The following is our list of objections to the proposed redevelopment of Pilgrim Haven (now The Terraces at Los Altos).

It's Way Too Big and Not Appropriate for a Residential Neighborhood!

• Too big: the project will double the size of Pilgrim Haven and includes a 121,000 square foot building on Pine Lane and a 68,000 square foot building on what is now open space at the corner of Pine and Los Altos Avenue. ABHOW says project "would require 2,650" large semi-trucks making round trips into the neighborhood just for the excavation phase of the project.
• Too tall: the massive new buildings will be 30 feet tall, and one is a 3-story building that overlooks Santa Rita Elementary's playing fields.
• Too much traffic: the City admits that the project "exacerbates an already unacceptable level of service" at the Pine/San Antonio intersection; it will also increase traffic up and down Los Altos Avenue.
• Too inappropriate: simply put, a massive, 30-feet tall commercial complex and underground parking garage do not belong in a quiet residential neighborhood.

It's Very Bad for Schoolchildren!

• Too much noise: the City admits that "Students at [Santa Rita] would be exposed to approximately 17 months of construction noise" and that this noise would "disrupt" and negatively "affect" "learning activities at Santa Rita".
• Dangerous air pollution: the City admits "demolition of the current buildings . . . 'could expose . . . the existing adjacent elementary school, [to] lead-based paint and/or [asbestos-containing materials]" and that "air quality impacts resulting from project construction would substantially affect" local children.
• Expert studies ignored: the Planning Commission ignored expert studies proving that noise pollution impairs a child's ability to learn. The studies were based on lower levels of noise than the level that will be inflicted upon Santa Rita students. The Commission never even considered the impact of air pollution on the learning environment.

It Will Take Too Long and Will Endanger the Neighborhood!

• Too long: the City admits that "Construction of the proposed project would be disruptive for an extended period of time" - a minimum of 3-years of 6-days-a-week construction "7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays."
• Too loud: the City admits that construction "would result in a significant unavoidable construction noise impact" and the neighborhood would be subjected to "substantial noise-generating construction activities" for "a total of 22 months."
• Too risky: the City admits that construction "has the potential to create a significant hazard to the environment [and] the public" due to the pesticide-contaminated soil, and would "result in temporary impacts to water quality" from "dust, litter, oil, and other pollutants".