Willow Glen Resident

News

Whether it's hoops, trees or junk, residents need to work out problems

By Mayra Flores De Marcotte

Willow Glen is often described as a friendly neighborhood with a small-town feel. That's why John Pisacane and Mike Jennett moved into their Willow Glen homes.

"People move into Willow Glen for the same reasons I did," Pisacane said. "I can walk to work."

The dentist operates his practice out of the Bank of America building on Lincoln Avenue.

"On my way, I know everyone and everyone says hello," he said. "What a great place to be. It's a sweet way to live."

Lately that view of Willow Glen has come into question, after news of illegally felled trees, moveable basketball hoops out on the street and blight-ridden back yards became a major topic of neighborhood conversation.

"It's disappointing," Jennett said. "I've lived in Willow Glen since 2000, and I moved here specifically because of the community."

After all the finger-pointing, Jennett said people will get the wrong impression about the San Jose neighborhood.

"It's not like that," he said. "I joke with everyone that I can't get 20 minutes from my house without seeing someone I know. It's really sad to see this kind of press."

On a January weekend, three sycamore trees were illegally cut down on Camino Ricardo. On March 12, the city of San Jose visited Willow Glen to remove a moveable basketball hoop that was on the parking strip and cited the owner, who failed to move it after two warnings. Finally, in April the city threatened a homeowner on Willow Glen Way with jail time and a fine if she and her son didn't clean up the junk and clutter in the back yard. All three issues were results of neighbor complaints to the city, and Jennett said that there is a better way.

"If you have issues with a neighbor, you should go out, take a walk and get to know each other," he said.

As far as the hoops issue, Jennett said it's great that there are parks with basketball courts for children to play, but families should be able to play outside their home.

"Things were different when I was growing up," he said. "We played hockey and basketball everywhere. Neighbors would watch out for us. I would just hate to see that disappear."

Pisacane acknowledges problems arise between neighbors, but if they try and work things out, the situation usually improves.

"The less direct communication, the more misinterpreted it can be," he said.

He, too, has a basketball hoop in his yard where his children play. He said that when his neighbor came to him and said it bothered her, he compromised with her and had his children stop playing by 7 p.m.

"Unfortunately, not everyone is mature enough to do this," Pisacane said.

In regard to the hoop, San Jose Department of Transportation maintenance manager Tom Ferguson said it was in violation of the city's ordinance for obstruction. Although there is no specific reference to basketball hoops in the ordinance, it prohibits anything on the street or sidewalk that is considered an obstruction.

"We don't allow people to place things in the walkway or in the street that would hinder the progress of cars," Ferguson said.

Ferguson said although the ordinance is used moderately, it is mostly used for obstructions such as dirt, building materials and abandoned pieces, not illegal hoops.

"We don't aggressively pursue people on these things," Ferguson said, "We would prefer that people work with us to resolve the issue."