The sight of vegetation on the strip is something Henry Chang -- vice mayor, at-large city councilman and hills resident -- said he looks forward to seeing on his daily drives along Park Boulevard.

The anticipated landscape along the 1,600-foot-long median strip, is part of a permanent irrigation system project set to be launched in April.

A press conference for the project took place Tuesday; it was led by Chang, as well as Libby Schaaf, the legislative aide to City Council President Ignacio De La Fuente, and members of the Glenview Neighborhood Association.

Some $150,000 for the irrigation system comes from De La Fuente's office, with $100,000 coming from Chang's office. The exact source of the funds are the two councilmen's discretionary Neighborhood Street Improvement funds, which are generated by state gas tax revenues, Schaaf said.

The Glenview Neighborhood Association is matching the city's contribution by recruiting Dan Morris of Merrill Morris Partners Landscape Architects and Planners to do the landscape job for free. The neighborhood group is also working to raise $40,000 for 3,300 new plants needed for the median strip.

Michael Gabriel, president of the Glenview Neighborhood Association, said the group has raised 10 percent (roughly $4,000) of what's required for the plants to date.

The group's total contributions to the overall project, however, are valued at $152,000, Schaaf and Chang said.

"This is the type of public-private partnership that Oakland needs," Chang said. "Beautifully landscaped median strips don't only beautify a neighborhood, they also have been shown to slow traffic, encourage pedestrian activity, improve air quality and deter criminal activity."

Park Boulevard is one of the busiest streets in the city, Schaaf said, to the tune of 15,000 cars a day.

"It serves as the gateway to the Oakland hills and the city of Piedmont," Schaaf said.

The median strip will have densely-packed flowering plants including lavender, carpet roses and day lilies. The vegetation chosen for the median is smog resistant, low growing, long-blooming and drought resistant.

Construction of the irrigation system and soil preparation is expected to be end in June, and the Glenview group plans for volunteers to plant flowers during the summer.

Local businesses that have contributed to the project include: Los Compadres Mexican restaurant, Wells and Bennett Realtors, Christine Christensen and Nancy Novick Realtors, Grantland Bailey State Farm Insurance Agency, Merrill Morris Partners, Ultimate Grounds Cafe, Glenview Florist, Save More Market and Maja Brugos Design.