Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Celebrates Completion of Gateway Park

After two years of planning, nine months of construction and two county supervisors later, San Lorenzo's Gateway Park, located at the southwest corner of Via Alamitos and Grant Avenue, is officially complete.

With an oversized pair of scissors, District 3 Supervisor Wilma Chan sliced through the red trim, marking her first ribbon-cutting ceremony in San Lorenzo since being elected.

Previous District 3 Supervisor Alice Lai-Bitker broke ground at the park.

"When I was first elected, I heard it was very hard to get things done here," Chan said. "But with this particular project, we were able to make it happen quickly."

Chan worked alongside the Alameda County Community Development Agency and Public Works Agency to get the $100,000 improvement project completed. 

The county-owned parcel includes landscaping with drought-tolerant plants, trees and flowers, decorative benches, a walkway and a lamp post. One of the main features of the park, however, is the San Lorenzo Village sign.

"We wanted to make it a place where neighbors and high school students [at ] can enjoy and have it be a welcoming gateway to the community," said Eileen Dalton, redevelopment director of the ACCDA.

Among all the new improvements, there was one thing San Lorenzo resident Lugene Gabrielson wished she saw more of.

"I'm just disappointed they didn't put in more redwood trees," she said.

Around two and a half years ago, a nearby real estate agency that had been maintaining the area decided to chop down the redwood trees that grew in the area. Local tree ordinance activists and neighbors were able to save , after their champion.

The community was heavily involved with the project since the initial planning stages. The San Lorenzo Citizens Advisory Commitee offered its input, including last-minute changes to a few plants before the project was completed.

"We're all about the community, and when they tell us what they want, we do it," said Dalton.

Next up on the ACCDA's work agenda is the extension to the San Lorenzo Library. Other projects, like the Hesperian Streetscape and the will be delayed until January 2012, according to Dalton. By then, the California Supreme Court is expected to rule in the redevelopment lawsuit filed by the League of California Cities and the California Redevelopment Association, challenging state legislation that eliminates redevelopment agencies unless they "pay to play" with hefty fees.

Becase of this, the ACCDA has been limited in what it can do. Earlier this year, However, the agency cannot contract for new projects until a final decision is made in court.

Chan says this won't discourage improvements and positive change from happening in San Lorenzo in the near future.

"I hear the people loud and clear," she said. "Hopefully we'll be able to get the other projects moving just as quickly [as this one]."