Officials at the redevelopment agency are considering a plan to consolidate San Jose's 19 Strong Neighborhood Initiative areas—including Greater Gardner—into six larger ones.

Redevelopment agency staff said the proposal—still in the draft stage—streamlines the way neighborhoods work with the city, while allowing it to cut $681,479 from its budget.

However, the top priorities for each area will escape the budget ax. So Greater Gardner residents can still look forward to eliminating blight and improving Willow Glen streets.

Asked what changes SNI residents will notice after the consolidation, Kip Harkness of the San Jose Redevelopment Agency said, "In some ways, not a lot. The main driver and strength behind the SNIs are the neighborhood leaders and neighborhoods themselves."

He described the consolidation as a way to get "fewer cooks in the kitchen." Previously San Jose Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services staff worked alongside redevelopment agency staff as co-leaders. "Now we'll have one cook in the kitchen, with a sous chef where appropriate," Harkness said.

San Jose Redevelopment Agency staffer Cynthia Bojorquez explained the reorganization represents a shift from planning to implementation now that each SNI has determined its top 10 priorities. "Each area will be assigned three staff positions: one dedicated to the development of new leaders, a second focused on project management and the development of required resources and a third lead position responsible for the overall management of the team and the identification of service delivery system enhancements."

Neighborhood advisory committees for the Greater Gardner area, which includes North Willow Glen, are still pondering the implications of the change.

"It's probably going to make our life a lot harder," Greater Gardner Coalition Chairman Kevin Christman said. "I think the consolidation would combine Greater Gardner with Spartan/Keyes, Delmas Park and Washington SNIs. But if you combine all four SNI's top priorities, whose priority comes first now?"

And Bojorquez said residents in those neighborhoods are also worried about the consolidation. "The biggest concern we've heard relates to the possible reassignment of staff. It is inevitable that staffing changes will occur in some neighborhoods," she said. "However, every effort will be made to maintain consistency to the extent possible. We recognize that staff members have built tremendous relationships with the communities they serve, and we will do our best to respect those relationships."

Staff writer Amy Wicks contributed to this story.