Street Project Transforms Downtown

I always find it interesting to read stories of Los Altos reported in local papers.  Specifically, how is the essence of the community captured within the story.  Just yesterday, on the front page of the Daily News, Kristen Marschall wrote about the changes happening in Downtown.

I think she did a good job capturing the anticipation of the current effort. Below, is an slightly edited version.  Enjoy …

Downtown Farmers Market

Each year, Carol & I look forward the time when the Downtown Farmers Market opens for business.  It traditionally runs from late spring to early fall.

Before the market goes begins it’s long winter nap, we thought that it would be great to highlight the market again.  With only 5 weeks remaining, we encourage you to swing by and enjoy the ambiance and good food.

Recently, the Voice wrote about what the downtown market had to offer.  Below, is an slightly edited version of their article.  Enjoy …

Nothing is more relaxing to me than heading out to the farmers’ market. It delights the senses with vibrant colors, a bounty of new and familiar temptations for the palate, music floating on the breeze, the air tinged with the sweet smell of peaches, the ripe scent of tomatoes, and sharper scent of fresh herbs and potted plants. It’s at the market that I experienced nectaplums, jujubes, French apricots, and squash blossoms, amongst other rare hybrids and seasonal treasures.

If you haven’t attended Los Altos’ Farmers Market, on Thursday evenings, you are missing out. It’s run by the California Farmers’ Market Association, and features a mix of fresh produce and food booths so you can enjoy dinner at the market, said Ryan Slover from the Market Association. You can find this wonderful community event between Second & Fourth Streets in Downtown Los Altos every Thursday until September 29th, from 4:00 to 8:00 pm.

“It’s a great opportunity to pick up some local produce mid-week, enjoy dinner, and stroll with the family.” Slover says.

Peter Dietzel, another Market Association official, adds that they plan to have several tastings throughout the summer. “Everyone who has gala apples, for example, will enter and we’ll have a panel and judge who has the best.”

If you aren’t an aficionado of farmers’ markets, you can’t get fresher produce than the Los Altos market unless you grow it yourself. Coming from just four miles away, Hidden Villa brings meat, eggs, and a variety of vegetables to the market. They are an educational farm that has day camps for kids, and all of their animals are humanely-raised and slaughtered.

Most of the farmers come a greater distance to be at the market. Geri Prevedelli-Lathrop and her stepson drive from Watsonville each week. Their family-owned Prevedelli Farms goes back four generations. “While most people think strawberries when they think Watsonville, we have 32 different types of apples alone, plus boysenberries, ollalieberries and pears,” she said.

It’s all not eggs and berries at the market. There are baked goods, bread vendors, falafel stands, chicken, baked potatoes, corn on the cob, shaved ice and Afghan boulani. Local restaurants with stands include the Oaxacan Kitchen and Spot: A Pizza Place.

I am particularly smitten with a booth: The g:m:me bakery. It stands for “granny to mom to me,” representing the handing down of traditional Irish recipes like soda bread and scones. It’s run by Matt and Yvonne Klinksick, who lived in Limerick, Ireland until three years ago. They make lovely (and highly addictive) scones. After sampling the chocolate chip scone (which Matt declared is a popular seller), I tasted the seasonal strawberry and the apricot (which Matt also declared a popular seller). “My wife is really the baking genius. I hand out the samples!” Matt joked. But I walked away with multiple scones, so Matt isn’t too shabby on the sales side, either.

There are also plants and flowers at the market. Will Wiersig of Wiersig Garden Plants, who has been at the market since 2005, started his Los Altos-based nursery with his brother, bringing tea roses, herbs, peppers, eggplants and advice to the public. “This is really my only opportunity to interact with the customers, and we keep seeing friends, and people we know, and we just got hooked in and we keep coming back. I also learned a lot about food here, talking to the other farmers,” he said. “It’s amazing how little I knew until I started coming to the market. My friends think everything at the supermarket is organic. They have no idea!”

