KEY VOTE SET ON TREATMENT CENTER

S.J. Council To Tackle Rezoning Issue; Neighbors Oppose Project

A plan to put a 125-bed alcohol-and-drug treatment center in a North San
Jose neighborhood will face strong opposition today when the San Jose City
Council votes on rezoning the property -- the first step toward the
project's approval.

The center, which would be the largest in Santa Clara County, is opposed by
neighbors near the site at 23rd and Taylor streets. At four community
meetings, they have voiced concerns of traffic, parking and the proposed
location near Watson Park and an elementary school.

Councilwoman Cindy Chavez said she opposes any high-density housing project
on the half-acre, wedge-shaped parcel because the land might be needed for
an improved Taylor Street interchange or to ease the shortage of
recreational space in District 3.

"I think there is a better use for the land than housing of any type on
it," she said.

But John Licking, a Sunnyvale dentist who owns the property, argues that
rezoning it for a multifamily residence conforms with the general plan and
would help to fill a dire need for rehabilitation services.

"Santa Clara Valley has something like 12 percent of the state's population
and 5 percent of facilities," he said. "So, we're not overly concentrated
with licensed treatment centers."

He said the traffic issues could be worked out after the property is rezoned.

The treatment center would be run by Life Choices, a program that operates
a small group home on the Taylor Street site and another on South Third
Street. Licking and program manager Ralph Law maintain that operating one
large, centrally located facility is more efficient and better for the
community than a dozen smaller facilities in neighborhoods throughout San Jose.

To residents who say they fear a center would bring undesirable neighbors
to an area already struggling with drug problems, Licking said Life Choices
wouldn't draw from other locations and would help the neighborhood by
getting addicts into treatment.

"Do we want them there or out on the street continuing drugs and committing
crimes?" he asked.

Chavez said the issue is not the treatment center, but what is the best use
for the land. In a memo sent to council members on Monday, she identified
several considerations.

The land may be needed for an improved Taylor Street intersection to serve
a proposed BART station in Berryessa. The station would increase the need
for a full interchange to allow better access from Taylor Street to Highway
101.

The land also could be used as an expansion of the park, which hasn't had a
master plan since the 1970s. The district has the lowest number of parkland
acres of the 10 council districts, according to the city's Greenprint, a
20-year plan for parks and community centers. The land also could be used
as part of a Coyote Creek Trail plan.

"It has nothing to do with the use," she said. Even if the proposal asked
for an apartment complex to be put there, "these questions around BART and
open space strategies would have to be addressed. My goal is to make sure
we're using land judiciously given the shortage of it."

But Licking believes the priority should be getting people into treatment.

"I'm hoping the rest of the city council is thinking along the same line
and recognizes there's a problem and something needs to be done about it,"
he said.

The San Jose City Council will consider rezoning the property at Taylor and
23rd streets at a public hearing at 7 o'clock tonight at City Hall, 801 N.
First St.