Community input from Meeting #1

The purpose of design meeting #1 was to gather ideas from our key user group (cyclists of course) as well as from community groups and residents. We all went into the meeting with no pre-conceptions and an open mind to everyone’s ideas. Some common themes and requests came out of the meeting including:

1. A kids skills area. Caution against making the park a kiddie playground.
2. A perimeter loop for all skill levels. Allow it to flow, not stop and start.
3. Progressive jumps and table top lines catering to 3 levels of riders, but stacked with flow, berms and turns. The expert lines should be set up to encourage tricks. Don’t just line table tops up in a row.
4. Slopestyle features including drops, wallrides and berms. Integrate them into the hillside, rocks and through the trees.
5. Grind rails and bike park elements, but integrated into the dirt features.
6. Skills features for all ages and skill levels like logs and skinnies, rollers and pumptracks.
7. The ability to have competitions to raise money for park maintenance, etc. A competitive jump line (amateur and pro), Highly technical Short track DH run, Dual and/or single timed slalom, Trials area, Cyclocross elements…
8. Take all entry points and trails/paths from all neighborhoods into consideration when designing the park.
9. Build awareness of hikers and other usergroups so that safety and etiquette are top of mind.
10. Create a space for bike maintenance, and bike loan program. Educate neighborhood youth on how to keep up their bikes as well as how to ride them safely.
11. Take all natural areas, plants and terrain into consideration when designing and building the park. Restore and plant native species where possible.

All who attended the meeting filled out comment forms. Click here to see a consolidated list.

Throughout the course of the meeting, notes from the discussion were written on easel cards. Those notes unedited are as follows:

• Progression (for all skill levels)
• Rainwater catchment (to water trails and irrigate)
• Natural water feature – rain garden – using stormwater
• 3 categories: Beginners Loop, Intermediate Pump Track/Terrain, Advanced – For broad appeal
• Will require on-site water recycling (SFPUC)
• Incorporate green elements
• Trail surfacing – clayey consistency for durability
• Expense of asphalt removal? Needs testing and review of alternatives. $80k!
• Clarify 3 design meetings:
• 1. Gather input
• 2. Present 3 alternative concepts
• 3. present draft concept plan
• 3 neighborhoods involved…
• Is the proposed location the best? How was location decided? Some folks want community garden here.
• Look at Brazil Street site
• Put comments form on R+P website
• Dust control – try to minimize water needed by using tackifiers.
• Love the contained park.  How to avoid conflicts w/ hikers elsewhere in park?
• Educate riders.
• Good signage for trail etiquette
• 3 lines of dirt jumps: Tabletops, gaps
• Starting hill
• A local’s park
• 1st priority for young kids , then go to more extreme
• Even where kids can learn to ride
• Pump track good for wide age range
• Opportunity to borrow bikes (SFUR is trying for grants to buy bikes) SFRPD can provide programming.
• Storage for bikes, repair shop
• Bathroom
• Repair skills classes
• Step on step off
• shade structure
• Hang out / gathering area
• bleachers up at top of hill
• adequate parking
• facilities for kids to just ride around
• Challenging = fun tot track
• skills course
• cyclocross course/features
• Need safe routes to bike to park
• kids area at bottom where flatter
• Kid area: Fenced play area, part paved/part dirt, clubhouse for parents, buffer from older kids (doubles as rain garden)
• Fencing/buffer to keep kids safe. Not needed throughout.
• Fencing along road to prevent night use. Aesthetically pleasing/soft. And to keep people off fast trails.
• Tree plantings for wind block.
• Integration between Cr-Am. + Sunnydale.
• Crosswalks/traffic calming.
• Needs transportation plan.
• Typical route: from persia bike lanes on S.D. separated from road
• Current sidewalk is bad.
• Complete streets
• Landscaping around features
• Family route should be long and continuous
• overpass
• Don’t make it exclusive kids park. Something for everybody.
• Picnic/rest area – nook out of wind
• “Filer features” at top of trails.
• Buffers so bikes don’t fly onto another trail
• Safety checks, maintained properly
• Younger riders talk with older to learn.
• Shop can be social space to blur the user groups
• Security/Theft concerns
• Sunnydale slated for redevelopment – 4x more people – review architect’s plan.
• Program events for revenue
• Donor Recognition Program
• Rideable artwork
• Ramps will get tagged
• Maybe invite artists to do good art
• Give them time to do pro graffiti art. Give them a place in the bike culture