The proposal would focus on keeping the fairgrounds as an event space, rather than building new housing or commercial development
Blog note: this article references grand jury reports.
SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County is considering a plan to turn its 158-acre county fairgrounds in San Jose into a “grand public space” that could feature a 55-acre park, a museum displaying historic local neon signs and separate sports facilities for the San Jose Giants, San Jose Earthquakes and USA Cricket league.
Supervisor Cindy Chavez outlined the broad plan Tuesday, saying the changes would enhance family-oriented recreation already available at the fairgrounds while maintaining the site as the home of the annual county fair.
“This valley is more than 2 million people, Chavez said at the Board of Supervisors meeting. “Every place [where] we have large open spaces, we need to protect them. We could really benefit from having more family-oriented spaces.”
The county has considered three fairground redevelopment proposals since 1998, including for music venues, hotel and commercial spaces and housing, but all have fizzled out.
Earlier this year, some residents asked supervisors to use the property for transitional homeless housing and 1,300 people signed Change.org petitions seeking that.
After the previous proposals went nowhere, the board unanimously voted Tuesday to back Chavez’s idea of keeping the fairgrounds as a community event space.
Asked in an interview before the meeting about activists’ calls to add housing at the fairgrounds, Chavez pointed out the county already has built more than 500 affordable units on 12 acres there. She also cited a county survey in which 72 percent of 2,100 people polled said they wanted public meeting and event space at the fairgrounds.
San Jose Councilwoman Maya Esparza, who represents the neighborhoods around the fairgrounds, spoke in favor of Chavez’s proposal.
“These neighborhoods around the fairgrounds are amongst the most dense, overcrowded neighborhoods in the city, with over 20 percent of households experiencing overcrowding,” Esparza said.
The discussion comes as the county’s 15-year agreement with the Fairgrounds Management Corporation (FMC), a nonprofit formed in 1995 to manage and maintain the fairgrounds, is set to expire in December.
FMC has received several requests from private developers who want to lease space at the county-owned property, including proposals for a 14-acre minor league baseball ballpark for the San Jose Giants, a 17-acre stadium for the USA Cricket league and 23 acres of soccer fields and other facilities for the San Jose Earthquakes.
FMC is seeking a new 20-year agreement that gives it the authority to enter into long-term property leases to generate revenue for fairground operations. In addition to the proposals for new sports facilities, FMC has pitched a night market with food vendors and family-oriented activities such as mini golf, go-karts and climbing walls.
Sameer Mehta, who owns a company called Willow TV that broadcasts cricket matches across the country, said his company serves an estimated 400,000 active cricket fans in the Bay Area alone.
“We’ve seen the sport grow in leaps and bounds in the Bay Area. The big issue is kids that play the sport don’t have a location to play it professionally,” Mehta said. “It’s meant to be a world-class facility and we hope it’d be the center of cricket in the USA.”
Supervisor Joe Simitian raised concerns about the length of the agreement, suggesting a 10-year contract instead of 20 years.
FMC has been criticized over the years for mismanagement, including by a grand jury in 2011 and another one earlier this year that alleged financial mismanagement and called for greater oversight by county leaders.
Referring to the mismanagement allegations, Chavez pointed to recent changes in top leadership at FMC and said she is asking for contract language that would allow the county to sever the deal at any time.
“We’re not leaving the fate of the fairgrounds in their hands, but the Board of Supervisors’,” Chavez said.
Chavez’s proposal specifies that funding for the new park would not come from the county’s park charter fund, which is already strained, she said.
“If folks are hoping the rest of the site is a cash cow that pays for open space, then I think we’re going to need to see how that pencils out, or if there’s another source of funds,” Simitian said.
The supervisors authorized staff to begin negotiating with FMC for a new contract and study Chavez’s proposal, including the creation of a county park.
Supervisor Mike Wasserman noted the county has been talking about revamping the fairgrounds for decades, with no tangible results.
“I think this one has legs,” he added.
October 8, 2019
The Mercury News
By Thy Vo
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