Goodbye open field, hello new building Goodbye open field, hello new building (January 13, 2006)

The scrubby mess at the corner of Sunol and Junipero will soon be paved and landscaped
by Carol Bogart

Someone once said, "Nature likes it messy, man likes it neat." Architect Charles Huff thinks the office building adjacent to the now-vacant lot at the corner of Sunol and Junipero may experience fewer mice once the mouse habitat (an expanse of grassy weeds) next door is transformed.

Plans call for a building designed to look like a comfortable house, parking, wide drive, and landscaping. The two-story building will house 25 agents working for Farmer's Insurance.

The Planning Commission has approved the design of the brick and stucco building, the longest section facing Sunol, with the entry on Junipero.

Neighborhood concerns about excessive light will be addressed with shields on the light poles, and the lights will be timed to go out at 9 p.m.

Residents worried they would lose their view of the Ridge won concessions that eliminate trees that might have blocked it. A trash enclosure has been moved up beside the new building to allay the view concerns of one homeowner. Huff said noise and odors are not likely to be issues as the receptacle will be used for paper waste only, trash trucks come at noon, and the dumpster will be taken out to the street for emptying.

Landscaping along Junipero will include trees that will one day measure a foot in diameter when full grown. The wall at the back of the property will be dressed up with shrubs, and the corner of the property across the street from Richert's Lumber will be landscaped with other plantings.

Between the new building and the one next door, in which the Pleasanton Weekly and others have offices, a common drive off Sunol will be extended to circle around behind the Farmer's building, connecting with an exit/entrance on Junipero. Parking spaces will be next to the building on the south end and behind it to the east.

Huff said construction will likely begin this summer. A resident pink-collared cat frequently seen stalking around the weedy lot may lose interest once there are no longer mice (and birds) to tempt it.

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