-PDBM/FXT
Steins Beer Garden gets council OK By Daniel DeBolt
I
n what some saw a pivotal decision for downtown, elation filled the City Council chambers July 3 when the City Council approved a Germanthemed restaurant and beer garden that had been blocked by a handful of neighbors. Council members voted 6-1 in favor of Steins, with Jac Siegel opposed. Steins proprietor Ted Kim sought the overturn of restrictions on his outdoor beer garden, which would have to close at 6 p.m. half the year and 8 p.m. the other half, according to a May 9 zoning administrator decision which cited neighbor’s noise concerns. Kim said his restaurant, slated for the former home of Golden Wok at 895 Villa Street, would not be viable if the “focal point� beer garden had to shut down before normal dinner hours were over. “I think the zoning administrator went slightly overboard in closing at 6,� said council member Ronit Bryant. “That seems a little early.� Council members allowed a 10 p.m. closing time for the patio Sunday through Thursday and 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday nights. Members Laura Macias and John Inks even supported allowing more than 64 seats on the patio, but no vote on that
issue was taken. Complaints from a handful of neighbors about potential noise from the beer garden stirred interest in the issue among downtown residents, foodies and beer enthusiasts, 14 of whom spoke in support, expressing excitement over the quality food and high-end beers that have been promised. Kim said he felt all the news coverage and discussion among downtown residents about the conflict over the beer garden was emblematic of greater discussion about how downtown should develop in the future. Some wondered why the neighbors had moved to a busy downtown area only to complain about noise, “like people buying near the airport and wanting the airport to move.� “Imagine if your neighbor decided to have a barbecue every night of the year, that’s how I feel,� said Michelle Lin, one of six opponents who live across the street and spoke against the project. The neighbors had included in their complaints issues with the Monte Carlo night club, perhaps downtown’s most loathed business, which lets out at 2 a.m. and whose customers are said to litter, urinate and fight near the neighbors’ homes. “Residents probably wouldn’t be protesting at all if it weren’t for the
2 a.m. problem,� Lin said, referring to the night club patrons. “We are hypersensitive.� “Complaints about the night club are a separate issue we have to deal with on its own,� said council member Margaret AbeKoga, a statement later echoed by other council members. A study found that there would be some increase in noise because of the patio but that it paled in comparison with the noise from car traffic, which helped create an average of 85 decibels in peak noise and a high of 135 db, said noise engineer Robert King. “There’s clearly a lot of activity going on in this neighborhood,� King said. “A person living in that building is affected by where they are living, there’s no way around it.� Council member Siegel noted that neighbors had moved in to 230 Bryant when the restaurant’s patio was not used for outdoor dining. He called for a special six-month review of the restaurant to see if neighbors were impacted by the noise. But other members said the city’s existing processes for complaints were adequate, though zoning administrator Peter Gilli told the council that something “pretty extreme� would have to happen to cause the permit for the patio to be revoked. V
Hospital names members of advisory committees By Nick Veronin
O
fficials with El Camino Hospital have named 21 people who will serve on six newly created hospital board committees — groups formed to serve in an advisory role to the hospital’s board of directors. With a wide variety of backgrounds and skills, the 21 men and women have been divided among each committee based on their professional experience. The members will be asked to help the hospital board make decisions on “governance, finance/investments, quality, executive compensation and audit/corporate compliance,� according to an El Camino press release. A majority of the volunteers come from nearby cities on the Peninsula and the South Bay, with a few from the North Bay and East Bay. Together they comprise the Governance Committee; the Quality Patient Care and Patient Experience Committee; the Executive Compensa-
tion Committee; the Corporate Compliance/Privacy and Audit Committee; the Finance Committee; and the Investment Committee. A hospital board member will lead each committee. It would be impossible for the hospital’s board of directors to understand everything about every subject, said board chairman John Zoglin in the press release. “As the healthcare environment continues to evolve it is important to have individuals on the hospital board committee who bring a depth of knowledge and experience in areas that will help us continuously improve how we serve our patients and our community,� Zoglin said. “These new members are leaders in their respective fields and we look forward to applying their insight and knowledge as we move our hospital into the future.� The names and current occupations of the new committee members are:
Governance: Gary Kalbach, founding partner, El Dorado Ventures, Los Altos Hills; Peter W. Moran, general partner/managing partner, DCM, Los Altos; Mark W. Sickles, chairman and chief executive officer, Mark W. Sickles, LLC, Sausalito. Quality, Patient Care and Patient Experience: Katherine Bryan-Jones Anderson, LEAN Promotion office director and senior LEAN development director, Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Portola Valley; Elizabeth (Lisa) Joyce Freeman, director, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Menlo Park; R. Cary Hill, Jr. MD, chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology, El Camino Hospital, Mountain View; Donald M. Nielsen, MD, senior advisor for Health and chairman of the advisory board, Hearst Business Media, Alamo; Robert H. Pinsker, MD, medical director of Anesthesiology, El Camino Hospital, Palo Alto.
Math Tutoring Experts. ession S r e m Sum g Now! Enrollin
Mathnasium of Mountain View - Los Altos 7 %L #AMINO 2EAL 3TE s -OUNTAIN 6IEW #! -!4( mountainviewlosaltos@mathnasium.com www.mathnasium.com/mountainviewlosaltos + TH '2!$%3 s (/-%7/2+ (%,0 s 35--%2 02/'2!-3
Ready to Reinvent Your Life? Help us create a new “old fashioned� cohousing neighborhood of energy-efficient condos just blocks from lively downtown MV. Enjoy sociability and activities with your neighbors while living in your own private condominium. Our shared common facilities include a crafts room, exercise room, media room, workshop, roof deck and gardens. We’re 14 households strong and are looking for 5 more to join us. Homes still available range from 1750 SF (3 bedrooms) to 2050 SF (4 bedrooms). Construction starts this summer, with occupancy by late 2013. Endorsed by the Greenbelt Alliance. To find out more or to make reservations for our next social on July 22nd:
650-479-MVCC (479-6822) www.MountainViewCohousing.org
See HOSPITAL, page 9 July 13, 2012 â– Mountain View Voice â– MountainViewOnline.com â–
7