{"id":145,"date":"2009-08-28T23:16:00","date_gmt":"2009-08-28T23:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/terragrafix.com\/blog\/?p=145"},"modified":"2009-08-28T23:16:00","modified_gmt":"2009-08-28T23:16:00","slug":"residents-plan-protest-rally-big-showing-at-upcoming-council-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesecretnewsonline.com\/?p=145","title":{"rendered":"Residents Plan Protest Rally, Big Showing at Upcoming Council Meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Group Demands Action From City Council,
Criticizes Special Treatment for Developer of 2nd Phase of Bay Street <\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

What:<\/span> Emeryville residents, workers, small business owners and members of the Coalition for a Better Bay Street will stage a rally in front of City Hall to protest the possibility of a fifth extension of an exclusive agreement with the city to develop the second phase of the Bay Street project. Madison Marquette, also developer of the first phase of Bay Street, is requesting an estimated $50 million public subsidy for the second phase of the project, slated to be a mixed\u00e2\u20ac\u0090use retail project including a 23\u00e2\u20ac\u0090story hotel and condo tower and 900-car parking garage. The rally comes after an historic town hall where more than 100 residents, workers, and small\u00e2\u20ac\u0090business owners called on the City Council and Madison Marquette to work with the community to create a better project through a formal community benefits agreement. Their requests to date have been ignored.<\/p>\n

When:<\/span> Tuesday, September 1, 2009, 6pm, Press Conference and Rally; 7 pm, City Council Meeting<\/p>\n

Where:<\/span> Emeryville City Hall, 1333 Park Ave.(@ Hollis St.)<\/p>\n

Who:<\/span> Sponsored by the Coalition for a Better Bay Street, which includes Residents United for a Livable Emeryville (RULE), East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE), and UNITE\u00e2\u20ac\u0090HERE Local 2850. The rally will feature residents and workers speaking out about their vision, including good jobs for local residents, affordable housing for families, funding for schools, and residents having a voice in how their city spends public dollars.<\/p>\n

Why: <\/span>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Bay Street 2 will cost us\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthe taxpayers\u00e2\u20ac\u201dabout $50 million in subsidies,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d says Tracy Schroth, seven\u00e2\u20ac\u0090year resident of Emeryville and member of RULE. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153What do we get in return? What does this $50 million buy in benefits for the people who live and work here? The City Council majority and a handful of developers have had a run of the city for years, and we want it back.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/p>\n

Based on more than 400 community surveys collected earlier this year, an overwhelming majority\u00e2\u20ac\u201d82%–are not supportive of or have mixed feelings about the current Bay Street Site B proposal put forward by Madison Marquette.<\/p>\n

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