Posted by askidoo, a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Feb 23, 2012 at 11:57 pm

Correction to removed writer:

The tennis courts predate the opposition's houses which were built after and bought next to the courts off Stone Valley Road. Like other real estate with potential nuisances nearby, the values are generally less because of it and generate the familiar Buyer Beware adage. The lights are about fifty feet and more from the closest houses. One neighbor who complained is across Stone Valley Road more than 200 feet away.

Similarly the high school was built before the across the street Monte Sereno neighborhood as well as the newer neighborhood.

The solar was not built 'centered' amongst a preexisting neighborhood but added simultaneously as the houses which are still being built as this is written and are being bought with the parking lot and solar in place.

While this and the fire station, the parking lot and solar have all generated opposition in Alamo as noone wants unknown change there is room on all sides for reasoned compromises. Be glad you are not in the Saranap neighborhood with the Sufi Reoriented Sanctuary Project.

That project has an 8 ft. high surrounding white wall where 6 ft is generally the standard, plopped in the middle of residential homes and zoned for same and is 66,000 square feet, 42 toilets and only 70 parking spaces? (doesn't come close to the County Standard), takes out 50+ heritage trees, no handicap parking and is on 3 acres. And while beauty is in the eye of the beholder it is in style and size not in keeping with the neighborhood. In size it is Mormon Tabernacle size or about the size of the White House is a good comparison which is on 18 acres. The Sufi's say 2/3 is below ground but evidently drawings don't quite match up according to some. The Sufi's only have 350 members so the question is why would they want something so large and so intrusive and how are they paying for it?

Posted by [removed], a resident of the Alamo neighborhood, on Feb 24, 2012 at 1:45 pm

Dear Editor,

Commentary in this exchange draws the question, "Is anyone allowed to be a bad neighbor simply based on who was there first?" With excellent consideration in commentary so far, might we ask for the further consideration of good neighbor policies by various organizations? What should we expect?

Add the planned expansion of New Life Church in Alamo to those discussions and maybe we can set expectations for how all organizations should act as good neighbors including Round Hill Tennis.