I am writing to thank staff reporter Amy Jenkins for the story about dog parks that appeared in the April 30 issue of the Willow Glen Resident. She did a very good job of stating the facts and describing the situation for both the people that want dog parks as well as the ones that don't.

I haven't been regularly reading the Willow Glen Resident but will make a point to do so in the future.

I also wanted to thank you for mentioning my website, www.southbaydogparks.org. I only recently launched it and your article definitely helped to spread the word. I hope it helps to make things better in the community, both for pro-dog and anti-dog folks.

It was too bad, though, that your article seemed to inspire the DeCinzo cartoon. The artist so poorly depicted the reality of dog parks that it upset a number of people I know. Not that cartoons necessarily need to be based on reality, but in this case, folks that don't know much about dog parks sometimes have fears of them being nightmarish places, full of poop, howling dogs and general chaos.

While the newspaper staff probably understand how things in dog parks actually are, there are many people for whom a cartoon like that just adds to their fears. I personally found it somewhat funny, just by its absurdity. It really could have used a couple of stampeding elephants, and maybe some kind of riot.

—Gary Merrick, Willow Glen


Tamien project too dense for the area

There are three high-rise buildings planned as part of the Tamien Station Area Project. One is proposed for the Elks Lodge site on Minnesota, one for the Alma Bowl site on Alma, and one for the parking lot behind the child care center across from the Alma Bowl. Many residents and the neighborhood associations in Willow Glen are against this project moving forward, at least as it's currently planned.

This project sets a dangerous precedent for future high-density housing in an area that has restricted capacity.

There is already enough of this type of housing in Willow Glen. The highest existing buildings in the area are already much shorter than the proposed buildings, which will be between 65 and 120 feet in height.

I don't see how anyone can seriously believe that the Willow Glen area has the capacity for thousands of additional people and cars, unless the objective is to destroy Willow Glen's small-town appeal and make our area resemble downtown San Jose.

Willow Glen needs to have building codes and guidelines that are different and separate from those of downtown San Jose, where this kind of building is acceptable and expected.

The purpose of these buildings proposed by Barry Swenson and approved by the city council is allegedly to encourage more riders to use mass transit, the assumption being that the proposed residents of this high-density housing will now live close enough to the mass-transit stations to motivate them to ride on these trains.

However, studies show that the "build it and they will come" theory does not hold water in the real world. This seems to be an effort to put the cart before the horse. The more logical proposal would be to build a fully viable mass-transit system first and then build housing to accommodate the increased demand for it, if indeed there is increased demand.

Of course, that is the question in the Bay Area. Is there a demand for a mass-transit system that will replace our cars? Studies have shown that light rail is not a practical option in urban areas such as San Jose, where jobs are spread throughout the area rather than concentrated in a downtown.

This being the case, it seems logical that if light rail is unsuitable then the "transit village" is too.

Another issue with this specific project that may speak to an even broader problem is the fact that the city failed its constituents by not notifying Willow Glen residents about this proposal so that they could prevent it or at least provide input that could be considered in a timely manner.

The general plan for the Tamien project has been unanimously approved by the city council, and the zoning has been approved, as well. It is now in the environmental impact report phase, with a community meeting planned, though by then it may be too late.

I hope that Willow Glen residents will make their opinions known on this important matter to city council members, the city's planning department and the mayor's office.

—Susan Kusters, Guadalupe Avenue


Homes tour worth it and for a good cause

The house selection for this year's Willow Glen Lifestyles Homes Tour was the best. It had everything, showing how Karin Butter remodeled on a budget, how the Caseys created a home made for enjoying the outdoors and how the Laws tastefully expanded their home as the family grew. We also enjoyed the unbelievable personal touches at the Head home. All this and supporting a great charitable cause, the San Jose Day Nursery. It was truly a Willow Glen experience.

—Pat and Ellen Coleman, Willow Glen