November 1, 2007

Planning process starts for Martial Cottle Park master plan

By Jeanne C. Carbone
Staff Writer

County officials say that one of the few empty spaces left in Santa Clara County is in the planning stages for development. However, unlike many current projects, this open space will not be bulldozed for another track of homes but will instead become an agricultural park.

A pumpkin patch is a yearly event leased to vendors. Photos by Ron Horii

The planned Martial Cottle Park is 287.54 acres bordered by Branham Lane, Snell and Chynoweth avenues. The large parcel is jointly owned by Santa Clara County Parks and California State Parks and comes from a donation and purchase from the Lester family under strict guidelines for future uses of the site.

“It’s not everyday you get to design and participate in the planning of a new park,” said Santa Clara County Parks [SCCP] Department Director Lisa Killough at the first task force meeting on Oct. 16. “The last time we did a new park in an urban area like this was in the 1960s. This is huge for all of us [county and state working together].”

The planned park was an agricultural farm for four generations of the Cottle family. In 2003, the county’s Board of Supervisors executed an agreement with Walter Cottle Lester for the acceptance of 151 acres that he and Edith Lester donated to the county. Lester also sold 136.52 acres to the state retaining 32 acres as part of his Life Estate area, which will remain within the family and will be considered private property.

Donor’s vision
Under the signed Oct. 17, 2003 grant deed by Lester, no part of the property shall be used for high-intensity, organized recreational uses such as athletic fields, playgrounds, tot lots, swimming pools, play courts, amusement rides or similar uses, nor as a repository for historic structures relocated from other sites.

Instead he determined the property would be used exclusively as a public historical park informing and educating the public about the Santa Clara Valley’s agricultural heritage as exemplified by the Martial Cottle family, dating from the 1850s into the 20th century.

The property may be used for passive recreational activities such as picnic facilities, trails and other low-intensity uses that may be incidental to the primary historic educational purposes of the park as well as interpretive, passive recreational, agricultural education, research and commercial uses that are related to the history of farming in the Santa Clara Valley.

Commercial uses such as agricultural leases, produce stands, community gardens, farmer’s markets, interpretative programs or similar uses may be allowed if related to the primary historical purpose of the park.

Task force
The donor’s vision serves as the critical foundation for the joint county-state planning. The state and county will work in conjunction with the land donor, the community and other stakeholders to facilitate Walter Lester’s vision. The task force committee will bring together diverse ideas and perspectives of the community into the planning of the Martial Cottle Park.

The Santa Clara County Open Space Authority is a funding partner for the Martial Cottle Park, contributing 20 percent with the remainder paid by SCCP’s charter capital improvement fund.

Attending the first master plan task force held at the Almaden Winery was Supervisor District 1 policy aide Rachael Gibson, SCCP commissioner Greg West, Santa Clara County Historical Heritage Commission member James Rowen, Assemblymember Joe Coto’s policy aid Mike Potter, Assemblymember Jim Beall’s policy aide Frances Grammer, Santa Clara County Open Space Authority board of directors member Virginia Holtz, District 10 Councilmember Nancy Pyle’s policy aide Stephanie Holm, Santa Clara County Department of Agricultural and Environmental Management Kevin O’Day, VEP Community Association member Marilyn Rodgers, Hayes Neighborhood Association member Laura Monczynski and Walter Cottle Lester’s representative Frank Giordano. In addition, Monterey and Gavilan District spokespersons attended the first master plan task force.

Forty-three applications were submitted for members-at-large for the six spaces available on the task force, which Killough said “spoke volumes of the interest in this project.”

The purpose of the 17-member master plan task force will be to provide diverse ideas for the Martial Cottle Park planning process, which is scheduled over an 18 to 24 month period. Members of the public are invited to attend and share their visions of the park.

Early ideas include using small farmers as partners, management of 4H, equestrian horse trails and the independent farms, keeping open spaces for wildlife and the valley oaks and planting more on the property. One task force member requested promoting sustainable organic farming. The park will need to be profitable with the available resources of land uses, community involvement and sustainability. Neighbors of the park are also concerned with future security and traffic.

“Some of you have brought up issues that we are very excited about that this is finally coming to fruition,” said VEP alternate member Rodgers. “We’ve been very supportive of Mr. Lester and his dream over the years. One of the issues is the light rail and the traffic. And what is access and parking going to look like?”

The first public workshop on Martial Cottle Park will be held on Nov. 15 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Almaden Winery Community Center, 5730 Chambertin Drive, San Jose. For more information visit www.sccgov.org.