Saratoga, California Since
1955
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Trail plan gets conditional OK By Kate Carter Saratoga's efforts are the sole remaining hope in building at least some of a trail connecting parks in Cupertino and Los Gatos, but city council members want to be sure their constituents want them to make the effort. The council gave the go-ahead June 19 for city staff to apply for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) money to create the 1.6-mile route along the Union Pacific railroad tracks from Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road to Saratoga Avenue. But most council members sharply directed staff to inform all residents near the proposed trail of the plans, involve them in the discussion and address their concerns, saying that if there isn't strong support for the project, the council will remove its support. Cary Bloomquist, staff liaison to the project - which started out two years ago as a joint effort between Saratoga, Los Gatos and Campbell under Cupertino's leadership - heard the council's directives loud and clear. Less than a week after the council meeting, he said that staff is looking for an unbiased consultant to help the city reach out to the community and hold several public input meetings this summer and fall. Following those meetings, the outcomes will be reported back to the council, which will then decide whether to move forward on the project, he said. In the meantime, Bloomquist will be submitting the city's official application for VTA to fund 80 percent of the project, expected to cost $2 million, by the July 5 deadline. (VTA had originally offered to fund 80 percent of the entire $9.2 million project.) VTA would require the city to put up 20 percent, or $400,000, of the final total, which Celia Chung of VTA said could come from sources outside the city's general fund. Even if the council decides to abandon the project, by requesting the funding now the city will not lose its chance to create the trail if it does decide to do so, Bloomquist said. "It's just to kind of keep us in the process," he said. "We just want to make sure there's some funding reserved in case there is a desire to move forward. It would be something we could start on and could be a placemarker for VTA money." The proposed trail is really the dregs of a larger proposition, spearheaded by the city of Cupertino, to connect Rancho San Antonio County Park to the Los Gatos Creek Trail and ultimately Vasona Lake County Park along a stretch adjacent to the railroad tracks that walkers, joggers and bicyclists already use without authorization. That effort, however, fizzled out last fall when Union Pacific said it would not allow any of its right of way to be used for the trail until its liability concerns were sufficiently addressed and the trail's value to the railroad could be proven. Bloomquist said that the implicit message from Union Pacific was that it wouldn't support the trail until it had stopped using the tracks, which could happen sometime in the next 10 to 20 years. "If we can't get the land," he said, "we can't do anything." However, the adjacent right of way along one of the trail's proposed reaches is almost entirely owned by PG&E. That segment, located within Saratoga, is the only part that could still be created in the near future, if PG&E is willing to allow it. Ironically, however, in public meetings held while the whole project was still an option, the majority of Saratogan participants expressed opposition to the trail, while other communities were largely in favor of it. In addition, Saratogans living along the proposed trail submitted a petition last fall with about 50 signatures, saying they didn't want the natural, de facto trail, used by maybe a couple hundred people a day, to become a paved trail that could be used by thousands. The PG&E right of way between Cox and Saratoga avenues actually runs between houses' backyards on both sides. Bloomquist said that he understood their concerns and is neutral on the proposal himself. But he added that Saratoga made sure to inform its residents near the trail of the public meetings and that other communities didn't. He said those living along the trail tend to be those in opposition, while others living several blocks away tend to be more in support. The majority of the council said that, before the project could go forward, most of those living along the trail would have to be supportive of it. It added that organizations like the Rails to Trails Conservancy, bicyclist and pedestrian groups and even the city itself should not be pushing through a project that the residents don't like. "I think it's important that the people who live on the trail speak out in support of a formal trail," Mayor Nick Streit said. "We could be changing the character of their neighborhood, and we want to hear from each and every neighbor. People move in and spend big dollars in Saratoga because they like the character of their neighborhoods. What we are trying to do is make sure everybody is heard." He added that by bringing everyone together to discuss the issue, a compromise project could be developed. However, Councilwoman Ann Waltonsmith, who has been a supporter of the trail project, said it's more important for the council to take action that could benefit the broader community in the area, not just those living along the proposed trail. She said that those who signed the petition about the larger trail might feel differently about a shorter trail, especially as it will make the trail legal, safer and open to more people. "I'm sure there are neighbors that want to see a trail there," she said. "To me, it's better to formalize it." Bloomquist is trying to find a consulting firm without an agenda on a project like this to provide the facts to the stakeholders, lead a discussion and elicit a response. "We're going to find out how people really feel about this thing," he said. Meetings could begin later this summer. Bloomquist said he didn't yet know how much of the community would be notified of the meetings, but that at the very least residents adjacent to the trail would be invited. The question remains, however, what importance a trail connecting one thoroughfare to another for about 1 1/2 miles really has. It could set a precedent for the expansion of the trail to its originally proposed length sometime in the future. However, it could just create anxiety among those nearby worried about increased crime and reduced property values. And it all depends on how the future plays out, with the railroad, city support and neighborhood interest. "There are so many good arguments on each side," Bloomquist said. "That's what makes it so challenging. You're setting an example, you're establishing a kernel of hope for the future, but there are no guarantees." |
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