Guest Opinion: Neighbors want EIR for Priory expansion Guest Opinion: Neighbors want EIR for Priory expansion (February 02, 2005)

By Burt and Belinda Brant

To members of the Creek Committee and citizens living on Corte Madera Creek:

We are concerned about what we feel is the obstructionist disregard from our town in refusing to require an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on Corte Madera Creek that addresses the Woodside Priory's proposed addition. This project -- up to 56,000 square feet of building space, cement, and paving -- will directly add runoff into Corte Madera Creek during "normal" storm drainage.

At the January 19 Planning Commission meeting we heard a member of the Priory's board of trustees state that, "Anyone who lives on a riparian corridor in this community, and is not ready for the kind of floods we get, deserves what they get." I don't think he realizes that his comment speaks to at least 1,200 people who live on Corte Madera Creek on building sites approved by the Town of Portola Valley and who will be affected downstream by his project.

We settled in Portola Valley because, until now, the town seemed committed to preserving the environment in our area. This idyllic dream started to fade in 1982-83 and again in 1998, when all of us along Grove Drive had incredible flood damage to our property-a subdivision that was approved by the Town of Portola Valley.

We were disastrously flooded by Corte Madera Creek which rose above its banks, as well as when the creek leaped the current drainage system and water poured down Grove Drive itself and through property and houses.

This was a very costly experience for all of us along Corte Madera Creek, and to the Town of Portola Valley, whose council had not heeded a study they did in 1970 which told them that they had to update the drainage system in Portola Valley. Because we sued the town successfully, they had to fork out major amounts of money to fix the problems they had not addressed since 1970.

By the way, the problems addressed in the 1970 study have not been totally fixed. Since then, we have had floods in 1982-83 and 1998 when Corte Madera Creek flooded its banks and caused great damage to property and to the riparian creek that we are all trying to preserve. As you know, this seems to be an ongoing occurrence every five years or so.

Although we acknowledge that the Woodside Priory is a wonderful addition to the community and is entitled to make improvements, we don't want them to take shortcuts that may have disastrous consequences for their neighbors. The Priory must consider an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) by an independent entity to lead this project into the future. It is the correct and honest thing to do.

Having been citizens in Portola Valley for more than 20 years, we know the town has a history of not planning for the long-term future, which causes problems for its citizens and makes the town liable for lawsuits. It seems to approve "simple" fixes in the here-and-now, and not consider an overall plan that will address flood and drainage problems in a "far-thinking" way. It would seem a thorough "drainage plan" is in order.

Why is it that Santa Clara County is totally involved in trying to create a future plan for drainage for their county, whereas Portola Valley is doing a piece-by-piece approval of unknown consequences?

We invite the approximately 1,200 Corte Madera Creek residents to come to the Planning Commission meeting February 2 at 8 p.m. in the Historic Schoolhouse at Town Center. This is very important, as those of us who live at or below the Grove Drive Bridge will be impacted by a larger drainpipe that is predicted to bring at least 12 per cent more water into the creek during major storms. A detailed report is available at Town Hall.

Burt and Belinda Brant live on Grove Drive and wrote this for the Citizens of Grove Drive, including James and Marion Bradfield, Mrs. Fred Slightham, and Dr. Coleen Barton Tesler.

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