Now you see it…

People have been assuming that the SCTV project will have little to no effect on residents south of Holly, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.  For example we were told that the southernmost retail building was only 3 stories high and a person would reasonably assume that the three story retail building would be significantly lower than the 4 story apartment complexes.  As it turns out that three story building is 47 feet high! It’s only a few feet shorter than the very large Apartment towers being built just south of Holly up to the northern-most part of the parcel.

Montgomery and Old County Road

Say goodbye to the sky and the hillside from the above location because a 47 foot high building will take their place.

When I first used the raised platform as a commuter I immediately noticed that you could get a nice view of the hillside and San Carlos while waiting for the train.

Hillside view from the East Platform

It can be enjoyable on a nice day while you are waiting for the train to catch the Giants or 49′ers, or if you are a daily commuter.

San Carlos Depot Building

We did lose the wonderful east side view of the Depot building, but at least you could get a view up on the platform.

Looking South where the new retail building will be

You can get a feeling of expanse while being up on the platform now, but a 47 foot high building from SCTV will block this southwest view completely.

Looking Northwest from the platform

This hillside will become a forgotten thing of the past like the east side of the depot when SCTV is built.

Don’t believe me?  Let’s take a look at the few line of sight drawings I have been able to find:

Line of Sight Building 3

This is a line of sight for Building Three in this complex.  Not only will the east side view of the hills become obliterated, but even on the train platform the buildings will hide the hillside as is immediately apparent from these line of sight drawings.

Line of Sight Building 1

Notice the scale and height of these buildings, they make the berm look positively quaint next to their massive size and scale.

Line of Sight Building 2

I haven’t found any documents that detail the line of sight for the other Five buildings, but as a basis of comparison since the 3 story southernmost retail building will be 47 feet high and the above pictured building is “49″ feet high, it very easy to tell that what you can see now will change dramatically.

East Side of Retail Building 8

Your train platform view will now be a lovely view of the second and third stories of this building as you look south.

East Elevation Residential

The dotted line is the height of the elevated tracks both of the above pictures. Enjoy the new view.

and remember…

Hills from Old County

Now you see it…

But soon, you won’t…

1. 

   Ben Fuller says:

   January 26, 2010 at 10:41 pm

   Sad. Very much significant to our way of life. How can they get away with this and not address our concerns. Only by selling out our neighborhood for a quick profit fix for the Developers.