Good Permits Make Good Neighbors

Photo Credit: photo from barney davidge associates

The Presentation community and neighbors discussed the new house that will hold the Development Office next year, shown here as an artistic rendering.

May 17, 2010

Alex Hencken, Assistant A&E Editor  

Filed under Pres

On April 21, Presentation went to the planning commission meeting with an application for conditional use permits for the two houses across the street. Once all the speakers had finished and the conditions of the proposal had been clarified, such as the allowed uses, times of use, number of employees permitted, and parking. The commission ruled unanimously in favor of Pres.

One of the most prevalent issues at Presentation this year has been its relationship with the neighbors. Pres has always been concerned with maintaining good relations, but this year in particular was especially difficult. Over the summer Pres acquired the house next door to the Jenvey house, and has been working to refurbish it all year. The man that used to live there approached Presentation with the offer and the administration agreed to purchase it from him. However, the acquisition of the second house began to raise more concerns amongst some of the more adamant neighbors.

In order to legally use the houses for the purposes planned, Pres needed to get conditional use permits for each, which required us to go to the planning commission. The day of the meeting, Mary Miller came over the PA and asked for the students’ support and presence at the meeting, and they did just that, as well as a large number of faculty and parents.

At the meeting, there were quite a few speakers in support of Pres, including members from the Board of Trustees, faculty members, and even one of its own students. Senior Sarah Watanabe got up in front of the commission and spoke about the robotics program and how it has been a very important learning experience for her. Ms. Miller cited her words and the support of students as essential contributors to the meeting. “I am absolutely convinced that it was the articulate points made by the speakers but also the presence of so many parents and faculty and students that had a huge impact on the positive outcome,” she said.

And although there were a small handful of neighbors that spoke against Presentation’s proposal, there were many more neighbors that spoke in favor of it, many being parents of alumnae. In addition to the speakers, the informational packet given to the commissioners also included several letters from the immediate neighbors around the two houses that supported the proposition.

However, despite the positive feedback, it wasn’t completely sure that Pres would be successful. Before the speakers even began, a representative from the Planning Department stated that they recommended denial of the application based on the fact that they are trying to discourage expansion of institutional uses into neighborhoods, per the San Jose 2020 General Plan. But several neighbors testified that the improvements made to the houses actually enhanced the neighborhood, and it was assured that they would be maintained in residential configurations, so that they could be converted back for residential use if needed. “As the meeting went along and more and more speakers made valid points you could see the planning commissioners becoming convinced that this was a good thing,” said Miller.

Looking forward, as soon as the mandated appeal period is up, the process is finished and Presentation can legally use the two houses according to the conditions laid out in the application for the permits. If everything goes according to plan, Pres is allowed to continue using the Jenvey house for Robotics, the Film and Broadcasting program and the Math and Science Academy, and the new house will be used for the development offices, so that they are no longer scattered throughout the campus.

Not only was the planning commission meeting important for the school and its development, but it was also a great experience for the students that attended. It was a great opportunity to get a glimpse of the local government in action, and also to be a part of making a difference, for the Presentation community in particular. As Miller summed it up, “Even if we had lost that night I still would have been very proud of our Pres community. I could feel their love and admiration of the school.”

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Tags: conditional use permit, Mary Miller, planning commission, Presentation Development Office, Presentation neighbor relations, San Jose 2020 General Plan, Sarah Watanabe