After months of dreaming of Zanotto’s … followed by promises from Tesco … followed by months of waiting … now we get months of construction …

As originally reported by via Twitter, Contractors have placed fences and added modular office space on the long-vacant Albertson’s grocery store on the corner of Bird & Minnesota/Alma, future site of Tesco’s Fresh & Easy.

The WG Resident has added a story online at the SJ mercury News website (not in today’s print edition), revealing that only one as-yet-unissued building permit stands in the way of actual construction on the site:

Brendan Wonnacott of Tesco’s Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market said renovations are scheduled to begin within a month at the Bird Avenue site.

Wonnacott said the site could open as early as next summer. The store is one of 18 that the chain plans to open in the Bay Area. News of the Willow Glen project moving forward came just after Tesco ended a three-month moratorium on opening any new stores in Southern California until the company could collect feedback from other Fresh and Easy locations.

… Plans are moving forward as scheduled, he added. San Jose building officials said earlier this month that the project was at a standstill in the building permit stage.

Edward Tolentino, San Jose’s chief building official, said all plans have been reviewed and the department is waiting on a special inspection form, which will name an inspector of welding and structural aspects of the building.

“We’ve been ready to issue it since June 2,” Tolentino said. “We are just waiting for that one piece of paper.”

Delays or otherwise, Summer 2009 remains the official target. We’ll see.

The Fire Station 6/37 debate – which needs a snappy nickname if you ask WGx – migrates in a less dramatic direction this week, with the publication of a City Council memo signed by Pierluigi Oliverio, Judy Chirco, and Mayor Chuck Reed.

Oliverio distributed the memo to community stakeholders late last week, and it will be addressed by the SJ City Council Rules Committee this Wednesday, August 20:

Please see the attached memo … requesting (1). that the San Jose City Council remove the potential sale of Fire House 6 from the budget and 5-year forecast (2). adopt a policy regarding selling, consolidating or closing any fire house in the city. Further, any sale, closure and/or consolidation will include using scientific data and extensive community outreach and council approval before a decision of selling, closing or consolidating a fire house is placed in the budget.

As many of you have been aware, the city placed the sale of Fire House 6 (located on the corner of Minnesota and Cherry Avenues in Willow Glen), in the City of San Jose budget last year without making the community or councilmember aware of their actions. Because the public safety bond money has been spent, the city wanted to sell Fire House 6 to help pay for construction costs for the new Fire Station even though current response data from the San Jose Fire Department does not warrant closing Fire House 6.

Following discussion by the Rules Committee, the idea of a new policy will be presented for council consideration at its regular meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 9, 2008.

The issue of fire station closures and capital budgets for new stations was the primary agenda item at last week’s WG Neighborhood Association meeting. Although the WGNA obviously leans toward opposing the closing of Station #6, they have yet to publish an official stance.

Raise your hand if you knew there was a big creek flowing right through the middle of Willow Glen.

You’ve all heard of the Los Gatos Creek, because the trail of the same name famously ends in WG, as the creek crosses Meridian Avenue. But where does it go after that?
It’s not terribly obvious, because houses and businesses are built almost right up against the creek bed as it runs.

Case in point: Los Gatos Creek is slowly eating away at the foundation of the Glen Eyrie Towers apartments. As a result, the City of San Jose is considering a special use permit to build two 28-foot soldier pile retaining walls along the riverbank.

One retaining wall is already in place along the creek, supporting the ground underneath Glen Eyrie Avenue as it curves and winds along the creek. The Glen Eyrie Towers are directly across the creek from the SJ Swim & Racquet Club, and are the furthest of the many apartment buildings on Glen Eyrie off Lincoln Avenue.

For anyone who missed the Mercury News Mr. Roadshow column yesterday, there were a few points of interest regarding Highway 87’s route through Willow Glen.

Mr. Roadshow reports that the speed limit for Highway 87 will officially increase to 65 MPH as signs are installed over the next few weeks. But perhaps beating Gary Richards to the punch, WG’s own taxi cab specialist Joann Landers reports the new speed limit signs are already posted in some locations.

The ugly dirt interchange at the Curtner Exit is also slated for improvements over the next few months. now, if only we could get the southbound Almaden Expressway exit to Curtner open …

—–

And … did you notice? WGx now has Traffic Reports! Check out the SigAlert traffic map in the right-hand column of every page, plus the fancy new News & Traffic page!

San Jose’s Department of Parks Recreation & Neighborhood Service (PRNS) is planning to renovate the grass playing fields at Willow Street Frank Bramhall Park this Fall, and it couldn’t come at a better time. Actually, there is no good time, but playing fields across the City are in desperate need of upgrades … so this improvement will be appreciated.

The fences are schedule to go up on October 1, after which city crews will thatch, and fertilize the lawn. The renovation process is a cross between roto-tilling and aeration, but no grass is harmed.

