Salvage, Incentives to be Explored in Wake of Donner House Fire – In the early morning of July 19th, a fire consumed the Donner-Houghton House leaving behind the charred remains of one of San José’s City Landmarks. “Obviously we’ve suffered a very significant historical loss,” says Sally Zarnowitz, the City’s Historic Preservation Officer, “but our hope is that we can save what we can from the building and improve what we’re already doing to protect our existing and irreplaceable landmarks.” After inspecting the site and reviewing the structural assessment initiated by the property owner, our building inspectors have determined that the house should be demolished to protect public health and safety. The demolition permit will stipulate that the owner should conduct the demolition in phases so that the fire investigation can continue and the building can be stabilized for salvage efforts. Though the building was vacant at the time of the fire, the owner was working with the City on plans to relocate it to the Hensley Historic District. The City is now in the process of exploring options to better protect other vacant historic structures which may include considering new incentives and policies and making existing incentives more widely known. The Donner-Houghton House was designated as a City Landmark in 2001 based on the building’s association with Eliza (Donner) and Sherman Otis Houghton as well as its distinguished architecture. Eliza Houghton was a surviving member of the Donner Party and Sherman Houghton served as Mayor of San José and US Congressman in the late 1800’s. For more information about historic preservation and incentives, visit the City’s Historic Preservation webpage or contact Sally Zarnowitz at (408) 535-7834.  (photos courtesy of Archives & Architecture)

Original Donner House

Donner House converted and used for apartments

Donner House after July 19th fire

Schools Study Needs to Better Reflect North San José Housing Density – A new analysis designed to determine how many students the residential development in North San José would generate is underway by the Santa Clara County Unified School District. Our initial assessment is that the study will need to be significantly revised to provide relevant projections for the policy area. The first draft of the study was based upon data collected at low density residential projects and unsubstantiated presumptions about future economic and demographic trends. We will be asking for revisions to the study, including using residential projects that meet the Policy’s 55 dwelling units per acre minimum as a source of data for student generation rates. School impacts, based upon data provided from the respective school districts, were included and analyzed in the EIR for the North San José Policy. However, this new analysis is one of the elements of a legal settlement and is being paid for by the City of San José.

Discussion of a school strategy will likely be an early agenda item for the newly formed North San José Task Force. The 21-member Task Force is chaired by District 4 Councilmember Kansen Chu and composed of residents from each of the large North San José Policy area neighborhoods (Westwinds, Renaissance, Lamplighter/Oakcrest, River Oaks and Northpark), representatives of the surrounding communities (Alviso, Rosemary Gardens and Berryessa) and property owners, business owners and developers with an interest in North San José. More than 50 people attended the first meeting of the Task Force on July 25th. All in attendance expressed support for its formation and a strong desire to promote North San José as a high quality place to live and work. Several other key concerns were raised including ‘creation of a sense of place,’ financing, and water supply. The Task Force will be working together to develop a Neighborhood Strategy Plan to guide the construction of parks, schools, retail, public safety and other community serving amenities. For more information about the North San José Development Policy or the Task Force meetings, visit our Vision North San José webpage or contact Andrew Crabtree at (408) 535-7893.

Behind-the-Scenes Race Ensures Grand Prix is Safe for Fans – Months of preparation with Grand Prix organizers leads to a real behind-the-scenes race as the infrastructure for the event is constructed. “It really is a race against time,” says Mark Crain, Chief Building Inspector. “Leading up to the event, our engineers review the plans and then our inspectors are out there every day the week before the Grand Prix checking the structures as they are built to make sure they meet building codes and are safe for race fans. This year, we were even reviewing plan changes for the bridge support structure the day before the event!” The City signs off on the enormous stretches of grandstands, the pedestrian bridges crossing Almaden, Market and Balbach, the open air platforms called Park Avenue Suites, the air-conditioned boxes called Paddock Club Suites, and the electrical generators and distribution system. In addition, all of the facilities have to conform to general accessibility requirements. Crain adds, “Many of our folks are racing fans too so this is one of those unique and exciting projects that is great for them to be a part of the work that goes into pulling off an event of this size for the City.”

