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.

The portions of the perimeter of the Terraces along Spagnoli Court, Los Altos Avenue, and Pine Lane have been divided into sections, with the following design goals.

Spagnoli Court: Trees will be planted along the perimeter fence, selected with a goal of minimal litter and maximum privacy for the Spagnoli residents without overly shading their backyards, since this is the southern edge of their properties.

Los Altos Avenue: Rather than maintain or replace the existing decaying orchard, the landscaping along pine lane will be designed to screen, as much as possible, the new, very large skilled nursing building from the street and from the houses opposite. The existing large pine trees will be retained, where possible. A new sidewalk will be set back from Los Altos Avenue and separated from it by a row of street trees. The landscape design here will flow around the corner to blend with the next section.

Pine Lane between Los Altos and Guadalupe: Since this is in some sense the front yard of the new Terraces, the landscaping here will be designed as a "residential showpiece." The current plan is for a small amount of lawn with trees and supporting plants which will produce an interesting variety of colors and scents while still screening the new building as much as possible. A new sidewalk and street parking are planned to connect a new crosswalk at Guadalupe Drive with a new sidewalk along Los Altos Avenue.

Pine Lane between Guadalupe and the main entrance: This section of the landscaping will be wider than it is now, due to the removal of the existing parking. The fence, hedge and trees will be maintained as-is during initial excavation of the parking garage. Once that is complete they will be removed and a new fence constructed as far back from Pine Lane as possible, with a mix of trees and shrubs planted in front. Major goals include privacy for both the Terraces and neighborhood residents, and preventing light pollution at night.

Pine Lane west of the main entrance: This section will not change much. Efforts will be made to improve the existing Sycamore trees; where they need replacement new species of evergreen trees will be planted instead of new Sycamores.

Installation of landscaping as early as possible in each construction phase is a condition of the project. If you have any questions or suggestions relating to the landscape design, please contact one of the neighborhood representatives.