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Uploaded: Tuesday, March 12, 2013, 4:14 PM
Updated: Wednesday, March 27, 2013, 4:54 PM
San Ramon seeks input on Iron Horse Trail designs
Residents can prioritize amenities such as shade, drinking fountains
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by Jessica Lipsky
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 | San Ramon planners are working on preliminary designs for rest and activity areas along the Iron Horse Trail and want residents' help in the process. Through presentations at farmers markets and a survey on Open San Ramon, officials will refine their ideas.
The city aims to build a number of seating or rest area"nodes" along the trail in conjunction with a separate project funded by Bishop Ranch owners Sunset Development, San Ramon District Engineer Robin Bartlett said. In the survey, residents are asked to prioritize a list of possible amenities for the nodes, including drinking fountains, exercise stations, shade structures and native plant landscaping.
"What were doing with Open San Ramon effort and and upcoming effort at the farmers market is to gather basic info from residents and users of the trail to help us guide where the project is going," Bartlett said. "There's a range of answers being given that seem consistent with what we would expect. Not surprisingly, shade seems to be a high priority, which has been built into the concept. Drinking fountains and trash cans related to dog waste have as well."
Of 40 survey respondents, several residents wrote that they would like to see San Ramon's stretch of trail look more like Danville and Walnut Creek with additional plants.
"I think shade and water are the higher priority but some better landscaping would be nice. I like to bike at weekends in the summer and it can be very hot. I prefer to take my bike on the car rack and drive to Danville since the trail there north to Walnut Creek is shady and pretty. Would be great if, over time some trees can be planted and mature, giving us a more shaded and picturesque trail," wrote David Willmore.
Many bicyclists and runners responded, imploring the city to add mile markers, bike racks, water fountains and restrooms.
"I bike commuted along the Iron Horse trail right of way for over 15 years....Summer commutes home were relentless as there was zero shade my entire route...which ranged from Crow Canyon Roadd south past the Bart station," wrote Paul Hoffman."I was very envious of all the shade on the trail in Danville and Alamo. And I wished there had been a bathroom here and there."
The city is working on design using $100,000 from its beautification fund as well as a $350,000 grant from the Contra Costa Transit Authority for improvements. Bartlett said planners are looking at a range of sites near schools and at city entry points, but hope to create eight nodes within city limits excluding the Sunset Development sites.
Sunset Development's Chris Truebridge, senior vice president for planning and entitlements, said his company's conceptual plan is 85 percent complete but is on hold while San Ramon completes its public outreach. The goal, Truebridge noted, is to be compatible with the city's designs.
Preliminary Sunset designs have10 nodes evenly split between Norris Canyon and Bollinger Canyon roads. Each would generally have a seating area, shade structure and "enhanced planning." Truebridge said the plans tried to mimic the historical use of the Iron Horse Trail, using some type of railroad theme or artifact.
Truebridge added that, while implementation is vague, Sunset might phase in the ndoes to see how trail users react. In the meantime, the company will wait for the city to begin several planning procedures.
"The city is also just about ready to launch the outreach and preliminary design for the Iron Horse Trail pedestrian overcrossings, one at Bollinger Canyon and one at Crow Canyon," he said. "Obviously you need a very significant setback from those roads to do the construction and I think that would impact any trail construction we would do."
Bartlett said the Open San Ramon survey will be available through March 31 and will take the results to the Parks Commission in April, followed by the City Council and county planning department in May. He expects construction to begin in the fall. Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.
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Posted by Raymond, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Mar 13, 2013 at 8:25 am Better be cautious with Trail "improvements." Here is information from the County website regarding the trail:
Continued Use & Future Plans
Continued Use
The East Bay Regional Park District today continues to operate and maintain the trail under a license granted by Contra Costa County. The Iron Horse Trail now extends further north than the Iron Horse Corridor purchased by the County from Southern Pacific. The trail also is being extended further south and east in Alameda County.
