September 9, 2005

New EEHVS Task Force starts to address growth in Evergreen

By Mike McFerran
Staff Writer

The new Evergreen-East Hills Vision Strategy Task Force reviewed developers’ applications to amend the General Plan and rezone four specific opportunity sites in Evergreen at its first working meeting Aug. 31.

The proposals recommend building more than 5,000 new residences and adding about 295,000 square feet of commercial space. They also allow for about 30 acres of public open space and two small school sites.

Councilmember Dave Cortese remains the chairman of the new task force, created by Mayor Ron Gonzales last spring to expand public involvement in the planning process of future development. He expects to build upon almost two years of work done by the Evergreen Visioning Project Task Force.

Half of the new task force representatives now represent interests outside of District 8, Evergreen, and District 5 Councilperson Nora Campos is the vice-chair.

Losing some ground
While the total number of residential units now proposed are within the range which was being considered by the original EVP Task Force, Cortese voiced that group’s frustration with the paucity of land now being offered up for public open space and appropriate retail.

“In some ways, it feels like we are starting over,” said Cortese, calling the current proposals “a 90-degree turn” from the direction negotiations with the previous Task Force had been taking.

Cortese feels that the previous task force had been working well with developers to arrive at a proposal for development that would meet the interests of both the community and the builders.

Though much of the qualitative work of the task force remains valid, the current proposals reflect a step back toward the developers’ desires to provide less land for public use and amenities.

One example, according to Cortese, is the proposal for Pleasant Hills Golf Course. “The Pleasant Hills Golf Course site should be no less than 40 percent open space and should include retail along White Road to serve the local community,” he explained.

As it now stands, the application requests up to 825 single-family and detached residences, only 10 acres of public open space and no retail at all.

Key reports, data
At the next two or three monthly task force meetings, which are open to the public, the new task force will be presented with several key reports to help them formulate recommendations for the San Jose City Council.

The task force must eventually provide recommendations that will include the amount and types of new housing, retail and service space that should be allowed, as well as what traffic improvements, school sites, parkland and other amenities developers should be required to provide for the community.

First, the task force will see results of a retail study conducted by consultant groups Bay Area Economics and Metrovation. The study analyzes current retail sales and demographics in the affected neighborhoods and the Evergreen/East Hills region as a whole.

The consultants estimate potential sales and suggest the size and type of stores, restaurants and small office space
that could be supported. Highlights of the findings reported that the Evergreen population is growing and will continue to grow.

Household incomes and concentration of very affluent households are much higher than average for the city and the Bay Area, and that much of the taxable retail sales are “leaking” outside the area.

Second, the task force should soon have access to the details of the developers’ plans. This report will show details of the opportunity sites as envisioned by the developers: what types of housing and where, and specific locations on each site of land to be set aside for parks, schools or other amenities.

This will set a baseline from the developers’ perspective, with trade-offs to come depending upon the scope of traffic improvements and amenities they are eventually required to pay for.

Third, by the November meeting of the task force, the planning department will present a trade-off analysis. This report will evaluate the effect of different policy choices on the ability to pay for improvements and amenities, create jobs and other economic growth, and achieve other policy objectives.

These results will help the task force suggest the optimal trade-offs between the types and densities of residential and retail development and the desired transportation improvements and added amenities.

Critical school needs
What will not be subject to trade-offs with the developers is the need for new schools to support growth created
by any approved development. Councilmember Cortese emphasized that if the plan does not support the needs of the community and the school districts for required new school sites, it will not succeed.

Yet the original EVP task force had included official representation from only one of the three affected school districts—the Evergreen School District. The new EEHVS task force has expanded to bring high-level Mt. Pleasant Elementary School District and the East Side Union High School District representatives to the table as regular task force members rather than invited guests.

This includes Superintendent George Perez from the Mount Pleasant Elementary School District and Board President Manuel Herrera for ESUHSD, given that a permanent superintendent is not expected at East Side Union for at least another year.

In a phone interview after the meeting, Herrera acknowledged the frustration that community members felt last spring when the district could not devote resources to the visioning process. Amid financial crisis and in a concerted effort to avoid state takeover, ESUHSD remained focused on balancing the budget while the EVP task force was going through its own painful transition.

Now as an official member of the task force, Herrera said planning process provides the perfect vehicle to determine school needs in a thoughtful, integrated fashion with the appropriate stakeholders at the table. He also understands the need to secure land for a future high school site.

He did emphasize, however, that the district currently has significant capacity to house an influx of students from the new projected homes, but it would require unpopular boundary changes. And before the district could qualify for any state matching funds, the entire district would need to be much closer to capacity.

In other words, regardless of the crowded high schools in Evergreen and regardless of projected growth, the state sees the district as a whole entity and counts actual students in its qualification formulas—not potential students.

Stay informed
The next meeting of the Evergreen-East Hills Vision Strategy Task Force will be held at City Hall at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21. The meeting will be open to the public. Maps, minutes, information and reports are available for public inspection at www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/evergreen.

Local community meetings will also be held in various locations throughout the district in the coming months. The dates had not been set as the Evergreen Times went to print, so check the Web site or watch for a postcard from the city inviting you to a meeting.