City Planning

So the word is out the 49ers issue is causing concern for some voters.  Finally some people are starting to ask questions about why and how this affects them.  They are asking candidates and wondering how the dollars and “sense” of having a stadium in our city works.  What’s interesting as the campaign gets closer to election day the knives come out.  Well isn’t that to be expected?  Aren’t we seeing the same type of dirty tactics in the National news?

Haven’t you been reading the news about the Obama / McCleain election.  That campaign is also starting to sling mud.  I figured once they started flinging mud, it too, would start at a city level.  So apparentlythe heavy hitters are out to sling mud at Jamie McLeod and her stand on ‘let’s know the numbers’ before we decide if it is financially a good idea for our city to have a stadium.  My parents always told me ‘don’t spend more than you have’.  So the question still remains: do we have the money to even build this stadium?  And what do we as a city get out of it?  Nothing probably, not that I expect anything from it but I do expect responsible decisions.

If there are sweet heart deals to be had out of this from developers could they please spend some money on cleaning up our part of El Camino – after our part looks like it got stuck in time – the 50’s, maybe the 60’s.  Or perhaps we could get the developers to put into funding some of the elementary schools – after all we are gong to start bursting at the seams here.  Or perhaps we could get a downtown that resembles a downtown and not a hotsh potch of something slapped together at the last moment.  Maybe we could have an arts program for Grafitti artists?  Maybe we could have a current 24/7 study of our traffic issues, needs and wants – especially on El Camino, Kiely & Lawrence.  Maybe we could have a halt on all new development till we take stock of current developments and where they are in relation to filling the supposed need this city has for housing.  Maybe we should reconsider how many people can live in a ‘confined’ space?  Maybe we could stop trying to fix it – when we need to actually need to stop and assess ‘it’.  Maybe we could consider that there is something not right with the current ‘majority’ run city council.

Make your vote count and think about the real issues: the stadium, the plan for more high density, the lack of a real downtown, the unwillingness of planning to hear residents issues about more housing in this area, the traffic concerns on Lawrence and El Camino.  I’d love to tell you how to vote for but I won’t.  I’ll suggest you think twice before casting a ballot for the ‘old regime’ and start thinking outside the box and consider voting for people that have been willing to be outside the favored officials.  So if you feel you are willing to have a change consider anyone that has either spoken out against the majority stack holders of Santa Clara or is not affiliated with them.  There are quite a few of them: Jamie McLeod, Mario Bouza, Mary Emerson, Brian Lowery, Cirian McDonnel, write in candidate Karen Hardy, – each of these candidates are not part of the anointed party.  They all have their own twist on their different issues and some are perhaps not as strong as others but at the very least they are running against the ‘family and friends ticket’.  It’s about time Santa Clara City Council looked like a real city council and had more Jamie McLeod’s sitting ‘up on stage’ listening to your average Plumber Joe.

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008

Roof Top Parks for Santa Clara?

The best and most creative idea I heard the other day was Roof Top Parks for Santa Clara.

I can see it now – planning suggesting to developers to include a ‘roof top park’ in their plans.  Now a roof top garden I might come at but a park?  What the heck will it include a slide and climbing structure?  I hope so for the kids in these high rise buildings will love it.  Can you imagine adding a pond to your roof top park?  No worries mate – we can do that.

Oh my oh my can you believe that this comment was made by one of our city officials? 

Years ago I had reason to work closely with a group of civil and structural engineers. I remember one building in Sydney that was having issues with what is called ‘concrete cancer’ - this photo gives you an idea of what concrete cancer looks like.   Concrete cancer like most cancers can be treated and like cancer there are various types and reasons for it developing.  I recall one building in Sydney that was riddled with cancer because of a roof top garden (only a garden – not a park!)  – drainage issues had not been addressed and over a number of years there was a major issue in the entire building.  An expensive repair exercise and years later the building was fixed – meanwhile tenants were required to leave the building as well. 

So as we project the idea of building up Santa Clara do we also intend to increase our services?  Will we increase our parks per head of population?  I guess now we know where the term a concrete jungle comes from – it’s because there are some people out there that think having a park on top of a concrete building is an answer to regular parks and gardens as we know it!

sigh….

 

©Letters From Silicon Valley 2008