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FW: Item 10.2 on 12/10 City Council agenda support for El Paseo de Saratoga From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 12/10/2024 7:39 AM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
From: Divya Dhar < >
Sent: Monday, December 9, 2024 8:55 PM
To: District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District3 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; Kamei, Rosemary <[email protected]>; Jimenez, Sergio <[email protected]>; Cohen, David <[email protected]>; Or z, Peter <Peter.Or [email protected]>; Davis, Dev <[email protected]>; Doan, Bien <[email protected]>; Candelas, Domingo <[email protected]>; Foley, Pam <[email protected]>; Batra, Arjun <[email protected]>; The Office of Mayor Ma Mahan <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]>; Lomio, Michael <[email protected]>; Rocha, Vincent <[email protected]>; Erik Schoennauer < >; ;
Subject: Item 10.2 on 12/10 City Council agenda support for El Paseo de Saratoga
Some people who received this message don't often get email from . Learn why this is important Dear Mayor and City Council,
I am wri ng to support Sand Hill Property Company’s proposal for El Paseo de Saratoga.
The current proposal might not be what was originally approved by the City two years ago, but it is s ll leaps and bounds be er than the outdated strip mall parking lot si ng there underu lized for far too long. El Paseo will transform the area and turn it into a mixed-use urban village that 772 households will be able to call home. It will also create new jobs, places to work, places to shop, and a new park.
As someone who has lived in the Westgate area for 10+ years and have no ced traffic increasing - more walkable areas can help curtail traffic. I also appreciate the senior care facility op on. As someone with aging parents - I would like them to be able to stay in the neighborhood they call home.
It’s important to note I would prefer the project s ll include 15% affordable housing on-site, as well as at lower levels of affordability. The former is what was promised to the community and nego ated with the City a er years of collabora on. I know the economy changes and thus development must adjust too, yet we desperately need more affordable homes.
12/10/24, 11:11 AM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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I urge you to approve the amendment so that this transforma ve project can move forward without further delays. Sand Hill has demonstrated its commitment to making El Paseo de Saratoga a vibrant addi on to our community, and I hope the City Council will con nue to support their efforts.
Best,
Divya
12/10/24, 11:11 AM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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FW: Item 10.2 on 12/10/24 City Council agenda re: El Paseo From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 12/10/2024 4:00 PM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
From: be y kabanek < >
Sent: Tuesday, December 10, 2024 3:57 PM
To: Amy Cody < >; City Clerk <[email protected]>; The Office of Mayor Ma Mahan <[email protected]>; District1 <[email protected]>; Kamei, Rosemary <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]> Subject: Re: Item 10.2 on 12/10/24 City Council agenda re: El Paseo
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On Monday, December 9, 2024, 9:21 AM, Amy Cody < > wrote:
Mayor Mahan, Vice Mayor Kamei & City Councilmembers,
Residents of Moreland West and other neighborhoods in the West San Jose area carefully considered and provided input on the massive El Paseo Mixed Use Village Signature Project that was approved by Council in 2022, as well as the PD Permit Amendment approved in 2023. A er reviewing the proposed 2024 Amendment and communica ng with Planning staff, Sand Hill and others, I share the following comments and ques ons on behalf of the Moreland West Neighborhood Associa on (MWNA):
Affordable Units
The project was approved largely due to the promise of 15% onsite BMR units: 5% (50% AMI), 5% (60% AMI), and 5% (100% AMI). Given the project's density and San Jose's RHNA requirements, MWNA advocated for
more affordable units (18-20%) and deeper
levels of affordability. My neighbors and I are disappointed that the proposed Amendment includes only 5% onsite BMR units, offered at only 100% AMI.
12/10/24, 4:35 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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That said, we are pleased that onsite BMR units will be mixed in with market rate units, and that El Paseo's BMR residents will have the same access to amenities as others. We supported truly inclusionary, mixed-income buildings and equal access to amenities during the initial planning process.
· How many offsite BMR units will be built and at what affordability level? · Will these offsite BMR units also be built in a "high resource area"? Unit Mix & Density
The approved project included a robust mix of studios and 1, 2 & 3-bedroom units. The 2024 Amendment includes no large, family-sized 3-bedrooms (which are in demand, especially if affordable) and fewer 2-bedrooms. Although the overall project (Buildings 1, 2, 3 & 4) has fewer residential units, Buildings 1 & 2 are now much denser and with smaller units.
· Buildings 1 & 2 would have 398 and 374 units, respec vely. These buildings are truly massive. Where else in San Jose are there buildings this height (12 & 10 stories, respec vely) with so many units?
· What is the revised es mated number of El Paseo residents? Parks & Open Space
The project's 1.1-acre multi-purpose park space is clearly insufficient for 1,500-2,000 new residents. Additionally, the Saratoga Ave/Westgate Urban Village area is targeted for more high density residential development. Significant investment in park & recreation space will be needed to accommodate the thousands of new residents (and their pets) who will be living densely in our Urban Village area.
· Where will El Paseo's 1,500-2,000 new residents recreate? (School facili es with limited public access do not count!)
· What percentage of El Paseo residents are expected to NOT own a vehicle? · Where will El Paseo's $9m in park impact fees be spent to provide adequate park space within walking distance?
Parking
It is assumed that many El Paseo residents will walk, cycle or take a bus to reach school, work and other des na ons. This congested, car-centric area -- with a Costco Warehouse on the way! -- is in need of pedestrian & bicycle safety improvements and transit-oriented investment. Sufficient project parking is also crucial so El Paseo residents and their guests won't need to park in commercial spaces and adjacent neighborhoods.
Buildings 1 & 2
· The revised PD Permit applica on states that "Per San Jose Ordinance no. 30857 No minimum parking is required." Was there a minimum parking requirement when the project was approved in 2022, with parking reduc ons?
· There would be 323 fewer parking spaces in Buildings 1, 2 & 3 despite there being more residen al units in these buildings. What changed? (Whole Foods garage parking remains the same at 160 spaces.) Are 995 spaces in Buildings 1 & 2 -- plus poten ally 135 more spaces in Building 3 -- sufficient for 1,500-2,000 residents? Ground-Level Residen al Units
It seems like mixed-used, 10 and 12-story glass buildings would have ground level retail and services instead of residen al units.
· Are there be er drawings that show how the ground level townhome units will relate to Building 1 & 2's overall aesthe c? The conceptual renderings of these tall glass buildings make it difficult to visualize ground level townhomes with private yards. 12/10/24, 4:35 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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More Commercial Space & Tax Revenue?
The 2024 Amendment includes considerably more commercial space in the form of a senior care facility, which appears to be a plus. Minimal office/commercial space was a weakness of the approved plan, given Signature Project requirements.
· How much addi onal tax revenue does the City an cipate from Building 4's conversion from residen al to commercial use?
El Paseo's impact on the Westgate area will be immense. It will bring benefits and challenges. We hope it will contribute to the crea on of an Urban Village that is a safe, a rac ve, and vibrant place to live, work, a end school, shop, dine and recreate. We want this for exis ng residents and for the thousands of new neighbors who will live in high-rise apartments and, hopefully, condos. To achieve this, the City of San Jose and others must plan wisely and invest in key quality-of-life elements including playgrounds & park space, public trash cans & pet waste sta ons, benches & be er bus stops, safe pedestrian & bicycle infrastructure, transit op ons, police presence, and public art.
Thank you for keeping our concerns in mind as you consider El Paseo and the future of our community.
Amy Cody
President, Moreland West NA
www.morelandwest.org
12/10/24, 4:35 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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