Issue date: April 01, 1998
By MARION SOFTKY
It's been five long years and close to a dozen public hearings, but the Portola Valley Town Council finally approved subdivision of the 25-acre hill behind Woodside Priory into six lots with seven acres of open space, served by a new connection to Portola Road.
As the clock ticked toward midnight March 26, the Town Council voted on a series of six resolutions to allow the subdivision to go forward. On the key question of access, which has pitted neighborhoods against each other, the council voted 3-1 for a new road to Portola Road, instead of splitting access between two closer streets, Antonio Court and Veronica Place. Councilman Craig Brown was disqualified from voting because he lives on Antonio Court.
"I have concluded that the Portola Road access is the best of three bad solutions," said Councilman Ted Driscoll, adding, "I (also) believe the beneficiary of a development should bear the cost."
Voting no was Councilman Richard Merk, who strongly supported access to two new homes from Antonio Court, and four from Veronica Place. "The safety issue is negligible, given the number of houses served by roads in the areas," he said, and warned, "There are a lot of speeders on Portola Road, and a lot of bicycles."
The private school is subdividing the open knoll that came to it as a gift to build its endowment. Urging the council to act that night, Priory spokesman Scott Carey noted that money spent to meet town requirements, such as building extra trails, is money lost from scholarships. "We have spent $500,000; that's 50 scholarships," he said. "Building Sausal Trail is two scholarships. We think of it as the loss of opportunity to educate young children."
At last week's hearing, no one opposed subdividing the property, which is zoned for 14 lots, into six lots. The 27 speakers focused on two main subjects: access and trails. Residents near all three possible access roads agreed that safety was the primary issue; then they argued that someone else's street was safer.
"In my opinion the Portola Road access is the safest of the three," concluded Councilman Driscoll and the council majority.
After much discussion, the council agreed to require the Priory to install trails connecting with Veronica Place and Portola Road, and to place a trail from the end of Antonio Court to the top of the hill to connect with the others.
No second units will be allowed in the new development. The council also agreed to allow the Priory to provide two below-market-rate units for its own staff as long as the school does not discriminate. "There is no discrimination based on religion," said Mr. Carey. "Students and faculty cover all faiths and no faith."
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