Moving the playing fields used by regional soccer groups from
Condit Road to the San Jose greenbelt next to Sobrato High School
may take longer than hoped or expected.
Moving the playing fields used by regional soccer groups from Condit Road to the San Jose greenbelt next to Sobrato High School may take longer than hoped or expected. Further complicating the issue, a councilman questioned the city reserving $1 million in city funds for the purpose.
A joint use agreement with the City of San Jose would dedicate three of the 17 soccer fields to city use; the remainder of the 49.5 acres would contain 850 parking spaces and portable restroom and concession stands. San Jose does not allow permanent structures in this part of its greenbelt.
The City Council heard a timeline that projects up and running soccer fields by March 2006, 15 months after the Californian Youth Soccer Association’s lease runs out with the city.
City officials, CYSA and sports contractor Beals Alliance met in May to discuss details, Garrett Toy, director of Business Assistance and Housing Services, told the council. Beals would then prepare a site plan to be followed by a seven month environmental impact report (EIR) process – August to March 2005.
“It will take about 12 months to design and build, bringing us to March 2006,” Toy said, explaining that seven months for an EIR is “pretty aggressive.”
He explained later that building soccer fields isn’t just laying sod and chalking a few stripes.
“They have to install irrigation and drainage plus the parking; it’s not just putting in grass,” Toy said. The design phase and bidding should take three months and construction nine more.
Parking and traffic were concerns for Councilman Larry Carr.
“We need to be careful with that site plan,” Carr said, “traffic ingress and egress were a problem with Sobrato and I see the same issues here.”
The City of San Jose has identified $300,000 to pay for the EIR and Morgan Hill has identified its $1 million “to assist CYSA in their move from the current site,” Toy said.
Carr questioned how the $1 million would be used.
“I thought it was going to aid the school district,” Carr said. “Now we’re not even going to discuss it anymore.”
When the Sobrato Construction family donated land on the San Jose/Morgan Hill border to the Morgan Hill School District for a new high school, the City of San Jose objected to a school built in its greenbelt and sued.
Litigation came to an end when San Jose gave the district money to buy land on the Morgan Hill side for buildings and allowed athletic fields on the San Jose, Sobrato-donated side. The soccer fields fill in the area between the athletic fields and Monterey Road just north of Burnett Avenue.
“We have to eventually decide what to do with the money,” Carr said. “Are we paying for the whole thing or just make sure the fields are usable when (CYSA) leaves? We’ve never talked about how to use that money.”
Councilman Steve Tate said he thought the money’s designated use was generic.
“It was always my impression that the money was set aside to help them move,” Tate said, “To remove hurdles in case things came up, not to hire the moving van.”
What they do know, Toy said, is that maintenance and operations of the CYSA fields is the responsibility of CYSA.
Councilman Greg Sellers said he was concerned where CYSA-sponsored teams (such Orchard Valley Youth Soccer League) would play between the December 2004 end of the Condit lease and the March 2006 Sobrato opening. Visitors now frequently stay overnight in hotels across Condit from the fields and spend time at restaurants and shops around town.
“We haven’t had that discussion yet,” Toy said.
Councilwoman Hedy Chang, who is on the soccer subcommittee, said she thought the new CYSA fields would be ready before the city found the money to renovate the Condit fields.
“They have a month-to-month lease with us after December,” Chang said, “but I see them giving us the 30-day notice faster than we give them one.”
Mayor Dennis Kennedy was concerned about the gap, too.
“Is there any way to speed up process,” Kennedy asked. “I’m concerned about not having a facility in Morgan Hill or delaying the sports complex.”
“It’s up to San Jose and the EIR,” Toy said.
Kennedy asked Toy to craft a letter to San Jose and CYSA focusing on “what if.”
Once CYSA vacates the Condit Road site, the city plans to re-use it as an outdoor sports facility with baseball and softball fields, connecting to the new Morgan Hill Aquatics Center with its three pools and meeting rooms, opening June 12.
The almost $3 million for the sports fields will come from park funds, City Manager Ed Tewes said earlier. Kennedy said at the council meeting that the sports community is talking about volunteering much of the reconstruction work – on the Condit fields.
“Then they can move quickly and within budget,” Kennedy said.
The city will receive $25,000 from CYSA for use, through December, of the Condit Road fields.
CYSA is a Pleasanton-based organization providing soccer training, games and tournaments for children ages four through 19 plus workshops to train coaches and referees. CYSA North’s membership includes 221,000 players, 30,000 coaches and 11,000 referees. The CYSA Northern District is bounded by Bakersfield, the Pacific Ocean and the Oregon and Nevada borders.
