Atherton: Flood estate fountain relocation in limbo Atherton: Flood estate fountain relocation in limbo (June 15, 2005)

By Andrea Gemmet

Almanac Staff Writer

An offer to donate to the town of Atherton the huge, three-tiered fountain from the Flood estate is in limbo, said Atherton's deputy town planner.

Atherton officials haven't yet accepted or declined the fountain, which would come with $100,000 towards its relocation, because they don't know the cost of relocating it and restoring it to working order, said Lisa Costa Sanders.

In April, a prospective homebuyer's plans to move the century-old fountain at 42 Flood Circle in the Lindenwood neighborhood raised an outcry. Preservationists and members of the Lindenwood Homes Association feared losing a cherished artifact, so the Atherton City Council passed a temporary law to regulate any alterations to the fountain and other historic artifacts while a permanent preservation measure is crafted.

Since then, the buyer, Manuel Henriquez, has pulled out of the sale, she said. Fred Chapman, the owner of 42 Flood Circle, applied for a permit to move the fountain, but objected to some of the conditions for moving it, Ms. Costa Sanders said.

The conditions would cost a couple thousand dollars and included photo-documentation of the fountain in its current location, installing an informational plaque about its history, and insuring that it is in working condition, she said.

The conditions are necessary for an environmental study required by the California Environmental Quality Act, she said. Called a "mitigated negative declaration," it's one of the least expensive and time-consuming of CEQA-mandated studies, and it's used to demonstrate that any negative impacts could be alleviated.

However, without Mr. Chapman's agreement, the mitigated negative declaration cannot be completed, Ms. Costa Sanders said. The fountain-moving project was to be heard at this month's Planning Commission meeting, but has been removed from the agenda, she said.

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