The last day to give scoping input for the 900 Kiely Blvd Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is 3 March 2008 at 5:00 p.m. After that date, all further scoping input will be ignored. The company performing the EIR work is Impact Sciences: http://impactsciences.com

If you would like a copy of the issues below in a Word document ready to be signed and sent or FAXed to the city, please click here. You can use this form letter and add other concerns. To make your concerns known, you can send your feedback to:

Gloria Sciara, AICP,
Development Review Officer
1500 Warburton Avenue
Santa Clara, CA 95050

gsciara@santaclaraca.gov
or
planning@santaclaraca.gov

FAX: (408) 247-9857

Scoping input differs from EIR input. The Scoping Meeting was held only to solicit comments on the scope of the EIR. This means that residents can give input on what they think the EIR should cover, or, more directly, bring up specific issues related to the key environmental areas of concern they want addressed in the EIR. This is before the EIR is completed. Once the scoping issues are brought up, the company performing the EIR work will then have a set of concerns they can focus on as they are creating the EIR. Each resident comment will be responded to by Impact Sciences in writing.
After the EIR is released in draft form, residents will be notified and given an additional 45 days to comment on the Draft EIR.

There were two scoping meetings held last Thursday, one in the City Council chambers at 3:00 p.m. and one in the cafeteria at 7:00 p.m.

Participants:
From the city:

  • Gloria Sciara, Development Review Officer
  • Judith Silva, Associate Planner (retired?)

From Impact Sciences (the company doing the EIR):

  • Shabnam Barati, Managing Principal, Environmental Planning
  • Audrey Darnell, Senior Project Manager

General Issues and Comments:

  • The 30 January 2007 Notice of Preparation notification was received late — or not received at all, in some cases — by residents clearly within the 1000 foot radius of the Kaiser site.
  • The notification areas should be defined by affected residents and neighborhoods, not just on an arbitrary radius. This left many residents on Live Oak in the dark as some residents received notification, but their neighbors next door and across the street did not. Why was notification limited to radius when complete notification of affected streets would have been more useful? Why would the city notify part of Live Oak, but not another?
  • Why were only homeowners notified when the issue impacts the residents of the neighborhood, many of whom are renters? In fact, the majority of the people in the higher density areas of the neighborhood that would be affected live in apartments and thus were not notified at all.
  • As the project progresses and changes are made, how do they get addressed in the EIR? (Santa Clara quick answer: If there are substantial changes, the EIR document must be recirculated.)
  • Does the EIR address Quality of Life? Because the impacts of the key environmental concerns are Quality of Life concerns as much as they are natural environment concerns, Quality of Life should be used as one of the contexts in which the EIR responses are given.
  • The viability of the project should be determined as a result of its effects on existing residents.
  • Legal mandates, laws, and standards are minimum requirements. The residents do not want high density developments built in our residential areas that only meet minimum requirements.
  • Resident want to see the effects of shadows on green areas (shadow analysis, shadow projections).

Aesthetics:

  • We want an attractive, well-designed community.
  • Removing the large trees that are already there will break the “natural canopy” look of both the Kaiser site and Central Park. Some of the trees on the site are almost 50 years old. We want to keep the big trees as they are.
  • 20-foot set-backs from the curb are not sufficient for 45-foot tall buildings. Increase those set-backs and put green areas such that apartment walls cannot be seen directly from the street.
  • Having four-story buildings — that essentially span the entire eastern Kaiser parcel — only 20 feet from the curb when the next highest structures are two stories high to the north, one story high to the south, and open park space to the east, will stick out no matter how they are designed.
  • Why can’t the height of the structures be limited to the height of the surrounding neighborhoods or have the larger buildings hidden in the center of the development, away from the streets and houses?
  • Blocky, attached high-density apartments look prison-like regardless of the color of the paint or the framing of the windows and doors. Why can’t the attached apartment complexes be smaller multi-unit buildings like in Alderwood, Woodsborough, Laguna Clara, and surrounding higher density communities?
  • We need to see specific elevations in a 3-D physical model — street-width versus building heights, sight-lines from apartments windows to neighboring homes.
  • Will new retaining walls be built around the project? How tall will the walls be?

Air Quality:

  • What measures will be used to reduce and vent exhaust from cars in the multi-story, enclosed parking garages?
  • What measures will be used to control the venting from gas fireplaces and kitchen areas?
  • How will the city replace the filtering effect of the tall trees planted throughout the Kaiser property?

Biological Resources:

  • How will Saratoga Creek be protected from contamination before, during, and after demolition and construction?

Geology, Soils, and Seismicity:

  • Will there be on-going soil studies during construction or a requirement to take soil samples during construction?
  • How is the EIR going to address changes in the project if issues are found after construction has started?
  • How will the fact that the area around Saratoga Creek is designated a 100-year flood zone affect this project?

