1 Melissa Thurman
From: Joe Bruzzese
Sent: Thursday, July 14, 2022 3:09 PM
To: Town Center
Cc: jeff aalfs
Subject: Ford field destroyed?
It’s just embarrassing you are even considering this idea … my guess is most of you live out of PV ? Because there isn’t a sane soul that lives here that wants mOre housing and a destruction of a monumental field such as Ford little league park I’m sure you can raise money sone other way And if you can’t .. try harder Your consideration of this idea is ridiculous and completely out of touch with the reality of pv residents Do better Sent from my iPhone with love
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Dan Lopez
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 5:51 PM
To: Jeff Aalfs; Craig Hughes; John Richards; Maryann Moise Derwin; [email protected]
Cc: Town Center
Subject: July 13 Town Council: Ford Field...
I want to strongly urge the council to preserve Ford Field for its generational purpose: bringing the skills and love of baseball to our youth.
My son just completed his fourth year of Alpine Little League and this past May, he played in the AAA Championship game at Ford Field. What an exciting experience for him...and in a spectacular setting. I overheard many parents from the visiting team remarking on how beautiful the field was -- the banners in the stands and outfield fence, the quality of the infield, the scoreboard, and the natural environment around it. Ford Field is clearly a treasure, a community asset recognized by anyone that visits the field.
As we live in Ladera, we can and do frequently walk to Ford Field for practices and games. Every time my son sees Ford Field, he's reminded of that Championship game, a memory that will likely stay with him for his whole life. Unless his memory is destroyed with Ford Field, then it'll be "yeah, that used to be a baseball field".
"Don't it always seem to go
That you don't know what you got 'til it's gone
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"
Big Yellow Taxi by Counting Crows
Respectfully,
Dan Lopez
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Melissa Thurman
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 4:55 PM
To: Town Center
Subject: FW: Comments for Consideration in Tonight's meeting -----Original Message-----
From: Tim Scott
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 2:59 PM
To: Town Council <[email protected]>
Subject: Comments for Consideration in Tonight's meeting Has the Town Council devoted enough consideration to moving the multifamily housing from Dorothy Fork Park to the Town Center soccer field?
The possible repurposing of Dorothy Ford Park is of great concern. This was acquired with funds donated for open space protection by town residents who believed their intent would be honored. The Scenic Corridor and two heritage oaks should be preserved well as the adjacent Ford Baseball Field. The current housing element proposes 128 (Ladera Church 10, Ford field 50, Stanford Wedge 39, and Glen Oaks 29) or 42% of the housing units on a very small portion of Alpine Road surrounding my home. This is far too much density for one small area. The housing should be spread across other sites to preserve the town's character and better manage evacuation and traffic concerns. As a resident of lower Westridge, the resulting congestion, traffic, noise, light spill and emissions are deeply troubling.
The town center location offers access to the library, computers, the town center community rooms and lawn area. It also allows for addition options for evacuation. Distributing some of the development to Portola Road should be carefully considered so that the bulk of the development is not concentrated in one area. The town center soccer field could possibly be moved to Dorothy Ford Park.
Joye Scott
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Nevin Spieker
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 3:44 PM
Subject: Ford Field
Dear Portola Valley Town Council,
I was disappointed to hear that you are contemplating using Ford Field as an option to satisfy your Hosing Element needs.
Ford Field provides something that is essential to our community that is getting harder and harder to find. Ford Field provides a place for children (and adults) to:
- interact in Person,
- learn social skills and sportsmanship
- accept that both winning and losing are parts of life - learn to support team mates
- learn first-hand how hurtful it can feel when one is not supported In a world where too many kids and adults spend their days entranced behind screens, Ford Field provides a positive place for a community to come together and for young kids to learn life skills as they come of age.
Thank you for your consideration in keeping the valuable community asset.
Reagrds,
Nevin Spieker
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Kacey Brown
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 2:11 PM
To: Town Center
Subject: Ford Field
Hello,
My comment is in opposition of tearing down ford field for housing. This is an unbelievable and unacceptable option. The field provides more than just baseball. It provides fresh air, sunshine, exercise, and socialization. It is a community. It provides an opportunity to teach our youth hard work, teamwork, perseverance, sportsmanship, and the list goes on. After the hard last two years, we know these experiences are imperative for our children. Beyond the field itself, impacting alpine trail at all is unacceptable. Our family uses it daily. We do not have sidewalks in PV. Where are we supposed to safely walk and ride bikes? My kids ride the trail every single day. How are we expected to feel safe in a wildfire zone if you add more housing to a congested alpine road? Our family chose to live on this side of 280 because of its rural/outdoorsy small town community. We love it here. We will likely move elsewhere if you quite literally pave paradise and put up a parking lot. Please save our town.
Thank you,
Kacey Brown Rich
Mother of four boys in PV
1 Melissa Thurman
From: John McGrory
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 1:43 PM
To: Town Center; Jeremy Dennis; Jeff Aalfs; Craig Hughes; John Richards; Maryann Moise Derwin; [email protected]
Subject: PV Housing Element comments: SAVE FORD FIELD
Portola Valley Town Council members,
I'm John McGrory and I have been a resident of West Menlo Park for over 25 years while raising 4 children, the oldest of whom just graduated from college (West Point, the U.S. Military Academy) and the youngest of whom is 10. I am CEO of a technology company, a musician, and a coach, and I am heavily involved with schools and community programs in Menlo Park and Portola Valley. I have relationships with many wonderful PV residents, and I have been active in organizations based in PV, such as:
-- Alpine Little League: 17 years of involvement, including 11 years on the Board of Directors and 20 seasons of coaching; -- Portola Valley Theater Conservatory: 5 years of involvement, including the Board of Directors, a child in their programs, and performing music for their shows.
