We live by the Rancho Hills model homes on Sunrise Drive.
Because of the downturn in the housing market, many of the empty
lots in this housing development have not been built, and now there
are weeds everywhere.
“Hi Red Phone. We live by the Rancho Hills model homes on Sunrise Drive. Because of the downturn in the housing market, many of the empty lots in this housing development have not been built, and now there are weeds everywhere. We are talking a pretty big area here – from Sunrise Drive, to Rancho Hills Drive, to the creek, to Santa Teresa Boulevard, including the vacant lot right by Sunrise Park. With all the rain we’ve had and now that spring and the sun are finally here, these weeds are growing out of control, spilling onto and over the sidewalk and even the street. It makes it hard to see when you’re driving too because the weeds are so tall that looking to clear an intersection is difficult. Also, with the allergy problems in this area, these weeds are only exacerbating symptoms and attract pests and bugs too. Please help. I don’t know how much longer my lungs can take this.”
Red Phone: Dear Weed Em Out, At least there’s one good thing with the recent rains – it cleans the air of the pollen and dust. But with the rain, everything grows faster, including the weeds. Since the weeds are still technically on private property, they are still the responsibility of the property owner.
“City staff will contact the developer regarding undeveloped residential lots off Sunrise with weeds intruding onto public sidewalks,” said Parks and Landscape Supervisor Bill Headley. “The city fire marshal in coordination with the county works will work with property owners to ensure weed control and fire hazards are addressed by May 3.”
So hopefully that will help alleviate some of the problem and remove some of your headaches. In the mean time, you may want to keep your windows closed. If the weeds are still a problem or are not cleaned up, let the Red Phone know again.
Anyone who has concerns about weed control on public or private property can contact the Gilroy fire marshal at 846-0439.
Who maintains median?
“Who is responsible for the massive amount of weeds growing in the new median strip just outside of Christopher High School at Day Road and Santa Teresa Boulevard? It just looks bad.”
Red Phone: Dear Weeds In The Middle, It looks like it technically still falls under the school district’s control.
“The city has not yet accepted street improvements associated with the new high school,” Headley said. “The contractor will have a one-year median landscape maintenance period before the city assumes routine maintenance responsibilities.”
City staff will touch base with school staff to see what can be done about the weeds in the medians in the mean time, he said.
Parking by Luigi Aprea
“Why are there no parking space markers on the school side of the streets surrounding Luigi Aprea Elementary School? Many times, people thoughtlessly park in the middle of what could be two whole parking spaces, thereby making it impossible for cars to park either in front of or behind them. More cars could fit if the spaces were marked.”
Red Phone: Mark And Park, Red Phone agrees parking in the area can be a problem. And more importantly, so does Luigi Aprea Elementary School Principal Rich Rodriguez, who met a couple weeks ago with staff to discuss traffic flow around the school.
“The goal of that meeting was how to create a design that will moving traffic in and around the school quickly and safely,” he said. “I am expecting some facilities changes, which at least for the short term might provide some support during peak drop-off and pick-up times in the near future.”
One option for addressing the issue might be to add parking indicators along both sides of the street, Rodriguez said. This is something both the district and school would need to approve. One concern Rodriguez had was markers might interfere with buses traveling along Calle del Rey next to the school.
