The city will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for the Albany Bay Trail Connector Tuesday, Oct. 30.
The project was intended to improve the connection between regional pathways throughout the Bay Area and the Bay Trail.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee and Assemblymember Nancy Skinner are scheduled to attend and to give brief speeches during the ceremony.
The project includes multiple funding from federal, state and regional agencies, as well as partnerships with the University of California, Albany Unified School District, and the United States Department of Agriculture research facility in Albany.
Albany Strollers & Rollers was involved in the process, serving on the committee to select the engineering firm and helping work on the facility design.
Have you noticed that Albany is small and you often end up in El Cerrito and Berkeley? Here’s a good chance to give some input to our neighbor to the north!
Come help design five urban greening projects to improve the environmental sustainability, economic vitality and community cohesion of the City of El Cerrito! The Community Charrette is an interactive design workshop that allows you to meet with neighbors and other community members to envision the future of five pilot projects: 1) Fairmount Park, 2) Hillside Natural Area, 3) Former Portola Middle School Site, 4) Lower Fairmount Ave from Carlson Blvd to San Pablo Ave, and 5) Bay Trail (Blue Belt) to Wildcat Canyon (Green Belt) Connections. These sites have been selected from a larger list of Urban Greening opportunities for their strategic location, multiple community and environmental benefits, and pilot potential. With feedback gathered at the Charrette, the City’s Urban Greening consultants will prepare conceptual designs to be included in the Urban Greening Plan.
Like some of the things AS&R has been able to accomplish in Albany? Suggest them to the City of El Cerrito. Like what you see in EC? Suggest them here in Albany!
9:30 am Welcome and Plan Overview
10:30 am Breakout Design Sessions
12:00 pm Lunch
12:30 pm Report Back
1:25 pm Next Steps
1:30 pm Close
For more information, please visit the website at www.ElCerritoUrbanGreening.org
If you’ve read about Ciclovías and Open Streets events all over the world, here’s one right in your 
backyard.
On Sunday, October 18th from 11am-4pm, Shattuck Avenue between Rose and Haste will be closed to motor vehicles so you can bike, skate, wheelchair, scooter and walk to your heart’s content!
There will be plenty of activities for your and your family to enjoy, or just wander along the street with no worries about cars, grab a bite at an outdoor table and hang out!
For more information, go to www.sundaystreetsberkeley.org .
Hope to see you there!
Do you or your family ride, walk, roll, scoot or skate on the Ohlone Greenway? I’m sure you do, as the multi-use path on the Greenway is Albany’s Active Transportation Highway – over 1,000 trips per day on regular days when last counted several years ago!
The Parks & Rec Department is overseeing Greenway improvements so now’s the time to give input in order to have a better experience to stroll, roll or just hang out!
The information with the Project Plans and what was discussed at previous meetings is at this link:
Do you or your family ride on the Ohlone Greenway? Now’s the time to give input to improve it!
A parcourse, wayfinding, art – all can have a positive effect on the experience, safety and atmosphere of strolling and rolling.
An orchard is proposed for the eastern edge of the Greenway. What a great idea… BUT if those trees are planted too close to the multi-use path, as was already done south of Dartmouth, they will drop debris on the path, encroach on the path itself and also invite more conflicts between people biking northbound & walking on the east dg path and people who are picking fruit.
Another point someone brought up was that some of the existing trees west of the path cast are planted directly between the overhead light and the path, casting shadows on the path and making the nighttime path experience more dangerous.
In short, as Albany’s Active Transportation Highway, the City must take care not to degrade this important function. If amenities to either side are to be added, it should be done with great care.
Please attend this meeting to give your input and improve the Ohlone Greenway for everyone – strollers, rollers, sitters, dog-walkers, and fruit-pickers!
Full P&R agenda is at http://www.albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=16&recordid=12040
6-1: Ohlone Greenway Design: Restoration Design Group will give a presentation.
Recommended Actions:
1. That the Commission recommend a preferred concept direction to move into the design into the next phase.
2. That the Commission approve the planting of fruit and nut trees by the California Rare Fruit Growers along the eastern strip of the Ohlone Greenway as described in the Memo.
3. That the Commission set a Special Meeting Date for the 4th week of February to review the 35% Plans for the Ohlone Greenway.
Do you or your family ride, walk, roll, scoot or skate on the Ohlone Greenway? I’m sure you do, as the multi-use path on the Greenway is Albany’s Active Transportation Highway – over 1,000 trips per day on regular days when last counted several years ago!
The City Council is considering Greenway improvements so now’s the time to give input in order to have a better experience to stroll, roll or just hang out!
The agenda for the meeting is at this link, item 9-2.
The Consultants’ “Preferred Master Plan” is here – (fyi, you can just open it up or download the 4.8MB pdf document.)
Do you or your family ride on the Ohlone Greenway? Now’s the time to give input to improve it!
A parcourse, wayfinding, art – all can have a positive effect on the experience, safety and atmosphere of strolling and rolling.
An orchard is proposed for the eastern edge of the Greenway. What a great idea… BUT if those trees are planted too close to the multi-use path, as was already done south of Dartmouth, they will drop debris on the path, encroach on the path itself and also invite more conflicts between people biking northbound & walking on the east dg path and people who are picking fruit.
Another point someone brought up was that some of the existing trees west of the path cast are planted directly between the overhead light and the path, casting shadows on the path and making the nighttime path experience more dangerous.
In short, as Albany’s Active Transportation Highway, the City must take care not to degrade this important function. If amenities to either side are to be added, it should be done with great care.
Please attend this meeting to give your input and improve the Ohlone Greenway for everyone – strollers, rollers, sitters, dog-walkers, and fruit-pickers!
What’s important to you to communicate to the Albany Police Department?
Here’s an opportunity to give them your input! Make plans to attend their Community Work Session and tell them what’s important to you as an Albany resident or visitor. They want to clearly identify resident’s priorities for the next 3-5 years and plan to incorporate those priorities into their strategic planning process. Your opinion matters… so let them know what matters to you at this meeting!
RSVPs are requested but not required: policeplan@albanyca.org
Want better conditions on BART? Come to this forum!
Do you take the train and/or bus in addition to biking & walking? If so, this forum is important for you to attend!!
This forum for BART & AC Directors, as well as info on the BART Bond Measure, will be co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters Berkeley Albany Emeryville and the Berkeley Chinese Community Church.
- AC Transit Ward 2 (Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville) –
AC Transit buses could have better conditions, too.
Greg Harper, Russ Tilleman
- AC Transit At Large – Dollene C. Jones, H. E. Christian (Chris) Peeples
- Bart Director District 3 – Ken Chew, Worth Freeman, Varun Paul,
Rebecca Saltzman - Bart Director District 7 – Roland Emerson, Zakhary Mallett, Will Roscoe, Lateefah Simon
**IF YOU WANT TO BIKE FROM ALBANY OR NEARBY, PROPOSE SOMETHING IN “COMMENTS” HERE ALONG WITH CONTACT INFO FOR YOU
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.
