{"id":143,"date":"2009-08-16T16:18:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-16T16:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terragrafix.com\/blog\/?p=143"},"modified":"2009-08-16T16:18:00","modified_gmt":"2009-08-16T16:18:00","slug":"900-parking-spaces-3x-the-height-limit-8-million-taxpayer-subsidy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=143","title":{"rendered":"900 Parking Spaces, 3X the Height Limit, $8 Million Taxpayer Subsidy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-style: italic;\"><span style=\"font-size:85%;\"><br \/><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">(Edited email from Council Member John Fricke to Emeryville residents Aug. 14)<\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><br \/><\/span><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><br \/>One prime example of the <\/span><span style=\"background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;font-size:130%;\" class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_0\" >City Council majority<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s genuflection to developers is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTransit Center\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (proposed for the lot just north of <\/span><span style=\"border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;font-size:130%;\" class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_1\" >Emeryville<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s <\/span><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_2\"  style=\"font-size:130%;\">train station<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">).<\/p>\n<p>At the upcoming Council meeting August 18, the Council majority will likely support a project that will:<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Exacerbate <\/span><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_3\"  style=\"font-size:130%;\">traffic congestion<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Vastly exceed the maximum building height allowed by the city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s zoning ordinance<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Funnel millions of dollars in taxpayer money to <\/span><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_4\"  style=\"font-size:130%;\">Wareham<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"> Development.  (I will miss the meeting due to a family vacation.)  (See below for my past email messages about the proposed project.)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Although this proposal has gone through several iterations in the past several years, the developer&#8217;s hyperbole hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t changed much.  Among the developer&#8217;s misrepresentations:<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">The project would result in the clean-up of a toxic site.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Decades ago, the toxic soil was surrounded by a wall and capped.  Periodic soil sampling continues to indicate that the toxics are staying put, and therefore pose no harm.  The same cannot be said for the risks of removing the toxic soil.<br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;\" ><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">The project will improve public transit.                                                                                  <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;\" ><br \/><\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\">Not unlike the tale of The Emperor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s New Clothes, the developer seems to have finally acknowledged that the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTransit Center\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 has no transit.  The project has thus received a re-branding: it is now called EmeryStation West.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;\" >Traffic Congestion<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><\/p>\n<p>As first proposed, the Transit Center included hundreds of <\/span><span style=\"border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;font-size:130%;\" class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_5\" >parking spaces<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"> next to a street (Horton Street) that is not designed to accommodate such a volume of traffic.  The latest proposal includes even more parking spaces.  In addition to the proposed office building next to the train station (300 parking spaces), the developer would also construct a parking garage across the street (600 spaces).  The city staff report is conspicuously silent on the impact of 900 cars accessing <\/span><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_6\"  style=\"font-size:130%;\">city streets<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"> designed for far fewer cars.  Horton Street is a bicycle boulevard, and is the last north-south street in Emeryville \u00e2\u20ac\u201c running nearly the length of the city \u00e2\u20ac\u201c  that remains pleasant for bicyclists and pedestrians.  900 cars would surely change that.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;\" >Building Height<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><\/p>\n<p>The current proposed height of 17 stories (160 feet), has changed little since the developer first proposed the transit center and condo tower.  The city\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s zoning ordinance allows a maximum building height of five stories (50 feet).<\/p>\n<p>In Washington, D.C., lobbyists manage to get special exceptions inserted into legislation to benefit a particular industry or client.  So too in Emeryville, where the city council is about to approve a new zoning law that carves out a specific exception for the site of this proposed project.<\/p>\n<p>In the area around the train station, the proposed zoning law provides maximum building heights of seven and five stories.  The maximum height is reduced the closer one gets to older residential areas \u00e2\u20ac\u201c EXCEPT for the one parcel where Wareham Development intends to construct its 160-foot office building.  Here is a map of the proposed maximum building heights (6MB):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/DraftGenPlan-MaxBldgHeight.pdf\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_7\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/DraftGenPlan-MaxBldgHeight.pdf<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Often, a developer will justify exceeding the maximum height by saying that anything less will simply \u00e2\u20ac\u0153not pencil.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d  In this case, the developer is both asking for three times the current maximum height, and a multi-million dollar subsidy from the city.<\/p>\n<p><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;\" >$8 Million Taxayer Subsidy<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><\/p>\n<p>Wareham Development has received millions in city subsidies, the most recent of which is for a project next to the greenway at Powell:<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/05-14-09.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_8\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/05-14-09.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>For the proposed project next to the train station, the developer wants an $8.3 million subsidy.   The state budget recently approved will require Emeryville to give back millions of dollars to the state.  The money will come from the same budget that the city has for granting subsidies to developers.  By continuing to grant subsidies to developers, the city council will be forced to reduce funding for projects that would provide concrete benefits to the residents.<\/p>\n<p>About a year and a half ago, the city council debated imposing an <\/span><span style=\"border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;font-size:130%;\" class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_9\" >impact fee<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"> on developers.  The money would have been used to pay for infrastructure improvements and public amenities (such as new parks and open space) that would be necessary as more people moved to and worked in Emeryville.  The city council majority let this impact fee quietly die, but the longstanding practice of lining the developers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 pockets with city subsidies continues unabated.<\/p>\n<p>John Fricke<br \/><\/span><span style=\"border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;font-size:130%;\" class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_11\" >1057 43rd Street<br \/>Emeryville, CA 94608<\/span><span style=\"font-size:130%;\"><br \/>510\/601-8846<br \/><a ymailto=\"mailto:jfricke@JohnFricke.com\" href=\"http:\/\/us.mc1113.mail.yahoo.com\/mc\/compose?to=jfricke@JohnFricke.com\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_12\">jfricke@JohnFricke.com<\/span><\/a><br \/><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_13\">www.JohnFricke.com<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>My past email messages about the Transit Center:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-09-06.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_14\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-09-06.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-22-06.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_15\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-22-06.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/02-18-07.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_16\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/02-18-07.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-05-07.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_17\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-05-07.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-19-07.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_18\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/03-19-07.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/12-20-07.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_19\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/12-20-07.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/02-02-08.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_20\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/02-02-08.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/01-25-09.html\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_21\">http:\/\/www.johnfricke.com\/01-25-09.html<\/span><\/a><br \/><\/span><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/ymlp175.com\/u.php?YMLPID=guewbbugsguuqmg\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"yshortcuts\" id=\"lw_1250439392_22\"><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"wp_fb_like_button\" style=\"margin:5px 0;float:none;height:100px;\"><script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http%3A%2F%2Fwww.thesecretnewsonline.com%2F%3Fp%3D143\" send=\"true\" layout=\"standard\" width=\"450\" show_faces=\"true\" font=\"arial\" action=\"like\" colorscheme=\"light\"><\/fb:like><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(Edited email from Council Member John Fricke to Emeryville residents Aug. 14)One prime example of the City Council majority\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s genuflection to developers is the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcTransit Center\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 (proposed for the lot just north of Emeryville\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s train station). At the upcoming Council &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=143\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}