GLRAG Improvement Committee Survey of Grand Avenue
Updated June 9, 2009
Contact: Eric Hughes 510-384-4907 or eric@foggygulch.com

italics = reported and/or plans made; strikethrough = completed

** CITY'S RESPONSIBILITY

The following summarizes the worst and most hazardous sections of damaged sidewalks and curbs.

** 2/10/09 update: City Engineer has determined that the majority of the sidewalk damage is the responsibility of property owners, but the City will grind down any areas raised by roots of city street trees.

  • Missing pole anchor nuts on traffic signal at Grand & Lake Park. Reported to public works 1/26. Repaired
  • Bicycle rack damaged in front of Private Mail Boxes. Removed by PWA 2/09.
  • Missing section of sidewalk in front of Neecha Thai, 3236 Grand.
  • Curb and sidewalk badly patched with asphalt (note sinkholes), 3304 Grand.
  • Broken section of sidewalk in front of DiBartolo's, 3316 Grand.
  • Large missing section of sidewalk on Weldon at Grand, adjacent to De Kors Interiors.
  • Broken sidewalk at 3734 Grand.
  • Damaged sidewalk, 3725 Grand.
  • Offset sidewalk tripping hazard, 3521 Grand.
  • Damaged sidewalk, 3423 Grand.
  • Badly damaged sidewalk, 3401 Grand.
  • Severely damaged sidewalk, 3307 Grand. Building owner contacted 2/23 and he is willing to work with other property owners to repair sidewalks.
  • Major eyesore and tripping hazard, 3307 Grand. Building owner contacted 2/23 and he is willing to work with other property owners to repair sidewalks.
  • Lighting at Splash Pad Park not working. Reported to Public Works and fixed late May, 2009.
  • Pot hole on Mandana and Grand reported tp Public Works 5/18. Fixed 5/19.

    Meter Stubs Pose A Serious Tripping Hazard:
  • Meter stub at 3226 Grand. A substantial portion of the meter posts that were removed from Grand were not cut flush with the sidewalk and constitute a severe tripping hazard. The one pictured is typical, but problematic stubs are too numerous to catalogue and photograph. Reported to public works 1/14. 2/10/09 update: City Engineer will endeavor to have protruding meter stubs ground down.

    • Other City Infrastructure Issues:
  • Gutter sprouting weeds on Lake Park at Walker. Reported to public works 1/14.
  • Fire plug needs painting 3326 Grand. Reported to public works 1/14.
  • Graffiti on signal pole east end of crosswalk at Elwood. Reported to public works 1/14. Cleaned.
  • Graffiti on trash receptacle, 3518 Grand. Reported to public works 1/14. Cleaned.

  • Vacant tree well, 3814 Grand. Reported to public works 1/14. No city trees available. Property owner can replace with Evergreen Pear.
  • Compound infractions include damaged sidewalk and curb; weed-choked gutter; and fire plug desperately in need of paint. Reported to public works 1/14.
  • Ped Xing sign needs replacing at 3425 Grand. Reported to public works 1/14.
  • Large traffic signal on the southwest corner of Grand and Lake Park Avenues on which two of the nuts that anchor the pole have been removed. Reported to Public Works 1/29/09

    INDIVIDUAL MERCHANT OR PROPERTY OWNER'S RESPONSIBILITY

  • Grand Lake Theatre: peeling paint on exterior wall.
  • Grand Lake Theatre: peeling paint above entrance. Parts of theater getting a new coat of paint as of June, 2009.
  • Grand Lake Theatre: graffiti on Walker side of building. Cleaned.
  • Smoke Shop: awning tagged and in need of cleaning.
  • Theatre + Florist + Day of the Dead: awnings are mildewed and torn. Awnings removed and cleaned May 2009.

  • Grand Lake Sew & Vac at 3250 Grand: door frame in need of paint, trim above windows needs paint. Business owner provided two painting contractor names June 2009.
  • One Hour Martinizing at 3250 Grand: graffiti. Cleaned May 2009.
  • Connie's Cantina at 3340 Grand: awning is dirty.
  • 3344 Grand: graffiti on security gate.
  • Domino's Pizza at 3360 Grand: touch-up paint needed where sign was removed.