I was raised going to farmers’ markets in my hometown of Chico, a farming community, so I know how willing the farmers are to share knowledge along with their samples. Farmers’ markets are treasures, an extension of the community. A mid-week market that allows you to unwind after work, restock the crisper and not have to get up early is truly a joy. The market is an easy way to eat locally grown food, and be informed about what you eat. Get to know the vendors, bring your own bags or basket, and bring enough cash, preferably in small bills.

Downtown Family Fun

How would you like to have some fun this coming weekend?  Do you like strolling along a pedestrian promenade, while looking for that new painting, or high quality photograph, for your home?  Do your kids, or grandchildren, enjoy fun rides and face painting?

Well then, downtown Los Altos is the place to be over the July 9th & 10th weekend. Over those two days, 125,000 people are expected to participate in the 32nd Annual Los Altos Arts & Wine Festival.  It is one of the largest festivals in the bay area and has something for everyone.

The outstanding works of artists and craftspeople from over a dozen states will be showcased.  The festival will also features varietals, by the glass, from local wineries.  More importantly, at least for our two teenagers, there will be a wide variety of foods including Thai, Chinese, Mexican, hot links and roasted corn, and plenty of soft freeze ice cream.  Be sure and come hungry to the Festival.

The “Family Fun Zone” will have a stage, just for kids, with entertainment all day long.  Actually, there is an entire weekend of great music lined up with performances from Black Pearl, The Cocktail Monkeys, Soul Intention, Groove Kings, The House Rockers, Blue House, along with many others.

Clearly, if last year was any indication, everyone will have a good time.  So, come on down and see yet another great part of what makes Los Altos such a wonderful community!  Carol & I hope to see you there.

A New Place to Eat

A few years ago, I was traveling through Florida and asked the hotel concierge for a fun restaurant at which to eat.  He didn’t hesitate with his recommendation:  ”Taverna Opa” he stated with such enthusiasm I knew I had to give it a try.  The fun component lived up to expectations.  The food was good, and the atmosphere was lively.

Coming soon to downtown Los Altos, Opa! (Authentic Greek Cuisine) looks to bring our community some distinctive flavor from the Mediterranean.  While these two restaurant share a part of their name, they are not related businesses.  However, the enthusiasm surrounding this restaurant is the same.  Recently, the Town Crier wrote a article about Opa! Enjoy …

Just as the rains subside and leave local residents to dry out after a thorough drenching comes the mouth-watering news that Opa! Authentic Greek Cuisine is tentatively scheduled to open by May 15 at 325 Main St., replacing now-closed Zitune’s Moroccan fare.

With two other locations – San Jose’s Willow Glen district and downtown Los Gatos – Opa!’s Web site gives potential diners a tantalizing preview of what’s on the menu. And if reviews at Yelp.com and restaurant critics are to be believed, prepare to enjoy.

Since the April 2008 debut of its first location in San Jose, 463 reviews at Yelp overall award the restaurant four stars of five.

Most Yelpers seem to agree that Opa!’s fries are top notch, flavored with Greek spices and topped with feta cheese and herbs and well worth the $4.99 price. For $2 more, diners can have the deluxe version, served with tzatziki, yogurt flavored with cucumber, garlic and other spices, and gyro (yee-roh), skewered meat.

So maybe the wait will be worth it, too, because if diners like what they eat at the Los Gatos and San Jose Opa!s, they’ll like the dining in Los Altos.

“For the most part, our menus and specials are all consistent, and that’s what customers can expect,” said Opa! co-owner Molly Adams, who recently joined restaurant co-founders Spiro Tsaboukos and Angelo Heropoulos.

Adams said Heropoulos created the Opa! concept and executive chef Tsaboukos developed the menu.

“Spiro was raised in the restaurant business and spent time in Greece as a child,” she said. “His parents own Lou’s Diner in Los Gatos – and that’s been there a long time.”

Adams said Tsaboukos has produced an Opa! recipe book for the Greek-with-Mediterranean-flair recipes so that chefs don’t deviate from the ingredients, ensuring consistency.

Open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., Opa! offers lunch and dinner: from appetizers priced from $4.99 to $11.99, assorted dips and spreads served with warm pita bread, entrees ranging from $15.99 to $22.99, daily specials and desserts – and, of course, the famous fries sprinkled with special spices and feta cheese. There is also a weekend-brunch menu.

