What have we learned?

Last month, on September 10, the Fremont City Council approved construction of a housing navigation center at the controversial city hall location. The center was finally approved after months of deliberation, public outcry, community activism, and a few significant protests at city hall. For good or ill, the public discourse on this center brought out many in the community who had never before engaged in city politics. Sadly, more than a few harsh words were shared.

Now that the debate is over and some time has passed, the question should be asked, what did we learn from all of this?

For those unfamiliar, this all started when the city tried to take advantage of a one-time state grant by placing a housing navigation center in Niles, on private land that was to be leased from the Niles Discovery Church.

The city taking advantage of state money to help the local homeless population. Who would oppose that? It should have been easy, yet it was the process that the city went through, not the end goal, that all but guaranteed the public outcry that was to follow.

Cities all across California received similar grants, yet they did not suffer the same challenges. This can be traced to the fact that all of those other cities started with the same first step, which was to determine the right way to invest those limited dollars based on the needs of their individual communities. Some cities decided to build a navigation center. Some did not, choosing to spend the money on other programs to help the homeless. There were many options available to use the money. But all took that same first step of examining their choices before deciding what to do.

All except Fremont. If the city performed any similar form of due diligence, it does not seem to be in the public record.

Instead, Fremont simply went forward with the navigation center. A public outreach meeting was held in April at the Niles Discovery Church, which very few members of the public outside of the church congregation even knew about.

But a few did know, and after the meeting they literally went door-to-door telling their neighbors what was going on. The people of Niles then came together to learn what the city was planning to do. They discovered that the center for the homeless could not have been placed in a worse spot. Located on land that could not otherwise be built upon due to the presence of a major earthquake fault, the center would place thin walled sleeping quarters only a few feet from a major railway while housing residents far from every significant service they would need.

After months of outcry from Niles, the city finally chose to study the issue. Unsurprisingly, they found that better locations were available. Choosing from a list of eleven choices, the council settled on two options, one at city hall and the other on Decoto. The council then took a break for the summer, dispatching city staff to do further study on each site.

During the break residents, business leaders, civic groups, and others weighed in on the issue. Public pressure compelled the city to hold multiple community input sessions. People joined together to state their views on the issue. Some wanted it at city hall, others at the Decoto site. Some argued not to build one at all, while a few pushed for multiple centers. Many views were heard.

Ultimately, the council unanimously agreed to build the center at city hall. Now, after months of public debate, including often bitter arguing, countless tax dollars being spent, and with almost a year until the first person takes up residency at the center we must stop and ask ourselves, what have we learned?

Personally, I have learned that I am part of a vibrant, vocal, and talented community that can come together for the betterment of all. That I have neighbors, many of whom I now count as friends, that are willing to stand up for what they believe in. I am grateful to have come to know so many amazing people that I otherwise never would have met.

As to what the city learned, that remains to be seen. After causing so much division and discord I would hope that they learned to engage with the community before making decisions. To examine all possibilities, within reason of course, to make an informed choice before moving forward with projects that will cost millions of tax dollars and impact people’s lives. I hope they have learned, but time will tell.

Now I would ask everyone, myself included, to learn one final thing. People from all across Fremont came together to voice their opinions on this important issue. Can we now learn to stay together, to remain engaged and active?

We joined together over the navigation center, but there are many other actions that the city is taking which will have a direct impact on our lives and our city. The Fremont General Plan 2030, which calls for the urbanization of Fremont and is profoundly changing our city, and the Vision Zero 2020 initiative, which is already reshaping our streets, are perfect examples.

Now we won’t all agree on these issues. We shouldn’t. But like the navigation center, these are things that the city is already moving forward on and they will have a direct impact on all of our lives. If we can have an open and equitable conversation on these and other issues now, maybe we can avoid so much division and discord in the future.