Patterson Irrigator

PCCP West Park wrapped up most of its countywide tour this week, as the would-be developers of a 4,800-acre industrial park at Crows Landing’s former naval airfield chatted it up with area residents about the project.

Many residents felt they received vague answers at West Park’s community workshops about precisely where developers will find water for the project, how the business park will be financed and how traffic and air-quality concerns will be mitigated.

As a result, some were left wondering whether the meetings were anything more than a feel-good endeavor, a nice pat on the head from West Park developers.

However, after two weeks of meetings, it is apparent that West Park officials are taking note of people’s concerns. A question asked at one meeting often was answered at the next, after project representatives did some homework. And while that might not help the person who initially asked the question, West Park officials plan to send minutes of all the meetings to participants.

Folks also should remember that the county-approved schedule for West Park places community meetings before traffic studies and other important documents, so the developer is not entirely to blame if answers are vague at this point.

West Park developer Gerry Kamilos said this week that the point of the meetings was to start a discussion with the community — and his team seems to be listening as well as talking.

For instance, Kamilos has said he plans to change the model for trains that would travel to the business park — thus shortening railroad crossing times — because of the outcry against rail among West Side residents.

More cynical residents may say the developer is changing his story, just telling them what they want to hear, and certainly the information presented was biased. But would it be better if West Park’s plans remained “consistent” and unchanging? West Side residents would have far more reason for concern if project representatives failed to adapt to any of their wishes.

It still appears the 40-person-per-meeting limitation kept people away, as some folks opted not to show up to workshops when they didn’t hear back from West Park representatives. However, project officials never turned anyone away at the meetings, even if they were not registered to attend. West Park plans to host three more meetings, and Kamilos says it will continue to do so as long as there is demand.

In short, Kamilos appears to have done what the county asked of him.

That doesn’t mean residents shouldn’t ask questions about this behemoth of a project; there is no doubt a massive industrial park near Crows Landing would change the area’s way of life. The same could be said about some of the proposals made by the city’s General Plan Advisory Committee during the past couple of months.

What’s important is that growth is planned properly; that developers address residents’ concerns; and that the community stay engaged in the process. If growth is coming, city and county leaders must plan for it intelligently — by taking a good, hard look at all options available. 

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