March 2 is the deadline for public comment on draft Climate Action Plan 2.0 –  Survey is > HERE.

BE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION!

Open House is scheduled for February 26, 2018

Read the Agenda for the Open House HERE.

Piedmont’s Draft Climate Action Plan 2.0 is Ready for Review A CAP 2.0

The OPEN HOUSE will take place on Monday, February 26, 2018, from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m., at the Piedmont Community Hall, 711 Highland Avenue.

In addition to the CAP 2.0 being available on the City’s website, the City of Piedmont Planning Department and the Climate Action Plan Task Force will host a community open house on February 26th in order to provide the public another forum in which to learn about the Climate Action Plan 2.0. In addition to providing a presentation on the plan, staff and Task Force members will be available to answer questions from attendees.

The CAP 2.0 is available for review at: http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/climateaction-plan-2-0/. For more information about the Climate Action Planning process, please visit http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/committees/captf.shtml.

The City of Piedmont is asking its residents, families, business owners and people who work in Piedmont to review the City’s draft Climate Action Plan (CAP) 2.0 and provide comments on the Plan.

The CAP is available on the City’s website during a 45-day comment period from January 16, 2018 through March 2, 2018. Written comments can be submitted during this period. In addition, and in order to facilitate public comment, an electronic survey will be made available online at the end of January.

Climate change poses a real and significant threat to human health and the environment both globally and locally.

The Task Force is an advisory body composed of Piedmont residents appointed by the City Council.

While under the advisement of the Piedmont Climate Action Plan Task Force during the past 10 months, City staff has developed an updated proposed Climate Action Plan (CAP) for Piedmont.

The CAP 2.0 includes and expands on the measures and goals introduced in the current 2010 Climate Action Plan, defines climate change and its potential effects, outlines the actions the State and City are taking to address climate change, describes how residents, business owners, and the City can participate in greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction efforts, and presents new GHG reduction targets of 40% below 2005 levels by 2030 and 80% below 2005 levels by 2050.

During the plan’s development, the public was able to provide comment on the plan during a Community Forum held in November 7, 2017, at hearings of the Climate Action Plan Task Force, and by writing staff. Now that the final draft has been completed and the Task Force has recommended its approval, it is being made available for a 45-day public review period prior to its consideration for adoption by the City Council, which is expected to occur during their regularly scheduled hearing on March 19, 2018.

“From the preliminary analysis to the measures and concrete actions proposed, this new version of the CAP is unique to all sectors of Piedmont, and has been developed in collaboration between City Staff and residents of Piedmont, making it a true community plan,” said Tracey Woodruff, Chair of the Piedmont’s Climate Action Task Force. “In order to continue working with the same spirit of heightened community engagement to address the very real threats of climate change, it is crucial that all members of our community get involved by familiarizing themselves with the Climate Action Plan, sending their comments, and working together to keep reducing our individual and collective environmental footprint on the region and the planet.”

Please submit your comments in writing to Assistant Planner Mira Hahn at mhahn@piedmont.ca.gov or at 120 Vista Avenue, Piedmont CA 94611.

For those without a computer, a limited number of paper copies of the CAP 2.0 are available for review at the Public Works counter in City Hall, 120 Vista Avenue.

The development of Piedmont’s Climate Action Plan is funded in part by grants received by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and StopWaste.Org, as well as by CivicSpark which in turn gets funds from both the Corporation for National and Community Service, East Bay Energy Watch, and the City of Piedmont.

Contact: Mira Hahn, Assistant Planner, (510) 420-3054

The regularly scheduled monthly meeting of the Recreation Commission has been cancelled for the month of February.  The next meeting of the Recreation Commission will be on Wednesday, March 21 at 7:30 pm.

League of Women Voters of Piedmont presents

Eric P. Brown

“Constitution in the Classroom”

Sunday, March 4, 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

40 Highland Avenue, Piedmont, CA

The League of Women Voters of Piedmont presents Constitution in the Classroom with guest speaker Eric P. Brown. Mr. Brown is a member of the Board of Directors of the Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law & Policy.

