Residents are voicing concern about the rezoning of the former 35-acre IBM Almaden Research Center nestled in the rolling hills of South San Jose. They fear it will attract more data centers to the region. The San Jose City Council sees it differently and voted 9-2 to approve the industrial park rezoning on Aug. 18....
Kayak tours highlight San Jose river’s restoration
Years of neglect and festering pollution problems have left San Jose’s Guadalupe River with a toxic reputation among locals. But one former councilmember says the best days are still to come for the long-benighted waterway — and he’s leading by example. Local entrepreneur Carl Salas has been waging a quiet crusade over the past half-decade...
San Jose’s Circle of Palms is losing its iconic trees
Ice skating in downtown San Jose won’t be the same this holiday season, after losing its iconic namesake. Crews began removing all 32 palm trees from the Circle of Palms on Thursday, after a city arborist found none of them were healthy enough to keep. Work is expected to continue for the next several days....
San Jose wants to stop its shrinking tree canopy
San Jose’s tree canopy is disappearing. The city is working to reverse the trend, but advocates say in order to meet its goals, more investments are needed in low-income neighborhoods where coverage is sparsest. San Jose has one of the thinnest tree canopies in the Bay Area, with about 13.2% of coverage across the city as...
Demolition begins at controversial Santa Clara County cement plant
Demolition has started at the Permanente Cement Plant near Cupertino, a massive manufacturing site that repeatedly ran afoul of environmental regulations before it officially closed three years ago. Heidelberg Materials North America, a multinational corporation that owns the cement plant, recently announced that it secured the necessary permits and a contractor to move forward with demolition. The plan is...
Parcel tax helps preserve Santa Clara County open space
A group that works to preserve open space in Santa Clara County will receive millions of dollars every year toward its efforts, following the approval of a parcel tax. Measure D will generate $17 million annually through a two-cent-per-square-foot of building area parcel tax to fund creek and water restoration, land stewardship, expansion of open...
San Jose District 9 candidates ‘noncommittal’ on climate policy
Ambitious plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions mingled with concerns about San Jose’s daunting fiscal challenges and potential overregulation during a climate-focused election forum quizzing the candidates running for District 9’s City Council seat. The race’s five candidates spent an hour at the Cambrian Branch Library Saturday answering questions and sharing their visions for how...
South Bay data centers present environmental challenges
With more than a dozen data center projects taking shape in Santa Clara County, local leaders have offered assurances that potential environmental impacts will be thoroughly assessed before any new facility gets switched on. But when it comes to water usage, a group of Bay Area researchers is warning such environmental reviews have an alarming...
Santa Clara County could build bike-only park trails
The Bay Area is a paradox – both the birthplace of mountain biking and a well of local opposition. Now Santa Clara County is poised to embrace the sport in a major way. County leaders are exploring the creation of bike-only trails in county parks to avoid illegal tracks in sensitive areas and conflicts between...
Cupertino applies plastic bag ban to more than grocery stores
Cupertino businesses and shoppers are adjusting to a future without plastic checkout bags but many said the alternatives don’t always work as well. Samiullah Memon, owner of Oakmont Sandwiches and Coffee, said adapting to Cupertino’s evolving rules has been both costly and confusing, particularly as guidance around acceptable materials has changed over time. “At first...