The downturn in the housing market is towering over Willow Glen home owners. Literally?

The SJ Mercury News confirmed this week what WGx has seen as inevitable: People don’t want to buy a view of the San Jose skyline, especially one that turns its back on Willow Glen.

Upscale condo sales have slowed to a crawl, and developers in desperation are turning their for-sale homes in the downtown into rentals, in hopes of seeing some return on their multimillion-dollar investments. …

The latest project to convert to rentals is Barry Swenson’s Skyline, an 11-story, high-rise tower near Highway 87. The San Jose City Council approved the conversion Tuesday after Swenson closed his sales office and ceased marketing the 242-unit project because he couldn’t attract buyers. …

… [D]evelopers are being allowed to rent the units for up to five years. They are banking on the housing market coming back to life, allowing them to sell the units down the road.

So, mark your calendars for September 2013 … your second chance to buy a fancy view of Downtown SJ!

PG&E employees and contractors have been spotted walking the streets of WG this week. They are sporting orange vests and looking for trees that have grown too close to the power lines.

They are identifying trees that need trimming in proximity to power lines, and neighbors will soon see crews out trimming those trees (suspected trees are getting blue paint dots on their trunks near the curb and homeowners are getting notification fliers).

While some readers on the WGNA eList have wondered if something nefarious may be afoot, it is just a precaution against a repeat of last year’s power outages caused by trees falling during storms.

No, it’s not open yet … but there might be light at the end of the exit ramp. Maybe.

In fact it might open today, but we’ve heard that one before … Crews are installing bright orange pylon for lane control this morning, so maybe … keep your fingers crossed …

This long-delayed ramp project has been on WGx’s radar for a while now, and has become a hot topic on the SJ Mercury’ Mr. Roadshow column … although promises made to Gary Richards this past week have not come true:

Q Any news on when the off-ramp from southbound Almaden Expressway to Curtner Avenue will open? It’s taken almost a year to complete this. … Jerry Tanner, Dina Jacobsen and so many more

A Finally, good news. On Friday, traffic officials hope to open the free right-turn lane from the exit onto westbound Curtner. And the traffic signal could be activated on Oct. 3, which means the entire ramp will be ready and drivers can then make left turns onto Curtner.

Did it open for westbound traffic? No.

An earlier update from the Roadshow column blames the problem on PG&E, by the way:

Q When will the Almaden Expressway off-ramp to Curtner Avenue reopen? It was only supposed to be closed six weeks (which I never believed!). It’s been paved and painted and lights are in place. But nada. Meanwhile, I’m forced to drive a little further to get home and have to use a dangerous intersection at Almaden Road and Canoas Garden instead of a couple of quick and easy right turns. … Penny Bowen and many more

A You have a right to be steamed, as this work is taking far too long. The new ramp may open in two or three weeks. PG&E says it needs that long to power up the new traffic signal. The county is hoping to open up the free-right turn onto Curtner before the signal is ready. Alas, you’ll have to stay tuned.

But maybe today. At least westbound. Maybe.

The Solar Power may not be ready … but the WGHS Football Team is ready to turn on the Ram Power anyway!

The Rams Varsity Football Team kicks-off its home season tonight with a game against visiting Del Mar High School. Yes, it’s a night game … complete with the premiere of the new stadium lights! Finally.

Willow Glen High Rams will Turn on the Power!

SAN JOSE, CA- Friday, September 26, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. the WGHS Rams will be the second in a series of San Jose Unified’s High Schools turning on the power on their long awaited stadium lights. Willow Glen High School, 2001 Cottle Ave., San Jose, 95125, is the second school of the season to flick the switch on their new stadium lights, as they prepare to host Del Mar High School. …

San Jose Unified’s Board of Education president and Willow Glen resident, Pam Foley, commented, “Football and night games are a perfect combination. This is a great way to continue to build community. Let’s invite the neighbors for a tailgate party and to join us in cheering on our team. WGHS has planned a long time to host night games. We are prepared and the team is ready to go. I know what I’ll be doing on Friday night.”

Stadium lights have been installed at all of San Jose Unified High Schools, with San Jose High Academy being the first to play under the lights in 2007. Schools will be allowed 10 night events, 5 of those can be football games. Lights are to be off at 10:00 p.m.

Pioneer High School was the first SJUSD school with lights on this year, for their game back on September 12.

It’s either the secret hideout for the next James Bond villain … or something really cool happening on the WG Middle School and High School sports fields.

The co-located campus for grades 6-12 hosts all of the obvious sports-related activities, but over the last few years, the San Jose Unified School District has been adding fancy electronics, too. In addition to revamping the playing surface, the space also boasts stadium lights and even a fake tree that doubles as a cell phone tower.

Next up: construction of Solar Panels. As part of its green initiative announced last year, the District is installing solar panels all around the campus in Willow Glen:

California’s San Jose Unified School District is joining the green movement by unveiling what it says may be the largest solar power and energy-efficient programs in U.S. K-12 education.

The program … includes the construction of solar arrays on the school roofs and parking canopies, and will initially generate two megawatts of power, eventually rising to five meagawatts. Over the 25-year lifespan of the project, the district expects to save $25 million in energy costs and reduce its utility power demand by 25 percent. Overall, the district estimates it will cut the equivalent of 37,500 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

The panels installed at WGMS will produce 765kW in elctricity, and offset 49% of the total electrical consumption on site with its solar power. District wide, it’ll be a 25% reduction in the demand for utility power, and the 37,500 tons of reduced emissions is equivalent to planting 400 acres of trees.