Constitution in the Classroom brings members of the American Constitution Society (ACS) into primary and secondary classrooms to raise awareness of fundamental constitutional principles.  As lawyers, law students and educators, ACS representatives share knowledge and appreciation of the Constitution.  By spending as little as one-hour teaching in a high school, middle school or elementary school classroom, ACS members inform and excite young minds about their constitutional rights and responsibilities.

ACS believes that law should be a force to improve the lives of all people. The organization promotes positive change by shaping debate on important legal and constitutional issues through the development and promotion of high-impact ideas to opinion leaders and the media. The group builds networks of lawyers, law students, judges and policymakers dedicated to promoting these ideas, and counters activist movements that seek to erode enduring constitutional values. By bringing together powerful ideas and passionate people, ACS makes a difference in the constitutional, legal and public policy debates that shape our democracy.

Eric P. Brown is a partner in the firm of Atshuler Berzon LLP in San Francisco.  Eric’s practice consists primarily of representing labor unions, workers and advocacy organizations in all manners of litigation and advisory matters, including labor, employment, constitutional and environmental law. He earned B.A. from Yale College and his J.D., Yale Law School.

The event is open to the public at no charge.  Please RSVP by March 2, 2018 to Lois Corrin at loiscorrin@gmail.com or by text at 510-318-4840.

Three Linda-Beach Designs Address Stormwater Drainage

On Thursday, January 18th, the City of Piedmont held its second meeting regarding the Linda Beach Master Plan in the hopes of gaining community input on the matter. The development project, taken on by Recreation Director Sara Lillevand and landscaping firm Groundworks Office, is set to revamp the large area between Howard and Linda Avenues near Beach Elementary School. The meeting was designed to allow Piedmont’s citizens to share their opinions about three existing proposals to assist in the process of creating one final master plan.

    The new concepts were designed based on the expectations of the community and the existing features of the area that give the park its character. The first concept presented was called the “Sports Plan”. Including two regulation size tennis courts and a skate park area, the plan encouraged play for families with children of all ages. The second concept was known as the “Nature plan” which replaced the tennis courts with planted terraces and open event spaces. This concept would create a more traditional park feel with lots of greenery and open space, as well as stadium seating and a picnic deck. The final concept offered was a “Hybrid Plan” which involved what Groundworks viewed as “the best of both worlds”.  The layout would feature one regulation size tennis court as well as an outdoor classroom, greenspace, and bocce courts.

    There were also necessities that the new park will have no matter what. All three plans would include treatment planting to address stormwater drainage as well as a variety of different surfaces with varying levels of porosity to prevent flooding. Picnic tables, event space, and increased access to the area were deemed a must to the project early on and will most likely be included in any final plan. Another element included across the board was interactive art to add color and life to the park as well as support local artists. The city has also requested that the plan provide space for Beach Schoolmates to expand to accommodate its large number of students.

    One of the main concerns expressed throughout all three plans was how to make the best use of the very limited amount of land allocated for the project. City Council member Jen Cavanaugh expressed concern that the storage space beneath the Oakland Avenue bridge would remain empty in all three proposed plans and could be renovated into bathrooms to preserve space.

In my personal opinion, the third plan presented was the most efficient use of land and met more of the communities wishes. I believe it will make the best use of the city’s money and time and, in return, will become a place of great popularity. The city needs a park with a classic park feel that also offers a safe variety of activities for a wide variety of ages. I strongly support the city’s decision to include the community in formulating a plan that is going to create an idyllic new space.

After the meeting concluded Recreation Director Sara Lillevand explained “There are so few opportunities in town to develop available square footage and it is exciting to see what the community wants to do with it”.

The new Linda Beach Playfield is going to be an exciting new place for the city and through this collaborative process it is really going to reflect what we want as a community.

by Ellie Roberts, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the author.

