February 2004 editor: Larry Ames
Call for Candidates
for the WGNA Board.
~~~
Save the Date:
Spring General Meeting
Wednesday, May 12, 7 PM
Letter from the President
Helen Solinski
As 2004 got underway a tragedy struck our peaceful community. The stabbing of 15 year old Willow Glen High student, Samuel Pena Jr. was a sad reminder of how crime can strike anywhere, anytime. Our condolences to everyone touched by this inexcusable act.
In response to
local crime, and WGNA’s efforts to keep our members well informed, SJPD is now
attending our monthly board meetings (thank you Ken Yeager) offering local
crime reports and prevention tips. Our
WGNA Board meetings are held the second Wednesday of the month at 7p.m. in the
On a lighter note, WGNA continues working to protect the interests of our residents by remaining active on committees and attending community meetings. Currently we are monitoring the Tamien Development, the Alberston’s remodel, Fire Dept budget cuts as well as the Elementary School closures, the Presentation High Sports Facility expansion and the Quick Stop’s application for a liquor license. Please visit our website to view position papers and read the latest developments.
I would like to thank all of you for your comments and concerns via the eList, it’s been a wonderful resource. Please continue the good work.
Sincerely,
Helen Solinski, WGNA President
WGNA Seeks Nominations for Board Members
Kris Cunningham
It is time for our association to begin the annual process of identifying volunteers for the next WGNA Board, which will be elected in May. In accordance with our By-laws, a five-member Nominating Committee solicits members who are interested in serving on the Board of Directors. The 2004 Nominating Committee was elected in last May’s election and includes Kris Cunningham (Chair), Sharon Fierro, Jim Gardner, Ann Leever, Susan Phillips, and alternate Phyllis Ward.
Our By-laws stipulate that Officers of the Association (President, 1st Vice President, 2nd Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) must be members of WGNA for at least one year prior to the May election date, and can serve for only two consecutive years in any one office. Besides the officers, four Directors and next year’s Nominating Committee are elected. The Directors and Nominating Committee do not have term limits, but typically there is a good mix between new and experienced members on the Board.
The Nominating
Committee is actively soliciting WGNA members who would like to become more
involved. Our Board is a collaborative
group and active participation is important.
Board members attend the monthly WGNA Board meeting and work to
“preserve and enhance” our neighborhood by responding to residents’ concerns,
attending appropriate meetings, and participating in neighborhood
projects. Please submit your nominations
by March 19th to the Nominating Committee by mail (
The Nominating Committee will present to our membership a specific slate of recommended Officers and Directors for possible election. Any qualified candidate that submits their name to the Nominating Committee by the March 19th deadline can request that their name appear on the ballot. The ballots will be mailed to all WGNA members in good standing in a newsletter several weeks before the May General Meeting. The membership then votes by mail or in person at the General Meeting. The ballots are tallied within a week and the results announced on the wgna.net website, the media, and in the next newsletter.
Making City
Hall Work For You in Willow
Councilmember Ken Yeager, Dist. 6
Since taking Council office in
2001, one of the frustrations I frequently hear from Willow Glen residents is
that they often feel unaware of what changes are being considered in their
neighborhood. This was certainly the
case with the
Often the first
time residents are made aware of a project near their home is when they receive
a hearing notice from the City of
This is the main reason I support changing the City’s Public Outreach Policy. Over the course of the last year, City staff has been meeting with community representatives to modify the Council policy that governs how the public is informed about development projects. This policy contains the various elements of the outreach process, such as the mailing of notices and holding community meetings.
One of the most significant changes to the existing policy is the concept of early notification. Currently, residents aren’t notified until a project is set for hearing or if a community meeting is called. These events can occur months after a project has been submitted and long after staff has commented and requested modifications to a project.
The policy revision that I support calls for early community notification within 10 days of filing for a large or significant project. A large development proposal is one for more than 50 dwelling units, 60,000 sq.ft. of commercial uses, or 100,000 sq.ft. of office use. A Significant Proposal is one that is determined to generate significant neighborhood concern, interest, or controversy. This would allow the community an opportunity to become aware of a project while there is still a realistic opportunity to offer constructive comment and effect change.
