Local residents and public agencies have until July 30 to comment on the first-draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the Cordoba Center mosque and community center proposed in San Martin.
Singled out in the document summary as a “significant and unavoidable impact” are the proposal’s “project-generated greenhouse gas emissions.” These are associated with both the construction and ongoing operation of the Cordoba Center, according to the EIR. The document proposes a number of “mitigation measures” for this impact, as well as all potential effects of the project on the environment and its surroundings.
A May 30 public notice from the Santa Clara County Department of Planning and Development welcomes “your comments regarding the significant environmental effects of this project and the adequacy of the draft EIR.” Comments can be submitted in writing by mail or email, or by telephone.
The county has scheduled a public meeting to receive verbal comment on the EIR draft for July 12 at 7 p.m. at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road.
The Cordoba Center is proposed by the South Valley Islamic Community on a vacant 15.8-acre parcel at Monterey Road and California Avenue in San Martin. The 230-page draft EIR, commissioned by the county as a required step in the ongoing project approval process, lists all the potential impacts of the proposal on the local environment and public facilities—including impacts on groundwater, carbon emissions, vehicle traffic, visual surroundings, cultural resources and noise.
The Cordoba Center is proposed as a “multi-use religious and cultural center to serve the Muslim community of south Santa Clara County,” according to a letter from county staff introducing the draft EIR.
Proposed structures include a two-story mosque (about 9,000 square feet), a two-story community building (about 14,500 square feet), outdoor community plaza (about 15,000 square feet), cemetery located on 3.55 acres on the western side of the property, maintenance building, caretaker’s dwelling, youth camp, playfield/playground, orchard and associated site infrastructure including a bioretention swale and connected retention pond.
After the public comment period on the draft EIR ends July 30 at 5 p.m, county staff will spend the next several weeks responding to each comment submitted by the public and the applicant. After that, the project will be filtered through the San Martin Advisory Committee and the county planning commission before the board of supervisors votes on the center’s site plan. County staff have said the public hearings before these bodies could begin this fall.
If the county approves the project, SVIC can begin to seek permits. The applicant estimates it can complete the Cordoba Center’s construction by 2021.
The draft EIR includes photos of the current state of the property as well as simulated images of how the Cordoba Center would look at the San Martin site. It also includes drawings and elevations for the project, as submitted by SVIC.
SVIC spokesman Hamdy Abbass said he has “thumbed through” the draft EIR, which was released to the public May 30. He said so far through his reading of the document, nothing stands out as unexpected other than the potential greenhouse gas impact. Overall, he calls the draft environmental assessment “positive” for the SVIC and the community of San Martin.
“We’re not seeking any variance from anybody. We never did and never will. We’ll follow the advice and guidelines of the county, to do what is right for all of us,” Abbass said.
The SVIC represents about 400 residents of South County. Members currently pray and worship in a renovated barn in San Martin.
To comment on the draft EIR for the Cordoba Center proposal in San Martin, write, email or fax Chris Hoem, Santa Clara County Planning Office, County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding St., seventh floor, East Wing, San Jose, CA 95110;
Co****************@pl*.org
; 408-288-9198 (fax). Comments can also be submitted at a public meeting on the EIR scheduled for July 12 at 7 p.m. at the Morgan Hill Community and Cultural Center, 17000 Monterey Road. The public comment period on the draft EIR ends July 30 at 5 p.m.