Hazards and Hazardous Material:

  • How will the asbestos and other hazardous material in the existing hospital site be monitored and controlled during demolition?
  • During construction, how will dust and other airborne materials be controlled or prevented? What monitoring methods will be used?
  • What pro-active measures will be taken to protect the surrounding neighborhoods in the event of a major failure or accident? For example, during the initial construction of the hospital, a crane hit a power line and caused a fire and a power outage affecting the entire neighborhood.
  • What site safety/contingency plans that include police for traffic control and fire departments for emergency response will be in place during demolition and construction? We don’t want another Santana Row fire. Will this information be available to residents before construction?

Hydrology and Water Quality:

  • The current storm water run-off drain system flows into Saratoga Creek. How will the city prevent run-off from going into Saratoga Creek as described in the NOP?
  • If the storm water run-off is going to be dumped into the city’s sewage system, how will the San Jose/Santa Clara water-pollution control plant handle additional run-off? Will this run-off be treated on site?
  • How will the fact that storm water run-off is going to be dumped into the city’s sewage system affect our well water supply?
  • How will the additional run-off affect other communities’ sewer systems?

Parking: (yes, we know this is not a key term)

  • The Fairfield Residential project will not only introduce over 800 new families, it will remove a large event-parking resource. How will this affect city-wide events, like the Fourth of July celebrations, the Art and Wine Festival, and others?
  • Parking and access problems already exist at the post office, library, swim center, remaining grocery store, and Central Park. How will these be changed to accommodate an additional 800 families?
  • We would like retaining walls along the perimeter of the complex to reduce the incidence of street parking on public streets.

Land Use and Planning:

  • How does R-36 zoning fit in with existing R-6 to R-22 communities, both in terms of density and in terms of preservation of communities?
  • Can residents submit an alternative site plan for the project? If so, will it be attached to the EIR and looked at by the staff?
  • Residents are strong proponents of low density or mixed use. Would there be a possibility to lower the density, or offer mixed use? (Santa Clara quick answer: Currently the land can be used for institutional, park or recreation, or residential; if retail or commercial use is requested, the land would have to be rezoned)
  • The city saw fit to allow a flexible zoning for the Kaiser site. What mixed-use plans were reviewed or will be reviewed before deciding upon just higher density housing?
  • Although loss of property values may not be considered an environmental impact in the same way effects to Utilities and Land Use are viewed, it should be considered along side them. Social and economic impacts affect Quality of Life just as much as Aesthetics and Air Quality.
  • How does the project construction coincide with the NFL stadium or other projects?
  • There are other development projects, like the stadium, 8-story tall high-density units at Santa Clara Square, and others, being planned or built in the area. How will Impact Sciences determine when there is a cumulative impact of the many projects in close proximity and they should start considering them all as a single project (in terms of effects, etc.)?
  • Is the city looking at the cumulative effects of multiple high density areas so close together?
  • At the time the site was rezoned (over 3 years ago), many of the higher density projects in the area — like The Enclave, the several project on and around Homestead, the Santa Clara Square — did not exist. How does this affect how the city manages higher density projects?
  • Does the city believe that higher density attached complexes like Fairfield Residential’s plan are better suited for residential neighborhoods like the Pepper Tree area than areas closer to industry?
  • Stock explanations of how the General Plan was updated several years ago do not take the place of real answers.

Noise:

  • What measures will be taken to mitigate the noise of trucks and equipment during demolition and construction?
  • Can additional limits be placed on the construction times to restrict work to weekdays only, 8 hours a day?
  • Noise and heat from air conditioning doesn’t currently exist in the older neighborhoods as much because there are relatively few air conditioning units. How will noise and heat be studied to determine impact and how will these impacts be mitigated?
  • More people in closer proximity will generate more noise. Higher buildings mean that this noise cannot be kept out by traditional 8 foot retaining walls. How will this be addressed?
  • More cars and more people equate to more noise. How will the noise be managed without having to have residents resort to calls to police? This will be a nuisance to both residents and the police force.
  • Enclosed parking garages can create an “echo” effect, worsening the noise from cars. This cannot be stopped by gates.
  • There was a noise restriction for the neighborhood due to the fact that there was a hospital nearby. This will no longer be in place once the project moves forward, increasing the noise from fireworks displays and other events even before new residents move in.

Population and Housing:

  • This project will increase total resident population without adding any services, parks, recreation areas, or retail and commercial space. Where will these additional people go?
  • When other cities in the South Bay — like Palo Alto, Los Altos, and even Sunnyvale — are questioning the ABAG density goals, why is Santa Clara so intent on higher density?
  • How can this area simply add more people without adding to the area infrastructure?
  • Although affordable rental housing is good, people would prefer affordable ownership.
  • Does the city want to make a name for itself only in terms of affordable housing, or do the quality of the houses and the quality of living in the neighborhoods make a difference?

