Next Tuesday, January 26, 2016, Santa Clara City Councilmembers will hold a study session to decide whether to drastically reduce the amount of fees developers are required to pay to fund city parks. Please join me and speak up for parks and tell the City Council to follow their staff’s recommendation for park impact fees.
What You Can Do
1. Email Santa Clara Mayor and City Councilmembers
(MayorAndCouncil@santaclaraca.
2. If you’re a resident of Santa Clara, join me and speak at the Study Session on Tuesday, Jan. 26 at 5pm, City Council Chambers, 1500 Warburton Ave.
What’s Happening
For years, Santa Clara was the only city in the area without a parks impact fee requiring developers to help fund new parks. In 2014, thanks to our joint efforts, city councilmembers enacted a fee based on the fair-market value of land. Now, however, developers are pushing councilmembers to reduce these fees by 35-40%. This would leave the city without the funds needed to purchase land for new parks.
Why It Matters
As development continues to boom in the Bay Area, more and more people are being squeezed into the same amount of space. Urban parks are a vital part of quality of life, and also provide critically needed habitat, reduce air pollution and greenhouse gases, and absorb rainwater to reduce flooding and replenish groundwater.
Thank you for joining me in speaking up for Santa Clara city parks.
Sincerely,
Alice Kaufman
Legislative Advocate
Leave a Reply