Adams said the Main Street location is ideal for Opa!’s philosophy to serve a fresh, high-quality and authentic Greek cuisine in small, family-oriented communities.

“We love the space – it’s a gorgeous, gorgeous space,” Adams said. “It really fits in with what we’re trying to do.”

Adams said Opa!’s seating will be similar to Zitune’s – including outdoor dining – but colors and other aesthetic changes are under way inside.

“We just give it the Opa! feeling,” she said.

With more than 3,000 square feet and a seating capacity of 90, the larger Los Altos space should be good news for diners who have endured long lines at other Opa! restaurants for a bite to eat.

“Our other locations are smaller,” Adams said.

Diners get stuffed on the food just reading the menu. Like the Greek Cheesesteak Sandwich, a blend of gyro meat, sautéed onions and bell peppers blended with mozzarella cheese, served in a warm pita and topped with a spicy aioli. Or the Bifteki, a Greek burger with spiced ground beef and lamb served on a toasted bun, topped with tzatziki, ripe tomatoes, red onions and chopped mint, accompanied by a choice of sides for both – those famous fries or rice pilaf.

Despite its relatively small size, Opa! is growing in a big way, with another restaurant scheduled to open soon in Walnut Creek and other possibilities for expansion, including branching into a franchise.

“It’s definitely something we’ve talked about,” Adams said. For more information, visit their Willow Glen web site.

What Defines Village Character?

There are as many descriptions of Los Altos, as there are resident.  Carol & I enjoy hearing about the characteristics residents use to define this community they love so much. The most common title used is that Los Altos is a Village.

There are a number of projects underway around the community.  During each planning phase, the community has had the opportunity to participate in framing what they would like to see improved, and/or retain.

So, what exactly defines Village character?  Well, the Town Crier recently dove into this subject.  Below, is an slightly edited version of their article.  Enjoy …

As construction moves toward completion on streetscape improvements in downtown Los Altos, the disruption to traffic – autos and otherwise – will become a distant memory when newly planted flowers are blooming and pedestrians replace detour placards.

After all, the impetus for infrastructure improvements was to boost business, draw developers and create a lively and vibrant village for visitors. But before the streetscape construction began, city officials adopted Downtown Design Guidelines in December 2009, outlining architectural and design elements for the residential and commercial areas within the triangle bordered by Foothill Expressway, San Antonio Road and West Edith Avenue. Read more

33rd Annual Festival of Lights Parade

It’s that special time of year, again.  Since 1977, the Festival of Lights Parade has brought “A Child’s Holiday Fantasy” to life for the entire Los Altos community. Originally a small gathering of a few costumed storybook characters and a jolly Santa Claus, the parade has grown over the years to a dazzling display of lighted floats, local High School marching bands, and glowing costumed characters – although Santa with his sleigh and reindeer remains the star of the show!

Today, over 20,000 people of all ages gather the first Sunday after Thanksgiving to watch the Parade, one of the most popular Los Altos events of the year. It is a wonderful tradition for Los Altos.

Carol & I have have not missed a parade yet.  Even before we had kids, we enjoyed the parade as a symbolic slice of Americana.  Since then, both of our children have had a chance to be in the parade … one on a Fire Truck, and the other in a matching band.  In both 2004 & 2009, we were lucky enough to ride in the parade as a family.  This year, we are once again cheering all of the participants. It has been wonderful to have watched the parade for so many years, and to now share those memories with our clients and their familes.

Please note that, just like last year, the parade is set to begin at 6:00pm on Sunday, November 28. So, mark your calendars.  It is both a wonderful community tradition, and a great way to start the Holiday Season.  We hope to see you at there!

63rd Annual Pet Parade

Well it was certainly one of the best Pet Parades in a long time, and pristine weather to boot.  We surely enjoyed the riding on the Mayor’s car, with our Chocolate Lab … Coco.  There were hundreds of people lining the street, and even more in the parade.  This is one of those Mayberry moments.  Truly a slice of mom and apple pie.

