RECOMMENDATION

Strong Neighborhoods Initiative staff advises the Planning Commission to recommend that the City Council: (1) approve the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative Gateway East Neighborhood Improvement Plan, as the City/community vision for the future of the Gateway East Neighborhood, (2) authorize the Administration to direct the City Departments and Agencies with implementation responsibilities to begin their respective activities, including the general oversight of the implementation of the Plan by the Redevelopment Agency, and (3) encourage the Gateway East property owners, residents and community members to dedicate their time, energy and resources to implement the recommendations of the Plan and continue their community building activities.

BACKGROUND

Gateway East. The Gateway East area is comprised of two distinct neighborhoods, Mayfair West and Plata Arroyo. Mayfair West is bordered by Highway 101 to the west, King Road to the east, Alum Rock Avenue to the north and Highway 280 to the south. Plata Arroyo is bordered by King Road to the west, Alum Rock Avenue to the south and Lower Silver Creek to the north and east.

Located within Council District 5, Gateway East is one of the smaller Strong Neighborhoods Initiative areas. The two neighborhoods are primarily comprised of older one- story single-family homes, a small number of duplexes and four-plexes and a few apartment buildings. In addition, the plan area includes strip commercial uses, primarily retail, office and restaurants, along Alum Rock Avenue and King Road. Several new residential projects have been approved for areas located just outside of the study area, along Alum Rock Avenue.

Gateway East Planning Process and Participation. The Gateway East Neighborhood Improvement Plan was prepared with the assistance of a consultant, Moore, Iacofano and Goltsman, Inc. (MIG). Staff and the consultant worked with community members and a 12-member Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) comprised of residents, property owners and a representative of the Police Activities League. The NAC met ten times, and hosted four community-wide workshops that were well attended by a dedicated group of active residents and property owners.

During the final community workshop held on April 22, 2003, the consultant presented the final draft version of the Plan to the public and the NAC considered community comments, and voted to approve the Neighborhood Improvement Plan with minor changes.

There is a very strong sense of pride in the Gateway East neighborhood and an ongoing history of residents working to improve their community. As part of the Plan development process, NAC members proactively initiated steps to implement their top ten items before the planning process was even completed. NAC members researched available grants that could potentially fund priority improvements and applied for a $17,000 grant to develop a Community Garden, their Number 6 Top Ten Priority. The Gateway East NAC continues to display an unusual passion and drive to implement their of their Plan priorities.

ANALYSIS

Purposes of the Plan. The purpose of the Gateway East Neighborhood Improvement Plan is to document the community’s vision for its neighborhood; identify the community’s specific goals and objectives for improving the area; and provide the City, Redevelopment Agency and various community stakeholders with a clear guide for neighborhood improvements.

Vision. Stakeholders in the Gateway East SNI area crafted a vision for the future of their neighborhood where:

· The neighborhoods are clean, strong and safe with adequate infrastructure; homes should be well-maintained and neighborhoods not overcrowded.

· Public facilities are available for neighborhood meetings and community activities, and programs and services are available to all community residents, ranging from recreation for children to adult education and outreach.

· The community has a smooth flowing and safe pedestrian and traffic circulation system with minimal traffic congestion.

· Outdoor parks, open space areas and a community garden are available for residents of all ages to enjoy.

Draft Plan.

A. The “Top Ten” Priority Actions. The “Top Ten” Priority Actions represent the short list of priority actions that the community selected as having the greatest potential for positive impact. Priority actions were chosen by community members at a workshop in March, 2003, and refined by the NAC; they are ranked in order of importance:

1. Establish a neighborhood center to provide activities and programs for children and adults.

2. Assess the sanitary sewer system in the Gateway East community and complete the necessary improvements.

3. Assess and resolve any storm drain issues in the Gateway East Community.

4. Improve the appearance of residential areas in Gateway East by publicizing the Housing Improvement Program for Strong Neighborhoods Initiative areas and providing assistance for residents to apply for grants and loans to complete home improvements and repairs.

5. Enhance the park and recreation facilities in the Gateway East community, including Plata Arroyo Park and Zolezzi Park, and improve community access to the PAL Stadium.

