Ms. Carol Hamilton
City of San Jose
Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Department
200 East Santa Clara Street,
San Jose, CA 95113-1905
cc: Ken Yeager, SJ Councilmember, District 6
Subject: Fruitdale Station Project, #PDC05-095
Dear Ms. Hamilton,
Thank you and the other Planning Department staff member for agreeing to meet with me to discuss the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) concerns and suggestions about the Fruitdale Station Project, #PDC05-095 at Fruitdale and Saint Elizabeth Drive and we support the concerns and recommendations of the Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Association
We are interested in the project development plans and three of our Board members attended the community meeting on January 17, 2006. We appreciate that the city policy requiring a early stage planning public meeting process meeting where residents and neighborhood associations can review and make suggestions to improve proposed developments since any community proposed changes are more acceptable to a developer when their project design has not been fully completed.
We found a number of commendable aspects of the proposed project, including public access through the project to the Fruitdale Light Rail station and public use of the proposed half-acre interior privately maintained park, the screening of the underground parking, the individual townhouse unit access to exterior public ways and the inclusion of 15-20% below market housing.
However, we do have some project concerns as enumerated below:
Overall Project Design Rather than make sections of the project appear as if they were constructed by different developers, as suggested by the project architect, we would prefer that they be tied together by common elements, such as stucco exterior walls, common colors, similar roof shape and materials.
6-8 Story High-rise The proposed design of the high rise structure we found the most disappointing. The flat roof and institutional faade design looked more like a hospital than a mixed-use residential structure. We suggest two possible approaches to remedying this project design weakness:
o Redesign the structure to better conform with the other projects and existing neighborhood buildings. We recommend conformance with the citys own Residential Design Guidelines, specifically chapter 11 regarding Building Design would be a good starting point. Specific suggestions include a peaked roof and improved faade articulation like the Alma Bowl residential towers project .
o The additional floor area represented by the upper floors of the high rise be transferred to the residential structures along the Southwest Expressway in the form of an additional floor. These structures are closest to the light rail station and furthest from the surrounding residential neighborhood, thus best reinforcing city policy supporting public transit.
Continued Public Access to the projects half acre Open Space We believe it is crucial that public access to the projects half-acre triangular interior open space be maintained and that it not be gated or fenced off to the public. How will the developer assure the city that public access to the open space will be maintained after completion and sale of the project? Requiring the construction of public amenities, such as public restrooms in the open space would help to underline this requirement. The project's total Park Impact fees, which should be in the range of $5 million, should be large enough for the developer to build out at the same time as project construction both the interior open space with public rest rooms and part or all of a nearby neighborhood public park.
Los Gatos Creek Trail Improvements We suggest that this project, together with other projects in the area, contribute toward the completion of specific trail improvements set forth in the Los Gatos Creek Trail Master Plan, specifically:
o Bridge over the creek, 1/2 block W of Meridian (at St. Elizabeth) - This would connect the new residents to Willow St and the Willow Street / Bramhall Park. It would also provide better access to shops at Meridian/Willow, and improved access from the professional businesses on Westwood over to the Light Rail Station.
o Trail under crossing at the Meridian Avenue bridge - This extends the trail to the east side of Meridian, avoiding a busy street crossing. This is the local end of the trail, as per the LGCT MP, but perhaps it might be possible to continue the trail along the creek and on local streets up to Lincoln
San Jose, City Council District 6 and many of the citys older neighborhoods where the majority of high density infill development is being built currently lack sufficient parks according to the approved city park policy.
The main contribution factor is that large developers who have the capability to cost efficiently acquire parkland as part of their project or build out public parks at the time as their project construction are allowed to contribute impact fees to the city rather than be required to either deed over or acquire parkland and if sufficient parkland fees are available from the project or in combination with previous contributed parkland fees from smaller projects build out the required parkland at the same time as they construct their project.
Most residents and neighborhood associations strongly support this change in Parkland policy or city development practice since the acquisition of additional city parklands or the completion of neighborhood parks at the same time as infill projects are developed is a very high neighborhood quality of life priority. This will also substantially reduce one of the most common residents objections to additional infill development since they view developments without additional parks as a decrease in their neighborhood quality of life and not in conformance with San Joses Smart Growth policy.
San Jose current development procedures result in existing and new infill development residents either never getting a park, it is build years later at considerable greater cost or the size of the park eventually built is reduced due to increased land acquisition and construction costs further increasing the shortage of parkland in the older neighborhoods where the majority of infill development are being built.
Again, we appreciate the opportunity to participate in these community meetings and the development review process. Please keep us informed of future project developments.
Sincerely,
Ed Rast,
President, WGNA.