Willow Glen Resident

News

Parkland options in District 6 include rooftops, above freeway

By Monica Heger

From parks over freeways to parks on top of buildings, residents of District 6 are thinking up creative ways to use their limited open space.

There is not enough available land to reach the goal of 3.5 acres of parks per 1,000 residents. Currently, District 6 has 36.89 acres of vacant land, and there is already a park deficit of 59.4 acres.

Staff from the department of parks, recreation and neighborhood services met Sept. 27 to discuss with residents their park priorities.

One major concern was the high rate of housing developments coupled with the slow rate of park construction.

"I'd like to see a trigger--no new housing development until parks are being built," said Joe Bentley, a Shasta Hanchett resident. "We're allowing 1,000 families to move into the neighborhood with no yards and parks are built in what, three years?"

Yolanda Reynolds, another San Jose resident, suggested the old fire station training facility that is now being studied as a parking garage in the ballpark plan be converted into a park.

She said her neighborhood had worked hard on a plan for a park there that would include a dog run, as well as fields for children to play soccer and baseball.

Susan Price said the lack of park space was leading to turf battles among neighbors.

Price said the park-over-the-freeway idea would be perfect.

The idea of building a park on a bridge over a freeway is not so far-fetched, Price said. It has been done in Seattle, Sacramento and Chicago.

The plan, which is being studied by city staff, includes building a park over the depressed portion of I-280 between Bascom and Meridian avenues.

Residents said one of the problems with parks constructed by developers is that they are often earmarked for private use.

"We're right in the middle of District 6, but we're empty, like a doughnut," said Price, who lives in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood. Residents also suggested more creative ways to share the use of existing parks to avoid neighbor confrontations. The biggest disputes, they said, occur between dog owners who wanted their dogs to run off leash and children wanting to play soccer or other sports.

Another idea bandied about was the construction of parks on top of buildings. Chicago recently planted a rooftop garden on its city hall building.

District 6 residents will have another opportunity to discuss the issue in two months. Helen Chapman, the chair of the parks and recreation commission, urged residents to attend the San Jose City Council meeting Oct. 24, where the council will decide whether to increase the fees a developer has to pay for parkland.

San Jose City Council, 200 E. Santa Clara St., meets on Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. Parking validation is available.