Sidewalks, Streets, Trails and Street Lights and Trees

Sidewalks, streets, trails, street lights and trees are the basic ingredients that make up a beautiful neighborhoods. The following is a list of specific improvements totaling over $1.3 million in these categories to keep our neighborhoods beautiful:

• Completion of Saratoga Trail from Murdock Park to Prospect Road. This will provide an off-street route for pedestrians to use to the terminus of the San Tomas/Saratoga Creek Trail. This section is planned as a soft-surface, pedestrian-only segment for neighbors and trail users. There is funding in the current budget for the trail section between Murdock Park and Bollinger Road. Completing the trail from Murdock Park to Prospect Road will complete the San Jose portion of the trail. (BD #67 - $400,000 Proposition 12 funds)
• Saratoga Avenue Median Island. The El Paseo Shopping Center renovation included a 250-foot concrete island on Saratoga Avenue makes the area look barren. The median island is too narrow to support landscaping and provide sufficient clearance for vehicles, but a cobblestone treatment will improve the island's appearance at modest cost. (BD #58 -$20,000)
• Urban Trails Program. The development of an urban trails program would tie residential and commercial centers to other community resources with well-marked paths with sidewalk treatments, plaques or decorative inserts, greater sidewalk widths, and additional street trees. I recommend that such a program be referred to the Greater Downtown Strategy Task Force for consideration in its recommendations to the Agency Board.
• Spraying and Removal Tulip Trees. Diseased tulip trees drip a very sticky sap onto the pavement and vehicles, and it is necessary to spray the diseased trees and remove all the tulip trees to prevent this problem from arising in the future. The spraying and removal of the 500 tulip trees in District Four would require $152,500. (BD #32 - $152,000)
• Chinese Elm Maintenance in the Tropicana Neighborhood. These trees are extremely fast growing and require high maintenance to prevent obstruction of motorists’ views and the blockage of streetlights in order to maintain neighborhood safety. I recommend that 157 high-maintenance trees be replaced with low-maintenance ones. (BD # 31 - $125,600)
• Streetlights for Tropicana and Rosemary Garden Neighborhoods. In these two neighborhoods, there is a need to bring street lighting up to current City standards. DPW has already surveyed the Tropicana area and proposed adding 125 streetlights costing $580,000. I recommend $400,000 to be divided evenly between these two neighborhoods to add approximately 40 streetlights each that will be a significant step toward reaching community standards. (BD #39 - $400,000)
• Relandscaping of the East Side of White Road between Norwood and Quimby. This park strip was planted many years ago with eucalyptus trees. Landscape improvements will include removal of the existing large eucalyptus trees, replacement with Raywood ash trees, installation of a complete irrigation system, and planting of vines on sound walls. This proposal would fund the renovation of the existing landscaping and provide a safer street for both automobile and pedestrian travel. (BD # 74 - $150,000)
• Support for “Our City Forest” Tree Planting Program. This community organization provides tree planting and related services to our neighborhoods throughout the city. Our City Forest's combination of expertise and volunteer-based strategies for planting and stewardship results in significant community benefits with modest investments. Our City Forest programs planned for San Jose next year include planting 1,200 shade trees in central and north San Jose, planting 600 street trees throughout San Jose, special pruning and maintenance for 700 street trees, and the care and maintenance of trees at 25 schools. In addition, the City of San Jose is providing 1,200 trees so that Our City Forest can to build on the Mayor’s “2000 Trees for the Millennium” project. (BD # 66 - $65,000)