Rancho San Miguel Association – Walnut Creek, CA.

Annual RSM Neighborhood Meeting & Social Mixer 

Special Guest – Mayor Bob Simmons!

Please join us for the annual neighborhood gathering and report from the Board

When:   Saturday, October 24^th

Where:  RSM Swim Club

Time:     4:30pm until 7:00pm

What:    Social Mixer from 4:30pm until 6:00pm, followed by the Annual RSM Neighborhood Association Meeting

On Saturday, October 24^th, please join us at the RSM Swim Club for a Social Mixer and the Annual RSM Neighborhood Association Meeting. This is your opportunity to meet your RSM neighbors, enjoy a variety of appetizers, wine and soft drinks and to learn about your RSM Neighborhood Association. Kids are welcome! There is no charge for this event.

Rancho San Miguel Association invites everyone in the neighborhood to come on out and enjoy a movie under the stars with your friends and neighbors. We will be setting up a projector screen on the El Divisadero Field for a night of family fun. We will start with some cartoons for the kids, then follow that up with “Back to the Future” for the main feature. Bring out your picnic blankets and lawn chairs(not too tall please) around 7:30 and the fun will start around dusk. Some light refreshments will be provided but feel free to bring your own. We’re looking forward to seeing you all there.

On July 23rd, the RSMA Board and concerned neighbors met with the Regency Management to hear a presentation about our shopping center, the Fresh & Easy space, and future changes. RSMA neighbors listened, had suggestions and voice concerns about noise, crime, and construction impacts on their homes. Please see the recap below:

• Regency is pushing for a grocery store, or drug store as a distant second, but nowhere near a confirmed tenet.
• Could rework the existing tenants to create more square footage for grocery space.
• They are looking at redoing the food court area within the next year.
• Potentially giving the whole center a face lift within the next 5 years.
• The current tenants all do good business, so no anticipated departures.
• Regency is exploring alternate grocery store ideas: Market Hall concept, Fish monger, Produce, etc.

• Prospective Tenants for the F&E space and response by Regency
  Fresh & Easy will be paying rent until the end of their lease. Potentially till the end of September.
• Walmart Express – rather have the Rite Aid.
• Rite Aid – Interested, but seeing how grocer turns out first.
• Restaurant – Prefer a grocer, but open to it.
• Hardware – Would take business from Encina Grande.
• Auto Parts – Not happening.
• Diablo Foods – They have not spoken, not likely but open to it.
• Lunardi’s – They have spoken, no word.
• New Leaf – They have spoken, no word.
• Sprouts – Not interested.
• (as suggested/asked about by RSM neighbors)Trader Joe’s – Not interested.

• Neighborhood Requests:
• Request to limit construction hours for stores that are remodeling.
• Ask Kinders and Peets employees to not smoke behind their respective stores (Potential fire hazard.)
• Change garage collection hours.

• Encina Grande:
• Current phase should be done in the fall.
• Safeway lease up at the end of September.
• Will begin Whole Foods phase once Safeway is out.
• Business is doing well for current tenants, despite construction.

• RSMA to do’s:
• Meeting with the City Manager – ideas for agenda?
• Current crime issues in RSM.
• Code violations by the shopping center.
• Update on intersection rebuild.

RSMA will host a movie night on August 22, 2015 at dusk.  Check back here for location (probably El Divisidero Park) and movie selection.

Thanks to our neighbors, kids and of course the Easter Bunny!  Best attended egg hunt that any one could remember!

On Wednesday, March 11^th the RSM Board met with the City Manager, Traffic Engineer, Police Department, and City Planning concerning various issue raised by the neighborhood. During the course of the hour long conversation we covered long time concerns such as John Muir, Berean, Traffic and newer ones like the signal project at San Carlos and Ygnacio Valley Road, and parking at El Divisidero Park.

Please review the report below on the meeting. The Board welcomes your comments, and participation in our communications with the City.

Berean: There has been no recent contact between the School and City. The RSM Board is committed to keeping an open line of communications with both the School and the City. It’s important to remember: Berean has a use agreement with the City covering hours of operation, uses of the facility, and school capacity. If you observe a problem, report it to the City.

John Muir Hospital: The City and John Muir have discussed building renovations to accommodate patients related the Affordable Care Act. This would entail remodeling of existing structures, not new construction. We asked the City to put the Board in touch with John Muir facilities staff to open a dialog. We will report back to RSM as more information comes in.

El Divisidero Parking Lot Usage: While we have been successful in opening the parking lot, there are still concerns about it not being used during soccer games. The City will help us communicate with the Soccer League. We will request the League include information about the parking in its instructions to teams when the annual schedule is set.

El Divisidero and San Carlos residents who are impacted should always file complaints with the City if there are cars parked illegally, or trash left in the area.

YVR/San Carlos Signal Plan: The City sent detailed plans for the intersection. Please look at the recent post for a PDF.

The project includes:

• Lengthening the “pockets” leading to left turns into the park and San Carlos
• Elimination of the light posts on YVR and replacement with lights suspended over the intersection
• Dedicated turn signals for directional traffic on San Carlos. This means:
  1. Pedestrians walking across YVR to and from the park will have a dedicated light
  2. Vehicles exiting San Carlos and the Park onto YVR will also have a dedicated left turn light

We also suggested lights for bicycles on west side of the intersection. The City plans to solicit bids early summer, with construction starting late summer, early fall. The project should take three months to complete.

Important: City Manager (Ken Nordhoff) agreed to conduct an open neighborhood meeting about the signal plan and we are looking to schedule it in late April or early May.

Other topics covered:

• Better planning around major events at Heather Farms Park and impacts on the neighborhood. The Police agreed to communicate with the Board in advance of events so we can forward the information to the neighborhood.
• Increased traffic in RSM after construction at Encina Grande and downtown projects are completed. The City’s position is that it does not anticipate any traffic increases. We are requesting they initiate a comprehensive review of traffic patterns impacting particularly, San Carlos, San Antonio, and El Divisidero streets.

Traffic issues are ongoing and solutions will not be quick in coming. They require neighborhood involvement and collaboration! One more reminder about traffic: Our best weapon is reporting speeding and other infractions every time to the City. Get a license plate number. The City keeps statistics, and changes Police coverage patterns as a result.

Speed Sign on San Carlos

Extensively discussed on Nextdoor! The sign is to be installed on San Carlos (heading North) in order to slow traffic heading toward YVR. While the RSM Board did not propose this installation, our position has been to listen to the voices of RSM before advocating with the City. RSM seems overwhelmingly in favor.

There have been lots of constructive alternatives proposed (more signs, speed bumps, road changes) but it seems  for every solution, another problems is created: Negative impact on a small number of homes where changes are made, cost, visual changes, etc.

We will request the City provide sample images of the sign prior to installation.

Finally… Thanks to the entire neighborhood for input on these issues. As the Mayor noted last summer “We are the most active area in Walnut Creek”.

Please send your comments and suggestions to: president@ranchosanmiguel.org

RSM’ers have a look at what the City plans for our intersection!

The RSM Board is meeting with the City in a couple of weeks. Send your thoughts to this email address:  president@ranchosanmiguel.org

Click on the link below:

YVB Scan

Its that time of year!

Join RSM or renew, meet your neighbors, and this year somethingdifferent: A forum comprised of neighbors talking about their home renovation projects. Moderated by Hunter Winner of “Redneck Modern” Blog and Board Member Dean Lundstrom.