Concerned Santa Clara

Of course not. They would still be the SAN FRANCISCO ‘49ers. Taking a page from the Angels, they could possibly be the SAN FRANCISCO ‘49ers of Santa Clara, but they would never be the Santa Clara ‘49ers.

So why are we so caught up in this issue? As a San Francisco ‘49ers fan I would be honored and thrilled, but as a Santa Clara homeowner, I must admit I have other things on my mind. Jamie McLeod was the only person on the City Council to vote against the ‘49ers in Santa Clara, and I find it hard to disagree with her. Here’s the scoop straight from the San Jose Mercury:

Santa Clara City Council OKs Talks on ‘49ers Stadium

Santa Clara Votes 6-1 to Move Forward on Stadium

It feels like Jamie got a little bit of flack for her individuality and her thoughtfulness, which seems to have prompted this:

49ers stadium plan is bad for Santa Clara

Whether you are for or against the move, I would encourage you to read all of the articles and note the responses from both sides. Then put it in context with what is happening in other parts of Santa Clara. How will Santa Clara make up for the money we are short? Hopefully not more high-density housing in the middle of our R-6 residential areas.

And then read the letter from Brian Chang:

From the readers of the Mercury News

Just a thought.

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The presentation we had planned to give on 22 January 2008 has been moved to 12 February 2008.

After first being told that City Hall had misplaced the CD containing the slide show we had intended to give, a second call then told us that our agenda item was being pushed back due to special agenda items concerning the ‘49ers. [Update: I just received an e-mail stating that the original CD has been located.] There was a special City Council meeting held on the 15th to address the ‘49ers which lasted until midnight, and any items not covered were moved to the special agenda section of the regular City Council meeting on the 22nd. Because they could not guarantee that the meeting on the 22nd would not also last until midnight — special agenda items are handled first — our presentation was effectively moved to the next City Council meeting on 12 February.

The meeting for the ‘49ers was standing-room only; people who left to go the restroom were given tickets to re-enter the meeting room in an attempt to manage the number of people inside. Although we certainly don’t expect to see the same numbers for our density presentation, wouldn’t it be nice?

Original announcement:

The Pepper Tree Neighborhood Association will express concerns about high-density housing to the Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday, 12 February 2008. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall, located at 1500 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95050. See the Locations link above for information on how to get to City Hall.

Although the Kaiser Permanente/Fairfield Residential project is problematic, it is in many ways merely an implementation of the decisions the Santa Clara City Council and Planning Commission made several years ago when they re-zoned the property at 900 Kiely Blvd. By focusing purely on higher-density future development for the purpose of low-cost apartments, city officials have largely ignored the effects on the quality of life and desires of existing long-term residents. Cities don’t grow because there is plenty of rental housing; cities grow when they become, and remain, good places to stay. We need to ensure that this is understood and remains a top priority for the sitting City Council and Planning Commission.

In neighboring cities, like Sunnyvale and Milpitas, anything over 27 units per acre is seen as Very High Density development. It is in Santa Clara mainly that this density is seen as Moderate Density, with High Density not even listed in the Housing Element of the General Plan. Although we need to focus on revenue generation and affordable housing, it should not come at the expense of quality of life, not just for local residents, but the rest of the city. The City Council and Planning Commissions should not be agencies to fight against, but servants of the permanent residents and registered voters.

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[Update: Due to special agenda items pertaining to the potential deal between the city and the ‘49ers football organization, the presentation originally scheduled for 22 January has been moved to 12 February. ]

The Pepper Tree Neighborhood Association will express concerns about high-density housing to the Santa Clara City Council on Tuesday, 22 January 2008. The meeting will start at 7:00 p.m. in City Hall, located at 1500 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara, CA 95050.

Although the Kaiser Permanente/Fairfield Residential project is problematic, it is in many ways merely an implementation of the decisions the Santa Clara City Council and Planning Commission made several years ago when they re-zoned the property at 900 Kiely Blvd. By focusing purely on higher-density future development for the purpose of low-cost apartments, city officials have largely ignored the effects on the quality of life and desires of existing long-term residents. Cities don’t grow because there is plenty of rental housing; cities grow when they become, and remain, good places to stay. We need to ensure that this is understood and remains a top priority for the sitting City Council and Planning Commission.

In neighboring cities, like Sunnyvale and Milpitas, anything over 27 units per acre is seen as Very High Density development. It is in Santa Clara mainly that this density is seen as Moderate Density, with High Density not even listed in the Housing Element of the General Plan. Although we need to focus on revenue generation and affordable housing, it should not come at the expense of quality of life, not just for local residents, but the rest of the city. The City Council and Planning Commissions should not be agencies to fight against, but servants of the permanent residents and registered voters.

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