By Julie Mehta
A task force whose challenge is to make the northern entrance to Saratoga more inviting this week completed a series of meetings about improvements to the Gateway corridor.
This part of Sunnyvale-Saratoga Road, which stretches between Prospect Road and the railroad tracks at the city's Cupertino border, soon will be transferred from state to city ownership.
Earlier this year, a task force of about 25 business owners and residents in the area began meeting to discuss roadway improvements, traffic, building design, landscaping, lighting and
signage issues. Their goal was to develop ideas for improving the physical appearance, pedestrian safety and economic vitality of the Gateway area.
One possibility included building an iron or stone arch or other monument at the entrance to the city, said Zoe Cowherd Alameda, a task force member and owner/funeral director of the Saratoga-Cupertino Funeral Home.
Another suggestion was to continue the sidewalk between Sea Gull Way and Prospect Road to create a "meandering, strolling area in the European fashion," Alameda said.
Other ideas included establishing uniform signs to give businesses greater visibility; changing the name of the street to provide for a unique identity; and slowing down traffic by restructuring the signals. Alameda said one suggestion that drew broad support was the installation of a stoplight at Sea Gull Way because several fatal accidents have occurred there.
The task force will compile its recommendations into a plan to present to the City Council on July 9. That's when the city will start looking into the funding needed for the various suggestions and figuring out what's feasible.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, June 5, 1996.
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