Below are highlights from a recent article in the Los Altos Town Crier …

Creatures of the world united in downtown Los Altos Saturday as thousands of them – two-legged, four-legged, eight-legged, no-legged and winged – thronged Main and State streets for the 63rd annual Kiwanis Club Pet Parade.

It was as if a huge pet store came alive, with families and their pets showing off one another on the sunny spring morning. Animals of all shapes and sizes walked, trotted, wheeled and slithered as visitors – local and out-of-towners – lined the streets, cheering, waving and clapping.

From the tiniest hermit crabs and furry spiders to lean greyhounds and majestic horses, visitors got their fill of the domesticated wildlife.

Not all pets wanted to march, however.

Tucker, a 4-year-old Golden Retriever, sat patiently, tail wagging and tongue lolling, while his master, Spencer Richmond, 8, watched the parade from the sidelines.

The canines stole the show – with a variety of popular breeds represented, including pocket Chihuahuas, rambunctious Terriers and Pomeranians, frisky Golden and Labrador Retrievers, staid St. Bernards, stately Greyhounds, German Shepherds, Pugs and Dachshunds.

Spectators enjoyed the procession of guinea pigs, cats, goats, rabbits, chickens, lizards, rats and canaries.

To the delight of onlookers, many owners outfitted their pets in cute and clever costumes. They paraded their pets in decorated baskets, wagons, strollers and cages. Some dogs wore outfits to match their owners’, while others sat daintily in their owners’ pockets watching curiously.

Lively, foot-tapping tunes from the South Bay Jazz Society, performing in its horse-drawn wagon, and Ye Olde Towne Band, playing from its motorized gazebo bandstand, provided the soundtrack, entertaining participants and onlookers alike.

Approximately 5,000 people attended, according to Lucy Carlton, parade director and former Los Altos police chief.  “Everyone has a great time,” Carlton said. “That’s what community is all about.”

Packard Foundation Plans Eco-friendly Expansion

With conservation one of their chief concerns, officials with the Los Altos-based David and Lucile Packard Foundation are taking great care to lead by example with plans for their new 45,000-square-foot office building on Second Street.

The two-story building, across from the current headquarters at 300 Second St., will employ an extreme-green philosophy, featuring net-zero energy efficiency. The goal, according to foundation president Carol Larson and vice president Chris DeCardy, is a building as environmentally friendly as possible – right down to rainwater runoff from the building that would water plants rather than spill into the street. Larson said 95 percent of the existing buildings’ materials would be recycled.

“We’re helping (the downtown) with this new building,” DeCardy said.

Added Larson: “We want it to be a place for the future while fitting into the past.”

Packard officials hope to receive city go-ahead by midyear and break ground by December. They said they anticipate the new building would be open for business by summer 2012.

Since the Packard board of directors decided to move forward with the building last December, Larson, DeCardy and other Packard officials have held meetings with city leaders and the public to tout their building’s benefits. The latest was a Community Conversation with members of the general public, scheduled March 9 at foundation headquarters.

Construction is likely to be painstaking, given Packard’s ambitious goals in creating a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum Certified building, the highest possible green certification. Larson said plans call for smaller offices and more “common space.”

“We’re driving our employees to be in better contact with each other,” Larson said.

Meeting space, videoconferencing and high-tech improvements also will be among the features.

The new building, designed to accommodate the foundation over the next 40 years, has capacity for 124 employees, Larson said, although she imagines the foundation will not need that many. The 45-year-old foundation, active in 10 countries and focused on some of the planet’s most pressing problems, currently has 100 employees.

To make way for the new building, the

existing buildings on Packard-owned land bordered by Whitney and Second streets and San Antonio Road will be deconstructed, Larson and DeCardy said, further reflecting the green approach. Instead of demolition, Packard will have crews tear down the old buildings piece by piece. Deconstruction could start as soon as this month, they said.

Larson emphasized Packard’s commitment to staying in Los Altos and that the foundation is proud to call it home.

“People are proud of it being here, and we’re grateful for that,” she said. “We want Los Altos to continue being the exemplary community it already is.”

Note: This is a slightly edited version of a recent article featured in the Los Altos Town Crier.