The new policy also requires greater involvement and notification to the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. Input from WGNA can be used to help determine whether a project is considered “of significant interest” and the developer can be required to mail to their membership as well. In addition, the policy encourages greater use of newspapers and signs posted at the proposed site, and the policy is more sensitive to communities that might require noticing in a language other than English.
To successfully mitigate problems and make sure that new development is well integrated with its surrounding neighbors, dialogue must occur early on in the review process. The suggested changes make it much more realistic that residents will be made aware of a project in a timely fashion. Significant change to a project isn’t going to be made at a Planning Commission hearing or City Council meeting.
For more information on the City’s Outreach Policy and a draft of the revised document, please visit the City’s Planning Department website at http://www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/sjplan/. The final draft of this document is expected to come before Council for approval in Spring 2004. You may also contact me at 408/277-5166 or ken.yeager@sanjoseca.gov.
A Trail For Our Neighborhood
Javier Aguirre, Senior Policy Aide to Supervisor Alvarado
After meeting with Councilmember
Ken Yeager and County Parks Commissioner Larry Ames, Supervisor Blanca Alvarado
spearheaded a grant request of $2 million for the Willow Glen Spur Trail. On December 16, 2003, the
“The County is
especially pleased to make this contribution because there is a need for more
parks and trails in the heart of
UPRR is
abandoning 2.85 miles of track from
The City of
This is, indeed,
an exciting opportunity for the County to partner with the City of San José by
providing an urban trail for the enjoyment and inspiration of current and future
generations. Currently, the
For more information about this contribution or County parks, please visit the Department¹s website at www.parkhere.org or contact the Department at (408) 358-3741.
Willow Glen Spur Trail
Councilmember Ken Yeager, Dist. 6
I am writing to share good news about the Willow Glen Spur Trail. At the January 27th City Council meeting, the Council adopted a resolution authorizing the City Manager to apply for $800,000 from Proposition 40 funds for the Willow Glen Spur. These funds are guaranteed to all cities that apply and based on a per capita distribution. These new funds include funds for development of the Willow Glen Spur Trail, while the other funds have been for the purchase of the land.
Thus far, $5.1
million has been designated toward the purchase and development of the Willow Glen
Spur Trail. This include $2 million from
the
For more information about the Willow Glen Spur Trail, please contact Yves Zsutty from Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services at Yves.Zsutty@sanjoseca.gov or 408/794-1302.
Planned Local Trail Network
Larry Ames
The map above shows how the different planned trails in the neighborhood are related.
· The number “1” marks the W.G. Spur Trail (named after the abandoned rail spur the trail will follow), which is to run from near Lincoln Avenue to the Japanese Tea Garden in Kelley Park at the right.
·
The existing Los Gatos Creek trail is continuous
from Lexington Reservoir (south of Los Gatos) up to Meridian Ave at the bottom
left of the map. Bike routes and bike
lanes will extend it to Lincoln/Coe, and then the trail will cross on the train
trestle that was featured in the last WGNA newsletter. From there there is an existing but closed
section of trail (#2) that is due to open any day now when they open the new
trail bridge to
· We are discussing with the developers of the Elks Lodge and Alma Bowl sites to have connections made from the existing Fwy-87 bike trail to the WG Spur Trail, and for the developments to have convenient access to the trail system.
·
The Guadalupe River Trail is planned as part of
the SCVWD flood-control project south of
· The Coyote Creek also has a planned trail system, although the plans are not as far along…
I want to thank
Councilmember Ken Yeager for championing the trail efforts in the City of
Measure “A”
County
Supervisor
On March 2,
residents of
The Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to place Measure A on the March 2nd ballot because they feel both the fiscal responsibility and authority for the Probation Department should fall under one entity that can be accessible and accountable to the public it serves.
