Protect eastern foothills from developer speculation
Posted November 4, 2002/ Updated December 18, 2002

The exposed ridgelines and scenic hillsides of the Diablo Mountain Range create a dramatic natural backdrop to the urban centers of Silicon Valley.

Unfortunately, Santa Clara County's eastern foothills, from Milpitas to southern San Jose, present attractive targets for developers. Weak county hillside protections invite development, and a precedent-setting ridgeline development recently passed a significant approval hurdle.

Development companies already own significant portions of the more visible hillsides that provide spectacular, easily accessible views. These hills lack protective tree cover so development scars the view throughout the valley.

Speculators are watching Citation Homes' precedent setting 17-home subdivision proposal that would significantly weaken already inadequate hillside zoning - current County hillside zoning does not prohibit ridgeline development. The proposal resembles a three-tentacled octopus stretching across prominent ridgelines. Instead of locating houses in a cluster to preserve open space, the proposal scatters houses across exposed ridgelines, fragmenting the landscape and reducing its value as dedicated open space.

Even though Citation Homes' proposal is inconsistent with the historical interpretation of County hillside-zoning - current standards call for a tight cluster of homes and a large contiguous open space area - the County Planning Commission approved this preliminary conceptual design. The Planning Commission's approval was surprising, since the Board of Supervisors in its 2002 Work Plan expressed to staff the need to develop stronger policies to protect the County's foothills and ridgelines from development.

Land speculators watching Citation Homes' proposal await the outcome. If the County approves the proposal, similar environmentally-destructive development will follow. Hillside land prices are soaring out of reach of government agencies like the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority, which would like to purchase this land. And the opportunity to permanently protect the valley's scenic backdrop and allow public, recreational-trail access to these lands will be lost forever.

The County needs to reject the design of Citation Homes' proposal. Additionally, the County needs to move quickly to protect the natural beauty of the eastern foothills by establishing new hillside zoning protections. If the County does not move to curb this threat, environmental organizations may need to go to the voters to adopt new protective hillsides policies.

The Committee for Green Foothills, Greenbelt Alliance, and Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society are urging the County to move forward with stronger protections and avoid establishing a dangerous precedent that threatens open space.

What you can do

1. Write to the County Board of Supervisors:
(1) Ask them to establish new hillside zoning NOW to protect the beautiful hillsides that are an integral part of our quality of life in the valley.
(2) Let them know that you will ask them to reject Citation Homes' proposal -- and any others that contradict the intent of Hillside Zoning -- that come before them.

Please send your letters now. The Supervisors will be considering this issue again at their February 2003 meeting.

Write to:
Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
Supervisors Liz Kniss, Don Gage
Blanca Alvarado, Jim Beall, and Pete McHugh
70 West Hedding, San Jose, CA 95110    
Phone (408)299-2323    Fax(408)298-8460

2. Become informed.
Read the letter submitted November 18 by Committee for Green Foothills, Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, and Greenbelt Alliance asking for strong hillside protections.

Read the Milpitas Post articles on this issue: November 27, 2002 and August 1, 2002.

Sign up for CGF action alerts and we'll keep you updated and let you know how you can get involved.

3. Support Committee for Green Foothills.
Become a CGF member or make a donation.

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