At the February 5, 2018 Piedmont City Council meeting, Oakland residents once more addressed the Council during Public Forum in regard to the parking restrictions on Rose and Kingston Avenues adjacent to their residences. The City of Piedmont, with Council approval, installed signage restricting on-street parking on several blocks of Kingston, Lake, Linda and Rose Avenues.

Oakland and Piedmont single family home residents each receive two resident on-street parking permits.  Oakland residents of small, older, multi-family buildings received one permit for each apartment unit.  However, Oakland multi-family buildings with more than eight units receive no permits. 

The Parking District wording is, “Dwelling units in large complexes greater than eight units are excluded from receiving parking permits.” The three 15-unit buildings located at 775, 777 and 779 Kingston were built after the Oakland code required off-street parking for each unit.  The current fee is $100 per month in addition to rent to use the off-street parking.

The City Council voted in a late night meeting (1:30 a.m.) October 16, 2017 to impose the restricted parking on Kingston and Rose Avenues at the border of Piedmont/Oakland. Friction was present at that meeting and has persisted as Oakland neighbors have publicly stated hardship and safety issues resulting from the restrictions.  The Piedmont City Council approved $60,000 to fund the new Parking District.

Council action states:

“Vehicles are prohibited from parking within the Parking District between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., 7 days a week, holidays included, unless an approved resident parking permit is displayed on the vehicle.”

Some of the complaints made by Oaklanders at the February 5, 2018 meeting were:

• Oakland apartment residents were not adequately notified prior to approval of the restrictions.
• Oakland and Piedmont single family residents can get 2 on-street permits,  plus park in their garages or driveways.
• Safety has become an issue for many Oakland residents who come home late at night or leave early in the morning to go to work.
• The approach by Piedmont is not neighborly.
• Piedmont, rather than Oakland, has jurisdiction over the street on the north side of the 700s/800s block of Kingston Avenue.
• With the new restrictions, many parking spaces are left open each night indicating there is no need for the restrictions to accommodate Piedmont needs.
• One woman announced she had been sexually assaulted near her apartment.
• The parking restrictions need to be placed on a Piedmont City Council agenda for reconsideration of the matter and additional input.

City Administrator Paul Benoit, who has been administering the new Parking District, was not present at the meeting to respond to the Oaklanders concerns and the Council could not discuss the unagendized matter during Public Forum.  Mayor Robert McBain stated he did not want to be lectured to by the commenters.

