Cambrian 36: When Community Comes Together

For nearly seven years, residents in the Cambrian 36 neighborhood waited in limbo, but come May they will celebrate becoming "official" Campbell residents.

In 2006, residents from approximately 320 parcels of unincorporated county in the 103-acre neighborhood expressed their desire to be annexed into Campbell rather than San Jose.

Fast forward six years later, Campbell strikes a deal with the city of San Jose and the Campbell City Council unanimously approved the annexation in October 2012. 

On April 23, the residents of Cambrian 36 voted on taxing themselves, thus completing the final task before being named official Campbell residents.

"Frankly, it is awe-inspiring," says Campbell Mayor Evan Low. "I affectionately refer to this situation as a David versus Goliath and it really goes to show you what can be accomplished when people come together for a common cause."

The pocket of land between San Jose and Campbell, along Union, Bascom and Camden avenues and McGlincey Drive is also known as the Campbell Village Neighborhood Association.

Association President Mike Krisman is excited to be recognized officially as a Campbell resident.

"After close to seven years, finishing on such a high note makes you feel good that you are part of a neighborhood that can come together," Krisman says. "It solidifies the fact that you are part of a great neighborhood, a great group that sees the big picture." 

That group voted by mail on a special levy tax that will help pay for the cost of ongoing expenses and additional service to the new community. The $325 tax per residential/$600 per commercial property (with a total of $145,425 annually) will go into effect in fiscal year 2013-14.

Krisman, as well as other residents of the Cambrian 36 neighborhood were at Campbell City Hall Tuesday to watch as the ballots were counted.

According to Ann Bybee, Campbell City Clerk, of the 395 ballots returned, there were 394 valid ballots. The official tally was as follows:

• 354 - Yes votes
• 36 - No votes
• 2 - spoiled ballots - did not count
• 2 - split ballots - 2 yes on A; 2 no on B

The Campbell City Council will present the final count at its May 7 meeting at City Hall, but before that the Campbell Village Neighborhood Association will celebrate with a neighborhood ribbon cutting on May 1.

"The neighborhood cares and gets it," Krisman says. "Nothing is free. You have to pay if you want good, quality services and a good, quality neighborhood.

"It has been an honor and a privilege to see us go from a loose, grassroots neighborhood group and bloom into a sophisticated organization," he says.

The details of the city of Campbell's resolution to annex the unincorporated pocket neighborhood include:

• Campbell will be paying a guaranteed base sum of $199,000 for five years.
• If at any point between the five year calculation point does the hotel at 1300 Camden Ave. or the gas station at 1370 Camden Ave. cease to operate or otherwise stop generating tax revenue, a revised calculation will be performed no later than the end of the fiscal year and an adjustment to the base payment will be made.
• If any new business opens up after the fact and generates more than $50,000 in tax revenue, a revision to the base payment will be made.
• Over a period of 40 years, the city of Campbell estimates it will perform at least two street maintenance to the area and will cost approximately $3.3 million. Because of this, the city will be entitled to a credit from the city of San Jose, starting in 2021 of $30,000 and increasing to $40,000 in 2031 and $50,00 in 2041.
• The process to purchase Cambrian 36 will be final in 40 years.

"For me, this is the proudest accomplishment during my tenure on the council and I am proud of the work of Cambrian 36 leaders," Low says. "The people of the Cambrian 36 community are resilient and dedicated to their community.

"Residents overwhelmingly voted to tax themselves to be part of Campbell, so that speaks for itself," he says. "This is a perfect example of what can be achieved when people work together."

Related articles on Cambrian 36:

• Cambrian 36 Annexation OK'd by Campbell City Council
• Final Chapter for Campbell's Cambrian 36
• Cambrian 36 Closer to Annexation into Campbell
• A Glimmer of Hope for Cambrian 36
• Part 3: Losing Campbell
• Part 2: Losing Campbell
• Part 1: Losing Campbell

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