Friday May 9

Residents and parents discuss Oak Knoll plan

District board deliberates on negative declaration

By Banks Albach / Daily News Staff Writer

Scores of parents and Menlo Park residents packed the auditorium at Oak Knoll School on Thursday night to support, and oppose, a plan by the Menlo Park City School District to renovate its western-most campus.

After nearly two hours of public comment, and a 90-minute staff presentation before that, the board had yet to discuss adopting Oak Knoll School's negative declaration, or a statement assuming that the plan has no environmental impacts on the surrounding area. The statement is required under the California Environmental Quality Act. By press time, the board had still not voted.

The district is planning to revamp the entire campus with a new 33-foot-tall multipurpose building, a reconfigured drop-off and pickup zone, a full-size soccer field and nine additional parking spaces in a new lot on Oak Avenue.

Peg Taylor, along with dozens of other district parents, urged the board to move forward without further delay.

"We have to give our children an excellent education with enough room to learn," she said during public comment.

If approved, construction could begin in September and take about two and a half years.

Because it was approved about year ago, however, neighbors in the immediate vicinity have voiced concerns and formed an organized opposition. Drainage from an increased hard surface area, promoting car travel rather than more sustainable methods and removing several heritage trees were part of the mix. They feel the district should conduct an environmental impact report, which would require extensive traffic, noise and land use studies.

Ram Duriseti, who spoke on behalf of several neighbors of Oak Knoll, said many parents have labeled them anti-development.

"That couldn't be further from the truth," Duriseti said. "The question is, what kind of development. If my property is going to get more drainage, that's a concern."

Since releasing a draft of the negative declaration about a month ago, the district has heeded concerns from surrounding agencies and some neighbors. Planners worked to save one giant oak tree at front of the school. And they also downsized a proposed 22-space parking lot on Oak Avenue to nine spots. But one concern the district did not agree with is the placement of the new two-story building. Neighbors want it in the back of the campus, which has a bigger setback from nearby homes.

Traffic was also a major concern on two fronts. Menlo Park Vice Mayor Heyward Robinson told the board that it needs to consider stronger tactics in fighting global warming. The district does not currently have a busing system and receives around 1,000 car trips per day.

And several parents said that proposing a change from a right-hand exit only to both directions out of the drop-off and pickup zone, would be dangerous to pedestrians and congest an already narrow road.

The renovations are part of a districtwide capital improvement plan to be funded through Measure U, a voter-approved bond measure. Overall, the district is expecting to grow from about 1,650 students this school year to roughly 1,800 in 2011. Enrollment at Oak Knoll, however, is expected to drop from 735 to 720.



E-mail Banks Albach at balbach@dailynewsgroup.com.