Meeting Minutes - August 14, 2001

Welcome and Introductions
Agenda
Minutes
Announcements

Street Address Painting

Street Addresses will be painted on the curbs in the University Neighborhoods on September 15

SJSU Master Plan draft EIR

The San Jose State University Master Plan 2001 Draft Environmental Impact Report is available on-line for your review. The UNC home page has a link to it. Comments on the document are due on Wednesday, August 29, 2001

New Business

Proposed City Year/Emergency Housing Coalition (EHC) project

Background

The civic center development is forcing EHC to relocate from their current facility on S 5th St. EHC is working with the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) to find a suitable site. They are considering teaming with City Year and developing a site in the 400 block of S 3rd St. Neighborhood concern over the proposed development promted EHC and City Year to meet with the neighborhoods and other stake holder groups to see if and how the development can move forward while addressing the concerns.

Pam Anderson-Brule (architect for the proposed development)

Pam is acting as a process facilitator. She wants to get an understanding of the neighborhood concerns and provide answers where possible.

What questions do the neighborhoods want answered in this meeting?

What is the status of the project?

EHC needs to relocate, but no decisions have been made concerning the 3rd Street location.

What are the pros & cons of the development?

How does the development and this meeting affect SUN's recent vote on the project?

What other sites are being considered and what criteria are being used to evaluate potential sites?

How compatible is using Historic housing for City Year/EHC?

How compatible is new construction in the neighborhood?

How can the community be involved in making the best choice for the neighborhoods?

Do the neighbors here have any impact or has a decision already be made?

What is the scope and scale of a new facility?

What is the scope and scale of what's being replaced?

What is the current zoning for the site and how does that impact what can go there?

Why would we want this project in the neighborhood?

Responses to the questions above:

How can the neighborhoods be involved?

Jim Allen Young (Anderson-Brule)

EHC is desiging a community process to develop the site. The object is to get key issues from the community before developing conceptual plans.

What is the current zoning for the 3rd Street site and what other restrictions would be involved in developing the site?

Jim Allen-Young (Anderson-Brule)

The site is currently zoned R-3 multiple family residential, which can be fairly dense. A Planned Development (PD) allows for community more input into the design and provide additional restrictions over the current zoning.

If the site were developed for EHC/City Year and then they left it, the parcel would go back to RDA. RDA could put a larger facility on the site, but the community would still have a say in what goes onto the site.

Overview of Our House/City Year programs

Barry Del Buono (director EHC/Our House)

a neighbor who lives on S 14th Street, former Roman Catholic Priest at St Patricks church on Santa Clara St.

Scope and Scale of Our House (the S 5th Street facility)

Our House provides drop-in facilities between 9am-8pm for up to 45 youths (ages 11-21). The facility provides food, health care, recreation, phone access, and voice mail.

Our House also provide a 10 bed shelter and a transitional living program.

Our House currently occupys a historic home (5000 square feet) and is looking for a similar sized facility.

The youths attending Our house are in school, at a job, or managed in some maner.

Our House is managed under a conditional use permit.

There are no youths with criminal records in our house.

If the site is going to house City Year members as well, then it would need to be expanded beyond 5000 square feet.

City Year (John Sarvey, former executive director, and Chris Wilder, new executive director)

Scope and Scale of City Year

City Year is a service organization for 17-24 year old adults providing service to youths (ie an urban Peace Corp)

City Year provides a small stipend, but participants need low cost housing.

City Year is interested in collaborating with EHC to provide secure housing facilities for City Year members. City Year members would provide mentoring services for the EHC youths.

Jim Crawford (pastor, First United Methodist Church)

Our House (EHC) is a great working youth center. They are great neighbors. He knows off only one problem in their history, when police were looking for a violent youth. The police wanted access to Our House. They requested and received the access.

Ray Mendoza (District Attorneys Office)

There are endangered youth living in the neighborhoods and we need to deal with them. There are limitations in the County for dealing with children. The County will not provide shelter for homeless children who do not have problems with crime. He would check to see if there are any children from Our House who have had problems with crime.

What other sites that are being considered

EHC has looked at about 15 other sites in the downtown area. These sites would not work for a number of reasons. A site at 4th and William Streets was looked at but would cost too much to develop. The site needs to be near downtown because that is where the youth are.

Phone numbers for Questions

City Year - Chris Wilder (294-3041)

Benefits of EHC/City Year project

brings a well managed, facility to a block that currently has a vacant lot.

There is city control over the parcel.

Further concerns from the Neighborhood

How can neighborhood residents be safe if there are homeless living at the location?

How will the facility affect local property values?

Several neighbors pointed out that property values have been rising throughout the region and do not appear to be affected by the concentration of group facilities in the neighborhood.

Adjourn