Item A: River Road/Santa Clara Transition Project

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Please note: For the Parks, Open Space and Natural Areas section of this White Paper, transition and heritage options are not sorted by specific neighborhood. In addition, some options discussed under the Recreation section of this White Paper may be suitable for joint implementation with the Parks, Open Space and Natural Area options discussed below. Transition Options The transitions options identified below are those that, while relevant to the current River Road and Santa Clara situations, could be applied in any neighborhoods in the City, and that don’t necessarily have a direct impact in sustaining a neighborhood’s rural “look and feel”. In addition, as noted above and under the “Planning” and “Surface Water Mamagement” sections of this White Paper, prior development has altered or eliminated most continuous stream corridors in these neighborhoods, and left few undeveloped tracts of any sort within the current UGB. Therefore options for additional open space preservation may be limited, at least beyond those being identified by current City parks planning processes and negotiations. Option No. 1: Park and Open Space Upgrades and Acquisitions - Continue to upgrade existing parks and open spaces, and/or acquire new parks and open spaces as development processes and associated development dedications, credits, and System Development Charge (SDC) collections allow. Advantages: City already has a program underway funded by SDC’s and parks bonds; builds on the resources already established in the neighborhoods; development dedications require no or low out of pocket costs Challenges: Properties available through development dedications may not necessarily be those of most “value” with respect to neighborhood “heritage” or long range City plans; in Santa Clara such an approach does not address potential for an extension of the river greenway Option No. 2: Designation of Parks Capital Funding – The City could set aside the SDC funds collected in River Road and Santa Clara, and dedicate said funds exclusively to neighborhood park capital projects and land acquisitions. Advantages: Assures locally generated SDC parks fees are spent locally; potentially expands the capacity of the City (and in the case of River Road, the Parks and Recreation District) to serve these neighborhoods. Challenges: Level of SDCs are calculated based on entire City need, and allocation to the neighborhoods may be contrary to overall parks capital plans; State statutes governing SDC calculations may not allow such a segregation; segregation of parks funding in this manner may set a precedent other neighborhoods will want to follow; neighborhood by neighborhood allocation of SDCs City-wide could reduce funding for Santa Clara and River Road; increase in capital facilities means increasing operational costs for which there may not be funding Heritage Options As noted above, the continued presence of even farm fields and ordinary woodlands can play an important role in sustaining the rural “feel” of a neighborhood. Heritage options in the context of this White Paper section are those that directly address the issue of preserving the rural “look and feel” of the River Road and Santa Clara neighborhoods. Heritage options for open space could focus on preserving to the extent practicable the remaining segments of stream corridors, woodlands, wetlands and other natural areas left in the two neighborhoods. It is assumed, however, that there is no means by which the City can effectively facilitate or regulate the preservation of remaining “ordinary” farm lands except by changes to the Urban Growth Boundary (UGB). 21 River Road/Santa Clara Transition/Heritage White Paper DRAFT 11-24-05 Service provider Review