A majority support DMB’s proposals, but a polling expert says
the survey is
”
meaningless
”
By Banks Albach Staff Writer
Hollister – San Benito County residents recently gave proponents of El Rancho San Benito, a proposed mini-city along Highway 25 just south of Gilroy, a snapshot opinion of the project through a direct mail survey launched by developer DMB Associates of Arizona.
The company sent out nearly 40,000 surveys and background readers to 22,000 county residents in April. Nearly 3,000 residents returned the survey, which posed seven “support or oppose” questions on how the 6,800-house project will deal with housing, transportation, public facilities, the local economy, parks and recreation and affordable housing.
Between 56 and 63 percent of respondents supported DMB’s proposals, according to results released by the developer.
“I am pleased to say that a majority of residents indicated support for every one of the seven elements in the tool kit,” said local DMB representative Ray Becker.
But a polling expert from Zogby International, an independent polling firm in New York State, said the questions were biased after looking them over.
“There are no negative elements in these questions and we don’t know who is filling out the survey,” said Fritz Wendel, the firm’s communications director.
“In my overview, this survey is meaningless,” he said.
“It looks like a nice development – I don’t want to slam that – but just strictly speaking of the survey, it’s not scientific,” Wendel said. “It’s not a true measurement of public opinion.”
After reading a DMB outline a couple of months prior, here were some project elements residents were asked to support or oppose:
n 1,360 units of affordable housing.
n A short connection road between highways 101 and 25.
n Land and financial donations from DMB to the public sector for sheriff, fire, schools and parks.
n The creation of 1,800 construction related jobs and 8,000 long-term jobs.
n $3 million in economic activity over a 10-year period.
Becker pointed out that all of the residents surveyed were primed on the project before the survey. That should have made the questions more balanced, he said.
“He doesn’t have any context to work with,” Becker said, referring to Wendel. “This is a survey in an ongoing outreach program, not a poll.”
Becker said the company is dedicated to pursuing the interests of the county, however, and has scheduled a public meeting on the project for early September. A meeting was held in June.
“One commitment we made was to work with the community in developing a land plan,” Becker said.
He hopes to hand a project proposal over to the county by March. County officials will follow up with an environmental impact report. After that, the permit process can start at local, state and federal levels. Becker gave late 2009 as the earliest “break ground” date.
The project also will have to skirt a county ordinance restricting growth to 1 percent per year. A ballot initiative could pave the way.
“We’ll ask for a vote of the people,” Becker said, rather than rely on a vote from the county board of supervisors
The unprecedented scale of El Rancho San Benito is a concern, said County Supervisor Anthony Botelho.
“Because it’s so large,” he said. “It could change the complexion of the county, particularly in that area.”
According to an economic impact study conducted by Economic and Planning Services, a private firm that works with cities, counties and the private sector, the project would funnel $16 million from property and sales taxes into county coffers between 2006 and 2020. DMB paid for the study.
That’s enough to pay for all of El Rancho San Benito’s police, fire and school needs, which will be administered by the county, Becker said.
Even so, the county will be conducting its own study before any approval.
“Without having our own type of independent study, its hard to draw any conclusions from the developers,” Botelho
Banks Albach covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 335, or ba****@fr***********.com.