Presently, responsibility for the Probation
Department is shared between the Supervising Judge of Juvenile Court and the
Over two years ago, I asked the Juvenile Court judges to join the Board of Supervisors and me in the Juvenile Detention Reform initiative. Our collaborative efforts have reduced the Juvenile Hall and ranch populations and focused on creating treatment alternatives to incarceration. Last year, after the U.S. Department of Justice investigated alleged abuses at Juvenile Hall, the Board of Supervisors initiated a comprehensive study of Juvenile Hall. After months of collaborating, it became clear to my colleagues and me that without direct authority over the Chief Probation Officer, we could not effectively improve the welfare of the kids who are detained at the Hall and the security of the employees who work at Juvenile Hall.
Measure A would transfer the authority to hire
the Chief Probation Officer to the Board of Supervisors and its top officer,
the
City Council set to modify
Single-Family House Permit Process
Hugh Graham
As directed by the City Council in an effort to streamline the Single-Family House Permit process, the Planning Commission at its meeting on January 28, 2004 voted unanimously to reduce processing time by eliminating City Council review of single-family houses. Instead the Planning Director at a public hearing would consider these projects. Staff believed, based on experience with homes on the Historic Resources Inventory, that the use of the design guidelines adequately addressed modifications and additions to such houses; and, therefore, could be handled by staff. Persons unhappy with the Director’s decision may appeal it to the Planning Commission.
Permit Required - Since
January of 2000, approval of new homes or additions to existing homes in
§
the new house or
addition is greater than 30 feet in height;
§
the new house or
addition is greater than 2 stories;
§
house or site is a
designated City Landmark, is listed on the Historic Resources Inventory, or is
located in a Historic District or Historic Conservation Area. [The
City Council later adopted an ordinance stipulating that proposed modifications
to single-family homes listed on the Historic Resources Inventory (where that
was the only trigger) be handled through the administrative Single-Family House
Permit process described below.]
§ the “Floor Area Ratio” (FAR) of the house is greater than 0.65; [The FAR is defined as the aggregate sum of all the floor areas in a house in relation to the lot area. If none of the other criteria apply and the FAR is greater than 0.45 but less than 0.65, a Single-Family Home permit would not require City Council approval, but would need to be approved by the Director of Planning.]
Where the
development would only result in a FAR of 0.45 to 0.65 and thus not require
action by the City Council, the Director of Planning may act on the permit
administratively or at a public hearing.
Administrative review - the Director of Planning may act without a public
hearing if the building permit is for construction that satisfies the following
requirements:
§
does
not authorize removal of more than fifty percent (50%) or more of the exterior
walls;
§
is
for a single story ground floor addition;
§
is
for a second story addition which results in a second story which is no larger
than sixty percent (60%) of existing first floor area and which is set back ten
(10) feet from the required front setback;
§
does
not authorize the enclosure or net loss of ten percent (10%) or more of an
existing porch;
§
authorizes
an attached garage only if the houses on each side of the subject lot have
existing attached garages;
§
the
roofline, materials, trim and decoration details of the new construction is the
same as that on the existing house.
Resources to Consult - According to Chapter 6 of the Your Old House Guide, preservation does not mean that a neighborhood or historic district must be “frozen” in time. When new building occurs, it should be in a manner that reinforces the basic visual characteristics of existing homes. However, imitating historic styles is generally discouraged. A new structure should be compatible in scale, site relationship and style. Simplicity and modesty in design are encouraged
“Rather than imitating older buildings, a new design should relate to the fundamental characteristics of the historic houses on a block while also conveying the stylistic trends of today… Such features upon which to draw include the way in which a building is located on its site, the manner in which it relates to the street and its basic mass, form and materials. When these design variables are arranged in a new building to be similar to those seen traditionally, visual compatibility results. These basic design relationships are more fundamental than the details of individual architectural styles and, therefore, it is possible to be compatible with the historic context while also producing a design that is contemporary.”
Another source to be consulted by either proponents or opponents of proposed development is the Single-Family Design Guidelines. Both this and the Your Old House Guide were approved by the City Council and are available as Adobe Acrobat documents at the San Jose Planning web site:
http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/planning/sjplan/index.htm
Consult these pages on the
San Jose Planning web site: http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/
planning/sjplan/dev_review/sfhp.htm
and http://www.ci.san-jose.ca.us/planning/ sjplan/pdf_brochures/bro_sfhp.pdf for a fuller explanation of the new single-family home
permit process. Understanding of the
process is crucial whether you (1) plan to build a new house or remodel an
existing house or (2) are disturbed by the proposed new development or remodel
of a home in your neighborhood
Albertson’s at Bird and Minnesota
Plans an Overhaul
Matt Hall
The corporate folks in
The expansion on the store will require the closing of the first two shops adjacent to Albertson’s (as well as the Albertson’s store) to allow the larger Albertson’s to be built. Note that the store leases in the complex are not something that Albertson’s controls, but the plans are that the rest of the stores can remain open.
