1000 San Pablo Ave
Albany, CA 94706
USA
Help ensure that Albany’s segment of the Bay Trail will be completed, and safe & fun for all!
After a group of Albany residents, including fellow Strollers & Rollers, pointed out improvements that should be made to our Waterfront, there will be a chance to see the plans and give input on the Albany Bay Trail and beach project, officially known as the Albany Beach Restoration and Public Access Project.
Let’s make sure that OUR Waterfront is optimized for people who want to bike, walk, stroll and roll. There is a lot of car parking, but not nearly as much attention paid to parking for bicycles.
Note: a quorum of the City Council and/or an advisory body to the City Council may be present at this public meeting.
Here is the site plan
And the existing conditions map
And the complete packet from the most recent public meeting (April 17), which was at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission Design Review Board. This packet has cross-sections and more detailed plans and a staff report.
Albany resident and landscape architect Hugo Larman drafted this updated plan based on community input, which expands the beach area, adds bike racks and moves car parking near existing parking.
EIR and other info from EBRPD (scroll down to where is says “Albany Beach Habitat Restoration and Public Access Project.”)
These racks that AS&R bought are perfectly situated for folks who want to enjoy the beach, a hike or just enjoy the beautiful view, but they are lonely! We need more “there” at the Waterfront, and more bike racks near other destinations.
AS&R member Dan Johnson prepared comments and alternative plans . After further discussion, Dan & others believe that the location for parking might not be feasible. However his diagram about the amount of paving is relevant.
While not a part of EBRPD’s plan, the Albany Waterfront Committee’s Cove Enhancement Plan should be completed by the City of Albany and taken into account by EBRPD for a comprehensive plan at the entire waterfront. The only reason it was not completed in 2012 was because EBRPD requested the City hold off because of upcoming construction. That reason is long past.
In response to recent community comments, the designers are making efforts to reduce the large amount of pavement for the vehicle driveway and turnaround to leave more open space for recreation at the south end of the site. However, a number of us believe that it would be more functional and would preserve more open space (as well as reduce bicycle-pedestrian conflicts) to locate the parking near the existing parking, on the north side of Buchanan St., which would eliminate the need for the long driveway. However, this area is City-owned and outside the EBRPD project area.
Is anybody aware of the latest Buchannan-Gillman path opening date estimate? Based on published timeline projections I was expecting work to be farther along than it is at Jan.1, 2020.
The original scheduled completion date was in December 2019 but I see the staging area is still full of equipment into January. I’m an Albany Parks, Rec & Open Space commissioner and we deal with some waterfront issues but this trail is not a city project so I don’t have any additional information. If you want, you can send an email to the commission and city staff asking what they know. Click the link on this page
https://www.albanyca.org/government/boards-commissions-committees/parks-recreation-commission
where it says “Email Parks, Recreation & Open Space Commissioners & Staff Liaison” and you can compose an email to PROSC@albanyca.org to reach them.
Paul, we put your question out to our Discussion List and this is from one of our City Council members who is involved in EBRPD issues:
“Amy, the EBRPD Park Advisory Commission has been informed by EBRPD staff that the grand opening of the trail will occur “in the spring” while the most recent message from the General Manager just says ‘soon.’ (link here from Amy https://www.ebparks.org/activities/features/message_from_the_general_manager/message_from_the_general_manager_november___december_2019.htm
It was originally scheduled to be complete at the end of 2018 so I am honestly not yet convinced it will really be done by the start of the summer, but still hopeful that completion is approaching.”