  • Corner in front of 7-11: needs better maintenance and landscaping. Discussed with Manager 2/24, will fix up corner when there are 3-4 days with no rain. Discussed again with Manager 3/26/09. Weeded and cleaned in early April.
  • 7-11 on Grand at Mandana: unattractive signage and dumpster visible from street.
  • 3510 Grand: graffiti on both sides of entrance.
  • All About Nails, 3606 Grand: graffiti on electrical panel.
  • 3608 Grand: graffiti on electrical breaker box.
  • Margene's Bridal 3612 Grand Avenue Awning needs cleaning or replacing. Awning removed 3/09.

  • DeKors Interiors at 3700 Grand: bags of sand and weeds adjacent to entrance.
  • DeKors Interiors at 3700 Grand: awnings in very poor condition.
  • Sunny Nails at 3736 Grand: wood platform should be put to use or removed.
  • Weed's Salon at 6 Wildwood: graffiti. Cleaned
  • Weed's Salon at 6 Wildwood: more graffiti.

  • La Taza at 3909 Grand: driveway has weeds, litter and garbage can visible from street.
  • Hewitt Office Center at 3901 Grand: peeling paint at entrance.
  • Highview Property Management Co. parking lot next to Grand Oaks Restaurant, 3701 Grand: broken asphalt and weeds bordering lot.
  • 3709 Grand Parking lot needs maintenance. Letter sent to investment brokers 1/29.
  • Parking lot next to Senor Nero's: asphalt worn and front corner full of weeds and rubble. Landscaping done as part of new Grand Tavern restaurant. Asphalt problems reported to lot owner May 2009.
  • Two billboards alongside parking lot next to Senor Nero's belong to Clear Channel. Posters are ripped and soiled. Frames are in need of paint. Reported to Clear Channel 2/5/09. They responded that they will investigate. Escalated 4/15/09. Billboards replaced April 2009, but frames have not been repaired.
  • Parking lot next to Senor Nero's: muddy pot hole at left front corner and billboard in poor condition.

  • Young's Automotive at 3509 Grand: litter; trim needs paint; cypress needs to be severely pruned or removed.
  • Young's Automotive at 3509 Grand: roll-up doors dirty; windows broken; steel trim needs paint. Discussed Windows with Manager 2/24. He will contact landlord. Discussed again on 3/26/09.
  • 3501 Grand: former home of a dance studio, property is long-vacant and severely deteriorating. Complaint filed with blight abatement.
  • Milano's parking lot at 3425 Grand: asphalt paved week of 4/1, still need to deal with garbage dumpster visible from street.
  • Rear of Milano's parking lot: a series of poorly maintained garbage and food waste receptacles.

  • 3333 Grand: Garbage cans visible from street.
  • The Alley, 3325 Grand: pigeon-proofing required..
  • The Alley: graffiti; trash visible from the street; paving needs cleaning.
  • Jenny's Cafe at 3311 Grand: trim on facade needs repainting. Building owner contacted 2/23.
  • Parking lot at 3265 Grand: Overgrown with weeds and in need of TLC.

  • 3265 Grand: Graffiti on facade and windows. Reported on 1/26/09 to Tom Niu, listing broker.
  • Dirt Cheap Mattress at 3241 Grand Awning tagged.
  • New Grand Lake Market (3217) and Grand Communications (3219): Paint peeling on wood trim.
  • Lee's Florist (3215) and Yang Chow (3211): community bulletin board needs cleaning and regular refreshing.
  • H & R Block at 3201 Grand Makeshift installation of air conditioner.

    GROUP RESPONSIBILITY

  • Business directory at entrance to parking lot: is dated and damaged by moisture.
  • Sidewalks need to be steam cleaned and gum removed.

    OTHERS' RESPONSIBILITY

    PG & E steel grates embedded in sidewalks are extremely slippery in wet weather. Steel vault covers in the following locations are deemed hazardous:
  • 3330 Grand.
  • 3411 Grand.
  • 3335 Grand.
  • 3211 Grand.

    PG & E concrete meter box:
  • Sunken PG&E meter vault at 3425-B Grand presents a tripping hazard.

    Other sidewalk grates:
  • Steel grate at 3425 Grand is marked "TEL". One side is raised posing a tripping, as well as a slipping hazard.
  • TV cable box at 3415 Grand is raised and poses a tripping hazard. Comcast's responsibility.
  • TV cable box disintegrating at 3333 Grand. Comcast's responsibility.

