Plans to Expand, Enhance Mt. Wanda Begin to Take Shape

Park site dedicated to former Martinez resident and father of National Park System John Muir set for new trail connections and amenities in coming years

Happy Father’s Day to all Martinez fathers and father figures. Hope you (and I) have a joyful, relaxing day!

This seems like a good day for a post updating readers on plans for a key portion of our national park site that honors the “father” of the National Park System, John Muir. The City Council recently received an update on comprehensive plans for upgrades to Mt. Wanda, which was named after Muir’s daughter, whom he would take on hikes of the mountain during his years living in Martinez. (After Wanda’s birth in 1881, Muir wrote, “I am now the happiest man in the world.”)

Wanda Muir-Hannah, for whom Mt. Wanda was named. Photo courtesy of National Park Service

As many of you likely know, Mt. Wanda is located just south of Highway 4 off Alhambra Avenue, a proverbial hop, skip and jump from the historic Muir home just north of the highway.

John Muir National Historic Site Superintendent K. Lynn Berry presented the plan to the council at its June 7 meeting. The planning process began back in 2018 but has been delayed by staffing turnover and shortages and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key elements of the plan include acquisition by the National Park Service of the 44-acre West Hills Farm parcel through a donation from the John Muir Land Trust, and development of the Strentzel Valley trailhead that will include several new trail connections and amenities. Berry explained that the trailhead will provide new access to Mt. Wanda with 10 to 15 parking spaces, a bus entry point to allow for the NPS to host school groups, a picnic area, and a pavilion that will host education programs and “command lovely views” of the park.

“This is the only relatively flat area within all of Mt. Wanda, and so within this valley we are able to propose a new accessible trail loop that goes through the valley,” Berry said.

A rendering of the proposed Strentzel Valley trailhead development.

In a reflection that the local housing crisis is also impacting the Park Service’s ability to maintain the work force needed to maintain the historic site and open space, Berry also noted that the trailhead plan calls for an “administrative campsite.”

“We’d like to host trails crews, invasive-plant management crews. As a small park, with no park housing in an area known for steep housing costs, we’d like to be able to have temporary work force surges there in the form of crews or even researchers that might come,” Berry said. “It presents a real opportunity to increase our work force capacity.”

A previous iteration of the plan had envisioned a science and education center at the site, but after further consideration of the Park Service’s needs, it was decided to dedicate the space to natural resource staff and equipment, Berry said.

Implementation of the entire plan is expected to take 15 to 20 years, Berry said. While the plan itself falls under the jurisdiction of the National Park Service, Berry expressed a desire to work with the city on connecting Mt. Wanda to the city’s newly acquired Alhambra Highlands. She noted that the NPS has received numerous requests from the community to explore such a connection.

She also expressed interest in working with the city on improving the city-owned dirt parking lot off Alhambra Avenue that serves as the primary entry point to Mt. Wanda, including the possibility of paving and increasing the lot’s capacity.

Packed City Council agenda for Wednesday

Wednesday’s City Council meeting will be a busy one, with a number of significant items on the agenda. Here’s a quick summary:

• The city will discuss and vote on adopting the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) Roadmap developed by the Anti-Racism & Discrimination and Pro Inclusion & Equity (ARDPIE) Task Force. The task force was created in November 2020 in the wake of the broader reckoning over issues of race and equity that swept the nation amid the fallout from the murder of George Floyd, and which hit home in Martinez during the creation and defacing of the Black Lives Matter mural in front of the county courthouse. The roadmap is divided into five themes: Strategic Imperative and Strategic Direction; Recognition of Different Viewpoints; Community Involvement and Outreach; Training and Education; and Operationalizing Equity and Inclusion within the City Organization. According to the staff report prepared by Assistant City Manager Lauren Sugayan, who facilitated the task force’s for the city: “Having conversations about DEIB should be as important as having conversations about City finances, planning, public safety and other core areas of public service. The roadmap should be a living document to be developed and refined as the City continues its journey towards building a more welcoming, inclusive and equitable community.”

• Consider adopting a revised schedule of penalties for parking violations and late payments. According to the staff report: “The recommended revisions include increasing the fine for most violations by $12, adding additional violations and reducing and standardizing the late fine to 50% of the base fine.”

• Hold a public hearing on establishing new and amended regulations for Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which have been growing in popularity in recent years and are considered a key element of the city’s efforts to address the lack of affordable housing. The new regulations would also apply to junior ADUs and cover such areas as setbacks, parking, ingress and egress, building code standards, and additional clarifications regarding review and approval procedures. After permitting a total of only 20 ADUs from 2016 to 2021, the city approved 13 last year, and, as of the end of April, had already permitted 12 this year.

• Consider authoring the police chief to enter into an agreement with Contra Costa County to increase Coordinated Outreach Referral and Engagement (CORE) services for the unhoused to full time for one year. The CORE program currently provides for a halftime team of two outreach workers (20 hours per week) shared with Pleasant Hill. This expansion to a full-time team of two workers providing 40 hours per week of services in Martinez would be funded through money the city received from the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). (I wrote about the various ways ARPA funds are helping the city to address key budget needs in this post last week). The cost of the proposed one-year extension is $269,729, of which $130,000 would be funded by ARPA and the rest by the city’s General Fund.

The City Council agenda and reports on these topics and more can be found by clicking this link. The regular session begins at 7 p.m. at the Council Chamber at City Hall and on Zoom.