Residents, businesses meet again to discuss Lincoln Ave.

Traffic, parking and beautification biggest concerns

By Kate Carter

The Willow Glen community came together last week for the second time to discuss long-term plans for improving the Lincoln Avenue business district. At its next meeting, it will determine items for inclusion in a final plan.

District 6 City Councilman Ken Yeager, David Early with the Berkeley-based Design, Community and Environment consulting firm and staff from the city's Redevelopment Agency, Planning Department and Environmental Services Department joined about 50 business owners and residents at Willow Glen Elementary School March 21. The group heard about short-term fixes that are already underway as well as research done by the consultants, then joined them in brainstorming long-term solutions.

The $200,000 study of Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota and Coe avenues is being funded by the city's redevelopment agency in an effort to make the business district stronger now and in the future.

Three action items are already being addressed, Early said. Ten of the street's lights will have bulbs replaced in the next three to four weeks, he said. The city's Public Works Department is also investigating the source of areas of sewer smell along the avenue, he said, which could be coming from either the sewer or the storm drainage system. It will be sending a video camera into the lines to determine if there is a problem and will be cleaning the lines once a month during the summer, when the smell is really bad, he said.

In addition, the city will be renegotiating its contract with its trash pickup firm by June 30, at which time it will ask for 50 trash receptacles to replace the 30 already along Lincoln Avenue, Early said. The cans should be installed in July, he said, and, responding to a question, added that the new contract for trash pickup times along Lincoln would also be renegotiated.

Some at the meeting also mentioned problems ancillary to the smell and trash--pigeons and their droppings, as well as swarms of gnats. Early said those concerns haven't yet been addressed but that the group will contact the county's vector control program.

Early also said that a project to add lighting on the arches at the crosswalks is underway and should be completed in the next few months.

Then Early presented work the group has done to determine concerns about the street and possible long-term solutions.

The consultants conducted a shopper survey of 108 residents in the 95124, 95125 and 95126 ZIP codes. Thirty-four percent said they don't shop on Lincoln Avenue because of its lack of selection; 66 percent said they do shop on Lincoln, largely because of its convenience.

In ranking the avenue's positive aspects, 49 percent most valued its character, 12 percent its restaurants, 10 percent its convenience and 9 percent a specific store or service. Of the avenue's negative aspects, 29 percent mentioned parking, 22 percent traffic and pedestrian safety and 18 percent limited store selection.

Among the things respondents would like to see more of on the avenue are bars and restaurants with later hours, department and boutique stores, mid-priced restaurants, grocery stores, special events and parking.

Jeffrey Eichenfield and Associates, the consultant working to improve the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association, has also spoken with association board members, business and property owners and the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board. Eichenfield said the business association is learning about its sources of income, working to establish better relationships with other organizations, creating better methods of communication with its members and determining its involvement in street maintenance, safety and special events.

Early said his group has done a review of the street and identified four different geographic sections. The areas near the intersections of Minnesota Avenue and Willow Street attract more energy and serve as "hubs" for the area, he said. Areas between Minnesota and Willow and Willow to Coe Avenue are used with less intensity.

He proposed that gateways be constructed at Coe, Willow and Minnesota to make the business district stand out and alert drivers that they are entering a special zone. He also suggested that Willow Glen Elementary School, at the corner of Minnesota and Lincoln avenues, and the Garden Theater on Lincoln be better utilized as landmarks of the area.

Early also addressed the street's problems with traffic.

"There's a lot of traffic coming up and down that street," he said. "It's not necessarily the traffic you want. It's really just people passing through."

He said the group, along with the city, could consider emphasizing Almaden Expressway, Highway 87 or Bird and Meridian avenues as alternatives for motorists to get to and from downtown San Jose. He also mentioned creating larger sidewalks at intersections--bulb-outs--to make crossing the street safer for pedestrians and reducing the number of driveways across the sidewalks.

Other recommendations for traffic calming on the street were better striped crosswalks, better signage, photo radar, raised islands and speed bumps. Early also mentioned that the city is considering installing signs in the middle of crosswalks.

The other major issue Early raised was parking along Lincoln Avenue. He said that, in addition to finding more space for parking, the existing lots could also be better used. He said he and Yeager would meet with eight of the largest parking lot owners to discuss better coordination.

After meeting in groups, the participants came up with a number of ideas of their own. The possibilities included making the street one lane each way with a center lane for left turns and diagonal parking; closing the Almaden Expressway exit to Lincoln Avenue; adding a bicycle lane; hanging flashing lights over the street; implementing public art and beautification, parks and greenery; and bringing in an anchor store like Pottery Barn or Trader Joe's.

Early said he would take those ideas and combine them with others to incorporate into list of alternatives that would be presented at the next community meeting.

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