6. Develop a community garden on the vacant property adjacent to Highway 101, between Alum Rock Avenue and East San Antonio Street.

7. Assess identified traffic circulation issues in the community, and complete improvements as needed.

8 Conduct traffic calming studies to determine appropriate traffic calming measures for identified areas in Gateway East. If traffic concerns cannot be addressed by basic measures, Level I and II traffic calming should be considered.

9. Complete beautification improvements on King Road and on East San Antonio Street in the Gateway East community.

10. Enhance public lighting levels (including lights on private property that help illuminate public areas) as needed.

11. Other Strategic Improvement Actions. In addition to the Top 10 Action items, the Strategic Action Plan also includes a matrix with several additional action items for community improvements. The following are some highlights from the list of matrix action items:

· Public Safety and Code Enforcement. The NAC is very concerned about increasing Police presence and participation in the Gateway East community, and would like to see: increased enforcement of traffic laws to deter speeding; increased crime prevention and Neighborhood Watch Programs; and increased public outreach to help prevent gang activity and drug dealing.

· Overall Parking Solution and Implementation Plan. The NAC has clearly expressed its desire to resolve the existing parking problems by increasing code enforcement in the areas of illegal home occupations, illegal on street commercial vehicle parking, illegal garage conversions, and abandoned vehicles abatement.

· Community Pedestrian Safety, ADA Improvements and Sidewalk Installation and Repair. Another high priority for the NAC is improving pedestrian safety throughout the community (especially on routes to schools), repairing broken sidewalks, and installing ADA ramps and missing sidewalk links.

· High Quality Schools and Educational Programs. The NAC expressed a strong interest in building a partnership with the local schools (Ann Darling School and East San Antonio Elementary School) to improve the appearance of the school sites, the condition of recreation facilities and the overall quality of education.

· Land Use and Economic Development Opportunities. In addition, the community is interested in encouraging new neighborhood serving retail uses, especially family-style restaurants, and a full service grocery store. The NAC would also like to encourage new façade improvements in the Alum Rock Business District.

C. Issues of Particular Note.

Top Ten Item No. 3: Assess and Resolve Storm Drain issues in the Gateway East Community

The estimated cost of $78,000,000 for the design and construction of the storm drainage improvements includes $63,000,000 for the drainage infrastructure and $15,000,000 to rebuild the surface infrastructure. These estimates are somewhat conservative and will be revised after the needs assessment is completed. The drainage infrastructure is very old and has deteriorated over the years.

Given the high cost of this item, the City and the NAC will need to explore a number of funding options to pay for this improvement. Potential funding sources include a Benefit Assessment District and grant funding. City Storm Drain Capital funding and Redevelopment funding could also be available sources to help fund this Top 10 item, but would likely only cover a small portion of the total cost.

PUBLIC OUTREACH

The Plan was developed in close coordination with residents and property owners of the Gateway East area at ten monthly NAC meetings and four community workshops. All property owners, residents, and business owners within Gateway East were invited to the community workshops through postcard mailers, phone calls, door-to-door outreach and PRNS, City Council Office, and PBCE contacts. Community members actively participated in each phase of the planning process.

COORDINATION

The preparation of the Plan was coordinated with the City Council Office for District 5, City Manager’s Office, and various departments and agencies, including Planning, Building and Code Enforcement (PBCE), Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services (PRNS), Redevelopment Agency (RDA), Department of Transportation (DOT), Department of Public Works (DPW) and Housing Department. In addition, the preparation of this report was coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office.

CONSISTENCY WITH THE MAYOR'S BUDGET STRATEGY

Planning Commission and City Council action on this item is consistent with the Mayor's budget strategy regarding Building Stronger Neighborhoods.

CEQA

An addendum was prepared to the San Jose 2020 General Plan Environmental Impact Report, which was previously certified on August 16, 1994 by the City Council (Resolution Number 65459).

SARA L. HENSLEY, DIRECTOR

Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services

STEPHEN M. HAASE, DIRECTOR

Planning, Building and Code Enforcement

JOHN WEIS, DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Redevelopment Agency