Petition summary and background

Are you concerned that the rapid proliferation of new development throughout your residential neighborhood surpasses the rate at which community, environmental, and infrastructure impact can properly be assessed?  Troubled by the potential loss of your privacy to towering new construction? Worried about traffic and safety in our neighborhood? Well you should be!  These changes have enabled developers to circumvent review processes intended to ensure that projects fit sensitively into neighborhoods. Dodging these review processes often results in buildings that are architecturally discordant and demonstrate disregard for the concerns of
neighboring residents.

o  Private developments often use the ‘urban village’ label as an advertising pitch or to win Government support and funding for their projects. Developers are taking advantage of the more flexible standards to maximize the size of their buildings with no regard to the existing built landscape, or landowner rights.

The surrounding community is concerned the Developer and the governing agency is proposing a major construction project that would negatively affect the local community without input of residents

The concerns are as follows:

o  The 6-story building is within 50’ to 60’ of residential backyard’s and does not blend into the residential neighborhood of single-family homes

o  The height, bulk and scale of new building will have an adverse impact on the human ecology of our  neighborhood, no privacy, access to sunlight, fresh air and view corridor will be restricted

o  90 housing units on .64-acre lot is high density housing - Cambrian lot is .13-.25 acre 1 home

o  Only 34 parking spots (22 are for motorcycles) for 90 housing units is inadequate, spillover parking would be in our neighborhoods and side streets

o  The elimination of parking requirements for new construction in designated Growth Areas is ill advised and will lead to parking, traffic, privacy, safety, crime problems that will adversely affect our community and property values.

We, the undersigned want Santa Clara County Council and San Jose City to:

o  Santa Clara County Council to reconsider approval of Measure A Funds for Bascom Apartments until a complete study/review of infrastructure, parking, building shadows, outside lighting and traffic reports are complete

o  City of San Jose to partner with the community to identify a vision that will shape growth and guide new development in Cambrian Park and San Jose

o  Appoint real neighborhood voices to the neighborhood Design Review Boards

o  To encourage better design and site planning that enhances the character of the city and ensures that  new development sensitively fits into neighborhoods.”

o  “To improve communication and participation among developers, neighbors and the city early in the design and siting of new development.”