Mass upzoning opponents make their case to City Council Rules Committee

At the April 28, 2021 SJ Rules Committee meeting, residents who take issue with the proposal to abolish single family zoning in the city explained the multi-faceted reasons for their opposition. Watch the whole meeting at here.

On the necessity of a citywide ballot initiative:

“If it takes a city-wide vote to redistrict, it should take a city-wide vote to rezone.”

“It is incomprehensible to imagine that something as draconian as a citywide ban on single family zoning could happen in San Jose by just 6 votes out of 11 by the Mayor and City Council.  This is a policy change that effectively unwinds decades of planning and irrevocably changes the neighborhoods we've chosen to live in.”

“None of our elected officials campaigned on the promise of eliminating R1 zoning. The idea has not been vetted with voters.”

On the need to view the upzoning proposal separately from other recommendations:

“Don’t let this one item (citywide elimination of R1 zoning) become a distraction that delays and derails the rest of the extensive set of good ideas the Envision 2040 General Task Force has produced.” 

On the inappropriate bias of city staff in favor of mass upzoning even before the Council gives direction:

“We depend on the (Housing and Planning) staff to provide unbiased and complete information. The biased presentations, implied benefits, disingenuous comments, and not highlighting obstacles must stop and additionally be corrected.”

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