Inspectors were responsible for checking enormous stretches of grandstands

Taking time out for a quick photo-op are Ron Estrada (Fire inspector), Ron Cruz (plans examiner), and Deriek Clemmons (supervising building inspector) (top to bottom row)

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As I See It… Evolution of North San José –by Michael Bills
Last month, I bade a fond farewell to my home these past three years at North Park Apartment Village in North San José. North Park is a 2,750-unit, high-density community built by The Irvine Company right along the light rail line on the east side of North First Street between Tasman Drive and River Oaks Parkway.

The project has been under construction since 2000 and finishing touches are being put on The Sycamores, the final phase featuring a beautiful five-story, Mediterranean-style building at the far end of a central, five-acre neighborhood park.

Life at North Park
My home in The Oaks was part of the first phase of development and is adjacent to the Moitozo Ranch, a 35-acre remnant orchard that previously stretched across the entire North Park property. It has been in continuous agricultural use for well over 100 years.

Living next door to “the ranch” was an absolute delight. Every morning I would wake to the distant sound of crowing roosters. In the evening my wife and I watched the dozens of wild, perky-eared rabbits slowly make their way to and from a vast field of alfalfa that is methodically and repeatedly watered, cut, dried, and baled during the summer harvest season. In short, I’ve enjoyed some of the sights and sounds of the Valley’s rural past right in the heart of its modern, urban transformation.

My biggest lifestyle difference, however, has been the availability of public transit. Previously, I was one of the 300,000 San José commuters driving solo everyday (78% of the City’s workers, according to the latest Census figures). After moving to North Park, I virtually abandoned the car, having never driven to work in three years. I could insist that I’m “practicing what we Planners preach.” But the truth of the matter is I quickly found it far more convenient, affordable (especially with gas at over $3.25/gallon), and relaxing to hop on one of the light rail trains that glides by my door right on time every 7 minutes and 30 seconds, put on my headphones, and enjoy the ride.

An Industrial Evolution
As I go on evening walks and ride the commuter train, I’ve witnessed an evolution in the neighborhood in recent weeks. Specifically, I see industrial building renovations, new landscaping, and signage that reflect occupancy of long-vacant spaces and signal resurgence in the local high tech economy.

Interwoven, a leading provider of content management software, lies to the north. The company is in the process of moving its headquarters from Sunnyvale to an 111,000-square foot building at the southeast corner of Tasman Drive and Baypointe Parkway. The building is currently undergoing renovation and is scheduled for completion in August.

To the south, I see Micron. They make semiconductor memory components and image sensors used in cameras. Micron just recently occupied a 265,000-square foot, three- and six-story development at the southeast corner of North First Street and Montague Expressway that apparently ranked among the biggest Silicon Valley office leases last year.

And to the west, directly across the street, I see Polycom, a company that provides video, voice, and network communications equipment, such as interactive video and teleconferencing systems. Just a few weeks ago, Polycom’s sign appeared on a newly renovated 85,000-square foot building at 3553 North First Street.

The Future Looks Bright
As a resident observer of North San José, I’d say the future of the neighborhood looks very bright indeed.  From the residential perspective, occupancy rates at North Park currently stand at an astonishing 97.5% (the unit I vacated was leased in a matter of days) and rental rates have been rising steadily. In addition, The Irvine Company is proposing another high-density community just down the street on the former Sony site that the San José City Council will consider in August.  And on the industrial side, buildings that have long stood vacant are now actively being sold, improved, and occupied by a diverse range of companies. So from my seat on the lightrail, it certainly seems as though North San José is an increasingly appealing place for residents, businesses, and investors alike!

‘As I See It…’ is an occasional series of articles about life and development in San José as seen through the eyes of our employees who live, work and play here. Michael Bills is a Senior Planner who leads our data management and GIS team.

