The challenges and opportunities in developing the next 50 miles of San Jose’s trail network were touched on last week at Save Our Trails’ annual general meeting.
Although the purpose of the March 21 meeting at the Westminster Presbyterian Church in Rose Garden was to address a broader countywide network of trails, a San Jose official told the Resident the discussion was important for the city.
“We are currently in the process of updating our Trail Strategic Plan,” said Angel Rios, director of San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services. “Getting community input regarding what trail segments are important to people and what kind of amenities they’d like to see on the trails is very valuable information because it could help inform the direction of our buildout strategy. That really will inform the future of our trail system.”
The Trail Strategic Plan is a comprehensive view of San Jose’s mission to eventually link a number of city and county parks through 100 miles of developed multi-use trails. So far 57 miles of that network have been completed.
One trail Rios said residents for years have been wanting to see built is the Three Creeks Trail, which would stretch through Willow Glen all the way to Kelley Park along the old Union Pacific rail line. If built as planned, the trail would intersect and hook up with the Los Gatos, Guadalupe Creek and Coyote Creek trails.
The Three Creeks Trail is critical, according to Rios, because it would connect eastern and western San Jose, which are divided by Highway 87.
“I view the development and construction of Three Creeks Trail as being extremely important because it connects certain parts of the community that tend to be disconnected geographically by highways,” Rios said.
However, he added, the city faces the challenge of acquiring more land to make that happen. He said the city needs to develop a funding strategy and work through the regulatory process as it makes development of Three Creeks Trail a high priority.
“We’re trying to identify what aspects of the trail would be quickest and easiest to build out,” Rios said. “We are trying to identify parts of the trail where we can do that … and identify a part of a trail where we either have the property or acquire it. We’re definitely going to take advantage to build out that trail sooner than later.
“The good news is [Three Creeks Trail] is part of our General Plan so as we begin to hone in specifically on certain trail segments, what we’ll do is create master plans specific to those trails,” he added.
Parks and recreation staff are planning a series of community meetings for the Trail Strategic Plan update, but dates and locations have not been set.
Julia Baum can be reached at jbaum@community-newspapers.com.
