A new trail will link Santa Teresa and Calero Park in south San Jose after Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved the purchase of an $8.5 million plot of land wedged between the two public spaces.
The trail, running north to south over a 47-acre stretch of land, will connect Santa Teresa’s Stile Ranch trail down to Calero’s Lisa Killough trail. The connection will ultimately allow mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riders to go between 30 miles of footpaths between the two parks.
In approving the purchase of the land, District 5 Supervisor Joe Simitian called the action a “moment of great satisfaction.”
According to the county’s Parks and Recreation Department, the purchase is part of a wider goal of making the area’s public greenspaces interconnected. The county made a similar move in 2016 with the purchase of the Coyote Highlands and a trail is underway between Harvey Bear Ranch and Anderson Lake Park.
The purchase is also in response to overcrowding in the area, illegal parking and pedestrians crossing roads without designated walkways. In addition to the trail, the county said a parking lot on the newly purchased land is one option being considered.
The land was purchased from longtime Palo Alto developer Chares “Chop” Keenan, who said he was giving up the plot because of his age.
Source: www.mercurynews.com