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EVEN the strongest supporters of BART realize this isn't the greatest time to ask voters to up the sales tax to .0875 from the present 8.25 percent. If Measure B on the Nov. 4 ballot gets the needed two-thirds favorable vote, the assurance of a secure flow of funds for the operation and maintenance of the 16-mile long extension from Fremont, is expected to unlock hundreds of millions in state and federal funds. These would add to the money voters gave the Valley Transportation Authority in 2000 which included funds for engineering and design, right of way acquisition and construction.
While opponents of the measure sneer at the projection of 100,000 riders a day, there is no doubt that city officials along the 16-mile route are changing the land-use zonings to encourage a much greater density of development. There are six stations in the BART project and around each one huge condo and apartment projects are envisioned. VTA will design and build the trackage and stations but its operation will be by Bay Area Rapid Transit, which has operated successfully in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa counties for more than 30 years. Milpitas will be the second stop on the line from Fremont (after Warm Springs) and Berryessa is the third. Milpitas city officials have already blessed a stepped up density plan and developments are underway. Many completed units are available for sale now in the area where the new BART stop will be and around the Great Mall area. The actual time frame for this $6 - to $8-billion project is about 10 years from completion. If the 1/8th cent sales tax is approved at the polls, it is expected that getting state and federal funding would take two or three years. The tax would not be collected until those funds are voted. From then on actual construction is expected to take about six years. Major challenge will be putting the lines underground through downtown San Jose on its way to Santa Clara. This measure has vocal and ardent support from local elected officials from the Silicon Valley Leadership Group, made up of the major manufacturers. It also has some aggressive and vocal opponents, most of whom either see little benefit for their areas of the county (West Valley cities and those up toward Palo Alto). Some critics don't think VTA has managed well enough to warrant providing them with another $2 billion (estimated yield from the sales tax increase over 30 years). The major captains of industry and some of the political leadership here see the valley benefiting in the long run to have a significant rapid transit running around the bay and connecting up with airports, Caltrain, Amtrak as well as light rail. San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed says green technology companies and many interested high-tech firms will be more willing to invest in long-term plans in the North Valley if BART is coming. And Milpitas will be a hub for such a connection with light rail already in place. The Post was an early advocate for BART around the bay back in 1996. As the years have gone by with one disappointment after another delaying the project, we have grown a lot more skeptical of it ever happening at some manageable cost. But Milpitas' commitment to a huge transit-oriented housing density in the southern half of the city has made it important that BART be an ingredient. Therefore we can see reasons why Milpitas residents might benefit from the project and would cast a "yes" vote. We are still of the belief that the VTA board needs to be reconstituted, based on what three separate audits have proposed. The Grand Jury suggested likewise in 2004. None of this is on the ballot but if the BART election fails on Nov. 4, it would make sense for the VTA to go back to the drawing board for a major overhaul before coming back for another tax increase. http://www.themilpitaspost.com/opinion/ci_10728008
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