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FW: March 25th Council Agenda Item 5.1
From Taber, Toni <[email protected]>
Date Mon 3/24/2025 4:17 PM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
1 attachment (257 KB)
2025.03 SHPNA to Council - Diridon Airport Connector.pdf;
From: Edward Saum < >
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2025 4:10 PM
To: The Office of Mayor Matt Mahan <[email protected]>
Cc: 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]>; Taber, Toni <[email protected]> Subject: March 25th Council Agenda Item 5.1
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important Dear Honorable Mayor Mahan and Honored Members of City Council:
Please find attached a letter from the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association regarding the Diridon Station to Airport Connector project.
By copy of this email, we are supplying the letter to the City Clerk.
Edward Saum
Planning and Land Use Director
P
E
3/24/25, 6:34 PM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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March 24, 2025
Mayor Mahan and Members of City Council City of San José 200 East Santa Clara St San José, CA 95113 [sent via email] Re: March 25, 2025 Council Agenda - Item 5.1 San Jose Diridon Station to Airport Connector Feasibility Validation Report and Phase 2a Recommendation Dear Honorable Mayor Mahan and Honored Members of City Council:
On behalf of the Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association (SHPNA), I am writing to express
our
support
for
the
further
study
of
the
San
José
Diridon
Station
to
Airport
Connector
project.
SHPNA
was
founded
forty
years
ago
to
advocate
for
the
residents
of
San
José
immediately
west
of
Diridon
Station
in
the
Garden
Alameda,
Shasta
Hanchett
Park,
and
St.
Leo’s
neighborhoods.
We
consistently
work
with
the
City
of
San
José,
developers,
and
neighbors
to
create
a
vibrant
neighborhood.
Our
advocacy
for
an
enhanced
connection
to
-
and
through
-
Diridon
Station
is
evident
in
decades
of
correspondence
and
our
engagement
with
the
Station
Area
Advisory
Group
(SAAG),
the
Diridon
Station
Area
Plan
(DSAP),
and
the
VTA
Downtown-
Diridon
Community
Working
Group
(CWG).
The future of Diridon Station depends upon it becoming what some have called the “Grand Central
Station
of
the
West”.
This
goal
is
contingent
upon
a
strong,
reliable,
and
affordable
connection
to
San
José
Mineta
International
Airport
(SJC).
In
the
last
several
years,
SHPNA
has
seen
several
plans
that
would
have
their
positive
economic
impacts
multiplied
by
the
proper
connection
to
SJC,
including,
but
not
limited
to,
the
following:
● The Alameda Urban Village, a transit-oriented development at the heart of SHPNA, terminates
one
block
from
Diridon
Station.
● The Work Plan for the Office of Economic Development (OED) Fiscal Years 2025-2026 and
2026-2027
calls
for
‘a
sports
and
entertainment
district
within
walking
distance
of
the
SAP
Center
for
City
Council
approval
by
December
2025’
.
● In 2024, with SHPNA’s endorsement, The Alameda Business Association (ABA) submitted a
grant
proposal
to
VTA
for
the
creation
of
wayfinding
signage
that
connects
the
services
at
Diridon
Station
to
The
Alameda’s
art,
history,
shopping,
and
dining.
A high-quality connection will reduce congestion while enhancing the Diridon Station Area’s ability to attract additional businesses, events, and tourism. There remains a great deal of work to be done to ensure that autonomous transit can provide the level of service such a connector deserves; that being said, if successful, the Airport Connector will reduce reliance on private vehicles, integrate with and enhance the region’s current transit networks, and promote both environmentally friendly travel and economic growth.
We also endorse the Memorandum of March 21st from Mayor Mahan, Vice Mayor Foley, and Councilmembers Kamei, Cohen, and Mulcahy. No additional City dollars, staff time, or resources should be spent until San José Connection Partners (SJCP) secures new funding and completes an investment-grade study of ridership, revenue forecasting, and the ability to accommodate future potential growth at SJC. Holding the Public Private Partnership (P3) to a higher standard of financial and operational accountability must be a central part of the Airport Connector project moving forward. The Memorandum strikes the appropriate balance between the clear benefits of an Airport Connector and the need for a firm commitment from all parties.
An enhanced connection between the airport, one of San José’s most historic neighborhoods, a vibrant and growing business association, SAP Center, and what is intended to become the premiere multimodal hub for the West Coast is an opportunity that the City should cultivate further. SHPNA is eager to support this effort and collaborate with the City, its partners, and key stakeholders to leverage our previous efforts, which can only enhance our neighborhoods and the greater community.
Respectfully submitted,
Edward Saum
Director for Planning & Land Use
Shasta Hanchett Park Neighborhood Association
cc: Toni Taber, City Clerk