 Watch the February 5 Council meeting> here.

~~~~~~~~~

 The October 16, 2017 detailed staff and consultant report can be read > HERE.

Approved Council minutes of October 16, 2017 relate the action taken and are copied below: 

Ayes: Andersen, King, Rood, McBain Noes: None
Recused: Cavenaugh

Public Testimony was received from:

Andy Skov, representing Kingston Avenue, supported the formation of the district. He summarized the process and the frustration with the Kittleson study because it did not evaluate the district block by block.

Doug Paton and David Weiner expressed support for the district and discussed the possible impacts to Greenbank Avenue

Max Woodruff-Madeira suggested the overnight restriction start at 11 p.m.

Arden Hall expressed frustration with overflow parking in his neighborhood and inability to park overnight in front of his home.

Rem Kinne indicated opposition to the proposed parking district and discussed the need to consider pedestrian safety.

Martin Hall stated that residents of Greenbank Avenue did not see a parking problem and did not see the need for a preferential parking district. He expressed concern that the Greenbank representative was not included in the proposal and would not be included after the trial period.

Councilmember King read a statement from Debra Dinerman expressing frustration with lack of parking.

Resolution No. 85-17

RESOLVED, that the City Council extends the meeting to 1:30 a.m. Moved by Rood, Seconded by Andersen
Ayes: Andersen, King, Rood, McBain
Noes: None

Recused: Cavenaugh

Council discussed the proximity of the proposed district to the city limit and notification of both the elected officials and staff of the City of Oakland. Mr. Benoit stated staff should have and would make notifications to Oakland, although the parking restriction would be to its benefit.

The Council expressed concern with the cost of a pilot program, the findings necessary under the City Code to create such a district, and potential unintended consequences. Mr. Benoit suggested updating the code provisions regarding preferential parking districts.

Assistant City Attorney Herrington noted a correction to the resolution indicating both Vehicle 22507 and City Code section 11.80 should be referenced.

Resolution No. 86-17

WHEREAS, on-street parking on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue in the City of Piedmont (“City”) is congested; and

WHEREAS, since July of 2015, the City has conducted several studies and held several public forums to discuss the possibility of creating a preferential parking district pursuant to City Code Section 11.80 and Vehicle Code section 22507 on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue.

WHEREAS, on-street parking congestion on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue creates substantial inconvenience for the residents of those streets; and

WHEREAS, on-street parking on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue constitutes a safety hazard; and

WHEREAS, use of existing off–street parking spaces on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue is inadequate; and

WHEREAS, creating a preferential parking district on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue will not adversely affect the neighborhoods next to the proposed parking district; and

WHEREAS, creating a preferential parking district will not adversely affect the general safety and welfare of the residents of the City as a whole.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PIEDMONT AS FOLLOWS:

1. The above recitals are true and correct and are hereby incorporated into this Resolution as findings of the City Council of the City of Piedmont.

2. Pursuant to City Code Section 11.80 and Vehicle Code section 22507, the City hereby establishes a preferential parking district on Kingston Avenue, Rose Avenue, Lake Avenue, and Linda Avenue, as more particularly depicted on Exhibit A (“Parking District”).

3. Vehicles are prohibited from parking within the Parking District between the hours of 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., 7 days a week, holidays included, unless an approved resident parking permit is displayed on the vehicle.

4. City staff is hereby directed to implement all necessary measures to install signage to notify residents and visitors of the parking restrictions and to distribute approved parking permits to residents within the Parking District.

5. Two parking permits will be issued to each dwelling unit within the Parking District. Residents may not obtain additional permits. Dwelling units in large complexes greater than eight units are excluded from receiving parking permits. The dwelling units on the north (or Oakland) side of Rose Avenue will be entitled to receive parking permits. This includes the following addresses on Rose Avenue: 1075, 1069, 1063, 1057, 1051, 1045, 1039, 1053, 1027, 1021 (four units), 1015, 1007, 1001, 995 (three units), 957, 951, 945-943, 939-937, 933, 927-925, 921, 901(four units), 849, 847, 843, 839-837, 785 and 781. The three dwelling units on 142 Echo Avenue will also be entitled to receive parking permits.

6. Subsequent to the installation of approved signage, City staff is directed to establish an effective date of enforcement and to notify the affected residents of that effective date.

Review period of 45 days ends on March 2, 2018 –

>>>> online survey <<<<

Application Deadline Fri. Mar. 9th – 5:00 p.m.

How many Tennis Courts do we need?!

Who doesn’t love free pizza and talking about parks of your childhood? That’s just what I did January 18th, 2018 in the Piedmont Community Hall. This was the second meeting of the Groundworks Architecture and Landscape Firm with the Piedmont Community, hosted by the Piedmont Recreation Department, to discuss the redesign of the Linda Beach Playfield.

    At the previous meeting, the Groundworks team gathered ideas from about forty attendees about what the community wanted and valued. They put this information  into a list of guidelines. They then used guidelines to come up with designs.

    We were presented with three options: sports, nature, and hybrid.

    The sports option focused on expanding the tennis courts to fit two regulation size courts with colorful mural like retaining walls as well as a skatepark for teens under the bridge.

    The Nature design gave a serene and peaceful vibe, bringing a sculpture garden/public art space under the bridge, a terraced amphitheater/event space at the north end of the field.

    The Hybrid design was a perfect combination of both. Hybrid updates the tennis court to regulation size, while adding an event space with outdoor classrooms and a green space at the north end. The Tot Lot was moved in this design to the south end of the park featuring a slide into the park from Howard Street.

    After the presentation of the three designs, the audience was split into five table groups to discuss the options. Most of the people at the meeting were advocates for having as many tennis courts and sports areas as possible. On the other hand, many others were excited about having a green area to relax and hang out as a community. The skatepark was a big topic, but we students at the table were insistent on not including the area. Ryan Stokes, a Piedmont resident, was an advocate for the skatepark.

I spoke to Lorri Arazi, a listing agent for the newly built townhomes on Linda Avenue, about the plans. “I initially came on a fact-finding mission, I thought I’d be a listener and less of a participant. But I felt strongly, I had a strong gut reaction when I saw the skatepark next to the bridge,” Arazi told me, “I think that’d be really noisy for the people buying the condos.”

    More issues were brought up about the bathrooms, flex space for group activities, noise complaints, and wasting the space by planting more trees everywhere. Many younger people showed up to voice their opinions as well as the adults. “It was really really wonderful to see people of all ages here and involved and interested,” Arazi commented. Everyone had a positive reaction to the plans, were excited to voice their opinions and see this area remodeled.

    Arazi told me that, “I’ll definitely come to the March 21st meeting. If [the skatepark] shows up on the next iteration, then I’m going to want to voice my concern.” She also explained that by then she will hopefully have a few units sold, and can bring those families to voice their input as part of the community. The city will be having an online survey about this topic, in addition to a City Council Meeting being held on March 21st to talk about the final design. I look forward to seeing the final design, and the community support around the area.

by Maeve Andrews, Piedmont High School Senior

