May Construction Update

Rae Holt, Executive Director of The Terraces At Los Altos sent a letter this week with a brief construction update. The project is still on hold pending final approval from the state agency OSHPD. They hope to get approval and start in the next few weeks, and will send another update when a date is set.

The letter also outlines some of the mitigation efforts which will accompany construction, such as a crossing guard at Pine Lane and Los Altos Avenue on school days, off-site parking, and watering trucks. A copy of the letter can be found here.

April Construction Update

You may have noticed that construction at The Terraces, formerly scheduled for April, has not yet begun. According to Rae Holt, Executive Director of The Terraces at Los Altos, who gave a short presentation to the Santa Rita PTA on Friday, the delay is a result of last-minute changes to a small detail of the skilled nursing facility. Construction of all such facilities must be approved by a state agency, OSHPD, which has been inundated with projects prompted by state seismic upgrade requirements. Having made the changes to the plans required by OSHPD, The Terraces is still waiting for final approval, after which it will take about two weeks to get the necessary construction permits from the city and begin work.

As a reminder, the project will be completed in three phases, starting at the corner of Pine Lane and Los Altos Avenue and proceeding westward; phases one and two will take 8-10 months each, and phase three is expected to take 15-18 months, including excavation of a 96-space underground parking garage.

Terraces Groundbreaking

The official Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Terraces redevelopment is scheduled for 2-4PM on Thursday, March 22nd, at the corner of Pine Lane and Los Altos Avenue, according to a letter sent to neighbors this week. Valet parking will be provided, with cars parked on the surrounding residential streets. 

Construction is still scheduled to begin in April, although an exact date is not yet available.

The letter from Rae Holt, executive director of The Terraces at Los Altos, is available here.

Tree Removal Begins

This week has seen the beginning of "pre-construction activities" on the Spagnoli parcel at the corner of Pine Lane and Los Altos Avenue. According to Rae Holt, Executive Director of The Terraces at Los Altos, the work should take about a week, and involves removal of trees and construction of a new fence on the property line between the Spagnoli parcel and the adjacent houses on Spagnoli court. 

Actual construction of Phase One of the new facility is anticipated to start in March. More details can be found in a letter sent to neighbors of the Terraces, available here.

Landscape Committee Meets

One of the conditions imposed by the City Council during approval of the Pilgrim Haven (now The Terraces at Los Altos) redevelopment was the creation of a Landscape Committee composed of both neighborhood and Terraces representatives to flesh out the details of the lanscaping around the perimeter of the project. The committee held a series of meetings in late 2010. The neighborhood representatives were Bryan Johnson, Jane Seligson, Irene Adler, and Katherine and Charles Lilygren.

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