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Jackie Moore with Barec in front of the Yes on A & B Headquarters stating that they support senior housing too and urging a No vote on Measures A & B.
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Ryan Chamberlain, campaign manager of "Yes on Measures A & B", thanking the senior volunteers for their help.
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The 17-acre former UC agricultural station site at 90 Winchester Blvd. is owned by the state
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BAREC Referendum Fight Heats Up
By Carolyn Schuk
Supporters of the Santa Clara Gardens development project for the BAREC site came out swinging on Saturday, with a YES ON MEASURE A & B (the February 2008 ballot measures concerning the project) rally organized by project supporters.
Several Santa Clara City Council Members were on hand to support the effort. This wasn't surprising as the Council unanimously passed the measures allowing the project to go forward. Santa Clara Gardens will include both market rate single family and affordable senior housing units.
"We need to work hard on this measure," said Council Member Dominic Caserta. "It is very rare that the SC City Council votes unanimously on a subject. This measure has a smart growth potential. The seniors can live near their families, get out of their cars, and easily get out for shopping and entertainment. We will win this."
Calling SaveBarec (the group spearheading opposition to the development) "no on seniors," Council Member Pat Kolstad added that "when the City Council meeting voted on BAREC Dominic Caserta said [SaveBAREC] has no real plans and no access to money and that [Casserta] showed real wisdom in asking these questions.
"This new senior housing will help free up homes for younger people with families to move into our community, which is the right thing to do."
It's no secret that Summerhill Homes, the developer for the market rate housing is putting its heft behind the effort.
Summerhill was selected by the state as a development partner for the project four years ago and worked closely with Charities Housing and the Santa Clara Methodist Retirement Foundation to put together the development proposal.
If the project goes forward, Summerhill will also manage the toxics cleanup as well as developing the one-acre park planned for the site and the entire infrastructure – water, sewer, sidewalks.
"This past Saturday’s campaign kick-off for Yes on Measures A & B was a great success," says Summerhill Senior VP Katya Kamangar. "Over 75 supporters and volunteers, including three Council Members, joined the event. There were passionate speeches in support of Measures A & B and about the need for affordable senior housing in Santa Clara."
| BAREC – The Cliffs Notes Version |
Here's a quick review of the BAREC issue.
The 17-acre former UC agricultural station site at 90 Winchester Blvd. is owned by the state and has been shuttered since 2002. During the eight decades it was active, among other research, the agricultural station tested a wide variety of insecticides. As a result the site is highly toxic – an EPA "brownfield" – and not open to the public. The development plan includes site cleanup.
Last June the Santa Clara City Council approved zoning and city plan changes that paved the way for the proposed Santa Clara Gardens residential development project. Following that, SaveBAREC launched a petition drive that put the question on the February 5, 2008 ballot.
In August, the anti-development group also initiated a lawsuit accusing Santa Clara officials of violating the California Environmental Quality Act – CEQA -- by failing to properly assess the development project's environmental impact and refusing to respond fairly to the issues raised by the group.
The project – which is significantly lower density than the 400 units allowed by the current city plan – calls for165 units of affordable senior housing with three acres of attached gardens, 110 units of single-family market-rate housing, and a one-acre public park.
The senior housing will be built by Charities Housing and the Santa Clara Methodist Retirement Foundation on six acres to be purchased by the City at a below market price.
The remaining 11 acres will be purchased at market value (roughly $2 to $3 million an acre) by Palo Alto-based developer Summerhill Homes. Summerhill will be developing the public park and infrastructure for the entire site, as well as conducting the site clean-up which is contingent on the project going forward.
If the development doesn't go forward, a state spokeswoman has said that the state may consider an alternative state use for the land, which can be done with regard to local zoning or approval.
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Christy Kinney contributed reporting to this story.
