June 19, 2002      Willow Glen, California  Since 1992



Speak Out

NIMBY attitude has benefitted WG area Willow Glen residents were recently called "not in my backyard" or NIMBYs in a recent newspaper article. Concerning traffic, Willow Glen has a long "NIMBY" success record. I guess that is why Willow Glen is a successful neighborhood community today and such a fun place to live. The fights—to keep Cherry Avenue closed to the south (at Dry Creek Road) and north (at Guadalupe Creek/Race Street), for no widening of Pine Street at Cottle Avenue, for stop signs instead of signal lights on Pine Street, to close Dry Creek Road at Cherry Avenue and not add lanes on Lincoln Avenue at Pine Street, to name a few—have all paid off. Development in Almaden and Blossom valleys was postponed for Almaden Expressway upgrades and Highway 87 completion to avoid cut-through traffic. One fight lost was keeping Hicks Road closed at Dry Creek Road. Just think how Willow Glen would be if Pine Street was another Curtner Avenue and Cherry Avenue, or another Meridian Avenue from Almaden to Race Street? Our neighbors on Hicks, Hamilton Way and other streets are now experiencing very heavy cut-through traffic because of recent developments to the south. We should support efforts to maintain those neighborhoods as we have others in the past because when one neighborhood falls, there is a rippling effect. Willow Glen residents on any street should have the assurance that we will fight for no cut-through traffic. It is unfortunate that some of us, including my family, have to be a little inconvenienced. This is a small price to pay to keep Willow Glen an active, vocal and attractive community while San Jose expands.   —Patrick Coleman, Cherry Valley Drive P.S. Don't exaggerate your inconveniences. The facts can be verified–Hicks at Cherrydale is about one mile from Minnesota and Lincoln avenues using any route. Keep writing about the performing arts Bravo to the Willow Glen Resident for the nice June 5 story about playwright Gavin Coffing! It is nice to read something truly positive about the performing arts, what with the demise of the San Jose Symphony. Performing arts are beneficial and important to a community in that they provide balance and cultural enrichment in the lives of its citizens, old and young. Mr. Coffing is to be applauded for giving talented young people the chance to experience the rewards of being in a theater production. Those young people will also learn valuable skills that can't be gained in a classroom.   —June E. Cooley, Almaden Road Sycamore trees could be damaged by fence Thank you for the coverage of the Sycamore Glen fence/trees concerns in the May 22 issue of the Willow Glen Resident. It is important that the community is aware of the potential problems with the heritage trees that will develop with the change in fence variance. An arborist has indicated that continued irrigation and new fence foundations will seriously jeopardize the health of these stately trees due to interference with the trunks and root systems. —Winifred Cooper, Dorrance Drive Thanks for story about the Sycamore Glen trees in WG I want to thank the Willow Glen Resident for the May 22 article titled "Sycamore Glen residents upset by homeowners' plans to re-fence yard." After being so unheard at the May 8 meeting with San Jose's Department of Planning, Building and Code Enforcement, whose members did not answer or address any issues brought up by concerned neighbors, it was encouraging to find a source in the Willow Glen spirit of community and neighborliness to have various neighbors' opinions expressed and in print. The fact that you took the time and energy to attempt to address a situation that affects the community, the neighborhood and the street of Sycamore Glen is indicative of the Willow Glen Resident's commitment to address issues that affect members in the Willow Glen community. Because the corner at Sycamore Glen and Dry Creek Road is an ingress-egress corner that is traveled by hundreds of neighbors to access their homes and has been for 40 years, any change such as being proposed will have an effect on them. The corner at present is beautiful—in fact, majestic! It represents a view corridor of a country setting within the heart of a city for all to enjoy. I appreciate the spaciousness, the heritage sycamore trees and the unhindered ability to safely travel along Sycamore Glen and corner at Dry Creek Road or travel Dry Creek Road and corner safely up the internal hill curve onto Sycamore Glen. The proposed fence variance and fencing, no matter how beautiful the fence, takes all that is there now away from the community and neighborhood and disrupts the harmonious 25-foot setback that was established by the planning department 40 years ago for the street„Sycamore Glen. This particular situation affects not only the neighborhood but many community members who travel and use this corner corridor, along with visitors from other areas who come here. A fence enclosing the heritage trees takes away from the view corridor and creates disharmony along Sycamore Glen. It also creates an unsafe cornering process when cars are parked along Sycamore Glen. Thank you again for allowing Willow Glen residents and neighbors to express their opinions in your paper. It is truly refreshing to have a newspaper that focuses on Willow Glen issues.   —Lorraine Harrison, Sycamore Glen Get gender right; letter writer is not unhappy, disagreeable Having given my opinion on the proposed city blight ordinance in the May 22 issue of the Willow Glen Resident, I feel I must clarify that I am not "a disagreeable and unhappy man." I am quite content when left alone, in the time I have between multiple jobs and responsibilities. I wish no one ill will; I just don't take kindly to meddlers. And I happen to be a woman. —Jax Miller, Willow Glen Sycamore Glen area neighbors should have been checked I am curious why the May 22 Willow Glen Resident article about the heritage sycamore trees quoted no one who actually lives on the street where the trees are located. Why those who use this short, bucolic street as a "major egress" to other areas of the neighborhood should think their opinions should count more than those of us who live on the street is not explained. Perhaps they should use another "egress" to get to their homes ... or slow down when turning up the street. Anyone who travels by the DiManto home knows that they have done nothing but improve the property and this "gateway" to the neighborhood. I am confident that their new plans will likewise enhance the property and the neighborhood. They are not taking the trees down. They have been very responsible in their care of these trees. In addition, how does a responsible newspaper allow persons to imply that the DiMantos used some connections with the city planners to gain approval of their plan? Where is the evidence of this? Please provide the facts before engaging in character assassination. Of course, the answer is that this is an entirely legal use of one's private property. I am a neighbor of the DiMantos who lives on Sycamore Glen. I have known them for many years. I support their right to do what they wish with their property. I know these views are shared by several of the homeowners who actually live on Sycamore Glen.   —David J. Stock, Sycamore Glen Regrets losing 'Lincoln Louie' I am writing in regard to the June 12 article about the arrest of Louis Lopez. I don't know whether he is better off where he is now but I do know that this is another great example of how mentally ill people are treated in this country. I am especially upset that arresting police had to put him in the hospital to effect his arrest. Everyone who has been in this neighborhood for any amount of time knew that he had problems but when he was lucid he was a very bright and kind person and a hard worker. The police should also be trained in some less aggressive tactics. The fact that he was "resisting arrest" should be no excuse for pounding an unarmed 60-year-old-plus person to the pavement. I do also know that the police have a difficult and oftentimes dangerous job to perform, but didn't any of them know him or ask any of the merchants who did? My neighbor, who saw the arrest, told me that there were at least four police cars there, plus a fire engine and ambulance, and that he saw Louis bleeding quite profusely. I was not there and do not know exactly what happened, and I don't mean to demean the police for their actions. But I found it very sad that someone who had tried to make a life for himself within the boundaries of his illness and with the support of so many kind people on Lincoln Avenue should have to leave us this way. In the old days and in a small town, he probably would have just been regarded as the "town character" but I guess that is some of what has disappeared in becoming a fast-paced and faceless community. And since we have no effective system for treating the mentally ill, we have more and more of these types of people who somehow have to be accepted into the community because there is no place else for them to go.   —Jim Campbell, Nevada Avenue

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