Frequently Asked Questions

  • The current Bus Barn is near the end of its life and does not provide the experience that people now expect. The new facility is more than just a theater. A welcoming lobby and outdoor green space are envisioned, offering opportunity for open-air receptions, parkside movie nights, and other community activities in our downtown.

  • Investment in this creative space will make possible a state-of-the-art downtown theater located within a plaza-like setting that is designed to complement the character of downtown. With both indoor and outdoor spaces planned, this facility will enable a wide range of activities for the public such as dance, theater, musicals, comedy shows, as well as opportunities for local business rentals. The venue will support youth classes and provide adults with tools for crafting state-of-the-art media.

  • Quite a bit…this is the first formal public-private partnership effort to bring to life a downtown theater. The Bus Barn facility is arguably at its end of life, so a decision about its future, and a need for capital for any resolution, is imminent. The City has committed $300K to jump-start the capital campaign for a public-private partnership to implement the Downtown Vision adopted by City Council in 2018, which includes a downtown theater. This new initiative is all about a community deciding what amenities it desires for future generations.

  • The Bus Barn Theater facility has a seating capacity of 99 (4,000 square feet), not including the Los Altos Stage Company offices in the portable structure that is attached. There are limited opportunities for other community use of the aging Bus Barn building. The new Los Altos Performing Arts Center is contemplated to seat 200 (approximately 17,000 square feet). This new facility will enable many new community uses and support the downtown businesses.

  • The Campaign aims to raise $33 million. This will provide a modern comfortable sized venue for youth classes, theater, movies, local businesses, musicians, dance groups and many other activities. It will have about 200 seats with excellent audio video equipment. It is not a gold-plated monument, but it is modern. Should we exceed our target, there are many enhancements we can consider to make the facility even better.

  • Representatives from the LASC and its board have volunteered to join prospective donor meetings to discuss the history and future plans of the LASC. The capital raised as a part of this public-private partnership phase will be used to build the Downtown Theater which will be used by more organizations than just LASC.

  • The City of Los Altos selected LAMVCF to act as the fiscal sponsor for the capital campaign. LAMVCF performs the same role for 18+ other local non-profit groups, collectively called the Local Impact Collective. The Foundation is the 501(c)(3) umbrella and the fiscal back-end that holds and disburses funds for the capital campaign committee. LAMVCF collects a small fee for the services they provide to these groups.

  • City Council committed to net neutral impact on the number of parking stalls and no underground parking. A 3-story parking structure will be constructed downtown to meet the anticipated parking needs of the greater downtown area. The Downtown Vision Plan  (adopted by City Council 8-28-2018) was a huge undertaking involving a large amount of resident input over several years as well as a tremendous amount of work by the City and various consultants. The plan called out creating identified amenities that would create gathering spaces, attract residents downtown, thereby supporting our local businesses.

  • The City of Los Altos recognizes the impact multiple construction projects would have on downtown businesses and residents, and is committed to minimizing the impact on all parties. Assuming City Council decides to proceed with a parking structure, that would be the first phase of construction. Once these additional parking spaces are in place, they would work on other approved projects like the park and/or downtown theater.

  • We expect this will be an election issue. The downtown theater is in the downtown triangle (election district 4). We expect candidates will have opinions about downtown development in general and the future use of our parking plazas in particular. Development seems inevitable, so citizens should tell candidates if they prefer housing or a downtown theater with community gathering spaces. The Los Altos City Council has already approved this project moving forward on three separate occasions including most recently in November 2025.