Advocating for quality urban design
“We all watch out for and take care of one another, which is one of the most special aspects of life in Curtis Park,”
According to Andrea Rosen, member of the Sierra Curtis Neighborhood Association (SCNA) board for most of the past 37 years. Rosen became a board member in 1980 due to her sense of civic duty and desire to give back through volunteering.
“What better place to start than in your own neighborhood,” Rosen says. At that time (in 1980), Curtis Park was facing issues with Western Pacific railroad operations causing nighttime noise problems for many neighbors. Rosen believed the neighborhood needed an established means for voicing its collective concerns, and she felt her propensity to be an advocate and a negotiator would benefit her community.
Rosen’s main interest is advocating for quality urban design and development in Curtis Park, and she currently devotes time to the Neighborhood Concerns Committee. Rosen indicated that her number one goal on behalf of the board is to ensure that future commercial buildout within the mixed-use Crocker Village development is consistent with the Village’s adopted Design Guidelines. The guidelines are intended to result in a commercial center that blends well with the historic character of Curtis Park.
The importance of building the neighborhood association’s foundation was emphasized by Rosen. She mentions that one of the SCNA board’s unique characteristics is that, through annual signature fundraising events like the Home & Garden Tour and the Wine Tasting and Silent Auction, the board is able to give back to important parts of the neighborhood such as Bret Harte Elementary School and McClatchy High School. The board is also involved on a regional level such as its assistance in helping start the Oak Park Farmer’s Market.
Rosen, who has lived in Curtis Park since 1979, is proud to have raised her now-adult son and daughter in the neighborhood, noting that both have fond memories of growing up here. She greatly values the ease of walking or biking around the neighborhood to visit friends and businesses, as well as spending time with her Portola Way neighbors at block parties and wine tastings.
— Ariel Calvert, Viewpoint staff writer