Zoning Change Questions

Mike Bryant is the Rancho Santa Teresa Neighborhood Association (RSTNA) Community Action Chair. He has reviewed the proposed changes to City zoning and is sharing his questions about those changes.

Comment

I have reviewed this matter that the San Jose City Council is considering regarding Re-Zoning of residential neighborhoods and I believe it is in the best interest of the RSTNA neighborhood to be aware of the upcoming San Jose City Council meeting on August 18th. I encourage you all to express your concerns to the City Council on this matter regarding this re-zoning proposal.

I do believe it is appropriate for the City Council to hear the legitimate questions and concerns that many of us may share. I also encourage residents to submit comments to the City Council before the meeting, as well as attend the meeting on August 18.

Below are the primary questions and concerns I have identified for myself. If you feel as do about these concerns, please forward these questions or make a list of your own concerns and send that to all the city council members as well as soon as possible.

(See Send Comments)

Questions

  1. Will this proposal make housing more affordable in San Jose? In 2021, the City of San Jose commissioned a consultant's report that concluded that new fourplexes and eightplexes did not reduce housing costs. The report found that these units sold for approximately the same price per square foot as newly constructed single-family homes. It also found that surrounding single-family home values did not decline. In fact, they increased. Has anything changed since that report was issued? Has this report been updated recently? Will there be rules requiring a certain number of these units to be below market rate / Affordable low income units? Is the goal simply to create more housing, or will this proposal actually make housing more affordable?

  2. Will the units in these large buildings be privately owned or will they be rentals under for profit rental corporations? How will this affect current HOA's in these established neighborhoods?

  3. If these units are built by large for profit rental companies will they cover all the necessary infrastructure costs? road repairs, sewers and water upgrades, parks, schools, police, fire and other needed public service upgrades? Or will this be levied as taxes on the current homeowners in these communities?

  4. Does this proposal adequately address infrastructure? I did not see specific discussion regarding the impacts on water, electrical capacity, sewer systems, or road infrastructure. Are the additional demands on local schools being reviewed? How will these additional demands be accommodated?

  5. How will parking and trash collection be addressed? I did not find any meaningful discussion of parking requirements or refuse collection in the proposal. These are significant quality-of-life issues for existing neighborhoods.

  6. Could increased neighborhood density affect homeowners' insurance costs? Has the City evaluated whether higher-density development could influence fire insurance rates or homeowners' insurance availability?

  7. Have emergency access and evacuation of these additional density neighborhoods been evaluated? Will our current police, fire, emergency medical, and other municipal services be able to easily access all these additional units in emergencies? Will the current evacuation routes accommodate the additional density for wildfire and disaster evacuations?

  8. Will Neighborhood drainage and flooding risks increase? Will developers be required to manage stormwater on-site to be sure runoff is not directed onto neighboring properties or already burdened streets? Will insurance companies re-evaluate these neighborhoods and classify them as flood zones requiring flood coverage?

  9. Are there less disruptive locations where the same housing could be built? Has the city considered areas near transit, commercial corridors, shopping centers, and underused office properties that have stronger infrastructure and services, such as more parking?

  10. Will the council consider a pilot program rather than a full city wide change? Would the council consider doing a test of this proposal in a few selected areas and them monitoring the impacts to affordability as well as other impacts (public services, safety etc.)? Then report on its effects publicly before applying it throughout the whole city?

  11. What will be the impact on existing homeowners? How will the construction of three-story buildings within established single-family neighborhoods affect the lives of existing residents, both during construction and after completion? If a home is ultimately surrounded by two new three-story buildings, what will be the long-term impact on privacy, sunlight, noise, and overall quality of life? (will these taller buildings effect existing solar systems on lower single family units?)

Conclusion

I have lived in Rancho Santa Teresa for more than 35 years and have faithfully paid property taxes throughout that time. Now that I am retired, am I expected to bear the burdens of a proposal that appears to give little consideration to the impacts on existing homeowners and established neighborhoods?

These are the questions that concern me most. If I were to support this proposal, I would need clear, compelling, and evidence-based answers to each of them. I recommend that the entire RSTNA membership submit their own comments to the San Jose City Council before the Council reconvenes from its summer recess.

To be clear, this is not intended as an endorsement or opposition to the proposal. Rather, it is a request for complete and transparent information so all residents can make informed decisions on how they feel about this matter.

Thank you.

Michael A Bryant