The commissioners who voted against the amendment all said that the South Almaden Urban Reserve was the wrong place for the 12-field soccer/baseball/softball complex.

If the council sets aside the planning commission's recommendation and approves the project anyway when it comes to a vote on Dec. 7 progress on the project will immediately be halted with one—if not more—lawsuits. This can be relied upon, as the South Almaden Valley Rural Alliance already has lawyers lined up to block the project on the basis that building the soccer, baseball and softball fields will endanger area ground water supplies, and the increase in traffic on the two-lane county road would create equestrian bicycle and pedestrian hazards.

Pat Dando, the District 10 city councilwoman who has been championing the sports complex for several years, has been pushing very hard to get the project approved before she leaves office at the end of the month. The planning commission vote is a definite setback for her and what would be the crown jewel in her District 10 legacy.

But Nancy Pyle, the incoming District 10 councilwoman, has said she is willing to step back from the McKean Road site to find possible alternative sites for the fields. We believe the council should heed her caution. Her stance on the sports complex was well known to the voters of District 10, which means the support for the fields is not overwhelming. What's more, until the Almaden Resident began looking carefully at the proposal and the relationship between the city and the Almaden Youth Association, understanding of the issues surrounding the complex was limited. We believe there is still more to learn, and even as the proposal to change the General Plan moves to the council, we continue to request emails we—and our First Amendment attorney—believe to be public record.

While the idea for the project has been kicking around for a long time, there's good reason for the city council at this point to step back. There are still questions, such as: What is the McKean Road Sports Complex supposed to do and what is really needed in regards to the district's—and the city's— youth and athletic facilities.

Proponents of the sports complex have been writing to us for months saying that a city the size of San Jose should have many more athletic fields for its youth than it currently has. They say that it is embarrassing for San Jose to have such a dearth of athletic facilities. They point to Morgan Hill and cities in the East Bay that have managed to build complexes on a much larger scale; how they wish that San Jose could get its act together and build such a facility here, and of how tiring it is to have to plan on hours of commuting time to and from their children's games every weekend.

And yet the McKean Road complex is actually less than what supporters originally wanted. Because of the lack of water and infrastructure at the proposed property, the complex had to be scaled back to six soccer fields, four baseball diamonds and two softball diamonds. Additionally, there can be no permanent structures built there.

Even though the price is right for the property owned by the San Jose Unified School District where the complex would be located, we believe the city council should look for a place somewhere within the city limits to build a facility that is the right size and scope for the needs of our city's youth. The fact that the city is currently planning what will be built in Coyote Valley offers one easy alternative, and there are other locations within the San Jose city limits that could offer land to be in-filled with a sports field complex to be used by all of San Jose's youth.

Although youth sports leagues would still need to depend on school and public fields, we can also envision an athletic facility with numerous soccer fields and baseball and softball diamonds, permanent grandstands, snack shacks, picnic areas and a playground for younger children that would be the pride of San Jose. It would be big enough to host regional—and maybe even national—tournaments and championships. Instead of having San Jose teams and families driving all over the Bay Area for games, a San Jose facility could become a regional draw, bringing in teams and families—and their dollars—to the city.

If the city council were to vote to approve the complex, it will be doing so only as a going away gift to Dando. If the sports fields really are "for the children," as supported say, shouldn't we seek to build the best facility possible for all of San Jose's children?