The Mercury News
January 22, 2005

Two Almaden groups sue over city sports fields

By Connie Skipitares

Disgruntled about the San Jose City Council's approval of a general plan change that would bring sports fields to rural Almaden Valley, two groups have filed suit against the city, saying it violates state environmental standards.

The groups, Committee for Green Foothills and South Almaden Valley Rural Alliance, contend the council's December approval and an environmental impact report supporting it are illegal because they downplay impacts to water quality on farm wells in the area and ignore potential traffic congestion on narrow McKean Road.

Area residents are concerned that the proposed youth soccer and baseball fields would require too much water, threatening residents' wells. But officials say most of the fields would be developed with artificial turf.

The suit also says the council's decision ignores alternative locations for athletic fields and will pave the way for urban sprawl.

"This proposal brings unplanned growth that destroys working farmland and the rural character of the area," said Brian Schmidt, of the Committee for Green Foothills. "Children deserve better than to be used as tools for spreading development across Almaden Valley. Their athletic fields should be in the city where they live, not at the end of a dangerous road far outside of town."

San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle said he doesn't think the lawsuit is necessary. ``This EIR has been very thoroughly done. I'm confident it will withstand any challenges. We'd hoped to have conversations with this group before they went off and spent money on a lawsuit.''.

The two sides will now enter settlement talks to see whether they can agree on any aspects of the project, Doyle said. Such talks over land use issues are required by state law before hearings before a judge.

The sports complex has been a contentious issue for years in rural Almaden Valley. First proposed in 1998, it had been one of former Vice Mayor Pat Dando's signature issues during her two terms in office. She left office at the end of 2004 because of term limits.

Project supporters said that all available fields in Almaden are overloaded. The complex will be funded and operated by the Almaden Youth Association, which continues to raise funds.

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