San Lorenzo Express |
Planning Issues in the Eden Unincorporated Area
Public Discussion
Proposals for land development are presented in advance at the regular meetings of local community associations: the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association, the Ashland Area Community Association, and Cherryland Community Association. Many development proposals require approval by the county, either by the Board of Zoning Adjustments or the Planning Commission, after a public hearing. For information about community meetings and hearings on applications for conditional land use permits, variances, and rezoning, check the following:
County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Adjustment agendas |
Master Plan for the Village Square
The agency, Civic Partners, and the property owner continued to negotiate both the plan and the business terms of implementation. In August 2005 and again in May 2006 the agency released descriptions of revised master plans (see below). On Nov. 1, 2006 the Alameda County Redevelopment Agency terminated its commitment to fund the Civic Partners plan in light of ongoing uncertainty whether Albertson's Stores would be interested in building a new store in San Lorenzo.
Subsequently, Albertson's sold its stores in northern California to Save Mart, which renamed the stores "Lucky". In August 2007 Save Mart signed a letter of intent to build a new market in San Lorenzo. The terms of the letter required significant changes in the master plan for the Civic Partners development (see below).
The county board of supervisors on July 31 required the Redevelopment Agency to negotiate with Civic Partners on a development agreement, to be completed by the end of October.
On January 30, 2008 the Redevelopment Agency terminated its "exclusive right to negotiate" agreement with Civic Partners because of a lack of progress in four years.
Eden Area General Plan Revision
The draft plan was released Oct. 14, 2005, and is available in the San Lorenzo and Castro Valley libraries and on the Web at Eden Area Plan. Copies of the plan are also available from the county planning department, Cindy Horvath (tel. 670-5400, cindy.horvath@acgov.org). The deadline for written comments was mid March 2006. A series of public meetings on the plan were held in 2006.
The draft final plan and draft final environmental impact report (EIR) were released at the beginning of April 2007. The plan was reviewed by the county planning commission on April 16 and in a special community meeting April 25. Adoption of the plan was stalled because of a controversy over inclusion of hillside neighborhoods in the "El Portal Ridge" area. The county board of supervisors voted to remove the neighborhoods from the plan, and the plan must now be revised to reflect that change.
After a year's delay, the county planning staff will describe new ideas and proposed changes in the general plan at a community meeting on July 22, 2008.
See Express Community Calendar for announcements of meetings.
See Eden Area Plan for timely information on the progress of the Eden Area Plan as well as reports, drawings, maps, etc.
Future of San Lorenzo Bayshore Industrial Area
Potential Revision of County Zoning Ordinances
New San Lorenzo Library
The county hired a private firm to gather community views on a new library in a series of meetings in 2004. These meetings were very poorly attended; the effort ended with a report in the fall of 2004. The advisory committee continues to meet, but infrequently and irregularly.
In 2008 the county library administration proposed using funds from the Eden Redevelopment District for "renovation" of the library interior on the grounds that a new library is more than five years away. In addition, there has been talk of investing six to eight million dollars in remodeling of the existing facility in lieu of a new library.
For current information see the websites of the San Lorenzo Library and Friends of San Lorenzo Library.
Redevelopment District Investment
For information about the Eden Area Redevelopment District see Alameda County Redevelopment. The Redevelopment Director is Eileen Dalton (tel. 670-6509, e-mail edalton@co.alameda.ca.us). See also:
Russell City Electric Power Plant
In 2006 Calpine applied for an amendment to its original facility plan. New concerns were raised about the possibility that the plant's pipestack emissions may disturb the stability of airplanes flying over the plant to land at Hayward and Oakland airports. Nevertheless, the plant was approved October 3, 2007 by the state Energy Commission. Alameda County and several citizens petitioned the commission to reopen the proceedings on the grounds that people outside the City of Hayward had not been adequately notified of the proceedings. The petitions were denied.
For information on the project and official notices, visit the California Energy Commission website for the Russell City Power Plant (Amendment Proceeding).
Replacement of Bockman Retail Center with Homes
The company presented its first public conceptual plan, for 104 homes, at a public meeting April 19, 2005. About 400 people attended the meeting. The company's second conceptual plan was presented on July 13 at an "open house" (no formal meeting). The only change was a reduction in homes to 99 and addition of single retail building of 4,500 sq. ft. The plan was changed again in a presentation to the planning commission on Feb. 21. The commission reviewed a plan for 82 houses and recommended approval if the amount of commercial space was increased to 7,000 square feet.
The draft environmental impact report (EIR) on the project was released in October 2005. Copies are available from the county planning department (670-5400). The final EIR was released Feb. 3, 2006. The planning commission conducted a hearing on the EIR at its Feb. 21 meeting and recommended certification.
The county board of supervisors certified the EIR and approved the subdivision on April 6, 2006.
Bayside Groundwater Project
Lewelling Boulevard Improvements
I-238 Widening
The environmental analysis is available in Braille, large print, on audiocassette, or computer disk. A copy is available in the San Lorenzo Library. For more information contact Dennis Radel (tel. 286-6214, TTY 800.735.2929).
The widening project was formally approved by CalTrans on June 25, 2004.
Housing Element of the County's General Plan
The environmental impact report (EIR) on the Specific Plan was made public in late June 2003 and subsequently certified by the county board of supervisors at the same time the board approved the Specific Plan. Copies of the EIR are available at the San Lorenzo Library. The EIR was intended to cover any master development plan conforming with the Specific Plan.
A Bay Bridge in San Lorenzo?
Impact of Chain Stores on Community
How Big Will That Proposed Store Be?
Littering the Landscape with Dead Malls
The Shils Report: Measuring the Economic and Sociological Impact of the Mega-Retail Discount Chains on Small Enterprise in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Communities.
Local Stores Create Triple the Economic Activity of Chain Stores
See the archive of model public policies at Home Town Advantage.
Association of Bay Area Governments: Planning Projects and Topics
Bay Area Transportation and Land Use Coalition -- The coalition is composed of over 60 organizations that encourage public agencies, private developers, and groups of concerned citizens to promote policies and take actions leading to a Bay Area with intelligent, sustainable land use patterns and an efficient and equitable transportation system.
Urban Ecology -- Assists diverse constituencies engaged in changing their land use and building patterns. "We connect individuals to their neighborhoods, neighborhoods to cities, and cities to the entire Bay Area region."
Urban Habitat Program -- Dedicated to building multicultural urban environmental leadership for socially just, ecologically sustainable communities in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Futures Network -- Affiliates are united in the belief that California should steer public and private investments toward existing developed areas; provide for increased social justice, economic, and housing opportunities; and conserve the state's agricultural and natural lands.
Congress for the New Urbanism -- Advocates the restructuring of public policy and development practices to support the restoration of existing urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions. CNU stands for the reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts.
Institute for Local Self Reliance -- Information on environmentally sound economic development strategies.
National Neighborhood Coalition
Resources for Urban Design Information -- A worldwide perspective on good urban design.
Smart Growth America -- A nationwide coalition promoting a better way to grow; one that protects farmland and open space, revitalizes neighborhoods, keeps housing affordable, and makes communities more livable.
Sprawl Busters -- Information on communities fighting construction of mega-stores, the giant WalMarts, Home Depots, etc.
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