City Beat

Residents participate in Gardner area plan

City looking for volunteers for implementation

By Kate Carter

As the city leads blighted neighborhoods through the last steps of an improvement process, it wants neighbors to provide some guidance, as well.

San Jose's Strong Neighborhoods Initiative, which is creating programs to refurbish its older and more rundown neighborhoods, is beginning to enter its implementation phase in some communities. Representatives of the city's redevelopment agency, which will be funding much of the work once the city council approves plans this summer, met with members of Willow Glen's greater Gardner community March 26 to solicit help with some of the decision-making.

The meeting was attended by the presidents and members of the area's three neighborhood associations--the North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association, led by president Alison England; the Gregory Plaza Neighborhood Association, led by president Mary Pizzo; and the Gardner Advisory Council, led by president Norma Mendez. All three groups have been involved for about a year and a half in drafting an action plan for improvements to their community. Their plan was approved by the San Jose City Council earlier this year; the council is scheduled to approve a broader plan for work in all 22 participating neighborhoods this summer.

In anticipation of that, the redevelopment agency's Deborah Nelson and Callie Struggs, along with Art Niño of the City of San Jose Department of Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services, presented to the group a list of its top 10 action items and asked for volunteers to help the city agencies make those projects happen.

"The plan itself is basically a done deal," Struggs said. "The city is essentially taking these on as tasks now."

The list includes repairing and reconstructing streets and sidewalks; improving parking and circulation around Gardner Academy; improving open space, traffic business facades and streetscapes throughout the neighborhood; and further enforcing code violations, among other objectives.

Struggs distributed the list and asked attendees to sign up to assist on one or more of the 10 items. Volunteers, she said, would serve as liaisons between the city agencies on the particular items and their neighborhood associations' help the city make decisions about things like trees, lampposts and other specific design choices; and be kept up to date on the city's work.

"We need to make sure we're doing what you asked us to do and you need to know what we're doing," she said.

Struggs also reported that work on some items, such as improvements around Gardner Academy and code enforcement, is already underway.

To receive a copy of the item list and sign up as a volunteer, contact Struggs at 408.794.1168 or Niño at 408.297.9135.

In other news, England announced that the neighborhoods have received two $10,000 grants for the city to beautify overhead railroad crossings and create a North Willow Glen Neighborhood Association newsletter.

She also said the city's parks commission will hold a public hearing April 3 to rename the park at the corner of Bird and Fisk avenues. The majority of the community supports the name "Hummingbird Park," but England said the commission appears to be leaning toward the name "Horrworth Park" in honor of Julia Horrworth, a member of a historical San Jose family. She encouraged residents to attend the meeting at 5 p.m. at 4 N. Second St., suite 600.

Code enforcement officer Diane Buchanan told the group that her team will be conducting a blight sweep through the area during the week of April 8 and sending warning letters to anyone with cars stored on the street or broken cars and other appliances on the front edge of private property. If nothing changes, violators will receive $250 citations, she said.

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