    Pay Phones in need of cleaning or removal:
  • 3250 Grand. Cleaned in early April. Business owner reports that phone can be removed. Request submitted June 2009.
  • 3268 Grand. Request to remove phone submitted June 2009.

    Miscellaneous Issues:
  • Graffiti on news rack at 3300 Grand.
  • UPS box at 3824 Grand: graffiti. Cleaned by UPS
  • Bus benches at 3908 Grand: graffiti. Cleaned by marketing vendor

    LANDSCAPING OPPORTUNITIES

    Sidewalk and store-front planters:
  • All four planters alongside theatre are ill-cared for with inappropriate plant selection.
  • Beds on either side of parking lot entrance have thus far defied attempts at landscaping. Raised beds with a good choice of hardy, drought-tolerant plants would be more attractive and likely to thrive.
  • Planters in front of Prudential Realty would benefit from pruning or a better selection of plants.
  • Empty planter alongside 76 station on Grand at Mandana.
  • Empty planters at 3527 Grand.
  • Planting strip along front wall, 3700 Grand.
  • Lonely Jade plant at Smitty's, 3339 Grand.
  • Davidson stairs between Walker and Vermont need weeding. Completed 1/31/09 by neighbors. Weeds picked up by Waste Management.
  • Trim Tree in front of 3265 Grand (old 3-day blinds store). Reported to public works 3/16.

    Good examples of what's possible abound:

  • Number one exhibit is the planter in front of Cultural Crossroads. It is one of half a dozen or more maintained by William Landis, manager of Lycette Properties.
  • Planter in front of All About Nails, 3606 Grand.
  • Planter in front of Galleria Scola, 3646 Grand.
  • And thanks to KFC for planting new trees and flowers in their tree wells in March!

    The majority of the tree wells and sidewalk planting strips up and down Grand are currently a negative asset. Since most are below the sidewalk grade, they pose a tripping hazard and tend to collect litter. Many are overgrown with weeds. Here are a few examples:

  • Tree well in front of Day of the Dead.
  • Planting strip in front of Salon de France, 3508 Grand .
  • Tree well with gravel at 3814 Grand.
  • Planting strip 4" below walk at 3824 Grand.

    There are a variety of solutions:

  • Bricks or pavers, Karen Kartch Chiropractic, 3661 Grand.
  • Fill with soil and feature hardy, drought-tolerant plants, 3521 Grand.
  • Fill with stabilized, decomposed granite, on Lake Park in front of Bank of America.

    OTHER BEAUTIFICATION OPPORTUNITIES

     Murals:
  • Blank stucco wall on theatre could be utilized for faux storefront window display or Grand Avenue street scene from 1920's.
  • Peter Lee Mural on Davidson Way (3600 block of Grand) is a perfect example.
  • Control and utility boxes such as this one on the corner of Grand and Mandana can be utilized for small-scale art projects to beautify neighborhood and discourage graffiti. Same approach could be used with electrical panel boxes such as the ones at 3606 and 3608 Grand.

    There are far too many billboards on this section of Grand Avenue that severely detract from the neighborhood's overall charm and a long-term goal should be to reduce their numbers and impact. On the corner of Mandana, 7 billboards are visible:

  • Two small ones facing Salon de France.
  • The large one at eye level over the 7-11 parking lot.
  • Another over Young's Automotive.
  • Another over Kung Pao Kitchen.
  • Yet another over the 76 Union station.

    One of the biggest challenges facing Grand Avenue is to link the two ends, creating an attractive, pedestrian-friendly thoroughfare. This is complicated by unkempt parking lots; a plethora of driveways and half a dozen immediately adjacent parcels that utilize front yards for parking extending from:

  • State Farm Insurance at 3715 up to the parking lot alongside Senor Nero's.

    These areas need to be better maintained and landscaped and, if possible, frontage should be used to better advantage as was done at the Coffee Mill. If the same model was utilized at Senor Nero's, the result would be a far more attractive facade and an outdoor eating venue which was high on the GLRAG survey wish list. Thanks to the new Grand Tavern (at the previous Senior Nero's location) for all the beautification efforts there!