Future Plans
The Iron Horse Corridor today stands as an example of a rail to trail conversion. Unresolved is the question of whether the rails will return. To comply with the terms of the state grants it received, Contra Costa County must avoid building or planting anything that would impair its ability to build a rail system in the future.
Currently, there is no project in the works to build a rail line along the Iron Horse Corridor, nor is there funding for it.
Source: Web Link
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Posted by FanDanville, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2013 at 9:05 am Really! There's a strong need and desire for "rest areas" along the trail?
Where are the correctly done statistics to PROVE that?
Most people on the trail are MOVING, not stopping. They are going somewhere. They bring their own water. If they need rest, they stop for a moment, then move on. Or they pull off at some restaurant, etc..
If you build Rest Areas, then won't teens use them to congregate at night and do some drinking, etc., away from city lights. I can see these sites becoming trouble-some in a number of ways....and harder to patrol.
I'm just saying how many people really want these Rest Areas at a cost of $______ per site?
How many sites are we talking about?
And what is the projected cost per site (at governmentally inflated construction rates)?
And what is the on-going annual maintenance cost per site?
Smarter to start with ONE SITE and see how it goes.
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Posted by FanDanville, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2013 at 9:18 am Oh, I see. They got the grant money burning in their pocket! Want to spend it!
Well, OVERPASSES over major streets is a good idea (as long as there is still access to those streets as well).
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Posted by JT, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2013 at 10:40 am Trouble spots? Teens drinking and socializing, perhaps they will even hassle people like you as you walk by. They are such scofflaws, you know, teens. Using the teen trouble logic, one could extend the argument and say we should not build schools. They cause too much trouble!!!! Please!
However if you ever use the IHT in Danville and Alamo, the benches and water are used, both for a respite, a break, a conversation, putting shoes on, waiting for a friend as a meeting spot. A beautification along the IHT in San Ramon would be highly worth it.
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Posted by FanDanville, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 15, 2013 at 1:01 pm I bike and walk the Trail.
I don't really NEED any amenities to do that.
I figured that someone would jump on and criticize my "teen" comment. (I don't have anything against teens.) But I really don't want amenities that would encourage a lot of people to be on and around the trail in a slow packed-group blocked-trail type of fashion--that interferes with using the trail as a fairly fast throughfaire for skating and biking.
I hope the Planners are careful about the spacing. We really don't want to have people sitting at tables watching their toddlers and dogs roam around in the same vicinity as having bikes whizzing by.
It might be OK to have a Mini Park site at one point along San Ramon for bathrooms (or PortaPotties) and water and at a point on the Trail that is far from access to an ordinary stopping spot with these same amenities (like an aready exisitng Park or a restaurant or shopping center like The Marketplace).
No one has mentioned the possible NEED for PARKING in conjunction with access to the Trail. I would think that parking spots should be considered. (Not everyone is going to be walking or biking directly from their house.)
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Posted by Brad, a resident of the San Ramon neighborhood, on Mar 16, 2013 at 8:55 pm More trees! The canopy that the oak trees create on the Iron Horse Trail behind SRVHS is beautiful. Plant more trees in the more barren areas of the trail.
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Posted by dot, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 18, 2013 at 9:33 am I agree with Brad. More trees - or any type of shade - is needed in San Ramon on the IHT. Summer is so hot, it's nice to have some shade. Maybe a water fountain so we can fill up on water for ourselves and our dogs.
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Posted by Kenneth, a resident of the Danville neighborhood, on Mar 28, 2013 at 2:26 pm I went running during a visit to Manhattan Beach in the LA area recently. They had a trail of wood chips for running/walking on. When on the Iron Horse Trail one can see some side trails that have been carved out. The dirt is easier on the legs and joints to run on, and you don't have to worry about faster moving skaters and bicyclists "sneaking" up from behind. I recently had wood chips delivered at my home for backyard use. The wood chips were free, including delivery, from a local tree cutting company. Labor could be provided by local community organizations doing community service to move the wood chips around once delivered. The only cost might be for design and side rails, if any.
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