IF San Jose wants to carry
out the ideas presented last week during the Evergreen Eastridge Charrette,
public officials need to quickly adopt an oath followed by physicians:
First, do no harm.
It may be years before light rail arrives at the Eastridge Shopping
Center, and before city policies allow for building a new neighborhood on
the open acreage south of it. In the meantime, it's crucial to prevent the
wrong kinds of development from occurring and crippling the plan.
That's the baseline. But positive leadership is needed to actually move
the Evergreen Eastridge plan forward -- and that too must begin now.
A commentary and drawings on the opposite page hit some high points of
the plan. It includes a new community that connects with Eastridge and the
Meadowfair neighborhood, as well as suggestions to improve the Tully Road
corridor. At Monday's presentation, the ideas seemed to capture people's
imaginations.
Some may never prove realistic -- for instance, the suggestion to take
Tully Road underground as it passes the airport. But other suggestions are
so practical they could begin now. The mall renovation currently proposed
can connect nicely with the new neighborhood.
Councilman David Cortese, who represents most of the plan area,
enthusiastically supported the charrette. His leadership will be essential
to make things happen.
Grassroots support also is crucial. Several folks at Monday's meeting
suggested forming a group to move the plan forward. Cortese said he might
convene one himself.
City planners and redevelopment staff worked hard to prepare for the
charrette and seem eager to refine the plan into city policies. They need
political support to do that, but they also need flexibility on the part
of city departments.
Chuck Bohl, director of the Knight Program in Community Building which
conducted the charrette, points out that typical building regulations tend
to ``tell you what not to do'' and prevent the design of good
neighborhoods of homes, shops, parks and workplaces. As one example, rules
usually require wide streets, but narrow ones slow traffic, invite
strolling and create charm.
