If San Martin becomes incorporated, open space could be gobbled
up
SAN JOSE
A government agency that will ultimately decide whether San Martin can incorporate instructed its staff to determine what to do with thousands of acres of land as it considers the town’s boundaries.
The controversy over the lands pitted incorporation proponents against activists who want the county to preserve farmland.
Neelima Palacherla, executive officer of the Santa Clara County Local Agency Formation Commission, expressed concern during a meeting Wednesday to consider the town’s boundaries that more than 2,000 acres of agricultural land could no longer be under the county’s discretion. For that reason, she recommended that lands extending to the north and south ends of the proposed boundaries be excluded from the draft of the incorporation study.
The proposed boundaries submitted by incorporation proponents roughly encompass a 10,473-acre area bounded by Maple Avenue on the north, New Avenue on the east, Masten Avenue on the south and Watsonville Road on the west. If added, the boundaries would extend north up to Maple Avenue and the south to Fitzgerald and Masten avenues.
LAFCO commissioners Don Gage, a Gilroy resident, and Susan Vicklund-Wilson, a Morgan Hill resident, said the the lands shouldn’t be considered agricultural. Gage said he believes the land is “rural residential” and needs to be within the proposed boundaries as leaving them out would “disenfranchise” residents who identified with San Martin and would like to be residents of the new town, he said.
Joe Rosa, who moved to a house in San Martin located within the controversial lands in the south, said he feared being in “no man’s land” if LAFCO excludes his property. There are 40 acres of orchards behind his property by farmers and dried grapes hang on the vines, he said.
Michelle Beasley, of the Greenbelt Alliance, said the group was concerned that if San Martin incorporates, its leaders could green-light development on the lands.
LAFCO commissioners voted 5-0 to have its staff determine whether the land in question is agricultural or rural residential. While they voted to exclude the land pending staff recommendation, the commissioners a Th incorporated Town of San Martin could span 16.5 square miles, an area slightly larger than Morgan Hill.
