Saratoga Village design standards to proceed to public hearing on Feb. 25

Village design standards

After a brief discussion on Feb. 11, the Saratoga Planning Commission will hold another hearing to establish objective design standards in the Village.

The most recent discussions in November had resident voicing opposition to allowing residential uses in Saratoga Village.

Chair Anjali Kausar recused herself from the discussion because she lives close to the Village, leading Vice Chair Ping Li to take over the discussion. The most recent edits to the draft of objective standards addressed acoustic design to limit noise pollution, explicitly rejected ground-level residential use except in an area at the intersection of Saratoga-Los Gatos Road and Saratoga Avenue and stated that buildings must conform to the “design integrity” laid out in curated construction palettes.

One resident named Marilyn spoke at the meeting and asked that no modern designs be allowed in the Village and that buildings be kept to a maximum of 35 feet.

Commissioner Clinton Brownley asked if murals were allowed in the Village, and representatives from Lisa Wise Consulting, who have been working with the city for the last few years on this project and others, confirmed that they were.

There will be another planning commission hearing on the matter on Feb. 25. If approved, the completed objective design standards for Saratoga Village will go to a public hearing in front of the city council on March 18.

Church lecture

A Palestinian Christian author and educator will be speaking at the Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Saratoga on Feb. 20.

The Rev. Mitri Raheb is described as an international peace leader, and his lecture, titled “Rebuilding Hope After the Genocide: The Case for Dar al-Kalima University in Palestine,” will be about “the Palestinian crisis within a broader framework of hope, coexistence and global responsibility,” according to a press release. Raheb founded the university, which is advertised as the first and only arts, culture and design university in the Palestinian territories.

Raheb was born in Bethlehem in the West Bank in 1962. He has written several books about Palestinian and theological issues. He is also the founder of Bright Stars of Bethlehem, a nonprofit organization the supports the university.

The event is free and open to the public. It will take place at 7 p.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.