The project will eventually include curriculum enhancements, too, including focus on solar power and engineering. And teachers from local elementary schools are looking forward to installations at their sites, too.

With the fate of Fire Station #6 now apparently separate from the Station 37 question, we have the November ballot measure to ponder. WGx wonders what the response will be from the rest of the city to the public safety priorities of the Cambrian and Willow Glen neighborhoods.

In response to the unsavory possibility of closing one station to open another, the City of SJ did formally adopt an official policy on closing fire stations. In theory, this preserves Station 6 for years to come, although that doesn’t make the Hose Wagon feel any better.

Mixed in with a Presidential ballot, a statewide debate on gay marriage, and a variety of school bonds, the parkland-for-fire-station question will probably get little consideration beyond a cursory one.

Since WGx World HQ is much closer to the Senior Center than it is to the current Station 6, officials can expect at least one “yes” vote in November …

There’s a hustle of road repaving and signal upgrading all around Willow Glen today. Add extra time for your driving needs.

Old Almaden Road at Malone is getting the potentially-final touches on its upgrade, just in time for the partial opening of the Almaden Walk condo project.

Meanwhile, Meridian Avenue south of Curtner is in the middle of a major repaving project that will last a few months. The street is getting regraded and will have shiny new asphalt like portions of Curtner got a few months ago. No word on new fire hydrants.

Further east, crews are working on the signal lights at Curtner and Little Orchard, near the gateway to The Plant, which now boasts dining locations such as Rubio’s, a new Starbucks, a Chevy’s, and a convenient Panera.

WGx can’t help but wonder why one of those road crews can’t wonder over to Curtner and Almaden Expresway to spend about ten minutes finishing the exit ramp from the southbound side of the Expressway. But, no … that project will probably drag on for a full year …

The WG Library has only been open a few weeks, but it is already hugely successful in one key area: Fund Raising!

In a thank you letter mailed to donors earlier this month, the San Jose Public Library Foundation celebrated an incredible milestone:

The outpouring of support from the Willow Glen community for this library has been amazing. Thanks to contributions from residents, businesses, and community groups, more than $300,000 has been raised to date! These news funds will be used to augment existing library collections, acquire new language materials and multimedia resources, upgrade technology, and enhance the teen learning centers and children’s areas in the library.

Local residents initially had concerns that the collection might suffer since the bond measure funds supported the construction of the library, rather than the lots of new books and materials. Clearly, the community has come through.

After months of dreaming of Zanotto’s … followed by promises from Tesco … followed by months of waiting … now we get months of construction …

As originally reported by via Twitter, Contractors have placed fences and added modular office space on the long-vacant Albertson’s grocery store on the corner of Bird & Minnesota/Alma, future site of Tesco’s Fresh & Easy.

The WG Resident has added a story online at the SJ mercury News website (not in today’s print edition), revealing that only one as-yet-unissued building permit stands in the way of actual construction on the site:

Brendan Wonnacott of Tesco’s Fresh and Easy Neighborhood Market said renovations are scheduled to begin within a month at the Bird Avenue site.

Wonnacott said the site could open as early as next summer. The store is one of 18 that the chain plans to open in the Bay Area. News of the Willow Glen project moving forward came just after Tesco ended a three-month moratorium on opening any new stores in Southern California until the company could collect feedback from other Fresh and Easy locations.

… Plans are moving forward as scheduled, he added. San Jose building officials said earlier this month that the project was at a standstill in the building permit stage.

Edward Tolentino, San Jose’s chief building official, said all plans have been reviewed and the department is waiting on a special inspection form, which will name an inspector of welding and structural aspects of the building.

“We’ve been ready to issue it since June 2,” Tolentino said. “We are just waiting for that one piece of paper.”

Delays or otherwise, Summer 2009 remains the official target. We’ll see.

The Fire Station 6/37 debate – which needs a snappy nickname if you ask WGx – migrates in a less dramatic direction this week, with the publication of a City Council memo signed by Pierluigi Oliverio, Judy Chirco, and Mayor Chuck Reed.

Oliverio distributed the memo to community stakeholders late last week, and it will be addressed by the SJ City Council Rules Committee this Wednesday, August 20:

Please see the attached memo … requesting (1). that the San Jose City Council remove the potential sale of Fire House 6 from the budget and 5-year forecast (2). adopt a policy regarding selling, consolidating or closing any fire house in the city. Further, any sale, closure and/or consolidation will include using scientific data and extensive community outreach and council approval before a decision of selling, closing or consolidating a fire house is placed in the budget.

As many of you have been aware, the city placed the sale of Fire House 6 (located on the corner of Minnesota and Cherry Avenues in Willow Glen), in the City of San Jose budget last year without making the community or councilmember aware of their actions. Because the public safety bond money has been spent, the city wanted to sell Fire House 6 to help pay for construction costs for the new Fire Station even though current response data from the San Jose Fire Department does not warrant closing Fire House 6.

Following discussion by the Rules Committee, the idea of a new policy will be presented for council consideration at its regular meeting at 7:00 pm on Tuesday, September 9, 2008.

The issue of fire station closures and capital budgets for new stations was the primary agenda item at last week’s WG Neighborhood Association meeting. Although the WGNA obviously leans toward opposing the closing of Station #6, they have yet to publish an official stance.