News Subscribe to Our Newsletter Sign up for Email Updates CGF In the News Press Inquiries Past Articles Calendar			The Mercury News November 26, 2004 Sports complex plan facing key hurdle By Truong Phuoc Khánh Development, it turns out, is in the eye of the builder. San Jose officials see a proposed sports complex  in south Almaden Valley as a place of grassy fields where kids can toss,  bat and dribble balls. But residents and Santa Clara County planners say  it's an example of bad urban growth. The McKean Road Sports Complex -- about 35 of a total  77 acres owned by the San Jose Unified School District and leased to the  city -- is slated to be built on a vacant site on McKean Road in an unincorporated  area of the county.  If city officials have their way, it will feature  up to 12 baseball, softball and soccer fields. On Monday, the San Jose Planning Commission will  meet to consider approving the environmental impact report for the project.  Based on its recommendation, the city council will vote Dec. 7 to amend  the city's general plan, paving the way for the design phase of the complex. Both sides fundamentally disagree about whether the  project is considered a permanent development. The site is zoned for agricultural use by the county.  If the city wants to develop the land, it would need to annex the property,  devise a comprehensive land-use plan and undergo an extensive public review  process.  City planners maintain that because the project  -- which won't even be equipped with permanent bleachers -- will not have  city water, sewer or utility line extensions, it's not a permanent development.  In fact, the city's general plan amendment calls for the area to be used  only for interim outdoor recreational use. The city has invested $594,000 -- most of it on environmental studies  -- in the project to be operated by the private Almaden Youth Association.  For at least a decade, the group has lobbied for playing fields in the  area. Wary of crowds But the South Almaden Valley Rural Alliance, a residential group formed three years ago to fight the project, contends the complex will host sports tournaments and regularly draw hundreds of kids and cars. According to the group, that kind of intense activity is not interim use, but more like permanent development. The complex would have three portable buildings, batting cages, a maintenance yard, a children's play lot, portable restrooms and 569 parking spaces. ``We, as the citizens of Santa Clara County, have set up guidelines so that we can have smart growth, so that we don't become L.A.,'' said Maurice Adams, who lives near the proposed site. ``The guidelines are being violated and circumvented.'' Not true, said Vice Mayor Pat Dando, a staunch supporter of the project. ``We're talking about a relatively small project with sports fields for children to play in,'' Dando said. ``A permanent project would mean you put in a water system, lighting, build structures that would remain there for years. What we can develop on the site is grass, and that does not constitute permanent development.'' Permanent or not, city planners acknowledge the project comes with significant environmental consequences that cannot be mitigated: loss of prime farm land; lack of underground water to irrigate the fields; noise; and pedestrian and bicycling safety. A number of public agencies and environmental groups have raised serious concerns about the project. The Committee for Green Foothills, for example, says that by calling it an interim project, the city is being disingenuous because the conversion of farmland into sports fields is a permanent alteration of Almaden Valley. The county, likewise, cites conflicts with numerous county  and city general plan policies. "We think the sports complex is a very high  intensity use and not consistent with county zoning,'' said Lizanne Reynolds,  deputy county counsel. Most households in the area rely on well water, tapped  from the same aquifers that would be used to irrigate the sports fields.  The city's environmental study concluded that if there is a large decline  in water levels, individual well owners may have difficulty meeting their  water needs. The city now proposes to phase in development of  the fields, starting with five acres, and perhaps later installing artificial  turf on the rest of the 35-acre site. "If we have a drought, obviously residents get  first choice,'' said Dando. "You don't water park fields when there  is a drought.'' The site has no bicycle lanes or sidewalks, and the  youth association would require parents to sign an agreement that restricts  their children from riding bicycles or walking to the site. Contract issues The city is negotiating with the Almaden Youth Association for a contract  agreement that would specify who gets to use the site, when and how. The  association is responsible for raising the money to cover the project's  construction costs, estimated to be at least several million dollars. "They will get priority because they will have  funded much, if not all, of it,'' said City Attorney Rick Doyle. "But  it is a public field. When it is not in use by the AYA, it will be open  to the public.'' Page last updated December 1, 2004 .