~~~~~~~~

Courts or no Courts?

    As the Piedmont Community Hall began to fill up with intrigued families, city officials, community members and Civics students, I could tell that I was in for an interesting evening. The debate over what to include in the new Linda Beach Playfield design had just begun.

    On Thursday, January 18th, at 5:45 p.m., I attended the Linda Beach Master Plan meeting to learn more about the city’s project and to share my thoughts on the subject. The project, headed by Piedmont’s Parks and Recreation Director, Sara Lillevand, is intended to landscape, renovate, and redesign the land surrounding the Beach Playfield on Linda and Howard avenue. A similar meeting had convened on November 16 of 2017 to introduce the project and present the Groundworks Office firm which was chosen to landscape the park.

At the beginning of the Master Plan meeting, the project leaders reviewed the notes from the past meeting and revealed three detailed design concepts that the Groundworks team had put together. We then broke off into groups and worked to address the pros and cons of each of the three designs. Design one was labeled as the ‘sports’ design and consisted of two regulation size tennis courts, a skate park, a community activity space, and a boardwalk entrance to the park from Howard Avenue. The second design, known as the ‘nature’ design, featured several community flex spaces, lots of planted trees and seating areas, and no tennis courts. The third design was labeled as the ‘hybrid’ plan and consisted of one full size tennis court, an adult exercise area, a bocce ball court, and some community flex space.

As a tennis player, I advocated for a version of the sports oriented plan because it included two regulation size tennis courts. Other community members spoke up about how the tennis courts take up lots of area and that the land should be allocated to multipurpose or flex spaces that can be utilized by any and all community members at different times.

One community member spoke about how the tennis courts are a much desired aspect of the Beach Playfield and eliminating them would upset many residents. He also brought up the interesting prospect of installing night lights for the courts which would increase the hours of use. There was much debate over what to include and what to not include during the meeting but the council decided to take the copious amount of community member input and work to build at least one new plan which will then be reviewed at the next meeting.

After the meeting I spoke with the project leader and Recreation Director, Sara Lillevand, to discuss her opinion on the project and the project’s next steps. She explained to me how her main goal of the meeting was to bring as many community members together as possible to receive input on what should be included in the design. She said that the meeting exceeded her expectations primarily due to the fact that there were so many young community members present. Moving forward, Lillevand will collaborate with the Groundworks team to gather the community input from the meeting, work with the city contractors, and develop a final plan to present. This project is moving quickly and I am excited to follow it in the coming months and utilize the final project. Let’s hope for tennis courts!

by Andrew Pinkham, Piedmont High School Senior

Editors’ Note: Opinions expressed are those of the authors.