Willow Glen Resident
News
Photograph by Vicki Thompson
Free Throw: Sean Lim, 9, shoots a basket outside his home in the Almaden Winery neighborhood. His parents were among 20 families that received a city warning to take down their hoops or pay the city for removal costs.
Families forced to move their hoops following a complaint
By Eli Segall
At least 20 families in the Almaden Winery neighborhood may have to find somewhere else to shoot baskets after receiving warning notices from the city to take down basketball hoops in front of their homes--or pay the city for removal costs.
While basketball hoops located on the grass strip between the sidewalk and the curb may be a common sight, they also are illegal in San Jose. The hoops, according to city code, are in the public right-of-way and obstruct public safety.
A city inspector blanketed the Winery neighborhood with citations April 5 after an anonymous resident sent a letter to the San Jose Transportation Department with a list of homes with illegal basketball hoops. The obstruction notices gave residents 24 hours to move their basketball hoops onto private property.
Public right-of-way citations are a complaint-driven process, said Tom Ferguson, maintenance manager for the city's transportation department. The city does not have the resources to canvass the city for violators, but when a complaint is received, the city investigates it, he said. Other right-of-way complaints include skateboard ramps and cactus trees, he added.
Many residents were stunned by the citations.
"This is a huge deal for me," said Pam Nijor, a Winery resident cited for her basketball hoop. Her 13-year- old son plays basketball there every day, which allows Nijor to keep a close eye on him.
Her driveway and back yard are too small for a hoop, she added. "There's a lot of young kids in this neighborhood; it's going to impact a lot of us."
City officials rely heavily on residents to report code violations, said San Jose Code Enforcement Division administrator Jamie Matthews. Two-thirds of the 25,000 annual cases handled by the division are manifested through complaints, including neighborhood blight, cutting trees without a permit and construction without a permit, Matthews said.
"If people stopped complaining, there'd be no code enforcement," Matthews said.
Matthews said each of the city's 10 council districts has one to three people who are active in raising issues. Code officers investigate every claim they receive, Matthews noted.
Amy Jackson is tired of resident complaints.
Jackson lives across the street from a family that last month set up a basketball hoop in the street. Jackson says she isn't bothered by it one bit.
"I like that I'm in a neighborhood where children are nurtured and cared for and play sports," Jackson said. "I walk out and see them laughing and playing, and it makes my day."
