Willow Glen Resident

News

Measure A: Will it keep us greener or will it be too costly?

By Eli Segall

On Nov. 7, Santa Clara County voters will decide the fate of a controversial ballot measure that has stirred emotions and brought on high-velocity mud-slinging.

The proposal affects only a sliver of the population.

Measure A, also known as the Santa Clara County Land Conservation Initiative, seeks to increase minimum lot sizes required for each new home built on unincorporated county land. The measure targets more than 400,000 acres of hillsides, ranches and large-scale agricultural land.

County figures show from 1995 to 2004, 644 new houses--including homes that replaced existing ones--were built on unincorporated land, at a rate of 6.4 homes per year.

Bill Shoe, principal planner in the Santa Clara County Department of Planning and Development, estimates up to 40,000 people live in areas targeted by Measure A. The county is home to 1.7 million residents.

"Where's the common sense? Where's the logic?" said Willow Glen resident Ed Rast, a Measure A opponent. "You've got a bunch of city people in Palo Alto telling people in the county what to do with their land."

The initiative was proposed by People for Land and Nature or PLAN, a Palo-Alto based coalition of environmental groups.

In 2000, Rast purchased 62 acres of vacant hillside between Morgan Hill and Los Gatos. Citing land as the most expensive part of buying a home, Rast acquired the property so his three children can one day afford to a build home and not be financially squeezed out of San Jose.

County law now permits hillside land such as Rast's to have one home per 20 acres. If Measure A passes, the minimum lot size will double to 40 acres per home. Rast's children would be able to build only one house on the property, not three. For ranchland, the initiative would increase the lot size requirement for a new house from 20 to 160 acres.

Ranchland accounts for more than 70 percent of the 400,000-plus affected acres, hillside makes up 25 percent, and the rest is large-scale agricultural land, Shoe said.

Peter Drekmeier, campaign coordinator for Measure A, said the proposal was put forward out of a concern for urban sprawl.

"We want to remove some of the speculative value of the land so it won't be densely developed," he said.

He dismissed the initiative's opponents, a coalition of farmers, ranchers and Realtors known as the Alliance for Housing and Environment, as motivated solely by property development. More than 20 farming companies and trade groups, including the Santa Clara County Farm Bureau, have joined the alliance.

"Farmers who want to cash out on the last crop, which is their house, see this as restrictive," Drekmeier said. "Serious farmers who want to continue farming see this as a real positive."

Phil Cosentino owns a ranch in San Jose off Carter Avenue. In 1970, the state forced him to sell 8 of his 10 acres to the government to clear land for Highway 85. He supports any effort to preserve rural areas, but also understands the opposition's concerns.

"We've lost all our space; we've got too many damn houses," Cosentino said, "but each person has their own agenda. A guy makes more money having more units per acre, so I see where he's coming from."

Santa Clara County Hillside Association chairman Clarence Stone complains of the lack of due process in getting Measure A on the ballot. He notes the Santa Clara County board of supervisors, in a 3-2 vote, decided against carrying out a voluntary environmental impact study pertaining to the proposal.

"The environmental groups absolutely hoodwinked the board of supervisors," Stone said. "They are a very astute political machine."

Supervisor Don Gage, who voted for the study, is also against the initiative, saying it was written in secrecy without farmers' input. He added it will push the county deeper into the red.

If this passes, Gage said, the county will have to increase its staff to implement and enforce the proposed zoning changes.

"It puts the county in a very awkward position," said Gage, pointing out the county has a $200 million deficit and needs to lay off 1,400 government workers.

Drekmeier argues that by preventing development, Measure A protects rural areas.

"Santa Clara County has grown considerably in the last few decades," he said. "Measure A protects scenic views, water quality, streamside corridors and wildlife habitat."