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Jack London Square may be converted into a mall
The Port of Oakland classifies the open spaces of Jack London Square as "non-performing real estate," rather than as a community asset. They plan to build a shopping mall. Please attend the city council hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday , May 18th and speak up.
from
Sierra Club YODELER
MAY - JUNE 2004
by William Smith & Joyce Roy
joyceroy [at] earthlink.net
PROJECT WOULD CONVERT OAKLAND'S JACK LONDON SQUARE INTO A ROUTINE MALL
Jack London Square, with its views across the Oakland Estuary and its extensive public space, is one of Oakland's most attractive areas. Would it be enhanced by a $300-million project patterned after a shopping mall with giant parking garages?
The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the Ellis Partners' project found many significant and unavoidable environmental impacts. The project would adversely impact transportation, circulation, parking, and air quality. The humongous parking garage proposed for the Amtrak parking lot would overwhelm the jewel-box rail station and be particularly offensive. The project should not go forward as proposed.
The reason for these impacts is that for economic viability the project would depend on attracting multitudes of free-spending consumers. The location has such poor transit access, however, that it would need huge parking structures.
The project would change Water Street into a mall-like street surrounding shoppers with shops. Existing open space or water views would be a distraction to shoppers. The Port of Oakland classifies open space as non-performing real estate, rather than as a community asset.
The Port seems to have little interest in festivals - it claims that they do not stimulate much retail activity and are costly. Hence the project would cover half of the space that used to accommodate open-air concerts in front of the Port of Oakland office building with retail. The project would also kill the lively open space behind Barnes & Noble with more retail.
Today few people go to Jack London Square to shop. It's the fresh air, light, views of the estuary, and open-air festivals that attract visitors and exhibitors alike. Why not conserve the Square's existing virtues, and locate new retail development where it could revitalize our existing shopping districts, such as Eastmont and downtown, areas that are better served by transit? The Port, as a public body, has an obligation to put the public good first.
A scaled-back version of the project could enhance outdoor recreational activities. It would need to preserve all the space in front of the Port building and behind Barnes - Noble. Instead of investing in parking, invest in a shuttle to connect the Square with downtown and BART. The route could loop along Second Street, up Oak to Grand, and then down Broadway. This rubber-tire trolley could run in each direction every 10 minutes from as early as 7 am and until 1 am. Even weekend and evening out-of-town visitors would be well-served since they could use downtown garages, which are largely empty at those times.
Without such changes, the project would turn Jack London Square into simply another place for commercial transactions. Retail uses would no longer be ancillary to recreation, but would become the main show.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
You have two chances to speak out for preserving Jack London Square for outdoor recreational use and to prevent it from becoming an office park and shopping mall.
Speak up at the Oakland City Council hearing scheduled for 7 pm on Tue., May 18, at City Hall.
For more information, contact Joyce Roy at (510) 655-7508 or: joyceroy [at] earthlink.net
********************************
Send written comments to:
Mayor Jerry Brown
fax: (510) 238-4731
jb [at] oaklandnet.com
Jane Brunner
fax: (510) 238-6910
jbrunner [at] oaklandnet.com
Danny Wan
fax: (510) 238-6910
dwan [at] oaklandnet.com
Nancy Nadel
fax: (510) 238-6129
nnadel [at] oaklandnet.com
Jean Quan
fax: (510) 238-6129
jquan [at] oaklandnet.com
Ignacio de la Fuente
fax: (510) 238-6910
delafuente [at] oaklandnet.com
Desley Brooks
fax: (510) 238-6910
dbrooks [at] oaklandnet.com
Larry Reid
fax: (510) 238-6910
lreid [at] oaklandnet.com
Henry Chang
fax: (510) 238-6938
cityochang [at] aol.com
**************************
http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2004/5/feature7.htm
Sierra Club YODELER
MAY - JUNE 2004
by William Smith & Joyce Roy
joyceroy [at] earthlink.net
PROJECT WOULD CONVERT OAKLAND'S JACK LONDON SQUARE INTO A ROUTINE MALL
Jack London Square, with its views across the Oakland Estuary and its extensive public space, is one of Oakland's most attractive areas. Would it be enhanced by a $300-million project patterned after a shopping mall with giant parking garages?
The Environmental Impact Report (EIR) prepared for the Ellis Partners' project found many significant and unavoidable environmental impacts. The project would adversely impact transportation, circulation, parking, and air quality. The humongous parking garage proposed for the Amtrak parking lot would overwhelm the jewel-box rail station and be particularly offensive. The project should not go forward as proposed.
The reason for these impacts is that for economic viability the project would depend on attracting multitudes of free-spending consumers. The location has such poor transit access, however, that it would need huge parking structures.
The project would change Water Street into a mall-like street surrounding shoppers with shops. Existing open space or water views would be a distraction to shoppers. The Port of Oakland classifies open space as non-performing real estate, rather than as a community asset.
The Port seems to have little interest in festivals - it claims that they do not stimulate much retail activity and are costly. Hence the project would cover half of the space that used to accommodate open-air concerts in front of the Port of Oakland office building with retail. The project would also kill the lively open space behind Barnes & Noble with more retail.
Today few people go to Jack London Square to shop. It's the fresh air, light, views of the estuary, and open-air festivals that attract visitors and exhibitors alike. Why not conserve the Square's existing virtues, and locate new retail development where it could revitalize our existing shopping districts, such as Eastmont and downtown, areas that are better served by transit? The Port, as a public body, has an obligation to put the public good first.
A scaled-back version of the project could enhance outdoor recreational activities. It would need to preserve all the space in front of the Port building and behind Barnes - Noble. Instead of investing in parking, invest in a shuttle to connect the Square with downtown and BART. The route could loop along Second Street, up Oak to Grand, and then down Broadway. This rubber-tire trolley could run in each direction every 10 minutes from as early as 7 am and until 1 am. Even weekend and evening out-of-town visitors would be well-served since they could use downtown garages, which are largely empty at those times.
Without such changes, the project would turn Jack London Square into simply another place for commercial transactions. Retail uses would no longer be ancillary to recreation, but would become the main show.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
You have two chances to speak out for preserving Jack London Square for outdoor recreational use and to prevent it from becoming an office park and shopping mall.
Speak up at the Oakland City Council hearing scheduled for 7 pm on Tue., May 18, at City Hall.
For more information, contact Joyce Roy at (510) 655-7508 or: joyceroy [at] earthlink.net
********************************
Send written comments to:
Mayor Jerry Brown
fax: (510) 238-4731
jb [at] oaklandnet.com
Jane Brunner
fax: (510) 238-6910
jbrunner [at] oaklandnet.com
Danny Wan
fax: (510) 238-6910
dwan [at] oaklandnet.com
Nancy Nadel
fax: (510) 238-6129
nnadel [at] oaklandnet.com
Jean Quan
fax: (510) 238-6129
jquan [at] oaklandnet.com
Ignacio de la Fuente
fax: (510) 238-6910
delafuente [at] oaklandnet.com
Desley Brooks
fax: (510) 238-6910
dbrooks [at] oaklandnet.com
Larry Reid
fax: (510) 238-6910
lreid [at] oaklandnet.com
Henry Chang
fax: (510) 238-6938
cityochang [at] aol.com
**************************
http://sanfranciscobay.sierraclub.org/yodeler/html/2004/5/feature7.htm
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