BERRYESSA BART URBAN VILLAGE PLAN |
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This week the Planning Commission voted to recommend to the City Council approval of the Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan. City Council will vote on the plan on June 15.
The Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan is the document governing the development of the site where the San Jose Flea Market currently stands. It specifies how the land will be used and what types of development (residential, commercial, office) it will contain.
The Urban Village will be pedestrian friendly, will include trails and will have at its core the city's first BART station and access to several VTA lines. It will create places where people can live, work and shop near a major transportation hub. This hub will shape the future of San Jose, and will exemplify how our city can create livable, transit-oriented communities that reduce our carbon footprint and stop urban sprawl.
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The latest update to the plan adds an urban market that will provide the Flea Market vendors a place to continue running their businesses. Creating this urban market honors the historical importance of the Flea Market to our region and guarantees this culturally and economically important space exists for decades to come.
Ensuring an urban market was part of the plan has been a priority for me, and I appreciate the Planning Commission for allowing more time to secure this outcome. It is a crucial component that moves the project forward, and was made possible by the advocacy of the Flea Market vendors and the receptiveness of the Bumb Family, who've owned the property and have run and operated the Flea Market since its inception in 1960.
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Since a place to incorporate the Flea Market is now part of the plan, we will facilitate collaboration between the vendors and the Bumb family to further define the expectations and next steps in the transition.
I also want to celebrate the recent opening of the Market Park Retail Center and its anchor Safeway. In the coming weeks and months, many more shops and restaurants will open for Berryessa residents to enjoy. And of course, we are also keeping our focus on advancing the design and construction of Mercado Park, a 3 1/2 acre public park that will be locate d on the north side of Berryessa Road.
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This planning process has given me many insights into how we can approach growth without sacrificing our history and legacy. These are lessons I will carry with me as we continue to build our district and our city.
Sincerely,
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Neighborhood Dumpster Days is a very popular event we intend to bring to residents throughout the year. In order to give all neighborhoods an equal opportunity to take advantage of this popular service, my team and I have come up with a process for managing outreach and organization.
The dumpster day process begins by identifying best placement for the dumpsters to service a neighborhood. Once we have the location and the date set, it’s time to start distributing flyers. In the two weeks leading up to the dumpster day, our entire team heads out into the neighborhood to drop off flyers at each house with information about when and where the dumpster day is taking place. Since many people don’t use social media or know where to look online, using flyers ensures that every household in the neighborhood learns about the dumpster day; using flyers also helps us manage our ability to ensure we don't run out of space in the dumpsters.
Volunteers are always appreciated to support us on the day of the event. If you are interested in the volunteer opportunity, please email our office. Finally, if you and your neighbors are interested in a dumpster day in your neighborhood, let us know by emailing district4@sanjoseca.gov.
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IT’S EASY AND FREE TO GET RID OF YOUR JUNK! |
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Gear up for spring cleaning with the City of San José’s Junk Pickup program. The Junk Pickup program offers free appointments for San José residents to have large items (such as old furniture, appliances, mattresses, recreational equipment and more) picked up from their homes and apartment complexes. It’s free and easy! Visit www.sjenvironment.org/junkpickup for program details.
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NEW STATE PROGRAM OFFERS DEBT FORGIVENESS ON ELECTRICITY BILLS |
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We know many of our residents have lost jobs or hours due to the pandemic and may be struggling to keep up with bills. To help, San José Clean Energy (SJCE) has compiled a list of monthly and one-time bill assistance programs, including the new Arrearage Management Plan (AMP). |
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AMP offers a payment plan to help qualifying residential customers reduce or eliminate debt owed on their electricity bills up to $8,000. The AMP program is administered by PG&E, and SJCE customers can apply. Through this program, customers will receive debt forgiveness in exchange for monthly on-time payments. With each on-time payment of current charges, AMP will forgive 1/12 of the eligible debt owed at the time of enrollment. After 12 on-time payments, your eligible debt will be forgiven. For eligibility requirements visit www.SanJoseCleanEnergy.org/AMP. To enroll, call PG&E Customer Service at 1-800-743-5000 or visit www.pge.com/amp.
If you don’t qualify for AMP, there are other monthly and one-time programs that could assist you.
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REDUCE YOUR ENERGY COSTS AND CARBON FOOTPRINT
San José Clean Energy (SJCE)’s TotalGreen customers reduce our community’s greenhouse gas emissions by powering their homes and businesses with 100% renewable energy. Lower emissions mean cleaner air and improved health benefits for our families, including fewer incidences of asthma symptoms and other respiratory illnesses.
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Join your neighbors who are already receiving 100% renewable energy for about $4 more per month than GreenSource, SJCE’s default product.
Upgrading to TotalGreen is easy. With your PG&E account number, last name or business name, and service location zip code, you can sign up in less than 5 minutes:
2. By calling our Customer Service team at 833-432-2454
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ATTEND AN UPCOMING COMMUNITY BUDGET MEETING |
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This month, the City of San José is holding community budget meetings via Zoom with a Call-In option. The purpose of these meetings is to inform residents about the City's fiscal situation and potential impacts on the upcoming budget. They also provide an opportunity for residents to provide input on the budget directly to City leaders.
San José residents are welcome to attend any of these meetings. All three meetings will have interpreters in Spanish and Vietnamese via Zoom. See the schedule below or view the flyers, translated into English, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
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Balancing Act Budget Exercise
As a part of our budget engagement process for the upcoming 2021-2022 budget, the City of San José has created an online budget tool called the "Balancing Act”.
The Balancing Act allows residents to explore city services and their impact on the community, and express their feedback on the City's service priorities.
The Balancing Act is available in three languages:
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Meeting Schedule
Thursday, May 13th, 6pm-8pm
Or Call-in*: (888) 475-4499
Meeting ID: 995 5020 5879
Saturday, May 15th,10:30am-12:30pm
Or Call-in*: (888) 475-4499
Meeting ID: 922 6828 5140
Wednesday, May 19th, 6pm-8pm
Or Call-in*: (888) 475-4499
Meeting ID: 979 6815 2312
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*For telephone call-ins, press *9 to request permission to speak and *6 to unmute when called upon.
Interpretation will be available in Spanish and Vietnamese via the Zoom app.
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FIRE SAFETY AND PREVENTION TOWN HALL WITH SJFD
Join us for a virtual town hall on fire safety, with San José Firefighters Local 230! We’re going to be going over topics such as creating a defensible space with your yard prep, tips for power outages and evacuations, and how to do your part to prevent wildfires.
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As we navigate the drought, our risk of experiencing a wildfire is increasing – with fires sparking across California already, the best thing we can do is be prepared and both prevent and protect each other as much as we can. I hope you’ll join us, please register here!
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FREE VACCINATION CLINICS
EVERY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY
La Plaza is home to Gardner Health Services’ walk-up COVID-19 vaccination clinic for individuals 18 and over. Vaccinations are administered every Tuesday and Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Registration begins at 9:00 a.m. for folks to return at a later time.
First come, first serve.
FREE COVID TESTING
1st AND 3rd WEDNESDAY OF THE MONTH, 1:30PM – 5PM
Sierramont Middle School: No appointment necessary, walk-ins welcome
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