Instead of seeing scenic views of thriving vegetation, commuters and business owners in the area see black pavement with double solid yellow lines. This may soon change as city officials work to make the area bounded by the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and Prospect Road more appealing and in line with other areas in Saratoga.

The Gateway road project is scheduled to begin in June or July and will entail repaving crosswalks, adding sidewalks, replacing the bare-line medians with landscaped ones, and installing a new light on Seagull Way that would coordinate with the train that passes through the area approximately four times a week.

Funds have been set aside for the project, in which the city matched 20 percent of what the state provided.

Barbara Moore, a resident of the Gateway area for 18 years, said the improvements would not only enhance the area aesthetically but will also improve traffic flow.

"Adding a median would make the area more organized," she said. "It would alleviate the center where cars come together to make turns."

Moore also said that it would be nice to see a continuation of what's on the other side of the railroad tracks.

In an effort to keep the new look consistent throughout the Gateway area, the city is also looking into establishing the area as a landscape and lighting maintenance zone. Under the plan, the city will pay a contractor to maintain the frontage landscaping surrounding the businesses. The total cost of maintaining the area, which may include trimming bushes, picking up trash and watering plants, will be sent to the county, where it will factor in the costs when assessing the property owners' tax bills. Property owners may choose whether or not to charge business owners who rent the space. Either way, tax dollars would eventually go back to the city.

In addition, should property owners decide to incorporate these costs in their tenants' leases, business owners could pay anywhere from $10 to $100 a month, depending on the amount of work required to maintain the area.

According to Public Works Director John Cherbone, the costs would be divided among the number of parcels in the area.

"This would be a good alternative for those property owners who don't have the time to deal with these day-to-day issues of maintaining their areas," said Cherbone. "It puts less responsibility on them. It's easier to have someone else do the work."

Vice Mayor Ann Waltonsmith, who is also a member of the Gateway ad hoc committee, said she hopes business owners will see the value of being in a landscape and lighting maintenance zone.

"It would help give the area a common theme instead of having each property owner do something different from his or her neighbors," she said.

Councilman and Gateway committee member Norman Kline said he agreed that the improvements would give the area a consistent look and feel.

"Customers in the area would appreciate being in a quality environment," he said. "It will also improve the value of the properties."

According to Kline, fixing up and maintaining the landscape near the businesses would make the actual road improvements even more worthwhile.

"It would ensure taxpayers that their money will be well-invested and protected," he said.

Renee Erkson, the owner of Argonaut Shower & Mirror Inc., said she's definitely not opposed to paying a little extra to have the area look more appealing.

"It's important that the area look clean and presentable for the residents as well as the customers," she said. "It would make me feel prouder to be here."

Erkson said she and one of her neighbors have tried to enhance the area themselves by placing large flowerpots in front of their stores. However, she admitted that the flowers are not well-maintained.

Chad Garton, owner of The Pool Guys, who shares the flower pots with Erkson, said he is tired of taking care of the flowers and would also be willing to spend a bit more on rent to have the area cleaned up.

"It would be a good idea to have the landscape and lighting maintenance zone," said Dolores Jamhour, who owns the building complex next to the railroad tracks. Jamhour said she does hire someone to clean the area up when needed but also mentioned that it would be nice to have the city be responsible for it. Like her tenants Erkson and Garton, she said she would be willing to pay for city services and would probably not include these costs in her tenants' rent until it's time to renegotiate their leases.

However, business owner Mukesh Patel of Holiday Cleaners said he's not too thrilled about having to pay the city for something he doesn't want.

"I'm very satisfied with my landlord and his services," said Patel. "He really looks out for his property. I've seen him go out and clean the lights himself on a regular basis."

Patel said he's against having the medians installed on the street because it will prevent potential customers from wanting to drive into the parking lot. Drivers can enter the median to make a left or right turn anytime, but with landscaping in the way they would have to drive further up and make a U-turn.

"It's a waste of money," he said. "It would do the opposite and drive business away."

There are currently approximately a dozen landscape and lighting maintenance zones in Saratoga. Cherbone said he will be researching the interests of the property and business owners in the area to determine whether the city will designate the Gateway area as a zone. According to Proposition 218, the city would need a majority vote to pursue the plan.