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Council determines potential study issues
By Jana Seshadri
After hearing from local residents, city council members came to a consensus at their Nov. 27 meeting that potential study issues for the next year should be transportation, downtown density and communication outreach.
These issues would be discussed in study sessions and possibly appear as agenda items at council meetings during the coming year.
The issue of downtown density was brought up by residents concerned with Community Development Department-6, which is a review of residential density in the downtown area. Residents present strongly opposed further development in the residential areas surrounding the downtown area.
Citing the Juniper Networks and Yahoo! buildings as examples of unattractive architecture, resident Werner Gans urged the council to study architectural designs of office buildings before it approves them in the future. Gans also brought up the traffic congestion in the city and asked that it be included as a study topic.
Councilman Jack Walker suggested the city should also be prepared to discuss the light-rail issue again as a possibility for alternative transportation in the future.
Resident Fred Wiesinger, a member of the Bicycle Advisory Committee, asked that the council study the bike lane issue along Mary Avenue. He also complained that he was not aware of the public hearing until he checked the city's website and should have been notified ahead of time, which led to a discussion about the city's communication with and outreach to residents.
Wiesinger said many other bicycle enthusiasts and pedestrians feel strongly about the issue and would have been present at the meeting had they known about it.
"The calendar was posted on the website at the beginning of the year," City Clerk Susan Kitchens responded. "And information was sent out with the quarterly newsletter."
Councilwoman Julia Miller said residents who do not have access to a computer or who are not familiar with the technology obviously cannot access the meeting's agenda from the city's website. Miller suggested the city utilize the KSUN channel to communicate to its residents, as well as using mailings with utility bills.
Councilman Tim Risch agreed, adding that the city should find ways to communicate effectively with its residents about upcoming meeting agendas to enable interested parties to attend.
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Sunnyvale, California Since 1994
