Thank you Bob, for this articulate request that the town approve the Castilleja plans so that we can all move forward. As a near neighbor I am prepared to endure the construction just as I put up with all the personal construction happening on every block. Aging infrastructure requires these inconvenient projects and I know we will all be happy with the results once it's over.

The "it's time to approve" this application argument means that applicants who have the money to outlast any opposition can submit over-reaching non-compliant plans and wait until issue fatigue reaches a boiling point and then essentially demand approval. The school's plans would likely have been approved years ago and construction well underway if not done had reasonable plans been submitted in the first place. Variance requests attract scrutiny and in this case, the variance is the epitome of over-reaching.

Advancing under the flag “I Support Women’s’ Education” Castilleja’s underground garage-centric expansion proposal moves inexorably forward. At its 23 May meeting City Council members and staff heard from 56 speakers (3:48 hrs.)! The Council then spent an additional 2 plus hrs. discussing Castilleja’s plan. All involved-Council members and staff deserve recognition and thanks for the enormous amounts of their time spent.
Castilleja is proposing far too much at the expense of its credibility and potentially supportive neighbors. Assurances are made that more than 400 daily arrivals and departures can be safely managed next door to major construction activity. Castilleja leaders and staff-experts in the field of girls’ education are not qualified to assess the risk of such a plan. The Council should solicit an opinion from an experienced large construction project organization and the City Attorney should formally provide an opinion as to the liability exposure to the city if it approves a permit for the project.
Daily arrival/departure traffic management is the second area that lacks realism. The proposed TDM Plan (Traffic Demand Management) counts trips-pick-up/drop offs at Castilleja’s front door. Savvy parents will find a spot a block away or so, thereby avoiding adding to trip counts and meeting a “no-net-trips” claim. At best it’s a “whack-a mole approach. Is it credible that the Castilleja’s administration can dictate personal car use by smart and entitled students and their parents?
As a nearby neighbor of Castilleja for more than 40 years, I fully support the school’s goal of its complex being brought up to current day standards. Unfortunately, after more than 5 years and countless hours of city staff and public review, the scale of Castilleja’s proposal remains basically unchanged- an underground, transportation driven project which overwhelms the R1 zoned site and surrounding neighborhood.
Wally Whittier
Bryant St

" The city findings, the city code and the years of study all indicate that this project is compliant and ready for approval."

Just the opposite. The "years of study" indicate exactly the opposite when they've been so blind and/or biased as to ignore parking in the surrounding neighborhoods.

As a taxpayer, I want a refund. As someone who supports education, I'm disgusted by the lies and entitled spin.