August 18, 2005

STREET SCENESkyfarm Drive

By Jeanne Carbone Lewis
Staff Writer

The residents of Skyfarm Drive are in unanimous agreement. They love living on their street nestled by the Almaden Quicksilver Park hills covered in oak woodland, chaparral and grasslands.

Photos by Jeanne Carbone Lewis

When Blackwell Homes built on Skyfarm Drive 25 years ago, the Pierce dairy ran a working farm at the end of the block.

The residents enjoyed the cows but remembered flies and a certain odor that is part of a bovine’s habitat. Later the farm ceased operation and the cows roamed the hills, but the residents still enjoyed the rustic barns and open space the ranch provided.

That’s all changing now as tractors and work crews have demolished the barns and trappings of the farm in preparation for a new development of houses by Summerhill. Homes called—what else—Pierce Ranch. Neigh-bors are disappointed that the rural landscape will disappear but are diplomatic regarding the new construction.

“It’s OK[about the building], but do we really have a choice?” said Rashmi Shah. “It just started Aug. 1 and though it’s noisy, they do spray water on the dirt so there isn’t much dust. But we do miss the rustic barn. It was like living in a rural area while the farm was still here.”

The Shahs are original owners and raised their son and daughter on the scenic street. Their home is lovingly cared for with an up-front-and-personal view of the construction site. Tractors and construction crews surround a mountain of debris that was once the barn and farm buildings. Beyond them rise the Quicksilver Park foothills, covered with the dusty green vegetation of late summer.

“It was peaceful and quiet,” said Raksha Shah. “But we do still walk the park up the street.”

The Shahs raised two children in the family home. They attended Simonds, Castillero and Pioneer schools. Their son lives 10 doors down and their daughter resides in Fremont. The empty nesters are still very happy in their home but are concerned about robberies in the area.

Rashmi and Raksha Shah have enjoyed living on Skyfarm Drive for 25 years.

“Someone broke into a car and stole a stereo at 3 a.m.,” said Shah. “A neighbor saw it and called the police who caught the person. There have been other robberies in the area. We’re having a neighborhood watch meeting next week with police to organize the neighborhood to watch out for each other.”

But even with the concern of theft, the Shahs are confident that the neighborhood watch will help solve the problem along with the police enforcement.

“We’ve lived in Chicago, Boston and Phoenix,” said Rashmi Shah. “We have no plans to move. We have everything here and we’re close to the city and the coast.”

Rich and Stephanie Bellucci moved to Skyfarm Drive recently and are very content with their Almaden home.
“The best thing about living here is the environment,” said Stephanie holding 5-month-old Marisa. “There are the trees and the mountains. It is peaceful here. You’re close to the city but you’re away from it. It’s really nice and there are a lot of kids. We love it here.”

Previously, the Belluccis had lived in Cambrian when they began looking for another home. They searched Willow Glen for months and found nothing. A lone trip by Stephanie into Almaden rewarded the family with their dream home on Skyfarm Drive.

Robert and Nancy Cerone have lived on Skyfarm Drive for 15 years. Their two sons, 14-year-old Mathew and 8-year-old Michael, were happy additions to their family home.

“The best thing about living here was being so close to the greenbelt,” said Nancy preparing to drive the boys to Raging Waters on a hot summer morning. “You see coyotes and wild turkeys. When we moved here the dairy was still there. It wasn’t active but it was still a farm. It was traumatic to see the old barn come down.”

Cerone also said that the Summerhill Homes did notify the residents of their plans to build 25 homes at the end of the block. She related that the company had concerns about the Quicksilver Park’s McAbee entrance with hikers parking their cars in front of the new tract of homes.

“This has been a concern all along,” she said. “First, for the homeowners who have lived here and on the other street (Whispering Pines). There has been talk about a parking lot being built where the old house still stands, but for now they better get used to the cars.”

The homes on Skyfarm Drive were built by Blackwell Homes in the 1980s. They are spacious one-, two-story and tri-level homes—some with a modern Tudor twist. The last home to sell was in January. A two-story with five bedrooms, three baths and 2,531 square feet sold for $940,000. At the time this article went to print, Summerhill Homes had not responded with information regarding the size and price of the new tract of homes being built.