The Pleasanton Metropolis Council voted unanimously final week to put off the proposed Meadowlark Path following pushback to the mission from residents within the adjoining neighborhood.
The dialogue in regards to the path lasted greater than an hour on Might 17, with council members listening to contrasting public feedback and questioning many features of the development plan for an off-road loop in open area off Foothill Street.
Councilmember Kathy Narum’s query in regards to the destiny of the cash paid by the developer, if the development did not undergo, hinted towards her perspective on the problem.
“If we resolve that we do not need to assemble this, can we preserve the cash minus the bills which were out of pocket of the contract that we awarded to start out the development or do we’ve got to present the cash again?” Narum requested.
She appeared inspired by the reply that the developer did not need the cash again however would like to make use of the quantity towards an alternate location for a special path.
Mayor Karla Brown raised a number of questions in regards to the want for a brand new path within the space the place different trails already existed and instructed the identical to the members of the general public advocating for this path.
“For the youth members (who need a new path), they might additionally use the Castleridge Path,” Brown stated, citing the trailhead close to Alviso Adobe Group Park. “It’s actually behind the ability, proper? So it is even nearer than this path.”
She additionally inquired in regards to the hearth danger within the space coated with tall dry grass.
“In your photographs to your PowerPoint presentation, you present lengthy dry grasses and principally a mud path. It is not even a gravel path. It is only a dust path, for customers which will have a cigarette, may that be a hearth danger for that space?” Brown questioned.
Hearth security was among the many considerations introduced up by residents who oppsosed the path, primarily these residing within the Protect at Meadowlark on Jorgensen Lane.
The brand new path was a part of the situations of approval when town accredited the neighborhood in 2006, however the mission sat idle for 10 years till a brand new developer took it on — and town moved ahead with implementing all prior situations of the mission, together with building of a developer-funded path.
However residents of the world have been shocked final December after they acquired building notices for the long-delayed Meadowlark Path. They voiced their displeasure to metropolis employees and later to the council in March, partly shocked due to the prior openings of the Courdet Path and Castleridge Trailhead close by.
A serious loophole to the proposed 0.6-mile loop path, in keeping with critics, was the shortage of parking obtainable to accommodate the extra site visitors that will be introduced in due to the path.
Resident Larry Messa stated this a part of Pleasanton was adversely impacted by the Courdet Path that opened in 2018.
“It has turn into a nightmare with road parking, pedestrian site visitors, issues of safety and overcrowding in our neighborhood,” Messa stated, “On quite a few events, we’ve got needed to name the police division for site visitors violations and we strongly really feel the Courdet Path has happy the necessity.”
Narum agreed that the brand new path would add to the site visitors congestion and chaos within the space.
“It is impacting the adobe parking zone and I simply do not see that this path is smart,” she stated. “I simply suppose there’s sufficient exercise there; we needn’t add another excuse for folks to be there.”
Resident David Yamamoto additionally reiterated the needlessness of a further path, citing public security and different considerations.
“We consider such a path would trigger vital danger to public security because of elevated site visitors, inadequate and unlawful parking and hearth risk in an space that’s already overcrowded,” he stated.
Resident Sandeep Duggl raised points in regards to the lack of public details about the mission and questioned the integrity of the governmental course of. He talked about the 2006 assembly the place it was agreed that the world won’t be topic to any additional constructions.
“There was no dialogue of a path with us that point and the primary time I heard about any path was once we acquired the development playing cards within the mail,” he stated.
Alternatively, residents in favor of the path like Greg Simmons insisted on the development of the Meadowlark Path citing well being advantages.
“The psychological and bodily well being features of a further trailhead subsequent to an current metropolis property that promotes some psychological and bodily well being alternatives ought to by no means be underestimated,” he stated. “Extra alternative exists to maintain our neighborhood engaged and wholesome, our youngsters and neighborhood want extra of those choices.”
Les Isozaki, a frequent hiker, stated the world has by no means had hearth points and spoke in favor of the path. Moreover, he stated the steepness of the prevailing trails makes it tough for older hikers like him.
“I am 68 years outdated and fairly quickly it will be too onerous to stand up there,” he stated.
Though council members stated they might see either side of the argument, they determined it was prudent to not construct the brand new path and voted 5-0 to cancel the mission and direct employees to seek out one other use for the developer funds.
