VOTER GUIDE OCTOBER 19, 2012 VOLUME 20, NO. 40
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El Camino Hospital Election PAGE 8
MOVIES | 21
Council says no way to Chick-Fil-A DRIVE-THROUGH WON’T WORK AT NARROW SITE, SAYS MAJORITY By Daniel DeBolt
Chick Fil-A may still apply to open a restaurant without ountain View’s City a drive-through. “We need to Council voted 4-2 Tues- deliberate on that,” Blake Goodday evening against man, senior manager for Chickallowing a Chick-Fil-A to open Fil-A, said after the meeting. “A at 1962 El Camino Real, saying lot of things are still up in the that a drive-through restaurant air.” would be at odds with visions of Chick-Fil-A officials had told a bike- and pedestrian-friendly the council that a drive-through city. was needed to make the store With as many as 60 to 100 financially viable. hungry drivers an hour entering A number of Chick-Fil-A supits drive-through, porters spoke, Chick-Fil-A would saying the store be in conf lict would provide with bicyclists valuable first ‘Do we really and pedestrians jobs, and that on a portion of want more drive- the store would El Camino Real fund youth throughs in where several have sports and othbeen killed by cars, er community the city?’ council members programs. said. They also said Kathy Lin, the BRUCE ENGLAND the drive-through owner of 1962 would be too close El Camino Real, to an apartment was in tears at building, where residents could the end of the meeting with a be exposed to higher levels of crowd of Chick-Fil-A supporters tailpipe emissions. around her. She told the council “We just finished our general that the Sizzler there now was plan,” council member Jac Siegel refusing to pay “market rent” for said of the blueprint for the city’s the site and that it had become a development until 2030. “It is all financial burden on her family. about sustainability. We worked “We could not tenant anyone on it over several years, and this else,” Lin said. “Only Chick-Fil-A just flies in the face of that to or a 24-hour Denny’s. We don’t me.” have much choice.” Council member Ronit Bryant Zoning administrator Peter echoed Siegel’s comments about Gilli had previously approved the city’s vision for El Camino the project, citing no real opposiReal. “When we were talking tion at the time, and the fact that about bus rapid transit, we all got the restaurant’s being closed on quite excited about the thought Sundays would reduce driveof bike lanes. Having a use based through impacts. The decision on cars just doesn’t make sense.” was appealed to the City Council, Council members Tom Means by not one, but two groups. and John Inks supported the The first appellant, David drive-through, while Mayor Mike Kasperzak was absent. See CHICK-FIL-A, page 12
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A Graham Middle School student crosses Castro Street after school on Oct. 16. Three students have been hit by cars in recent weeks.
Three students hit by cars in three weeks MEETING CALLED TO DISCUSS SAFETY OF CASTRO STREET CROSSWALKS By Nick Veronin
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fter three children were struck by cars while crossing Castro Street near Graham Middle School, community safety officials and city leaders are set to meet next
week with parents and school representatives to discuss safety measures. The meeting, hosted by the non-profit youth traffic safety organization Safe Moves, is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct.
24, at 7 p.m. in the Graham multi-use room. Kim Thompson, the school’s principal, is slated to speak, as is Pat Hines, executive director of See CROSSWALK, page 6
Hacker Dojo ditching old building By Daniel DeBolt
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ittle more than two weeks after raising $250,000 to bring its building up to code, Hacker Dojo has found a different way to solve its code compliance headaches — it’s moving to a better building. On Oct. 15, representatives for the shared work space for computer programmers announced that a lease had been signed for a
INSIDE
larger, 16,600-square-foot building at 599 Fairchild Dr. The move was spurred when it was found that renovations at 140 South Whisman Road would cost much more than previously thought, with construction firms making estimates between $336,000 and $446,000 after getting a close look, according to the announcement, which spread via Facebook. While fundraising on Kick-
starter to make fire safety and accessibility improvements to its building and prevent closure by the city, the Dojo’s leaders were also spending the last nine months looking for another site, and eventually found “a diamond in the rough,” according to the announcement. “Generally speaking, one does not simply find a building with See HACKER DOJO, page 7
VIEWPOINT 16 | GOINGS ON 23 | MARKETPLACE 29 | REAL ESTATE 31