Santa Clarans,
The City Planning Commission voted 7-0 this evening to send the stadium's Final Environmental Impact Report (EIR) - as insufficient as it is - to the City Council.
However, they did so only after dismantling a Staff-written resolution in order to include their own concerns - namely, the near-total lack of mitigation of the stadium's negative impacts.
I'm a newcomer to the proceedings of the Planning Commission, and I was at first disappointed that an FEIR this bad ever went forward at all. But a long-time observer of the Commission suggested that I consider it "half a loaf." Now, at least, the lack of environmental mitigation is on the record.
The Commission's job wasn't an easy one. The timestamp on the FEIR I opened up early this morning read "November 13th", so this Commission - and we residents - had about five days to digest 368 more pages of revisions, comments and responses. At 4,400-some pages, I'm told that our EIR is way longer than the one San Francisco wrote for Hunters Point.
However, the Planning Commission correctly noted that they were dealing with an EIR - not with a project. The slick artist's rendition of a stadium on the display screen in Chambers this evening suggests that this distinction may have been lost on the platoon of 49ers representatives who were present - but in the end, the Commission put this on the right track.
Anyway: It's one thing to pass the EIR forward with a stripped-down resolution to Council. After that, as residents, however, we're really relying on the Planning Commission to take a hard look at how much damage this publicly-subidized stadium does to our community, especially north of U.S. 101 - and how little the 49ers are doing to fix that.
If this actually ends up as a project - let it receive more scrutiny than its EIR has.
The City Council, apparently, was determined to rush this defective proposal through the Commission so that they could take it up in regular session on Tuesday evening, December 8th. It looks like your Council got what it wanted - no matter how unfairly they treated the Planning Commission on this matter.
Santa Clara Plays Fair encourages all residents to contribute to the debate on December 8th - particularly those residents who would end up in the shadow of a publicly-subsidized stadium.
Thanks - especially - to concerned residents who spoke before the Planning Commission this evening.
In fact, I noted that Santa Clarans speaking in opposition to the subsidized stadium actually outnumbered Santa Clarans in favor - a very positive development.
Best regards,
Bill Bailey, Treasurer
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Ref.: http://santaclaraca.gov/index.aspx?page=1197 (First link; 8.74MB)
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
49ers Stadium: The Planning Commission Punts
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2 comments:
That would be great EXCEPT ... They in FACT did approve the FEIR (final EIR). Read the Preface of the FEIR ...
By approving it, they have CERTIFIED that one or more of the following findings with respect to each significant effect:
a) The public agency makes one or more of the following findings with respect to each significant effect:
1) Changes or alterations have been required in, or incorporated into, the project which will mitigate or avoid the significant effect on the environment.
2) Those changes or alterations are within the responsibility and jurisdiction of another public agency and have been, or can and should be, adopted by that other agency.
3) Specific economic, legal, social, technologocal, or other considerations, including considerations for the provision of employment opportunity of highly trained workers, make infeasible the mitigation measures or alternatives identified in the environmental impact report.
b) With respect to significant effects which were subject to a finding under paragraph (3) of subdivision (a), the public agency finds that specific overriding ecomomic, legal, social, technological, or other benefits of the project outweigh the significant effects on the environment.
THE above IS what they agreed to!! They agreed to this stupid FEIR and agreed that it is complete ... which it is not!! Read it folks ...
The planning commission was ignorant to what they were agreeing to!! OMG ... when will this insanity stop!!??
I attended the Planning Commission meeting on Monday, November 16. To me, it seemed as if some of the commissioners had not even finished reading the FEIR. I thought they had asked City staff if they could have more time to review the document. In fact, when I asked one of the City staff members if the Planning Commission would be voting on the FEIR on the 18th it was my understanding that they would not be voting on the 18th. I do not understand how they could possibly make an informed decision just two days later.
So now, we have no mitigation, no land, and are missing 20,000 parking spaces.
What chapter of the 49ers Play Book will the City be reading next week?
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