Among the many proposals for the Cuesta Park Annex, the Santa Clara Valley Water District has perhaps the most unusual: turn one of the city’s last untouched pieces of open space into a 16-foot-deep, 12-acre hole to catch flooding from Permanente Creek.
Mountain View’s representative on the water district board, Greg Zlotnick, called the Voice last week to talk about the plan, which he says the city council is “favorably inclined” towards.
Last month, about 70 people showed up for a city workshop on the Annex, a 12-acre piece of city land next to Cuesta Park that is home to red tailed hawks, blue herons, oak trees and some old orchard trees. Most attendees of the workshop said they would like the space to be preserved as an orchard to reflect the valley’s history, and some proposed a barn to hold a tractor and possibly a museum for the city’s historical society.
The water district says the plan to dig up the Annex for a temporary reservoir would save thousands of homes north of El Camino Real from flooding, for about two days every 10 years, and could still be used as park space the rest of the time. The plan would involve piping overflow water from Permanente Creek, which runs along Miramonte Avenue, into the Bay.
Longtime Cuesta Annex preservationist Bob Schick isn’t convinced that the Annex is the only site for flood control. He says that there are other options on the table, including McKelvy Park and the Grant Road Farm.
“They don’t see a lot of maintenance money going into the Annex so they assume the public isn’t interested in the Annex,” he said. “The public opinion of the Annex is going to put an end to their proposal.”
The plan may be a hard sell because the people who use the Annex are not the people who would be flooded, said Beau Goldie, the water district’s deputy operating officer. According to a map on the water district’s Web site, the densely populated areas just east of Permanente Creek and north of El Camino Real are in a “100-year flood plain,” including most of the area between the creek and downtown. These are the areas that would be completely flooded in a “100-year storm,” according to the district.
Complicating matters, those who live north of El Camino have complained that they don’t have as much park space as those living south of El Camino Real. They say the city works to preserve park space south of El Camino while neglecting those in the north half of the city.
Schick said he has lived here for almost 30 years and isn’t convinced flooding is a problem. He said the parking lot next to his apartment was briefly flooded during El Nino in 1998.
“Give me proof that there is a need for it more than the artificial hole at Cuesta Park,” he said, referring to a large sunken area next to the Annex. The area, along with the park’s tennis courts and parking lot near the Annex, are all being discussed as possible water runoff sites.
Goldie said finding a location for flood overflow retention in the area was a significant issue for the water district, which is spending $29 million in Measure B money on flood control and creek restoration in Mountain View and Los Altos. Using the Cuesta Annex appears to be a cost effective solution for flood control, he said, and the money saved could go to the restoration of 1.6 miles of riparian habitat and removing 2.5 miles of concrete channel to be made a creek again.
But the most important factor, he said, is that it would provide flood protection for over a thousand additional parcels, saving property owners from having to buy flood insurance — and possibly saving their properties.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to work with the community on this,” Goldie said.
Goldie said he understood why the community might not believe flooding is a problem, but Palo Alto faced a similar proposal and after denying the extra flood protection found itself with major flood problems. Goldie said the water district wants to make sure there are mechanisms for controlling flooding before it happens and costs property owners dearly.
Nonetheless, city council members asked about the proposal seemed cool to the idea. Council member Matt Pear said it was “inappropriate,” Mayor Nick Galiotto said it wasn’t a priority for him, and council member Laura Macias was hesitant. Council member Tom Means said that after the council was presented with the proposal there wasn’t much support for the idea.
“I don’t think anyone responded to it positively,” he said.
E-mail Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com
