Willow Glen Resident

Letters & Opinions

Speak Out

Developers should pay
their share of the fees

The article in the Oct. 4 issue of the Willow Glen Resident, "Increase in park fees could raise prices for new homes in San Jose," makes it sound as if it's unfair to ask developers to pay their fair share of the costs of parklands. What actually is unfair is for them to continue getting by on the cheap.

I, like everyone else, paid for my share of the local parks when I bought my house. If developers build new housing without providing for adequate parkland, then either the new residents will inundate my local parks, which effectively reduces their value, or the city will have to pass a tax to build the needed additional parks. In that case I've paid for my park and then will pay again for the new parks. It seems to me to be fairer that each developer should help pay for the added parklands, just as developers pay for their share of the new local streets and the extension of the sewer lines.

The dedicated parkland in-lieu fee does that, folding a portion of the cost of the new local parks into the price of the new homes.

Parks are a much-needed part of the infrastructure, without which the city cannot thrive.

For the past few years, the developers have only been paying a fraction of the cost of building local parks, and now they are complaining that the fees are to be adjusted to match current land values.

The developers need to pay their fair share.

Residents should contact the city via email with their thoughts or comments to matt.cano@sanjoseca.gov or come to the public meeting at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

Lawrence Lowell Ames

Willow Street

Why don't we make
Lincoln a toll road?

Trying to reduce traffic on Lincoln Avenue reminds me of the movie Elephant Walk ("Narrow Lincoln Avenue from four to two lanes, Oct. 4). In the movie, a family built their house right on a path that elephants have used for years, even though they were warned not to. The elephants were not to be denied and eventually tore up the house along with some of the occupants.

Reducing the lanes from four to two on Lincoln Avenue will send traffic onto the side streets and create quite a mess, namely on Blewett, Settle and Kotenberg.

I doubt anyone who uses Lincoln as a throughfare will divert to Bird Avenue, which is actually a straight line to Interstate 280.

How about making Lincoln a toll road? We could set up a booth and charge for its use. A flashback of Elephant Walk just came to mind.

J. Poyser

Willow Glen