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It’s unclear if PUSD plans a private park just for Neal residents, or a park that’s open to all. A <br /> public park would match the City’s previous plans: <br /> ● The Vineyard Corridor Specific Plan called for a 20-acre Community Park that has never <br /> materialized. <br /> ● As many of the undersigned residents were aware of, and as Concilmember Testa <br /> mentioned during the January 26th meeting, there was a promise made (in hindsight <br /> apparently non-binding) that if the Neal property didn’t become a school it would become a <br /> park. <br /> ● The City’s “Parks and Rec Master Plan” on page 34 says "Ideally, everyone in the City <br /> would live within convenient walking distance (typically one-half mile) of a Neighborhood <br /> Park." <br /> Tawny Park is the closest Neighborhood Park to the Vineyard Corridor. It's about 1.5 to 2 miles <br /> away from most Vineyard Corridor Subarea 2 and 3 residents, which is not really walkable. <br /> With the dump site unavailable due to the methane issue, the rezoning of the Neal property might <br /> be the only foreseeable opportunity for Vineyard Corridor residents to get access to a <br /> Neighborhood Park. The Neal Property is within half a mile of basically all Vineyard Corridor <br /> Subarea 2 and 3 residents. <br /> We ask the City to incentivise the landowner to make some of the 3 acres of open space <br /> into a Neighborhood Park. For example the City could offer to build and maintain the park, which <br /> could provide value for the landowner in reducing development cost and reducing HOA fees. This <br /> might also involve the City acquiring the land for the Park from the landowner. <br /> The Vineyard Corridor residents have paid fees and decades of taxes that were meant to go <br /> towards the 20 acre Community Park. We think using some of those monies for a small (say 1.5 <br /> acre) Neighborhood park would be fair. <br /> We’re also concerned about the proposed location of the park. The attached PUSD letter <br /> proposes having the park on a strip of land next to Vineyard Ave. The letter depicts a playground <br /> next to the road on that strip. This plan completely disregards the realities of the vineyard corridor. <br /> The Neal property is located next to a 2-mile rural stretch of Vineyard Ave with no traffic lights or <br /> other traffic calming measures and a 45 mph speed limit. Cars routinely go 55 or 60 miles an hour <br /> along this stretch, and the lane adjacent to the proposed "park" has a curve with limited visibility <br /> right before the site. Placing a playground with children so close to such a road would be very <br /> dangerous and irresponsible. Such a park would not be used by any responsible parent or <br /> grandparent. <br /> Rather than a long, thin park along Vineyard Ave as PUSD proposed, we think it would be safer <br /> and more accessible to have the park on the other side of the property next to the Old <br /> Vineyard Trail . This would give walking and biking access to the park to Vineyard Corridor <br /> residents, and avoid the dangers of Vineyard Ave. <br /> June 1, 2023 5