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New Shear Wall Design Method Likely to Require Fewer Hold Downs – The 2007 California Building Code is introducing a new method of shear wall design commonly referred to as Perforated Shear Walls (PSW). For many years, designers have used a traditional wood shear wall design methodology that ignored the contributions from the wall segments above doors and above and below windows. For the first time, the PSW method allows the designer to more accurately account for the contributions from the sheathing above and/or below the doors and windows. This typically results in lower shear capacity for a given wall in contrast with the traditional method which frequently led to excess shear capacity. As a result, the PSW method likely will require fewer hold downs – the mechanical devises used to prevent the wall from lifting up – without compromising safety. For more information about this and other differences between the current and new codes, contact Homer Maiel at (408) 535-7765. Additional code information also can be found at the following websites:

Proposed Local Amendments to Codes Available in August – Over the coming months, the City is preparing to adopt the new California Building and Fire Codes which will become effective on January 1, 2008. We are actively working with other jurisdictions in the Bay Area to ensure as much consistency as possible among proposed local amendments. As they are developed, we will post proposed local amendments to the City’s Building Division webpage. We have also scheduled several roundtable forums (see schedule below) to discuss them in detail. Continue to read this monthly newsletter or visit us on the Web for the latest on the Code Adoption schedule and amendment information.

What’s Your Sign? “Vibrant, Creative, and Effective” Of Course – Our local businesses can now take advantage of some recent changes to the Sign Code aimed at having more creative and effective signage. A new ordinance went into effect in early June that amended the Sign Code to include larger temporary signs displayed for a shorter time, more freestanding signs for large parcels, new arcade signs, and larger gas station canopy signs. As a result of other recent changes, the Downtown Sign Zone can now have new programmable display kiosk signs, architectural signs, parking garage signs, and larger 3-dimensional signs. We also are working with building designers as projects come in for review to plan for effective signage in the design stage, and with tenants and building owners to design and display more creative and effective signs on existing properties. This year, the Departmet will be working on a major update to the Sign Code to simplify the code and provide incentives for great signage. For more information about the ordinance and Sign Code changes, visit our Zoning and Sign Ordinance webpage or contact Carol Hamilton at (408) 535-7837.

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We’d like to thank our many customers for taking the time to let us know when our service has impressed you. The following are excerpts from letters and survey responses we’ve received:

The Special Tenant Improvement process worked very well for us. We got our permit in a couple of weeks saving us a lot of time. Joyce Liu and her team did a great job. San José has demonstrated best in class performance when it comes to supporting business. We are glad we chose San José as our place to expand.  [survey comment from Nextest]

We want to commend Michele Campos for her assistance involving a planning and code enforcement problem with our property. It meant a lot to us to get this problem resolved in a timely manner and her involvement accomplished a prompt resolution. [letter excerpt from San José residents]

I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and report on your findings and that of Code Enforcement Inspector Pierre Schutz. Your report and remarks on the way tenants should handle code enforcement violations within their apartments and the apartment building and reporting method and what the different types of enforcement and remedies were very well received and appreciated. Our thanks also for the fine job Pierre Shutz has done on the inspection and follow-up. He has shown the tenants here you all really care.  [letter excerpt to Code Enforcement Inspector Mollie McLeod from San José resident]

All is going well and the building inspectors have been very nice and helpful. Patrick Lewis was out yesterday and has signed off on the final. Nice guy. Very helpful and thorough.  [customer satisfaction survey comment]

This was extremely nice work you have done in very few weeks on a Planned Development permit. Although you inherited this project only recently, your work on this PD permit shows that you understand major concerns of the community. I am particularly grateful for your prompt response to community input and your work with the applicant to install mitigation trees. As an aside, I am using one of your reports from another project as a sample that I share with community members so they may become more familiar with the planning process. Your writing style is clear, concise, and analytical; it illuminates. [letter excerpt to Planner Rebekah Ross from San José resident]

