Please join me in urging San Jose City Councilmembers to preserve city golf courses as open space, not housing, by Tuesday. On this day they will give Parks Department staff direction on the future of the city’s three publicly owned golf courses, and whether they should remain as parkland or be used for development.
What You Can Do
Email councilmembers by Tuesday, November 17 ([email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], pierluigi.oliverio@sanjoseca.
What’s Happening
The city is considering several options for its golf courses, including continuing to operate them at a loss, selling off part of the land for development to pay off debt from the original purchase of the land, or using all or some of the sites for other parks and recreation uses. The city’s Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS) department has objected to selling off any of the land, citing the serious need for MORE parkland–not less–especially in East San Jose, a particularly parks-poor area.
Why It Matters
Urban green space is under threat everywhere in the Bay Area. With development booming and communities growing, it’s important to provide recreational green spaces for all people. If we don’t save room for sports fields and playgrounds, cities will eventually start using our natural and undeveloped areas for those needs instead. In addition, Coyote Creek runs directly through two of the three golf courses in question, so any development there would result in potential environmental impacts to the creek.
There are various options for the future of San Jose’s golf courses, but these should not include paving them over for housing. Please urge the city councilmembers to keep the golf courses as green open space.
Sincerely,
Alice Kaufman
Legislative Advocate
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