Note: Full disclosure prompts me to reveal that I live in the Greater East San Carlos area.
The "final" revision of Enviromental Impact Report (EIR) has been submitted for study by the City of San Carlos and it is a whopper of a publication. The entire report is over 700 pages.
The first thing I noticed was the quality of the photos used to show views of the hills were inferior and do not come close to representing reality.
That being said, the report represents a fair description of the Transit Village Project, though there is definitely some difference of opinion as to what constitutes "Impact" and "No Impact."
Many issues were not adressed because they were not required by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to certify the EIR.
San Carlos Community Development Director Al Savay, who has taken the lead on the project, addressed the city council in regards to CEQA.
He stated that while there may be continued disagreements to the Transit Village Project overall, that the council must approve or not approve the report based on CEQA requirements.
"Approving the EIR does not mean you approve the project," Savay said.
CEQA takes into consideration physical aspects of the project, not so much building codes and how it affects neighborhoods. That will, most certainly, be addressed at both the July 30 planning commission meeting and the October hearing for public comment.
There is, for example, no way I would support the closing of Old County Road for any other reason than improving the actual street itself. Definitely not for using it in constructing the project.
On the other hand, I am also aware that the Transit Village Project will go a long way to keeping San Carlos financially healthy, will provide low-cost housing and attract high scale retailers.
I certainly invite all concerned to submit their own blogs, especially representives of the Greater East San Carlos Organization, the San Mateo Country District, Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board, the city of San Carlos, Legacy Partners Residental and/or West Enviromental Services and Technology, the firm that prepared the report.
I do not feel that a couple of public hearings will go far enough in coming to terms with this project and what affect it will have on the present and future population of San Carlos.
If nothing else, we owe it to ourselves to keep the city's slogan, "City of Good Living," in mind at all times.