Thank you, Mary Danziger, for calling the managers [of nearby apartments] about removal of the abandoned and dilapidated car. I am glad to say the eyesore has just been towed – and can now rust somewhere else! Thank you for intervening on my behalf. I appreciate your friendly, efficient, and business-like manner.  [letter excerpt from San José resident]

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Vibrant, Safe Downtown the Goal with New Proposal and Pilot – Along with our involvement in the extensive residential and commercial development occurring in downtown San José, our Department is actively participating in several other efforts to continue bringing an exciting future for our City to fruition. We are currently formulating draft regulations that would streamline the permitting process and allow more possibilities for sidewalk cafés with extended hours. This would help businesses attract more customers, further energize downtown, and give patrons more dining options and a greater urban experience. We also recently drafted an ordinance for a “soft closure” pilot program that extends the closing time to 3:00 a.m. for bars, nightclubs and restaurants previously authorized to stay open until 2:00. The ordinance is in effect for the next three months for establishments in the downtown pilot area and is part of a coordinated effort between business owners, the City and the Downtown Association to ensure that the City’s downtown nightlife stays as safe as possible. For a copy of the “soft closure” ordinance and a map of the program area, visit our Zoning and Sign Ordinance webpage. For more information about these efforts and Planning’s role, contact Jean Hamilton at (408) 535-7850.

For Now, Lights Are Out For Electronic Billboards– Neighborhoods have been spared a constant barrage of flashing billboard advertisements thanks to some recent action on the part of our staff, the City Attorney’s Office and the City’s Legislative Representative in Sacramento. A proposed bill essentially would have allowed billboards across the City to turn into digital display message boards flashing different messages every few seconds. Our quick response identified a number of concerns with the bill including the effective increase in signage in neighborhoods, the allowance for billboard companies to remove or prune trees that block billboards under the guise of “maintenance,” the increase in lighting through the allowance of digital displays, and the increase in the value of a billboard, that may or may not have been erected legally, thus extending its potential life in the neighborhood. In light of our response, the bill’s sponsor pulled it from Committee and put it on hold until January 2008. As the Department responsible for the City’s Sign Code, we are committed to encouraging high quality, creative, and effective signage. Read What’s Your Sign? “Vibrant, Creative, and Effective” Of Course in this month’s newsletter to learn more about recent Sign Code changes and plans to update the entire code this fiscal year.

A bin monitor helps unload a resident’s pick-up truck into the dumpster

Taking the Neighborhood Clean-up Program "Green" – In the last year alone, the City collected over 37,500 cubic yards of refuse and debris from residents through the Neighborhood Cleanup Program. The program, administered by our Code Enforcement division, is not only extremely popular but extremely “green” as well. Our program managers have worked diligently since the program began in 1996 to recycle as much as possible the waste collected during what has now grown to 50 citywide clean-up events annually. This past year, the program recycled an astonishing 85% of the waste received, far exceeding the goal of 50%. Recycled items included 1,126 tires; 327 refrigerators; 1,962 mattresses; 1,713 computer monitors; and 1,383 televisions. By removing such large amounts of unwanted material from our neighborhoods and diverting so much of it for recycling, we are actively helping the City meet its environmental goals and become a cleaner, greener place to live. For more information about the Neighborhood Cleanup Program, contact Rafles Warnars at (408) 277-5265.

“Live” Calls, Faster Call-back Times Give Customers Quick Responses – A few months ago, if you needed to call us for answers to zoning, regulations, and other planning questions, you would have been forwarded to a voice-mail and had your call returned in a day or two. “We knew we could do better,” says Carol Hamilton, the Senior Planner responsible for making changes to the system. Today, she is pleased with how well things are going so soon after assigning phone shifts to Planners and improving the way messages are logged and transferred. “Our goal was to help the customer as quickly as possible, so we had to rethink our systems. This has really been one of the many positive outcomes from our recent merger of the two planning divisions that enabled us to leverage resources and make some critical reassignments.” Now if you call our main number under the new system, the receptionists will forward planning calls directly to a Planner who, in most cases, answers the call directly, or calls you back the same day.

