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

The end may be nigh. Not of life as we know it, but of the preliminary phase of the redesign of the Portola Valley Town Center at 765 Portola Road.

At its October 13 meeting, the Town Council and about 30 residents attended a presentation of the likely last draft of the conceptual master plan for the complex of buildings and playing fields. A final plan is due November 3.

Originally estimated at $13 million to $15 million, rising costs for materials could jack up the price tag by 20 percent, project architects said.

The plan shows buildings clustered in the northwest corner of the 11.2-acre site, including a town hall, a library, four activity rooms, and a multi-use room, all of which open onto a plaza.

The site retains a baseball field, soccer field and three paved courts for tennis or other sports. Parking is located on the perimeter, as is a potential trail. A wide belt of tree-shaded park land runs north along Portola Road and bends westward, ending at the plaza.

Architect Larry Strain, accompanied by partner Jim Goring and project manager Susi Marzuola, made the presentation. They led the design team that has shepherded the community and Town Council through an evolving vision of the Town Center.

In June, council members and some 60 residents attended a series of workshops that produced several layouts for the site. Since then, the design team -- with the council's direction -- has refined the workshop ideas into a single proposal.

New library

The library -- now a 3,500-square-foot contiguous space -- would double in size, seat twice as many people, and be divided into "acoustically separate" spaces, including a homework room, a computer area, a story-telling area and a quiet study area.

After studying the library's usage, consultant Kathy Page described it as congested. Adult fiction, for example, is located in the children's area, which may explain why it is underused, she said.

There aren't enough computers, seats, book shelves, office space or quiet areas, Ms. Page said, adding: "Everybody comes together in one box. It's always a sign (of inadequate space) when the children's librarian keeps her story-telling props in the trunk of her car."

In imagining a new facility, library director Thom Ball talked of recitals, readings, and art on the walls. "We've got the artists here in town. We could do that," he said. "What we're envisioning is that the library is the locus of cultural life here in the community."

The council unanimously supported the library proposal.

Indoor athletics

A full-size gym/multi-use room of some 7,000 square feet would meet "unfulfilled needs" such as volleyball, indoor soccer and basketball, said Parks and Recreation Committee chair Sally Ann Reiss. "We ... really do feel that a larger MUR footprint would really serve our community better."

But advocates of expansive indoor athletic facilities had to settle for less. The council -- in concert with the Planning and the Architecture and Site Control commissions -- opted for a 4,000-square-foot MUR, about the size of the current hall.

"I think that having a very large MUR/gym (will) make the buildings the main focus instead of the undeveloped lands," said Conservation Committee chair Marge DeStaebler, who opposed the larger building.

Councilman Ed Davis called the large MUR "an urban structure" that would be out of place in "a small town with relatively few residents."

Preschool not precluded

The council briefly reaffirmed an earlier decision to not dedicate space at the Town Center for a preschool, relying instead on generic classroom space that could be made to accommodate a preschool should one ask to locate there and should the application be accepted.

It would require a separate traffic analysis, said Town Attorney Sandy Sloan.

Phasing and financing

In June, the architects estimated a total cost of $13 million to $15 million, but in the interim, prices have risen for materials -- concrete, plywood and steel -- and workers' compensation, all of which could add 20 percent to cost, architect Larry Strain said.

The town has $3.5 million earmarked for the project, but the council has not yet scheduled a discussion of overall costs or fundraising strategies. In March, residents Jean and Bill Lane donated $1 million. Since then, a fundraising committee has been formed, led by former mayor Gary Neilson.

In recognition of a lengthy project that may require payment in stages, the architects presented a three-phase plan, with a first phase priced at $8 million, said Ms. Marzuola.

Phase 1 could include the library and town hall and necessary infrastructure, said Ms. Marzuola. The current MUR, town hall and artists' studios could be deconstructed to harvest re-usable beams. The tennis courts and baseball field would also be out of service.

Phase 2 projects would see a baseball field, paved courts, maintenance facilities and soccer field, said Ms. Marzuola. Classrooms would be unavailable. Phase 3 would include the MUR, community plaza and new activity rooms.

Resident Bernie Bayuk expressed alarm at the phasing proposal. Buildings may be down prematurely, he said. "It may be years (during which) we won't have what we had before."

In an interview, Mr. Bayuk said he would like to see an engineering study on the feasibility of retrofitting the current buildings. "We're a town of about 2,000 adults," he said. "We don't need a Taj Mahal."

Mr. Bayuk said he knows of other residents who share his skepticism.

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