Public Services:

  • With 800 families moving in, there is a potential for 1600 children. What will be the impact on schools and how will the city address this issue?
  • What will be the impact of increased density on shared services outside the neighborhood, like the Senior Center? Residents have trouble parking already.
  • With the parking and access problems that already exist at the post office, library, swim center, and Central Park, how will the city justify simply adding more people and cars?
  • What will be the Emergency Medical Service response?
  • There are potential officer safety concerns caused by the higher density and unfamiliarity with the new site. How will these be addressed?
  • Will the new site provide its own private security, or will city police be used?
  • Will all areas have enough access for fire trucks and ambulances? They need to move in quickly and cannot afford to get caught up on turns, street parking, or other obstacles.
  • Will future residents be notified of any access limitations the projects has in terms of fire trucks, ladder trucks, and others?
  • While construction is being done, the alarms and sprinkler systems will not be operational. There will be a need for full-time fire and police protection during this time. How will this be provided so that we do not have a repeat of the Santana Row and 550 Moreland fires?

Transportation, Traffic, and Circulation:

  • Is Kaiser drive to remain a public roadway?
  • During demolition and construction, trucks and equipment should not be allowed to go through local streets, but limited to access from Kiely.
  • Construction vehicles, equipment, and worker vehicles should be kept off of local streets. Parking should be within the confines of the Kaiser property grounds.
  • The city has stated that there are no known studies that correlate transit usage based on density. Since the increased density in this area will be high and the problem will become more common in the future as the city pushes high density into other areas, the city should invest time and resources to perform a study as a service to existing residents.
  • Woodsborough has an easement on Kaiser Dr — how will this work out when Fairfield Residential takes over?
  • Left turns into Kaiser from Kiely Blvd caused problems in the past, and now Fairfield Residential’s suggestion is to reopen this. Residents do not want a repeat of the problems that have already been shown.
  • What will be done to reduce the speed on Kaiser Drive, Pepper Tree Lane, and Live Oak? There are already incidents of racing and car accidents.
  • What will be done to reduce the congestion on Pepper Tree Lane and Live Oak? During commute times residents can be trapped in their driveways as cars are stacked up at the intersections on Kiely, Homestead, and Benton.
  • Two cars per unit makes sense in the city or in developments where each unit also comes with parking around the perimeter of the development. The perimeter around attached high density units does not increase proportionally with the number of units, so the “two parking spaces” minimum requirement may be insufficient for this type of development.
  • 800 families will bring in 1600 cars; adding new teenage drivers would raise the number even higher.
  • Numbers of cars and numbers of car trips should also take into account local data, not just state averages or averages from other cities that are not so intent on higher density.
  • Distribution and use of parking spaces is just as important as the number of spaces. When people with bigger or expensive cars cannot fit two cars into their minimal garage space without trouble or fear of damage, at least one car will be put on the street, taking away from street parking. How do we minimize this and enforce reservation of street parking for guests?
  • When residents use garage spaces for storage or additional rooms, one or more of their cars will be put on the street.
  • Even single room apartments may have two or more cars. Three or four room units may have three or more cars.
  • The city claims that there is no direct relation between more traffic and more traffic accidents. How did the city reach this false conclusion, or how does the city explain that when the traffic goes away traffic accidents disappear?
  • The local roads around the Kaiser property are two lanes wide (one lane in each direction). The major access roads are merely four lanes wide (two in each direction). This area was not intended for high-density traffic.
  • How will Fairfield Residential control parking on the site and around the site? Homeowners Associations would not include the rest of the neighborhoods that are affected. There should be a way for current residents to continue inviting guests and parking existing vehicles without the fear of tickets or lack of space.
  • How often will road repairs caused by heavy equipment or higher density traffic need to be performed? How do we mitigate the effect on the residents?

Recreation:

  • Where will the children play when there is no open space in the Fairfield Residential plan except postage stamp-sized green areas? Kids will have to go to streets or Central Park, which are not safe or are already saturated with people.
  • The way the open space is distributed in the Fairfield Residential plan, with no large areas for athletic activities or children, there doesn’t seem to be enough room for Fairfield residents to perform all of their recreation on site. With the public areas already fairly crowded, what will be done to accommodate another 800 families?

Utilities and Services Systems:

  • Along with the ABAG recommendations for growth in density, there is the recommendation for parallel growth in municipal transit. Without additional transit, service, and utilities, including parks and recreation areas, it does not make sense to focus only on density.
  • Woodsborough uses over 30,000 gallons of water per day. Is Impact Sciences going to use data that already exist (such as at Woodsborough)?
  • How often has this area been disrupted by power losses and other failures? For example, there was a three day period of no electricity after the last earthquake.
  • Kaiser had its own electrical grid and diesel generators to alleviate the power draw, which won’t be the case for the new apartments. How will this increased load affect the power of the existing neighborhoods?
  • Kaiser hasn’t moved out, it moved away and expanded. The original power and water requirements have not gone away, they have simply moved and increased. Building additional high density apartments will only increase the loads.
  • No matter how green construction tries to be, more people and more units require more services and utilities. There is no way to reduce existing water and power use by adding more users.