There's a time when the quality of life of impacted residents and the need to protect the open spaces of the Los Gatos hillsides completely overshadows the desire for further development in town. This is that time.
The San Jose Water Company has presented a proposal to the Los Gatos Planning Commission for a four-lot subdivision on the site of a non-functioning reservoir off of College Avenue in the hills above Main Street. The planning commission needs to deny the request.
The thought of large vehicles trucking 25,000 cubic yards of dirt through town, up the narrow College Avenue to the even narrower Reservoir Road is incomprehensible.
But that's exactly the plan the water company proposes. The proposed subdivision would begin with a more than one- or two-month trucking project to complete the landfill portion of the project, and that's what worries neighbors and town officials the most.
Planning Vice Chairman Paul Dubois points out that the project would have "a major impact on the town," and adds that there are no apparent "benefits that would outweigh traffic impacts that it would create." The assessment by Dubois, whose concern for hillside protection was a major platform in his recent town council campaign, is right on the money.
There are really two issues to consider here.
First, the condition and location of this property makes development questionable at best. The fact that the property in question was once a reservoir means that dirt must be trucked in through town and up narrow roads to the development site.
These roads were not constructed to accommodate such heavy equipment, and residents of the area should not be subjected to that sort of truck traffic through their neighborhoods. The roads are narrow with tight twists and turns, and the thought of trucks making more than 3,500 trips to the reservoir's location is unsettling.
What's more, the thought of such dirt-loaded trucks traveling down Main Street is an undesirable situation for all town residents.
Secondly, why is it that every piece of open space in town must be considered for development? The answer of course is obvious—the high value of the land. But the pristine parcels on the hillside must be preserved for the generations to come, and it's our obligation to be vigilant in the protection of that land.
To their credit, the planning commissioners did not approve the water company's request, but rather continued the application process to Feb. 12. When the proposal returns for consideration next month, the planning commission needs to deny the request. After all, every inch of open space in town does not have to become the foundation for a million-dollar home.
Responsible growth is good for any community. But in this specific case, approval of a four-lot subdivision in the reservoir location would be irresponsible—for the neighbors, for the townspeople and for the generations who will follow us here.
