"There is no sidewalk in our neighborhood and there is no need to have one," said Laplain, 42. "Corte Madera Lane is a cul-de-sac and it's not on a route to anywhere."

"I don't want to change the character of the neighborhood," she said.

To preserve the rural nature of her neighborhood, Laplain and her neighbor Brian Barry went from door-to-door and collected signatures from their neighbors to petition the city to waive the sidewalk requirement.

The city council approved their petition March 15. Corte Madera Lane became the city's first street designated as a semi-rural area since the city passed a rural or semi-rural designation ordinance in October 2003. Such a designation spares residents from making street improvements like building sidewalks, curbs, gutters and streetlights when they apply for a building permit.

In May, the city council gave eight more streets the semi-rural designation. "This is a good example of self government," said Mayor Sandy James. "The residents can decide what they want."

In Cupertino, there are a number of pockets of residential developments like Laplain's that don't meet the current city standards for curbs, gutters, sidewalks and streetlights. As property owners apply for a building permit, whether it's a remodel or a new residence, the city requires them to put aside a bond and make the street improvements so the city's standard infrastructure will be applied through out Cupertino.

But during the past year, a number of property owners raised concerns and requested that the city allow them to keep their neighborhoods' rural integrity. Eventually, the city council modified the ordinance last year.

To be eligible for a rural or semi-rural designation, at least two-thirds of the property owners along the affected street must sign a petition to the city. The street must have adequate drainage and not need curbs and gutters. And the street must not be on a recognized route to school and pedestrians must be able to travel safely along the street without a separate pedestrian pathway.

Although the city worries about safety issues, residents in these rural neighborhoods say they don't think the lack of sidewalks will cause safety problems.

"There is very little traffic in our area. Safety should not be an issue," said Nick Szabo, resident on Creston Drive for 35 years. His street was just designated as a semi-rural area.

For many residents, having a semi-rural designation is more than preserving the character of their neighborhood. It's also a money issue. Erecting a street light costs about $5,000. It costs between $4,000 and $5,000 to build a sidewalk in front of a house. And the construction of curbs and gutters costs $25 per foot.

The designation expires only if no projects occur along the designated street within five years. If the designation expires, the neighborhood needs to apply again for such a designation.

Residents who are interested in the semi-rural designation can call public works department at 408.777.3354.