I provide my background to serve as some context for comments regarding the PV Housing Element process. I have spent a lot of time in the PV community, I care deeply about it, and I have concern for some of the potential actions being considered. I am not an expert on housing legislation and I am not objecting to the overall initiative needed to conform to state laws. In earlier months I have heard that the land adjacent to Ford Field on Alpine Road was a potential location for high-density housing, and while it isn't ideal to sacrifice such beautiful open space, it is understandable that it may be necessary to conform to the state housing requirements.
HOWEVER, more recently I have heard that there is some interest in expanding the space dedicated to the new housing to include Ford Field, which has been the home of Alpine Little League for decades (I believe at least 40 years). LOSING FORD FIELD WOULD BE TERRIBLE for PV and the surrounding communities. Alpine Little League has been a thriving youth sports organization and a magnet for community involvement for generations, and Ford Field has always been Alpine's center of activity, energy, and spirit. More broadly, Ford Field is widely regarded as one of the best venues for Little League baseball in the entire region, and teams from all over the Bay Area enjoy visiting. Ford Field is iconic and it represents the essence of youth sports -- a Field of Youth Dreams for the kids playing ball and their parents watching, both remembering the past and anticipating the future.
It would be a difficult logistical challenge to compensate for the loss of Ford Field, but the loss to the community would be much worse. There is no other field in PV that is capable of replacing Ford (the PVTC field wouldn't suffice without major expansion that probably isn't feasible), so it is likely that the organizational center of Alpine Little League would shift to West Menlo Park or Woodside, but the spiritual center of Alpine would be lost. It would be tragic for Alpine to lose its home in Portola Valley, because Ford Field is a uniquely wonderful venue and because it holds generations of memories, and it should be preserved to continue to enable experiences and memories for future generations.
PLEASE DON'T SACRIFICE FORD FIELD.
Thanks for taking a few minutes to read my comments.
John McGrory
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Leigh Pyle
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 1:38 PM
To: [email protected]; Craig Hughes; John Richards; Maryann Moise Derwin; [email protected]; Town Center
Cc: Brian Pyle
Subject: Ford Field
Dear Town Council Members,
Hello! Hello and thank you for your service.
It has been brought to our attention that Ford Field may be a site being considered for housing and Brian and I wanted to write a note in (gently strong) opposition...
Ford Field is one of those iconic historical places that is the heart of our community... generation after generation have played there and in our opinion needs to stay.
We have two boys that have set baseball goals to get good enough to play there and Cameron keeps talking about wanting to pepper that snack shack with home run balls.
We hope and pray that Ford field will stay and we can find another solution.
With respect,
Leigh and Brian Pyle
--
Leigh M. Pyle
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Robert Conlon
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 1:12 PM
To: Jeff Aalfs; Craig Hughes; John Richards; Maryann Moise Derwin; [email protected]
Cc: Town Center
Subject: SAVE FORD FIELD!!!
Dear Town Council,
We are deeply saddened to learn of the possible demolition of a very special community gem, Ford Field.
For generations, thousands upon thousands of boys and girls participating in Alpine Little League and beyond have had the wonderful opportunity to play baseball at Ford Field. Ford Field is a special place and setting for children to learn and enjoy the game of baseball. It is also a place for the community to gathering and support these children as they develop life skills through their participation in sport. I have had the privilege of witnessing this first hand by coaching my children's baseball teams at Ford Field.
For these reasons among many others, my family strongly opposes the potential demolition of Ford Field to be replaced with housing and/or parking for housing.
We hope thousands upon thousands of boys and girls for generations to coming will be able to enjoy the special "field of dreams" at Ford Field.
Thank you,
Rob, Sarah, Elliott & Jack Conlon
1 Melissa Thurman
From: Tim McAdam
Sent: Wednesday, July 13, 2022 1:09 PM
To: Town Center
Subject: McAdam opposition to
PV Planning Commission,
It looks like you have your work cut out for you in the coming weeks around the HEP. I know this is a contentious time and there are mostly tough choices in front of the leadership of our amazing hamlet of Portola Valley. I appreciate your hard and thoughtful work.
I am writing to you today in strong opposition to one of the recommendations in the plan – opt-in single family rezoning.
This a highly contentious and divisive proposal that has the potential to destroy property values and ultimately the mosaic of Portola Valley. If this succeeds, the outcome will undoubtedly create battles in neighborhoods with little upside given the small number of additional units proposed. If one neighbor chooses to optimize their lot value by selling to a developer who can maximize profits with a 4-plex, other neighbors will suffer as property values will surely decline given increased traffic, density, quality of housing, etc.
A proposal like this is fraught with peril given the politically charged nature of it and the high chance of litigation. Based on PV residents I have talked to, I have found zero support for such a proposal. Does the Housing Element Committee know whether it has this support of the community? Unless I missed the survey, I don’t think residents have been surveyed. Why is that? From what I can gather from comments and conversations, there is little support for this proposal.
One idea that resonates with me is to play around with the advised buffer of assigned RHNA numbers which would limit the number of units to a number smaller than the 53 units and therefore eliminates the need for up in rezoning. Seems like that is the most appropriate way to get our additional 12 units over a 8-year period.
As a one-person commission, I would fight all of this to be honest. Woodside, Atherton and other towns are just refusing to capitulate. A negotiated outcome here should be much different than the current proposal.
Sincerely,
Tim McAdam
Tim McAdam
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