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| Sperry Avenue widening not popular among neighbors |
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| Written by Jonathan Partridge / Patterson Irrigator / | |
| Saturday, 13 October 2007 | |
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“By doing this project, you’re turning (Sperry Avenue) into a freaking freeway.” — Donald Hess Sunflower Drive resident  Jonathan Partridge/Patterson Irrigator Residents at a special City Council meeting said that traffic there is already noisy, and they did not want their lots and parking places further diminished by a widening project. “By doing this project, you’re turning it into a freaking freeway,” Sunflower Drive resident Donald Hess said. About 25 people, including several residents of Sperry Avenue and Sunflower and Amberina drives, showed up to listen to the presentation by Gary Rogers of Boyle Engineering. City staff and Rogers answered questions from the council and the community, and then staff agreed to come back to the council with various options for the road. Draft plans for Sperry Avenue call for the street to be widened to four lanes and extended all the way to Locust Avenue east of Highway 33, with a median that contains palm trees in some parts, much like the stretch of road between Ward Avenue and Baldwin Road. An 800-foot stretch of a Patterson Irrigation District canal along Sperry Avenue would be placed underground, with water being piped rather than running out in the open. Drivers on some adjoining roads, such as South Third Street, would be blocked from making left-hand turns. In addition, a traffic signal would be placed at Highway 33 and Sperry Avenue once the road was extended east of the highway, a move which requires permission from the California Department of Transportation. City Manager Cleve Morris said there is no timeline for widening Sperry Avenue and said it would happen when dictated by increasing traffic along the busy road. The street must be at or above Service Level D, according to the city’s general plan, as anything below that would mean traffic would virtually be at a standstill. Road service levels are rated on a scale of A to F — A being the smoothest level. City officials said this week they did not know the current level of Sperry Avenue and that they were asking traffic consultants to look into the matter. Morris stressed that the plan is a work in progress. Many residents on Tuesday said they hope the city would leave the road alone and create a bypass road elsewhere. Tom and Pat Rose, who live just west of Del Puerto Avenue on Sperry, said widening the road could cause them to lose their trees and would force them to park in an alleyway. Pat Rose said she hoped city officials would not consider taking away curbside parking, noting that crime happens in the alleys where residents would be forced to be park. “It would just be stupid — a waste of time,” she said. She also advocated against placing palm trees in the center median. Amberina Drive residents Pat and Jose Villicana, whose backyard abuts Sperry Avenue, said traffic and noise has gotten much worse since they moved into their home 19 years ago. “I spend my whole day fighting noise,” Pat Villicana said. “It’s unpleasant because we moved here when you could hear a pin drop,” her husband said. The couple said they already gave up about 10 feet of their yard for the PID canal, and they did not want traffic closer to their yard. Residents were also concerned about the project’s potential impact on property values. “I can’t recall … any piece of property whose price was inflated when a highway went by it,” Amberina Drive resident Wayne Johnson said. Several attendees advocated for a bypass road, and Councilman Sam Cuellar noted that Bartch Road had been considered for that purpose as far back as 20 years ago. J. Wells, an Orange Avenue resident and owner of Patterson Auto Care on First Street, particularly expressed concerns about plans east of Highway 33. He said he was not opposed to traffic, given that he was in the automotive business, but he opposed to the Sperry Avenue widening plans. “Traffic’s good; growth is good,” he said, “but this is one of the most ridiculous projects I’ve ever seen the city come up with.” Patterson-area resident and developer Larry Buehner said he thought palm trees belonged on the side of the road, not in the median, where they can block drivers’ views of traffic. “I think they cause more accidents than they help,” he said. Mayor Becky Campo also expressed several concerns, including that the median would create problems for people wanting to make left-hand turns onto Sperry from Clover Avenue. As a result, city staff is looking into removing the center barrier at that intersection. Campo said the council must determine whether the need exists to widen the road and whether that need outweighs inconveniences to homeowners. Councilwoman Dejeune Shelton said she hopes to host workshops with local residents to hear their concerns, and other council members agreed. “Whether we need it or not, this starts the conversation,” Campo said. To reach Jonathan Partridge at the Irrigator, call 892-6187 or e-mail him at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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