March 10^th, 2003

Honorable Mayor Gonzales and City Council Members:

I am writing to express my concerns about the proposed Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse development on 19 acres of the IBM/Hitachi property at the intersection of Cottle and Poughkeepsie roads in South San Jose.

I feel that such development is unnecessary, and is not in the best interest of adjoining neighborhoods nor of the South San Jose community at large.  I feel that the construction of “big box” retail, in comparison with alternative uses, would be the worst possible use of the property in terms of overall benefits to the community.  Additionally, I believe that approval of the project by the city council would squander a golden opportunity to develop a cohesive long-term development plan for the area that incorporates smart growth principles and results in development that optimally serves the interests of the community and the City of San Jose.

While the project itself has many objectionable aspects, the larger issue at hand is the long term vision for the IBM property, as it becomes available, and adjoining neighborhoods, roads, and public transportation linkages. 

Even on its face, though, the Lowe’s project would have many negative consequences for the area.  In terms of traffic, the store would create thousands of vehicle trips per day in the immediate vicinity, which would result in congestion on Cottle, Poughkeepsie, and Blossom Hill roads by vehicles traveling to/from the 85 and 101 freeways, Monterey highway, and points West via Blossom Hill road.  The recent and on-going experience with the Expo/Best Buy development at 85 and Almaden - an area obviously better suited to handle large volumes of traffic than the area in question - would indicate that the traffic impact of big box retail in the South San Jose suburbs has previously been grossly underestimated. 

As was heard at the February 19^th community meeting hosted by Councilman Williams, short-cutting through neighborhoods North of the site by IBM employees is already a problem that would only be exacerbated by additional retail development in the area.  This is in addition to the continuing problem on Makati Circle with short-cutting from neighborhoods West to Orchard Supply Hardware.  Both of these issues involve a lot of speeders who have little regard for neighborhood norms as they do not reside there.

Other problems created by this traffic would include additional exhaust pollution, and noise pollution.  In an area that is very quiet in the early morning and evenings, especially on weekends, the hours of operation of the store would create significant noise during the 6am to 11pm store hours.  Also, the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists traveling to/from light rail and Caltrain stations would be diminished.

The project proposes to rezone the parcel from industrial to mixed use.  The project would destroy several existing buildings that may have some future use in accordance with the current industrial zoning.  While the store would create 200 retail jobs, these are by and large poor-quality jobs that do not pay a living wage.  Alternatively, I believe the city should be working to attract new industrial uses and associated quality jobs, greater benefits to the tax base, and which confer greater general prosperity and livability of the community.  Discontinuing the industrial zoning of the property also indirectly encourages “green field” development and suburban sprawl, including additional pressure for unnecessary development of Coyote and Almaden valleys and other remaining open space in Santa Clara County.

Moreover, the project would set a dangerous precedent for traditional suburban retail type development of the IBM property along Cottle Rd., the type of development that is derided nationwide for its negative impact to quality of life for suburban residents, and which contributes to suburban sprawl and loss of green space and natural and historical resources.  Additional retail development in an area that already has a high concentration of retail, including existing home improvement warehouses, is unnecessary. 

The addition of Lowe’s does not create greater consumer choice.  Rather, as Lowe’s is one of two large national chains in an oligopolistic retail segment, the store would sell largely the same products for the same prices as its competitor.  The addition of Lowe’s on the heels of and in close proximity to the Expo project defies common sense, and any perceived benefits fail to compensate for the negative effects to the area.  Lowe’s may also threaten the viability of Orchard Supply Hardware, a California-based business, long-standing neighborhood fixture, and good neighbor that invests its profits in California, not North Carolina.

The proposed master plan for the site also includes additional retail space, which, I must assume based on like developments, will be mostly fast-food restaurants.  Fast food will invite even more traffic to the area, and litter from such establishments is already a problem in our neighborhood.  Additionally, shopping carts and packaging litter from existing large retailers in the area (Wal-Mart, OSH, Albertson’s) are other problems for our community that will only be made more acute by addition of another large retailer.

With the opening up of IBM property and if re-zoning is inevitable, an unprecedented opportunity exists for the city to work in partnership with the redevelopment agency and the local community in the development of a strategic plan for the area, with these new properties as the centerpiece.  With a little imagination and some smart re-design of roadways, one can envision a new, mixed-use and high density "town center" that celebrates the distinct heritage of the area as part of the Rancho de Santa Teresa.  This type of community based re-development has been used to great success in suburban areas nationwide.  Such a development could make use of its proximity to Caltrain, light rail, freeways, and major surface streets such as Monterey, Blossom Hill, and Santa Teresa.  With a little ingenuity and good planning, this human-scale town center could, physically and socially, serve as a hub to connect the Monterey, Santa Teresa, Blossom Valley, Great Oaks/Edenvale areas which are currently fragmented by the IBM property, freeways and the union pacific rail line.  Such a project could incorporate housing, shopping, industry, and park land.  While you’ll never find much enthusiasm for another warehouse store, imagine the public enthusiasm such a visionary project would create.

I thank you for your time and consideration, and respectfully request that the City Council reject the Lowe’s proposal and direct its resources to develop a long-term vision for the area that better serves the community interests and needs.

Sincerely,

Jeff Winkler, Board Member, Terrace Villas Homeowners Association
5707 Makati Circle #C
San Jose, CA 95123
(408) 227-0614

cc:       Almaden Valley Community Association
Caltrain Board of Directors
City of San Jose Planning Division
Edenvale/Great Oaks Neighborhood Advisory Committee
Evergreen Neighborhood Advisory Committee
Members of the Board, Terrace Villas Homeowners Association
Redevelopment Agency of the City of San Jose
San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission
San Jose Parks and Recreation Commission
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
          Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors