Is Mark Olbert's question of whether the San Carlos Transit Village "fits the character of San Carlos" something that we deserve to vote on? It has been 6 years and the San Carlos Transit Village is still massive. It is still 281 units. It is still 8 driveways pouring onto an already crowded El Camino and Holly Street which backs up every day around 3-6 PM even before PAMF has opened. It is still 55 feet in most places. And we still have a General Plan that advocates gentle transitions between buildings (not 55-foot buildings across the street from 12-foot homes) There are still no solutions for the extra noise the project will reflect onto Greater East San Carlos. There is no solution for affordable housing for this property made up of luxury rentals intended to rent for $3000-$3,700 per month. And, of course, there is no guarantee that Old County Road won't be eminent domained by the State when High Speed Rail comes in, now that the rail yard intended for train tracks is being used to generate extra income for the well-heeled executives of SamTrans including their CEO, Mike Scanlon who designed this project, offering an empty promise of community involvement.
Very recently, however, I learned of a referendum likely happening in Palo Alto on an unpopular project called Maybell. Instead of paying lawyers thousands of dollars to fight lawsuits on complex legal interpretations such as the Environmental Impact Report, Palo Altans just want the right to vote for or against the Maybell project. It will be interesting to see what they decide. I can't really tell you the details of that project, but I applaud the Democracy at hand.
Well, I too have decided that I should trust other San Carlans to help us figure out whether this 99-year lease for 4-and-a-half story buildings through the center of town makes sense (Yes, they are even proposing a half floor of parking on top of 4 floors of residential). I emailed my neighbors and received dozens of heartfelt responses encouraging me to help launch a referendum if the current project passes our City Council without addressing important concerns of traffic jams throughout San Carlos, as well as many specific concerns of Greater East San Carlos, the most affected neighborhood. If Palo Alto can have a referendum on an unpopular project, why can't San Carlos? Better yet, I have figured out a way to get the 2,000 signatures we are going to need to make the referendum happen. And better yet, it's affordable for citizens (I could pay the entire bill myself actually) and the work supply is finite to get it on the ballot within 88 days of the 30-day petition circulation period during which time I'll need 2,000 signatures. Crazier things have happened in Democracy.
Now of course, SamTrans and the Developers have very deep pockets and will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars promoting this project in a colorful, patriotic election campaign. But San Carlans are pretty smart, I believe. And what looks like a ... and smells like a ..., is probably a ...
Now I realize that many of you have been in San Carlos a long time and that a lot of us voted FOR the berm during that referendum. But the berm was really different. The berm was necessary for the exact reason the San Carlos Transit Village is not. The berm relieved massive traffic flow problems brought about by the at-grade railroad crossing (and also improved safety among other things). Meanwhile, the San Carlos Transit Village is going to add incredible traffic congestion on San Carlos Avenue, El Camino, Holly Street all the way to the 101 interchange. Even the EIR couldn't lie its way out of the traffic impact. There were "no mitigations" available admitted the traffic expert. There is a lot more to say about the referendum, but I just wanted to announce my intention to call a referendum if this project does not receive a major haircut down to 3.5 stories along existing neighborhoods. I mean how would you feel if someone was building a 40-foot house across the street. Isn't that bad enough? Well imagine 55!
Expect to hear much more about this as the date approaches, but let me just say whether one likes the project or not, San Carlans deserve a vote on the San Carlos Transit Village.
