Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman received inquiries
about the status of the proposed Cordoba Center at 14065 Monterey
Road in San Martin, submitted by the South Valley Islamic
Center.
Guest column by Santa Clara County Supervisor Mike Wasserman
I received inquiries about the status of the proposed Cordoba Center at 14065 Monterey Road in San Martin, submitted by the South Valley Islamic Center. This is a great opportunity to provide an update from the County Planning Department on this application, so that any confusion and misinformation can be cleared up.
The short answer is that plans for the center have not been approved by any county department. Just like the other 300 projects submitted to the county each year, this proposal will be reviewed and given due process before being approved (or not) by the Planning Commission. It will also be reviewed by the San Martin Planning Advisory Committee. Both bodies are composed of appointed community representatives.
The plans indicate that the center would serve 30 individuals for nightly prayers, 50 for weekly prayers and 50 children for Sunday school. Additionally, they estimate 150 to 200 individuals would use the facility for several events annually. SVIC first submitted plans to the Planning Department to build their center in San Martin approximately four years ago, but the plans were put on hold by the SVIC due to funding shortfalls and revived again recently.
In April, the SVIC filed for a use permit. It was reviewed by county and non-county agencies and the SVIC was asked to provide additional information so that staff could review and complete an analysis of the total project. In August, the SVIC submitted the requested additional information to the Planning Department for review. If the application is deemed complete then an Environmental Assessment will be initiated. During this time, there will be an opportunity for public review and input.
Following the Environmental Assessment, the project will be put on the agenda of the San Martin Planning Advisory Committee. This is a public meeting and I encourage interested members of the public to attend and speak on the topic. The project will then be put on the agenda for the Santa Clara County Planning Commission which meets monthly and again, is a public meeting.
Plans for percolation and septic systems have been submitted and are under review as well as a geology report and traffic study. It should be noted that the leach field for the proposed Cordoba Center is in a separate area from where failed percolation tests were conducted in 2006. New percolation tests have been performed and are under review by the Department of Environmental Health.
Land use planning is an open and transparent process, and the files are available for review by the public. You can request to see the files relating to this project at the Planning Department office by requesting file #2145-11P-11A. Documents will be posted online when (and if) this application reaches the Planning Commission.
Anybody can ask to be added to the mailing list for information related to this or any other proposed development. Requests regarding the Cordoba Center should be made to Colleen Oda at 408-299-5770 or co*********@********ov.org.
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Mr. Thompson, thank you for your recent questions about public transportation. In one letter, you stated that “The crucial question in transportation today is: What should government do, and what should it leave to others?”
Locally, our transportation systems and projects are operated and managed by the Valley Transportation Authority which is a separate entity from the Santa Clara County government. Much of the transportation system is the result of voter-approved ballot measures, and voters in Santa Clara County have consistently expressed their support for publically-funded transportation. We all want our tax dollars spent wisely, and the VTA (and all government agencies for that matter) should constantly be looking for ways to operate more efficiently.
There are a multitude of perspectives about how much government should do, and what should be left to the private sector. I believe that less government is better in most cases. As a supervisor, I am responsible for reducing costs and increasing efficiencies while still providing critical county services, many of which are federal and state mandated.
As for the state’s proposed California High Speed Rail Project, I share the concerns that many people have expressed about its financial viability. The California High Speed Rail Project is governed by the state and we in local government have little to no say about its operation. The concept of mass transit is certainly a good, forward-looking undertaking intended to meet future transportation needs of our growing population. Like you, I am watching to see how the Authority’s Board of Directors and the governor respond to concerns and challenges that the rail system is facing. I encourage readers who want more information to contact the Rail Authority: www.cahighspeedrail.ca.gov.
