
San Leandro 2050 wants to share our thoughts with the community about why the closure of the damaged section of Lake Chabot Road (LCR) is not only necessary but also a tremendous opportunity for our City.
Creating Space for Walking and Biking: A Growing Need
Our organization has spent four years engaging with the communities of Mulford Gardens, Washington Manor, Davis East & West, and Floresta – areas known for the worst air quality in San Leandro. In these discussions, biking and walking emerged as the top priority for many residents. For some, these are essential for transportation, including commuting to work, while for others, they are a source of recreation and exercise. Both groups deserve more safe spaces to do so.
With 81% of San Leandro’s land covered by impervious surfaces—roads, parking lots, or buildings—residents are hungry for more green spaces. People want places where they can connect with nature, enjoy their community, and escape the noise and isolation of car-centric life. The Estudillo/Chabot Park is already incredibly popular, as is the Chabot Marina Area, and the opportunity to not rebuild LCR is a low-cost way to expand these beloved green spaces. By keeping LCR closed, we are providing much-needed room for bikers and walkers, showing that San Leandro is willing to prioritize the well-being of all its residents.
Evacuation for Residents
There are multiple evacuation routes in the area, however should it be needed during an emergency, the road is open to all energency vehicles- including cars who are evacuating. The road is blocked with simple flexible ballards that any vehicle can drive over.
Spending Public Funds Wisely and Equitably
Another important consideration is how we spend public funds. With limited resources, does it make sense to spend more than an entire year’s budget on rebuilding a road that will likely slide again in the next storm? Do we want to prioritize convenience for a small, well-served group, over addressing more pressing needs in underserved communities?
To illustrate this, we’ve compiled data on the number of households living on city streets with poor pavement conditions. The table below shows that a significant portion of San Leandro’s population lives on streets that are categorized as having "red" or "orange" pavement conditions, meaning they are in urgent need of repair.
District | Households | Households with Red Pavement | Households with Orange Pavement | Total Households with Red or Orange Pavement | Percentage of Households with Poor Pavement |
Viveros-Walton (D1) | 7,502 | 1,014 | 928 | 1,942 | 26% |
Azevedo (D2) | 6,554 | 1,338 | 1,009 | 2,347 | 36% |
Aguilar (D3) | 6,105 | 1,982 | 814 | 2,796 | 46% |
Simon (D4) | 5,453 | 1,396 | 593 | 1,989 | 36% |
Bowen (D5) | 6,134 | 1,042 | 1,027 | 2,069 | 34% |
Ballew (D6) | 6,560 | 993 | 855 | 1,848 | 28% |
Total | 38,308 | 7,765 | 5,226 | 12,991 | 34% |
This data highlights the importance of ensuring that our funds are used equitably, focusing on repairing streets that serve a much larger portion of our community. The permanent closure of LCR allows us to better prioritize the needs of all San Leandro residents, not just the few.
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