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Building Permit Activity for June – Residential activity was moderate (339 units). Commercial activity fell to its lowest level in 18 months and industrial activity was moderate with a total permit valuation (new construction and alterations) of $8.2 and $17.4 million, respectively. Construction highlights include:

• Groundbreaking occurred on Fruitdale Apartments, a 91-unit project at the northeast corner of Fruitdale Avenue and Southwest Expressway. The site was formerly occupied by two vacant commercial buildings.
• A permit was issued for Casa Feliz, a 60-unit affordable Single Room Occupancy (SRO) housing project on the west side of South Ninth Street between William and Reed Streets (in the University SNI area).  The project involved demolition of an existing 60-unit SRO building constructed in the 1960’s and formerly used as a sorority.
• A foundation permit was issued to Cadence Design Systems for a 208,000-square foot building at the northerly corner of Montague Expressway and Trimble Road.

Fiscal Year Summary of Building Permit Activity – Total construction valuation during fiscal year 2006-2007 amounted to $840 million, a 5.4% increase from the prior year. This fell below the staff forecast of $1 billion primarily due to changes in non-residential land use categories described below.

• Residential:  The count of permitted housing units was slightly above forecasted levels (forecast= 3,000 units; actual= 3,171 units). On the other hand, permit valuation was below expectations due primarily to smaller-than-expected valuation figures for several Downtown high rises (forecast= $500 million; actual= $455 million). The value of residential alterations was unchanged as compared to the prior year.
• Commercial:  Commercial activity was well below forecasted levels (forecast= $275 million; actual= $208 million).  However, this shortfall was almost entirely attributed to changing the categorization of new construction permits for several large retailers from commercial to industrial (i.e., Target, Home Depot, Costco), per Municipal Code changes adopted in 2004.
• Industrial:  Industrial activity fell shy of expectations but nonetheless reached its highest level in six years (forecast= $225 million; actual= $177 million).

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August Winners of the Director’s Customer Service Award – Each month, we recognize employees who have distinguished themselves with their dedication and proactive, positive customer service-oriented approach to their jobs. In keeping with his unofficial titles as “Planning Webmaster” and “3D Building expert,” Greg Rose continues to adapt new technology to improve the way we provide service. His recent work includes developing an in-house video on the General Plan Update and rendering 3D buildings in San José using cutting-edge Google Earth technology (San José Wins “Blue Ribbon” for 3D Buildings in Google Earth). Code Enforcement Inspector Mary Jane Jepson recently helped ensure neighborhood safety by responding to complaints about a burned out building that had not been properly secured by its owner. Her diligent research and follow-up resulted in the site being cleaned up and fenced securely. Finally, Philip Vera Cruz has been an integral part of the success of the Building Division’s Industrial Tool Installation program. The personal attention he gives customers and his distinct plan checking style has streamlined the review process for the team and the applicant, expedited permit issuance, and made program participants universally pleased with his service.

Greg Rose

Mary Jane Jepson

Philip Vera Cruz

Gene Goes Green for Being Supreme (and Lucky) – Gene Tague’s name came out of the hat and he now gets first dibs on our newest, greenest fleet vehicle – a hybrid Ford Escape. The Escape is the first of four hybrids on their way in 2007 for the Planning, Building & Code Enforcement Department. These clean fuel vehicles are part of our Department’s commitment to create a clean, healthy, and safe environment in San José by reducing particulate matter and smog-forming emissions from its fleet by fifty percent in seven years. We plan to replace an additional 13 vehicles with hybrids in 2008 as part of our annual vehicle replacement cycle. Gene won from a drawing of every building inspector who had received the Director’s Customer Service award in the past two years. Congratulations Gene!

