Priory gets conditional OK for July youth conference Priory gets conditional OK for July youth conference (May 12, 2004)

** School's expansion plans will draw scrutiny.

By David Boyce
Almanac Staff Writer

Planning officials in the sparsely populated and upscale town of Portola Valley gave a one-time restricted OK to the Woodside Priory School's decision to invite some 200 Benedictine youth from around the world to spend the last week in July on the school's 65-acre Portola Road campus.

The unanimous decision by the five-member Planning Commission at a May 5 meeting put to rest the question of whether the Priory's plan to host the second International Benedictine Youth Conference was a violation of its operation permit, known formally as a conditional use permit.

The permit prohibits activities that do not directly serve the school's students or the Portola Valley community. The school successfully argued that a meeting of Benedictine students constituted a legitimate use of the school's facilities, Planning Manager Leslie Lambert told the Almanac.

The school's Benedictine mission "most definitely" was a key factor in approving the conference, Ms. Lambert said, but added: "The commission made it perfectly clear that this does not set a precedent."

The go-ahead for the conference came with several restrictions. No other organized events are allowed during the week, visiting youth must be chaperoned when off-campus, and the sounds emanating from a scheduled evening dance must be "fully contained" within the gym. Neighbors were given a hot line to call for complaints.

Visitors will stay in the dormitories, monastery and guest houses, and in sleeping bags in the assembly hall and gym. The fire marshal has approved the housing plan, Ms. Lambert said.

"We were very happy that it passed," said Tim Molak, the Priory's headmaster. "We think it'll be great for the school and the Portola Valley community to have these kids from all around the world here."

Use-permit flap

The Priory's residential neighbors and other town residents, concerned about the school exceeding its enrollment limit, have been asking town officials whether conditional use permits in Portola Valley are being effectively monitored. Current and former members of the Town Council have expressed alarm at the lack of permit enforcement.

The Priory has acknowledged that its current enrollment of 340 students violates its permit to enroll only 250. This is the school's only violation, said Ms. Lambert, adding that the permit is "very vague" and "really needs to be cleaned up." About 60 of these students live in Portola Valley, school officials have said.

The town officially learned of the Priory's plans for the July youth conference in an April letter from headmaster Tim Molak to Town Administrator Angela Howard and Planning Commission chair Craig Breon.

Included in the letter were plans to allow Menlo Park-based Phillips Brooks School to hold its spring festival on the campus on April 25. Deputy Town Planner Tom Vlasic denied permission for this event on the grounds that it did not constitute a town or community use of the school's facilities.

The discussion among commissioners, town staff, Priory staff and town residents at the Planning Commission's May 5 meeting "helped (the commissioners) understand further that their role in reviewing use permits is very important," Ms. Lambert said.

The school's late notification "was definitely an oversight," Ms. Lambert said. "The Priory is learning that they need to be forthcoming about what is going on."

But town planning staff and the Planning Commission need to be more diligent and stay "on top of the use-permit situation," she added. "It was so productive," she said of the meeting. "I think we'll have a really good working relationship now. It's really opened up communication."

The Priory is seeking permission to amend its use permit to expand its facilities and increase its enrollment limit to 350 students.

School officials say the expansion will not increase the footprint of developed land on campus, but it would result in several new structures, including a performing arts center, a fitness center, new classrooms, a new tennis court, offices and housing. Floor area on campus would grow by 53,000 square feet, a 38 percent increase.

The Planning Commission will likely take up the Priory's request at its June 16 meeting, Ms. Lambert said.

If the commission doesn't put teeth into use-permit enforcement, it won't improve compliance, said resident Nancy Shott in an interview.

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