The League of Women Voters of Fremont, Newark and Union City has not taken a stand on the Patterson Ranch Initiative at this time, but we do want to speak to some of the issues related to the development of the Patterson Ranch property.

The League advocates for the largest amount of maintained open space with the greatest access for public use.  Since the parcel contains wetlands and other fragile riparian features, development must be sensitive to these areas and urban uses must be separated from them to protect their ecological integrity.  Long-term sustainable plans need to be in place to protect these resources.

The League supports planned districts and believes that clustering all residential development to the east of Ardenwood Blvd. would leave open space on the west of Ardenwood Blvd.  This open space would create a buffer zone for Coyote Hills Regional Park.

The League always recommends that the City work with other entities to maximize outcomes.  Since the East Bay Regional Park District and the National Wildlife Refuge are adjacent to the Patterson parcel, we feel that no decisions should be made on an issue of this magnitude until the public has heard what these two important entities have to say about it.  If any joint-ventures are possible with them on funding and management of the area, they should be fully and publicly explored before decisions are made.

The Fremont Unified School District also needs to be included in planning this area since the schools that are adjacent to this area, Ardenwood and Forest Park, are already impacted.  League policies always encourage the school district to work with developers to maximize the fees that developers contribute so that students can be accommodated with equitable facilities.  The number of dwelling units will decide if a new school will be needed or if busing will be used, but Fremont Unified needs to be included in the planning process.

Finances also need to be considered since land ownership, whether public or private, carries responsibility for stewardship.  Wise management of the land's sensitive resources will be necessary to ensure that the sustainability of the features is not degraded.  Also, if there are any possible legal challenges that might occur, the public should be apprised of the possibilities since the residents of Fremont will incur these costs.  We need to be aware that the Pattersons are not the only landowners involved.  Cargill owns a parcel that they have spent considerable amounts of money on over the years, and they may feel that they need to be compensated.   The only way to completely understand the complexity of this project is to have open public discussion so that all the issues can be understood and weighed.   (The League is very big on open government!)

The goal for all of us should be to work out a plan that provides the largest amount of well managed open space that both protects the environment and allows public park access.  We trust that the Council will work toward this goal.

Delivered by Miriam Keller, President, League of Women Voters of Fremont, Newark and Union City.