Portola Valley edgy as Sequoias raises expansion plans

By MARION SOFTKY

As The Sequoias, Portola Valley's oldest and largest institutional community, tries to modernize for the next 20 years, it is igniting historic ambivalence in Portola Valley.

This edginess showed strongly at the Aug. 19 meeting of the Portola Valley Planning Commission. Three commissioners challenged the retirement community's plans to add four duplexes and eight carports; they wanted to consider the application in the context of long-range growth plans.

"We should develop a view of the future and then work backward," said Acting Chairman Ed Davis. "We've been incremented to death."

Town Planner George Mader noted, "We're pushing the envelope as to what would be allowed on the property."

The Sequoias is one of the Bay Area's oldest and still one of its top retirement complexes. It opened 37 years ago, three years before Portola Valley incorporated, as one of the first life-care facilities in the country.

"It reflected the approach to care at that time, but there's been a lot of experience since then," said Sequoias Administrator Harvey Ray. "We're looking at needs for the next 20 years."

Mr. Ray envisioned three phases to meet these needs and desires of today's seniors:

**Phase one would add four duplexes and eight carports to the built-up area at the back of the site toward the hills. A web of faults and landslides on the open area toward Sausal Pond from the perimeter driveway, precludes any more building farther out.

This addition would add 16 people -- or 5 percent -- to the 334 allowed to live in the complex. under present town permits. Although every unit is occupied, fewer that 334 people are actually living at The Sequoias because of single surviving spouses occupying two-person units, Mr. Ray said.

**Phase two would shrink the skilled nursing center and expand the assisted living area with a new two-story building to be built on low ground between the present assisted living area and the skilled nursing building. Each story would be 12,000 square feet, and the building would not be higher than present buildings, said Yumiko Westland of Northern California Presbyterian Homes and Services, which runs The Sequoias.

Mr. Ray said this new space would allow The Sequoias to divide people needing assistance into three groups: physically frail people who have full mental capacity but need a smaller environment; people with Alzheimer's or dementia who can still engage in some activities; and people with Alzheimer's or dementia who have behavioral problems, such as wandering off, and need more supervision.

"We also hope to be able to provide daycare to the (Portola Valley) area," said Ms. Westland.

**Phase three would expand the central activity building by 6,060 square feet into the courtyard to provide additional eating area, more activity rooms, and private offices for residents with computer equipment.

In the early days of The Sequoias, people were generally single and didn't need a lot of living space, Mr. Ray explained. "Now people want larger accommodations. The demand is there; the need is there."

How big should it be?