February 11, 2005

LETTERS2theEDITOR

EVP Task Force making progress behind the scenes

Editor,
If I were an interested community member attending the last couple of EVP Task Force meetings, I would probably come to a similar conclusion as your writer [Evergreen Times, Jan. 29 – Feb. 11, p. 1]. It certainly seems the task force is “struggling” to meet its goals to endorse specific design criteria of the various opportunity sites and to formulate a detailed negotiating position and process.

So let me give you another perspective. The Task Force is made up of 33 representatives from many different community and business groups from the greater Evergreen/District 8 area. As you can imagine, we have varying views about what constitutes a positive outcome for the community.

Yet we stand firm and united on the promise we will only endorse a plan which will benefit the community as a whole and be sustainable long term so future generations can enjoy the vision we endorsed.

A few months ago, the city presented the land developer’s proposed potential site plans for the four properties (Arcadia, East Foothills Industrial, Evergreen Valley College and the Pleasant Hills Golf Course sites), which could potentially add up to 7,000 housing units on the approximately 500 acres these sites represent.

Compare this to the almost completed Evergreen Specific Plan (ESP), which added almost 3,000 homes on approximately 850 acres. Needless to say, representatives from around these various sites wanted to know what this magnitude of development would mean to their communities.

On top of this there is a growing concern about the quality of education, number of new schools, traffic impacts and overall amenities this development would bring. And just to complicate things a bit more, VTA plans to bring light rail down Capitol Expressway to Nieman Road. This alone will result in the removal of the High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to accommodate the tracks and a reduction in traffic service from a Level of Service (LOS) D, to E and F at several intersections along Capitol Expressway.

Under consideration with the four site developments are approximately $240 million in amenities. Of this, there is $82 million in Highway 101 improvements and another $68 million in Evergreen-area traffic, bike and pedestrian improvements. The remaining money would go toward sports fields, community centers, park improvements, open space, school dedication sites and other amenities.

In response to the slow progress being made in the past monthly meetings, some on the Task Force recommended the community members meet on our own, without the developers and the city, to discuss the proposals being presented. We wanted to provide a better structure around the meetings and how the task force would make decisions as a whole.

This caucus started with about six people in November and grew to about 25 of the overall 33 members. Since then we have met about 10 times and made strong progress on both the procedural aspects of the formal meetings, as well as the specific design aspects including the number of units to endorse at each development site.

Since the January meeting, the Task Force elected a seven-person negotiation team which met with the developers weekly to discuss an overall number of units and a breakdown according to site.

There are three goals for this negotiation. A draft project description, which will be used to define the Environmental Impact Report (EIR). An upper limit to the overall and specific numbers of units at each property site. And, a list of amenities to be provided by the developments as a condition to our endorsement of the overall vision.

There are other details involved in the final project. These include the revised Evergreen Development Policy (EDP2), which will define the requirements for development in Evergreen going forward, and the formation of a Community Facilities District (CFD), which will define the financing needed to sustain the amenities into the future.

This process has taken more than 18 months so far and is expected to last through the end of 2005 before the City Council will meet to consider the project. Yet most, if not all, of the EVP Task Force is not willing to hurry the process just to meet the developer’s or city’s proposed deadline.

There is much to consider and much at stake for all Evergreen-area residents. A few more months of meetings and careful negotiations will affect the quality of life of our community for decades to come. Our children, grandchildren and all future residents will either suffer or benefit from our recommendations.

We want to be sure our collaboration with the city and the developers will clearly improve our quality of life for decades to come.

Jim Zito
Evergreen Visioning Project
Task Force Member
Evergreen Hills

Reader prefers open space to development

Editor,
The Evergreen Visioning Project Task Force has been in existence for 18 months. We, in the North Evergreen/Mt. Pleasant area knew nothing about this until the [Pleasant Hills] Golf Course closed in October. This was the first time many of us heard about this committee. It seems to me we are not represented.

It’s amazing to me that the city wants to dump 7,000 homes, condos or apartments on this side of town based on the agreement with KB Home [and other developers] to contribute $250 million for widening the freeway exits [and funding other community amenities]. What a joke. That will amount to peanuts when the time comes to build those exits in 10 to 11 years.

The EVP Task Force keeps talking about amenities. Give me a break. We can’t even keep up our parks and library. And the city keeps dumping money into the new City Hall and redevelopment.

What we need to do is keep open space. The city should purchase the golf course, not put 250 homes on 110 acres. Once it’s developed we can never go back to open space. The Duinos let the property go to hell just to get rid of it. We in this community should fork over the money to purchase it for a public golf course.

The other property was designated for a business park and that should stay that way. We could benefit in tax revenues from local business.

[Councilmember] Dave Cortese’s EVP Task Force, in my opinion, is nothing but a smoke screen for input that will not be followed. I’m sure our city council will do as they please. They couldn’t care less about the Eastside, and maybe counted on KB Home [and other developers] to put up the EVP just to appease the community.

If this land deal goes through, Mr. Cortese will have a feather in his hat to run for mayor or state senate.

S. Garcia
Ruby Avenue

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