Plans for Emporium site take shape Plans for Emporium site take shape (December 26, 2003)

Medical foundation presents first architectural renderings to city

By Grace Rauh

A drive along El Camino Real may have some residents struggling to envision the new Palo Alto Medical Foundation building that may soon be built on the old Emporium site.

But they won't need to stretch their imaginations much longer.

For the first time since the foundation offered to give the city's senior center project $5 million if the city council approves the project, it revealed architectural plans to the public.

With the Emporium closed and the voters' rejection of Home Depot's plans to move in, the building has been empty for eight years. Because it is currently zoned for retail, not medical use, the council would decide whether to rezone it to allow the foundation to develop there.

The cash gift was offered when city leaders expressed concern that the foundation would not generate any significant sales tax revenue for the city.

Last week, an architect presented four different ideas on ways to develop the site. The foundation's clinic in Palo Alto, which has been praised by Mountain View residents for its aesthetic appeal, is not being used as a model, said David Jury, senior director of support services for the foundation.

"We have absolutely no intention at this point to have it look like this. We want it to be a Mountain View building," he said.

One of the four ideas presented gained strong support from the city official and architectural consultants who sit on Mountain View's development review committee.

If approved by the council, the medical facility will be built at the site's The Americana Way intersection. It will house exam rooms for physicians, an urgent care center, outpatient surgery center, pharmacy, laboratory and radiology services. As a clinic rather than a hospital, patients will not stay for more than 23 hours, according to foundation officials.

If the plan which met the most support is adopted, the three-story foundation building will sit alongside El Camino Real. Vehicles will enter and exit the facility from an entrance at The Americana Way, and a surface parking lot, with additional underground spaces, will cover the western part of the site, that borders Continental Circle.

"It seems like a friendly building," said Larry Cannon, an architectural consultant for the city. "It seems like a better approach to take."

Another city consultant, Linda Poncini, echoed Cannon's opinion. She preferred the same plan because it had a better vehicle circulation plan than the other options. Poncini also considered the surface parking lot a plus.

"Most people will like to park out in the open," she said.

Architect Curtis Snyder, who presented the drawings to the city, also endorsed the same plan and noted that if the building sat alongside El Camino, it would appear to be smaller than if it were situated on the western side of the site.

In his plans, the building takes advantage of a 10-foot rise in the ground level between El Camino and the center of the site and would be built into the hill. It would look like a three-story building from El Camino, and resemble a two-story building if viewed from Continental.

Another plan called for a multi-level parking garage and others placed the foundation building alongside The Americana and Continental.

The plans were shown to the public, but the foundation would not release copies for publication. "It is just too soon," said Jury.

Plans are in a very preliminary stage, he emphasized. Jury expects to receive more feedback from the public and city as the foundation moves further in the planning process. More discussion of the plans is scheduled for the Environmental Planning Commission study session Jan. 14.

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