Discontented residents of South Berkeley convened with city government officials Tuesday night to discuss the need for improvements in their neighborhood.
The CalJulia Neighbors, an organized group of residents from the two-block area around the intersection of California and Julia streets, has been meeting since 2011 to address three main points of concern in the neighborhood: an ineffective stormwater drainage system, traffic and pedestrian-safety problems and the decline of business on Sacramento Street.
At Tuesday’s meeting, about 30 residents presented these issues directly to five city officials, including Councilmember Max Anderson and City Manager Christine Daniel.
“I was really excited that the city came out and really took the time to listen,” said Sofia Zander, one of the main organizers of the CalJulia Neighbors. “Some neighbors were frustrated … (they) were really waiting for city to take some leadership.”
The problems facing the community are not new, according to Zander. Concerns about flooding and pedestrian safety have been present since she moved into the area 10 years ago, she said.
“My kids walk across California Street on a daily basis to get to school, so we experience the pedestrian-safety issue daily, and the flooding at that intersection is present whenever there is a storm,” Zander said.
Additionally, one main lot on Sacramento Street has been vacant for about 34 years, even though there have been various local efforts to develop it, according to a statement released by the CalJulia Neighbors in February 2012.
“It’s an eyesore and an incessant target for graffiti and littering,” said Tania Carlone, a community organizer who lives near the abandoned property. “It is a dominant feature in our neighborhood’s landscape.”
City officials, who say they heard of these problems only recently, assured residents they would work on issues like the storm drains and had employed city workers to unclog neighborhood drains the next morning. However, according to Zander, this would not solve the deeper issue of the drains’ flawed designs.
Regarding the matter of traffic and pedestrian safety, Daniel urged the group to file a report with the city’s transportation division. To address Sacramento Street, another meeting between city officials and residents will be held in upcoming weeks.
Anderson emphasized that the collaboration between residents and the city is still in its beginning stages.
“We’ve just started looking at things and outlining what needs to be done,” he said.
The CalJulia Neighbors also hopes that its efforts will bring attention to other South Berkeley areas in which there are similar desires to move forward with improvements.
“It’s a great group — there’s a lot of potential and a lot of energy,” Daniel said. “We’re looking forward to working with them.”
Contact Alison Fu at [email protected].