By Khalida Sarwari
A Hakone Gardens facelift is one step closer to reality with the city’s recent approval of a master plan. The Saratoga City Council unanimously approved a master plan and environmental review document for the project at its May 18 meeting.
The plan offers short- and long-term solutions to concerns raised last year about noise and includes proposals pertaining to the renovation of various sections of the gardens, such as the upper end of the entry drive and parking lot. The plan calls for a new entry courtyard, buildings and gardens, including accessible paths, a new garden maintenance and operations yard, renovations of existing garden buildings and possibly an indoor event hall, along with minor improvements and upgrades.
The project is planned to be completed in four phases. The first would entail the revitalization of the koi pond and surrounding hill and pond garden. The second phase tackles three structures that are in a state of disrepair and therefore, underused: the Zen Garden House, Moon Viewing House and Cultural Exchange Center.
The third and final phases addresses the relocation of the entry and making it ADA-compliant, creating an accessible path from the parking lot to the lower courtyard and another one from the lower courtyard to the upper courtyard and adding a dedicated space for garden operations, maintenance and material storage.
All of this is expected to come at a price tag of nearly $28 million, most of which would be derived from fundraising and donations. Dean Runyan, a sub-consultant with the Portico Group, a consultant group overseeing the development of the master plan, has predicted that attendance and membership could increase by the final phase of the project, allowing Hakone to increase fees for facility rentals for events, membership and retail.
The master plan process initially kicked off in 2013 with the amendment of a lease agreement between the city and the Hakone Foundation and later development of a master plan development agreement. As part of these agreements, the city committed to contributing $250,000 for the preparation of the master plan and the foundation agreed to match some of the costs associated with the process.
The following year, the city selected the Portico Group to develop the master plan, conduct a fiscal assessment of the current and future operations of the gardens as well as complete necessary CEQA documents.
Over the course of 2015, the firm conducted an outreach campaign, working with the city, the Hakone Foundation, stakeholders and the public and using their input to guide their development of a draft master plan. At various community workshops, residents expressed concern about current financial and event operations at Hakone and voiced opposition about the idea of building a new event space in the gardens.
Concerns from residents living nearby were about existing noise, particularly in the evening when amplified sound is used during wedding receptions. One solution the master plan proposes is the construction of a sound barrier between the Cultural Exchange Center and the Lower House, while another solution is to move events that take place in the upper courtyard inside a building to reduce sound leaving the property, which would also allow Hakone to offer an all-weather event space that would bring in a consistent flow of revenue.
To view the master plan, visitbit.ly/HakoneMasterPlan.
Link:
Saratoga: Hakone Gardens facelift closer to reality after master plan approval
