Belmont Friends,
The proposed Crystal Springs Uplands Davis Drive middle school project will provide financial benefits to the City of Belmont and its community, stimluate the local economy, and beautify an existing unused property. Please take a moment to sign this petition. Make sure to include your address!
Thanks for caring about Belmont.
Yours Truly,
Charles Stone
Jeffrey Selman
Laura Reed
Marit Hsich
George Burgess
Dear Mayor Warden and Belmont City Council Members:
As a Belmont resident, I want to publicly urge you each to vote for the proposed Davis Drive Crystal Springs Uplands School middle school campus. I have studied the arguments for and against the development and have come to believe that CSUS has worked hard to (and has) addressed community concerns. I support this project for the following reasons:
IMPROVEMENT. The CSUS development will turn vacant buildings with little present commercial prospects into a state-of-the-art environmentally friendly Green campus.
FOOTPRINT. The school will have a substantially smaller footprint than the existing and warehouse building.
AESTHETICS AND SAFETY. Landscaping at the project will be beautiful and fire-resistant thereby helping to mitigate an existing fire hazard.
TRAFFIC. CSUS has promised to mitigate traffic issues through the use of shuttles and carpools. CSUS will also be bound by the development agreement to continually monitor traffic for the life of the project and has agreed to help pay for any further mitigation measures that become necessary.
ANNUAL PAYMENTS. CSUS has offered annual payments of $250,000.00 (over $100,000.00 more than the property currently generates in property tax) and, consistent with Proposition 13, has agreed to a 2% annual increase to that amount. This project can be fiscally neutral for the City, and at the same time, the City can direct CSUS in the development agreement to directly pay to and make all other taxing agencies more than whole.
APPROPRIATE USE. School use is completely appropriate at the site since Ralston Middle School is already next door and the site is located in the midst of existing residential neighborhoods. The use is consistent with the original documents prepared when Western Hills joined Belmont. Furthermore, the owners and property representatives of almost every other property in the business park support the use as appropriate.
GENERAL PLAN. City Staff have stated that the project comports with Belmont's General Plan.
COMMUNITY. Community use of CSUS' all weather sports field on weekends and several weeks in the summer is part of the development agreement.
BUSINESS. CSUS will bring new parents, students, and caregivers to local shops and restaurants. The project is supported by both the Board of Directors of Belmont Chamber of Commerce and the local construction industry.
MILLION DOLLAR PAYMENT. In addition to the annual $250,000.00 payments, CSUS has agreed to make a one time payment of $1,000,000.00 to the Belmont.