Changes for Downtown – zoning & more

Over the past six years, we have seen at least three cycles run through our core Downtown business. However, one thing has remained rather stagnant: the look and feel of Downtown. It appears that changes are afoot.

During the last couple of years, the City has been striving towards a common goal of incentivizing investments in Downtown. Yes, there were some constraints inhibiting progress. However, the City has been working towards identifying opportunities, and is ready to invest in a number of projects itself.

Below are highlights from a recent article, which covered the changes …

Downtown zoning underwent significant changes following a Feb. 9 Los Altos City Council action. The changes will pave the way for taller buildings with mixed uses along the downtown perimeter.

The bulk of the rezoning changes, unanimously approved after a lengthy public hearing, apply to First Street. Although the Safeway and Draeger’s Market properties and the city-owned plot at First and Main streets will retain a Commercial Retail Sales (CRS) zoning, most of the street is rezoned to permit office and residential uses. CRS zoning, with its two-story, 30-foot maximum, remains prevalent throughout the retail core of Main and State streets.

Coupled with last week’s approval of streetscape plans for First Street and San Antonio Road, the changes have the clear intent to attract more development – and people – to downtown.

The streetscape project, which addresses improvements to sidewalks and landscaping, also includes undergrounding utilities through a partnership with PG&E. The utility is scheduled to work on First between Edith and Main this summer.

The changes, a combination of recommendations from the Downtown Development Committee and the city’s planning commission, become effective 30 days after the second reading of the zoning amendment.

The committee’s recommendations for First included extending the commercial/retail zone along First between Safeway and Draeger’s, allowing residential units on first floors from Main to San Antonio and raising the building height limit to 45 feet.

Approximately 30 people, including downtown property and business owners, members of the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce, members of the Los Altos Village Association and residents, attended the hearing, primarily offering their support for the zoning changes.

A Vision for Downtown Los Altos

It’s quaint. It’s has something for everyone. More importantly, it is treasured by the whole community. From the restaurants, to the retail stores, to the many personal services available, there are a number of wonderful experiences to be had.

So how do you improve upon a treasured asset?  By being careful, inclusive, and strategic.

There were a variety of community outreach meetings, between July and September, which resulted in a diversity of participants providing consistent comments about the need to allow the Downtown to become more vibrant and active with a mix of uses. There was an expressed desire for higher buildings of three or four stories, and more density of use. Below is a summary of the points made, which provides a pulse of the community’s desired improvements:

• Include more residential development in Downtown
• Keep the strength of the retail and restaurant mix
• Provide other amenities, especially open space and plazas
• Address activities for adults and families in the evenings
• Allow increased building height in downtown
• Generally increase Downtown vitality
• Expect that the Downtown Los Altos customer would be family-oriented, and
• Create a vision for the entire Downtown to guide the future decisions

The idea of creating and confirming a Downtown vision in the context of current economic, environmental and development realities is a useful foundation for planning processes, specific feasibility studies, and future proposals. The repeated comments favoring growth and increased height and density in Downtown were a marked departure from public comments in meetings over the last two decades, where residents have specifically asked that the Downtown remain unchanged and that building height not be increased.

This change in attitude and direction which was consistent throughout the outreach meetings indicates that the interests of Los Altos residents may have shifted, and growth and increased vitality are valued where they may not have been in the past. In an effort to confirm whether this shift in thinking is widely held and this livelier Downtown experience is broadly supported, the City will conduct Downtown visioning workshops beginning in January.

The visioning workshops will focus particularly on the experience people want to have Downtown and whether that includes increased density, and increased building height that would support vitality and an economically healthy Downtown. Clearly, the workshops are not being set up to develop specific detailed plans, but to determine the community’s interest in Downtown’s growth and evolution based on the vitality and the experience our community wants for the future.

I will post the dates for the upcoming community forums, just in case you are interested in hearing the voice of the community directly. If you are not able to attend in person, I will follow-up this blog posting with a summary of the community’s Vision for Downtown.

If you are looking to move into Los Altos, feel free to contact us for a private tour of some of the best real estate in the Bay Area. Whether you are thinking about moving into Downtown Los Altos, or simply across town, we are confident that we can help you find that perfect home just for you.

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