sycamore tree. No mention was made of the eucalyptus tree on the
corner of Brooks and Glenneyre Streets.
Councilwoman Toni Iseman, who submitted the agenda item jointly
with Mayor Elizabeth Pearson-Schneider, said every effort must be
made to preserve the sycamore, estimated to be 70 years old.
"I have been looking at that sycamore tree for 44 years," said
neighbor Mark Sofian. "There is no reason to take it down and no
reason to demolish the building. I am against this project."
Project architect Morris Skenderian said if the tree is left in
place, the underground garage would lose about 20 spaces, which would
make it not economically feasible.
Heritage Committee members deemed the demolition of the one
building unacceptable -- even if a similar structure was constructed
at another location on the conglomeration of lots that make up the
Pottery Shack site.
The committee approved the property for listing on the city's
historical register, which seeks to preserve, where possible, the
exteriors of historic structures. Incentives for registering a
structure include reductions in parking requirements, and leniency in
setbacks -- the distance from the property line to the building.
"This is a historical site," said committee member Bonnie Hano,
speaking for herself. "They promised to keep it intact and were given
a 53% reduction in [required] parking.
"If they move ahead with this proposal, they should give back the
incentives. This is a travesty."
Committee member Molly Bing also took a dim view of the proposal.
Business leaders had a different perspective.
"This is a wonderful opportunity to put parking in an area which
needs it," Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Verlaine Crawford
said. "Hanauer's proposal is contingent on including it in the
construction timetable for the entire project. The old building will
be pulled down and a new one constructed so that it would not
completely block visibility from the Glenneyre Street surface parking
lot exit.
"We truly, truly support this opportunity to increase parking at
the Pottery Shack and reduce the neighborhood problem." Surf & Sand
spokeswoman Joanna Bear said.
Neighborhood association members consider the hotel one of the
main culprits for their overburdened neighborhood streets because of
the lack of free employee parking.
Opponents claimed the additional parking would be leased to the
hotel at a profit for Hanauer, instead of adding to the Pottery Shack
parking spaces they have always considered inadequate.
Hanauer said he has no deal with the hotel and, if business at his
property warrants it, he will utilize the spaces.
Now the proposal moves to the Planning Commission and Design
Review, which have 21 days to determine if the preliminary plans are
acceptable, Skenderian said.
