Gilroy
– Although the city says providing city-funded police and
traffic patrol to the gated Eagle Ridge community would be an
expensive endeavor, the Eagle Ridge homeowners association says
it’s still going to try.
Gilroy – Although the city says providing city-funded police and traffic patrol to the gated Eagle Ridge community would be an expensive endeavor, the Eagle Ridge homeowners association says it’s still going to try.
“One thing we’re interested in doing is considering petitioning the city council to have police patrol on the same basis as any other street in the city of Gilroy,” said David Light, board president of the homeowners association. “And if not, we’ll need to find out why not.”
Traffic-related problems long have been cause for concern for many residents of the upscale, 1,850-acre neighborhood in Gilroy’s southwest quad. Probably the biggest issue is drivers who speed far above the community’s posted 25 mph speed limit.
Shapell Industries, the real estate developer that built the Eagle Ridge homes, constructed the development’s roads according to its own standards and not the city’s. That saved Shapell hundreds of thousands of dollars. But as a result, Eagle Ridge roads are not routinely patrolled by officers from the Gilroy Police Department because they’re considered private roads. Police impact fees and property taxes paid by residents of Eagle Ridge – and all other homeowners – go toward the patrol of public streets only.
Additionally, 118 new homes are planned to go into Eagle Ridge, the result of a land deal between Shapell and Bonfante Gardens to help alleviate the park’s debt. That could plant about 200 more cars in the community and exacerbate the problem.
Exactly how much money police patrol in Eagle Ridge would cost the city – or the homeowners association, as the case may be – is hard to say, said Bill Faus, the city’s planning division manager. Neither the police department nor Light had an estimate, either.
But, Faus said, police patrol is near the expensive end of a long list of potential solutions the city presented the homeowners association a while ago. Providing city-funded police patrol to the neighborhood has “not really been pursued in any aggressive fashion,” he said.
The list also included less expensive possibilities, such as additional signs, striping or minor street improvements.
“As we understand it, the homeowners association is going down that list, which includes a wide range of techniques and patrol mechanisms, and they’ll look at it from a budgetary standpoint and what they’re able to do,” Faus said. “Some of the items are costly, some are not.”
One option mentioned in past months was building another road in the development to provide a secondary access point to Hecker Pass Highway. That, too, falls under the more expensive category, Faus said.
Shapell’s plans currently are going through a city review, which will include a traffic study conducted by a contracted traffic consultant.
The study will examine more specifically the impacts the new homes could have on traffic in and around the development, as well as identify the area’s level of service, said city traffic engineer Don Dey. A draft version of the study should be complete in about six weeks, he said.
Measures to help alleviate traffic problems might be considered and suggested by the city depending on what the study finds, Dey said. But he said the developer – not the city – will bear the costs for the traffic improvements, which is standard city procedure.
Light said he is in the process of setting up a time to meet and talk about the issue with key city staff members and Mayor Al Pinheiro, who in past months has been receptive to listening to Eagle Ridge residents’ concerns.
A main reason for that meeting, Light said, would be to better understand exactly what options the homeowners association has in dealing with traffic.
“Neither the homeowners association’s or the city’s expectations are extraordinary,” Light said. “We’re just trying to understand what the city would be willing to do and what we’re entitled to have. We have some decisions to make, but we need to consider all the alternatives first, then make decisions.”
Providing police patrol at a cost to homeowners hasn’t been discussed extensively, Light said, but the idea most likely would be met with resident opposition.
“That is something that probably should be talked about,” he said. “But I think homeowners feel they’re entitled to that service without additional cost.”
Eagle Ridge resident Chris Ordaz said he’s not opposed to the new homes going in, but he thinks the traffic problem is severe and needs to be addressed before construction begins.
“Quite frankly, so far, they’re lucky nobody’s been killed,” Ordaz said. “And if the problem isn’t addressed, I’m afraid someone will be killed.”
Ordaz, who frequently takes walks around the neighborhood, said he often witnesses speeding cars and a “blatant disregard” for stop signs.
The ironic part, Ordaz said, is although Eagle Ridge is considered a private, gated community, the public is allowed into the neighborhood to play golf and dine at the clubhouse.
“If the public is being allowed access, then there should be some responsibility there – especially at peak times,” he said.
Additionally, it wasn’t always made clear to homeowners before they moved in that the neighborhood’s roads were private and that traffic enforcement was next to nonexistent, Ordaz said.
“The bottom line is, there’s a problem that needs to be addressed,” he said. “Because it’s only going to be multiplied until it is addressed.”
