Woodside Priory expansion: Can residents trust town to enforce conditions? Woodside Priory expansion: Can residents trust town to enforce conditions? (January 26, 2005)

** Town is tightening up on enforcement, official says.

Portola Valley didn't enforce town restrictions on the Woodside Priory School in the past. How do residents know that proposed new conditions on the school's expansion plans will be enforced?

That was among the questions addressed to the Portola Valley Planning Commission during its January 19 public hearing on a revised master plan and a conditional use permit for the private Benedictine middle and high school.

The town is tightening up enforcement of conditional use permits all over town, said Craig Breon, chairman of the Planning Commission. "Staff review is going to be far more extensive in the future," he said.

The Planning Commission will continue the Priory public hearing at its next meeting February 2, when it is expected to approve the plans, perhaps with further revisions to the conditions.

People are asked to submit written comment by January 26, and may make further verbal comment at the February 2 meeting, scheduled to start at 8 p.m. in the Historic Schoolhouse at Town Center.

About 80 people, many strongly supporting the Priory's expansion plan, filled the Historic Schoolhouse last week.

Several speakers expressed concern about drainage into Corte Madera Creek, and traffic and parking problems.

Among new conditions proposed by the town is an increase in the capacity of the Kalman Field detention facility to handle increased storm-water runoff.

Also, a revised agreement on community use of the school's athletic facilities provides, in many cases, for a reduction in the scope of uses, said deputy town planner Tom Vlasic. The agreement sets forth specific actions to limit the impact of Kalman Field use on residents of the neighboring Georgia Lane.

Overall, the town's conditions are "extensive," Mr. Vlasic said in a staff report. "[They] provide for substantial town oversight, including annual reviews of not only improvements that may be eventually authorized by the planning commission, but also ongoing school use of the property."

"We're largely done," said Ray Rothrock, a Portola Valley resident and chairman of the board of trustees of the Priory. He said the school agreed with nearly every condition the town set, including a 350 student limit on enrollment.

The school plans to build several new structures, including a 400-seat performing arts center, a fitness center, classrooms, offices and housing.
INFORMATION

Information on the Woodside Priory expansion plans are available at portolavalley.net, at town hall and the town library.

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