Since the park covers almost eighteen acres, the restrooms, most of 29 picnic tables (and 11 BBQs), both kids playground structures, both asphalt basketball courts, and all six tennis courts should remain open and enjoyable.

And better grass will be worth waiting for!

No, it’s not a fancy new reminder service provided by WGx … unless your own library books actually are due back today.

Today is the day that the new collection is set to arrive at the brand new Willow Glen Branch Library! The official Grand Opening is still scheduled for Saturday, August 23, 2008.

If you can’t wait until August 23, you can make a donation in support of the library, and join others for a special Donor Preview Event on August 20. There is still time to support the new branch and have your name — or the name of a business or organization — added to the donor wall at the entrance of the library.

• Donors at $100 -$999 will be listed on the Community Wall
• Donors at $1000-$4999 will be listed on the Legacy Wall
• Donors at $5000+ will be on the Laureate Wall

There are also opportunities to have specific areas of the library sponsored by individuals or businesses with special plaques thanking them. Contributions of $1000 and above can be paid over a three year period.

Please visit www.sjplf.org/donationform.pdf for the pledge form.

It’s probably too far away from WG to mean much to us yet, but Santa Clara County is moving forward with its plan for a mixed-use development on the site of County Fairgrounds.

The SJ/SV Business Journal reports that the development team includes several Bay Area companies:

Catellus Development Group said it was selected as the preferred developer for a major new mixed-use project in San Jose on the site of the county fairgrounds. …

The company said its preliminary vision for this project incorporates a network of streets and paths that encourage walking and cycling, office and retail buildings that feature green building technology, community gathering places and parks, and affordable housing.

The county will host two community open houses at the Fairgrounds prior to the Board of Supervisors workshop on Aug. 26 to introduce the recommended developer to the community. The open houses will be Wednesday, Aug. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m. and Thursday, Aug. 21 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The project won’t be terribly visible from WG, but might lead to some traffic impact for those using the Curtner Exit from Highway 87. You also have to figure that the stores and restaurants at The Plant will appreciate the extra business.

It also remains to be seen if the Fairgrounds redevelopment will out pace the Almaden-to-Curtner exit ramp project, and be completed first.

One of the more eclectic pockets of WG might get a bit more interesting.

Twenty-two new “office condominiums” are proposed for the corner of Willow Street and Westwood (where Willow dead ends a few blocks east of Meridian). The proposed use permit would combine two existing parcels to include up to 22 office condominiums on the site.

OK … so what are “Office Condos?

Office condominiums work much like their private housing counterparts. Instead of renting a suite of offices, some companies purchase an individual unit in an office condominium complex. The common areas are co-owned by all of the tenants and a board usually oversees landscaping and other maintenance issues. Office condominiums are often created as part of a mixed-use renovation in downtown areas of medium to smaller cities.

The existing businesses on the block are mostly dental and medical offices, with a smattering of chiropractors and chinese medicine providers. There are also duplexes and other assorted multi-use residences across the street from the proposed “condos.”

With the new library slated to celebrate its Grand Opening on Saturday, August 23, the San Jose Public Library Foundation is heading down the home stretch for donor solicitation to herald the event.

Many WG residents received letters last week detailing the features of the new library and inviting community members to be a lasting part of the library’s future:

Your Willow Glen neighbors are pitching in to help us make your new branch library a reflection of neighborhood identity, and one of the finest facilities of its kind in the nation.

Our story is not complete without you. Your generous donation will help us provide multimedia resources, books, technology and furnishings. Donors will be recognized in the library; for a gift of

• $100+ you will be honored on the Community Donor Wall
• $1,000+ you will be honored on the Legacy Donor Wall
• $5,000+ you will be honored on the Laureate Donor Wall

Please make your donation today. …

It’s undoubtedly one of those neighborhood evolutionary things. Not too long ago, Pine Avenue was the unofficial WGx barometer of the local real estate market, based simply by the number of houses for sale on the street.

Times have changed a bit. A stroll down one of WG’s central east-west corridors now reveals very few homes for sale … but lots of landscape being redeveloped. Or at least, lots of landscapes companies advertising their services along the boulevard.

Check it out — there are now more landscape company signs on Pine than anything else. Pearman Landscaping (twice, actually), A Scape Artist, and a newly planted big green sign for LifeScape.

Throw in the recent toilet-paper landscape across the street from the uniquely stacked wood cuttings, along with the infrequent weedscape, and you’ve got quite an interesting variety of front yards designs.

Seriously though … if you are looking for a local landscape architect, you have many choices. The California Landscape Contractors Association lists more than 80 members serving the South Bay.

It didn’t seem noteworthy at the time, but a few months ago, there were several painting service signs. Come to think of it, maybe for-sale signs are about to come back …