September 6, 2006

Times they are a-changin’ in the San Tomas neighborhood

By Julie Davis Berry
Executive Editor

Demolition day was a long time coming for Rhonda Dunn and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as bulldozers demolished the ‘shack’ she and her family had called home for the past 23 years.

Rhonda Dunn is all smiles on demolition day as the 740-square-foot home she lived in on the corner of San Tomas Aquino Road and Westmont Avenue is demolished to make way for a 1,600 square foot manufactured home. Photo by Julie Davis Berry

“We’re going from a 740 square foot dump that was falling into the basement to a 1,600 square foot home,” said the delighted Dunn whose home sat on the corner of San Tomas Aquino Road and Westmont Avenue.

The single mom credits the city of Campbell for approving a loan to help her buy a used manufactured home in South San Jose, which she plans to move to her old home site in the coming weeks.

Dunn said that over the years, several realtors and developers have approached her about the property but her asking price was too high. “I said, ‘Sure if you give me $1 million I’ll take it but otherwise how am I going to be able to find a home on one-third of an acre in this valley?”

Dunn, a legal secretary, says she is especially thankful for the help she received from Housing Coordinator Sharon Teeter and Building Official Bill Bruckart in the Building Division, and Associate Planner Tim Haley and Planning Commissioner Tom Francois. “My children are grown now, but they still live with me and they are so excited about finally getting a new house,” said Dunn.

“She was in financial straits,” explains Francois. “If she could have afforded a 3,000 square foot monster home she would have built one. But, this is all she can afford. We looked at it from the perspective of ‘there has to be a degree of compassion for people.’ She’s a hard working single mom who is willing to work with us. She promised to do landscaping and provide some screening [and build a separate garage], and we haven’t had any opposition to this home. I drove out to see the home and it is a nice-looking home.”

Homes in the San Tomas neighborhood have been getting snapped up by developers in recent years and large homes have been replacing smaller homes on the area’s huge lots. Francois calls the San Tomas neighborhood a ‘neighborhood in transition.’ “This is a very attractive area right now for developers. The lots are a lot bigger than in most areas of Campbell,” said Francois, who points to the Chamberlin homes as one of the nicest new communities to be built in Campbell in years. They were built on the site of the old Rolling Hill Shopping Center. “There was a waiting list for these homes and they are absolutely beautiful.”

But there aren’t any huge areas of land left in the San Tomas neighborhood for such developments so each lot must be considered individually for development, such as in the case of Rhonda Dunn’s home. Francois says working with the Dunn family to secure a loan gave him a particular sense of fulfillment after years of serving on the planning commission.

“I’m just really grateful that the city approved my house,” said an appreciative Dunn. “The little people deserve to continue to live in their town.”