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Mini-parks galore
City points to progress in quest for more greenery, especially north of El Camino Real

by Daniel DeBolt

The city seems to be making headway in creating more parks, and recent developments have brought officials closer to their ultimate goal: a park within walking distance of every Mountain View resident.

Of late, the city has acquired or is about to acquire land in two areas long underserved by parks, resulting in a mini-park for each. Though the pending parks are small, officials say, they represent progress for a city that is already "built out."

"It's an exciting time for parks." said city manager Kevin Duggan. With the construction of a dozen neighborhood parks in the last 14 years, he said, "We have probably created at least one neighborhood park within walking distance of most residents in town."

Last week the city purchased two lots at 380 and 390 Del Medio Ave. for a .35-acre park. However, development there can only begin once the current tenants move out.

"We've been trying to get property in that neighborhood for 10 years," Duggan said.

Once the apartment building there finally went up for sale, he said, the city jumped on it, paying a bit under the asking price at $1.3 million. The house next door was also purchased for $750,000.

In the central planning area, just west of Shoreline Boulevard and south of Central Expressway, the city is negotiating for another half an acre which is also currently occupied by homes.

Besides that area, there are only two neighborhoods left on the city's list: the Rengstorff and San Antonio planning areas.

Add in the fact that the City Council wants to spend as much as $4 million for additional park space at Mayfield and you have a significant amount of park development, Duggan said. He added that all of the projects are north of El Camino Real, where residents have complained about a lack of park space.

One such resident is Elna Tymes, former president of the Monta Loma Neighborhood Association, who points out that nearly all housing development in the city is taking place north of El Camino Real, where there are fewer parks per resident than to the south.

Tymes said the city could do more, and pointed to the Rengstorff planning area, just north of Monta Loma, as an example. There, residents on Wyandotte Street, Rock Street and Independence Avenue must cross busy Middlefield Road or Rengstorff Avenue to get to parks, she said.

A similar situation exists in the San Antonio area, where the neighborhood of apartment buildings just north of San Antonio shopping center and just east of Ortega Avenue lacks a park within safe walking distance.

Tymes said that, given the recent housing development on Rock Street, she didn't understand why the city hadn't bought park space in the Rengstorff planning area.

Parks and recreation director Dave Muela said the city has $811,000 in the San Antonio park fund, while Rengstorff has none. When property is developed, developers pay in-lieu fees towards parks in that neighborhood.

Muela explained that the city has money on the way for the Rengstorff planning area, but it has yet to be appropriated.

"In 2005-06 and 2006-07, the city collected just a little over $1.6 million in in-lieu fees from the Rengstorff Area," Muela said. "The use of these fees, however, has not yet been designated by the council. This will not occur until later this fall."

Funding for new parks could also come from a new $3 million park fund, established this year to be used throughout the city.

Future possibilities

The oft-forgotten corner of Mountain View known as the Dale neighborhood doesn't have access to many parks either, except for open spaces in developments like Guernavaca. That may soon change, however, once the Stevens Creek Trail crosses El Camino Real. A pedestrian bridge could connect the Dale neighborhood to the open space along the other side of Highway 85, near the trail.

Northwards in the Whisman area, even larger changes could be in store if the city purchases the Francia orchard on Whisman Road. The Monta Loma Neighborhood Association, Save Open Space and the Mountain View Farmlands Group expressed support of the plan last month. Such a park could include the demonstration farm originally proposed for the Grant Road site.

Former council member Mike Kasperzak said a coalition of groups could pass a bond measure to buy the nine-acre property, which may cost less than $100,000 an acre with its agricultural zoning. The orchard-turned-park would serve as many as 2,000 more residents living in developments planned along Ferguson Drive.

Muela encouraged residents to become involved in the city's update to the parks and recreation master plan, which, in part, determines where parks will go. Those interested can call (650) 903-6331 to be added to a mailing list.

E-mail Daniel DeBolt at ddebolt@mv-voice.com