Cherryland Sidewalk Program

Overview

Before and after photos show what Willow street looks like.

The Cherryland Sub-Area has made it's redevelopment priority the design and construction of sidewalks along the neighborhood streets. Originally the Cherryland area was home to many agriculture uses such as cherry orchards and greenhouses. During it's transition from agricultural uses to residential housing, the neighborhood was developed without sidewalks. As the neighborhood population has increased, it has become more important for the safety of pedestrians, including children on their way to school, to be elevated on a sidewalk platform to avoid collisions with cars and other walking impediments.

Working together, the Alameda County Redevelopment Agency, The Public Works Agency, the Redevelopment Citizens Advisory Council and the Cherryland Association will be improving the streetscape for pedestrian safety by constructing curb, gutter, sidewalk and landscape improvements on the community's highest priority streets.

The six highest priority streets were identified to be:

Willow
Sunset
Princeton
Western
Meekland
Hampton

These streets have been determined by studying many factors including school proximity, residential density, collision history, and community support.

Phase I

Phase I of the Cherryland Sidewalks Project was completed in the fall of 2007 and included Western Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard, Willow Avenue, and Princeton Street. Improvements also included the student drop-off area on Willow for the Cherryland Elementary School. In addition to the new tree-lined sidewalks, the County installed storm drains to eliminate the pooling of water and flooding that previously forced people to walk out in the roadway. There are also raised crosswalks marked in red that help to draw a driver's attention to pedestrians while crossing the street. You might have also noticed "tree bulb outs" (concrete planters with planted trees that sit out in the roadway), and intersection bulb-outs where the street corners jut out further into the roadway. These are traffic engineering features that narrow the street and help slow down traffic. All of these improvements when combined together now help to create a safer walking environment that is also visually appealing.

Phase II

Implementation of the second phase of the Project is underway. It will include Hampton Road between Mission Boulevard and Meekland Avenue. The goal again is to create a pedestrian friendly environment where traffic is slowed so that walkers can feel safe. The same type of improvement incorporated in Phase I will be implemented all along Hampton Boulevard. In addition the majority of existing trees will all be preserved in the new Project and only the few trees that are in the process of decay will be removed.

Cherryland Sign

Checkout the new Gateway sign at the entrance to the Cherryland community, at the corner of Hampton and Mission Boulevard. The landscape surrounding the sign will be completed as part of the construction of the Cherryland Sidewalks Phase II Project.