After 37+ Years, Planner with Longest Service Record Retires – Larry Bohannan always said he would work for 50 years. But fishing and family called him sooner, so this month we will say farewell to a planner who has worked through the terms of seven Mayors and for all but the first Department Director. Larry began his career with the Department of Planning on February 1, 1970. He recalls his early days fondly when “they just handed you the zoning code, said ‘get to know it,’ and put you out with the customers at the counter. That really grounds you!”  In those days, San José’s population was less than half of what it is today and his biggest challenge was just finding the information he needed to do his job. Today, with technologies like GIS that he helped advance to “bring the Department into the electronic age,” much of the background property data is available in a couple of keystrokes. Larry is also proud of his involvement with the City’s bike lane program initiated in the early 1970’s. He’s a lifelong cyclist and played an integral role in delineating the routes for bike lanes and paths throughout the City. Many evenings he bikes up and down San Felipe Road taking in the views and occasionally spying bobcats and wild turkeys. Perhaps that explains Larry’s advice and philosophy about work-life balance. “As long as you enjoy what you are doing, working as long as I have isn’t an issue. And it’s important to have a sense of humor and enjoy the people.” So thanks, Larry, for your time with us, your many contributions, and your bottomless cookie tins. We wish you well – and look out fish!

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Customer Forums

• August 7th, Neighborhood Roundtable, City Hall Tower, Room T-332, 7:00 – 8:30 AM

• August 23rd, Construction Roundtable, City Hall Tower, Room T-332, 8:30 – 10:00 AM.

• August 24th, Developer’s Roundtable, City Hall Tower, Room T-332, 8:00 – 10:00 AM.September 14th,

• September 14th, Roundtable – Code Adoption, location/time TBD, Special session to discuss proposed California Code Amendments

Training Courses/Workshops

• FREE ICC Code Training Open to Public – Save the Dates!
  September 29th and November 3rd – Ken Larsen, nationally-recognized code consultant, will give two all-day seminars on the new ICC Codes at City Hall (sponsored by the City of San José), City Hall Room Wing 118-120, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Space is limited – to add your name to an advance registration list, contact Adriana Marquez at (408) 535-7722
  
  
• Sign up for free energy-efficiency classes offered through the Silicon Valley Energy Watch Program, a partnership between the City of San José and PG&E. Visit www.pge.com/energyclasses for course and registration information.

Seminars/Events

• September 30th – October 3rd, 2007 CCAPA Conference – Transforming the Urban Fabric

What:  Networking and educational opportunities for planners, urban designers, commissioners, and other planning-related professionals from around the world
Where:  Fairmont Hotel, Downtown San José
Keynote Speakers:  Carl Guardino, President and CEO of the Silicon Valley Leadership Group and Norman Y. Mineta, former City of San José Mayor, member of Congress, U.S. Secretary of Commerce, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Conference Highlights:  Opening reception at The Tech Museum of Innovation; Diversity Summit at the San José City Hall Rotunda; Over 110 conference sessions following ten “threads;” Eleven mobile workshops highlighting communities throughout the Bay Area; California Planning Foundation auction to fund planning student scholarships
Information/Registration:  2007 CCAPA Conference Home 
Get Involved:  Exhibit booths are sold out already, but opportunities for Sponsorship and Program Advertising are still available. 

• Neighborhood Clean-up Days – Looking to get rid of large, bulky items such as tires, mattresses, and appliances from your home in San José? Nearly every Saturday of the year, Code Enforcement employees take large dumpsters to designated locations in San José’s neighborhoods to help residents dispose of their unwanted items. Call (408) 277-4528 for a schedule of clean-up events for your Council district.

Recurring Meetings

• Planning Director’s Hearing – Held every Wednesday (excluding holidays)
• Planning Commission – Meets the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of every month (excluding holidays)
• Historic Landmarks Commission – Meets the 1st Wednesday of every month (excluding holidays) 

For more upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit our Master Calendar.

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