According to
Jeff Roche of City of
The feedback
process is set up to allow input via email, regular mail, or at public
hearings. The best way to provide
feedback is via email and regular mail.
If there is no input on the project then Albertson’s will have most
likely have no problem getting all the requests on the proposal (including 24
hour operation). If you have comments please send them to:
jeff.roche@sanjoseca.gov or mail to:
Jeff Roche,
City of
Please
make sure to reference the following: Public Comments;
Folder Number: 2003 129455 AO; Project Manager: Jeff Roche
Other Land-use and Development Issues
Ed Rast
The following is a dozen other local issues WGNA is following:
1) Tamien Place Architectural Firm building redesign – Developer has asked for 3 Community meeting (between week of Feb 23 to early April 2004) to present design options and ask for neighborhood input for the San Francisco based firm is redesigning the building per Cindy Chavez's memo.
2) Yellow Cab Development – Bird
and
3) Elks Club property has been sold to a developer who is developing plans for high density residential.
4) Hervey Lane – same property owner / new developer plans being prepared for 16-18 single family homes along Willow Glen Spur between Minnesota and Guadalupe River to include trail access through property. Open question on grading roadbed to prevent flooding in northern Willow Glen.
5) Request to Santa Clara Valley Water District resurvey by completed section of Upper Guadalupe River Flood Control Project area to reduce property owner flood insurance costs.
6) Del Monte development area between Bird and Lincoln – Community meeting with developer and neighborhood associations has been proposed for end of February 2004 to review environmental report, public facilities (proposed park, school impact etc.) and development design issues.
7) Strong Neighborhoods Initiative – Project Area Committee proposed revision of City Council Policy 6-30 – Outreach Policy for Planning and Development. A number of meetings have been held with developer representatives at San Jose Planning. Additional meetings are to be held to work out details and agreement on early notification to residents and neighborhoods associations. San Jose Planning has requested UNSCC to assist in developing a list of neighborhood association contacts for planning and development issues.
8) Scottish Rite site development – preliminary design has been review by Canoas Gardens Neighborhood Association who was satisfied with the prelims but want to be sure the final comes out correctly including cul-de-sac treatment on Rinconada and Apple Valley as well as drainage and storm drain outlet which is currently an open ditch.
9) Core Developers has proposed a 8
story teachers affordable residential development at Bird and
10) Palm Haven – proposed home construction design with a street facing garage that neighbors feel is inappropriate of the development since all other homes have rear detached garages. Developer has expressed concern on redesign due to lot size and narrowing towards rear of lot.
11) City of
12) Proposed procedures for Second
Units / Granny units in
There’s also potential school closures, fire-station “brown-outs”, local liquor licenses, and a possible City action on special tax districts around planned or existing transit nodes.
Run for the Schools
Ellen Santomauro
Kick off your Spring fitness
season in downtown
Music, cheers and the Food - Fest await you in the 27th year running. The 5k Run / walk or 10k Run is also a fun and easy way to support your local schools.
Participants of the Run/Walk have the option to raise funds for the local schools. Schools in the greater South Bay Area that are participating in the Support Our Schools Pledge Program can raise funds directly for their own school, classroom, club, sport or district.
Each School is allowed to determine the allocation of the pledge funds raised, all pledged funds go directly to the specified school district, and registration fees are applied toward the costs of the event. With the current short fall in school funds, this is the perfect opportunity to enjoy a healthy spring time event while contributing to the education of our children.
Check out the website below for more information on the race or to make an on-line donation for your local school:
http://www.mercuryrunwalk.com/sos/index.html
… Or talk to your neighborhood kids for more information.