Portola Valley: General applause for Town Center design Portola Valley: General applause for Town Center design (April 27, 2005)

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

The Portola Valley community had a chance last week to view and comment on the latest plans for the Town Center, which include a two-story town hall, a one-story library, public rooms with spacious views and a great sweep of lawn.

At a special April 20 Town Council meeting, amid acclaim from the council -- and some pointed criticism -- plus a few questions from an audience of about 40, architects Larry Strain and Jim Goring and project manager Susi Marzuola gave accounts of the refinements made to the conceptual master plan.

Among the highlights, the refined plan -- called a schematic -- shows the community room reoriented to open to the western redwood grove. In a land-swap with neighboring Christ Church, the site will have a second vehicle entrance near the church. To allow emergency access, a pedestrian-friendly road crosses the site.

Councilman Steve Toben commended the design team for taking in "thousands of inputs" to "achieve so much of the Portola Valley ideal."

"You've integrated all of that into a really superb blend," said Mr. Toben. "You've come up with a design that I think looks to the past but also looks forward to the 21st century."

He celebrated the idea of a lawn as a commons, and as a cousin to the great lawn in New York City's Central Park.

"This is a Town Center that has presence," said Mr. Goring at one point. "We hope there's a real 'aha' experience as you drive around to the back."

Councilman Richard Merk seemed to have an "aha" experience at the meeting. He disagreed with the idea of the town planting a lawn of non-native grass when residents are encouraged to do otherwise.

And while he praised the team for "an amazing job," he recalled the town's general plan, which calls for subordinating buildings to the land. In the schematic plan, the roofs tend to soar a bit.

"What we're not trying to have in this town is architectural statements," said Mr. Merk. "I'm not sitting in the library looking out the window at Windy Hill. I can go outside to do that."

Such roofs serve a purpose, said Ms. Marzuola in an interview. Along with providing a view, the upward slopes -- in combination with large windows below -- are meant to join indoor and outdoor spaces.

Unlike Emeryville, where the team's offices are, Portola Valley has day after day of great weather, she said. "Even when it's raining, it's like 'Wow. It's another glorious day in paradise,'" she said. "Why not capture that?"

Councilman George Comstock noted that the town's finances could not pay for the plan as shown. He said he is hoping for a "ground swell" of support in the fundraising campaign.

He asked the audience for a show of hands of those who found the schematic plan to be a persuasive fundraising element. About half the people raised their hands. When he asked if the plan was discouraging, no hands went up.

The next milestone arrives June 22, when a more-or-less final plan will come before the council for approval, said Mayor Ed Davis. Meanwhile, residents will soon be able to view the drawings on the Web and the scale model probably at Town Hall, said Mr. Davis.

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