I’m sure you walk and ride around neighboring El Cerrito so here’s a chance to make that experience a little better.
El Cerrito will be completing a San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan in the coming months. The Plan, which builds on the efforts of the draft Plan released in 2009, will provide new development regulations that encourage higher density residential and commercial development throughout the planning area. The goal of the Plan is to create a more walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly community through providing clear, market-friendly guidance in the form of a Hybrid Form-Based Code for private residential, mixed-use and commercial development, a Complete Streets Plan and a Multimodal Capital Improvement Plan. The complete revised draft Plan and its programmatic Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be released for public review in early 2014.
This is the second of two recent public meetings to present key components of the Plan:
San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan – Form Based Code Planning Commission Study Session
An agenda for this meeting will be posted by Friday, November 15th. Please check back here: www.el-cerrito.org/PlanningCommission for more information.
To learn more about the San Pablo Avenue Specific & Complete Streets Plan, please visit www.el-cerrito.org/SPASP or attend one of the upcoming meetings. To submit questions and comments, please feel free to contact Emily Alter at EAlter@ci.el-cerrito.ca.us or 510.215.4385.
“Study Session on General Plan Transportation Goals & Policies” is one of the agenda items. This is the next in a series of Planning and Zoning Commission Study Sessions on the Albany 2035 General Plan Update. This Study Session will cover the first draft of the General Plan goals and policies for transportation. An opportunity for public comment will be provided.
The Planning & Zoning Commission is being review and provide feedback on the proposed goals and policies… so we hope some of you will review it and give your feedback.
The updated General Plan Transportation Element is at http://albanyca.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=&event_id=290&meta_id=76393
The full agenda is http://albanyca.granicus.com/GeneratedAgendaViewer.php?event_id=2e45d59b-d656-405c-bbed-9017eef80205
Do you ride in or through El Cerrito? Yup, me too!
Want a San Pablo Avenue that is safer for your and your family to ride? I thought so!
Want protected bike lanes on San Pablo Avenue? Go to one of the El Cerrito meetings and speak up!
El Cerrito is moving forward into the ‘feasibility’ phase of designing bikeways on San Pablo Avenue and is proposing protected bikeways in the Midtown area of El Cerrito between its two BART stations. Bike East Bay helped secure a Safe Routes to Transit grant for El Cerrito for this design work. As good as it promises to be, this project needs to be complete.
The City of El Cerrito recently released a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that covers plans specific to San Pablo Avenue. The document is open for public review until July 21, 2014. The proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines infrastructure modifications to the main commercial thoroughfare through the city; chapter 3 covers the Complete Streets plan. Comments on the Draft Specific Plan should be emailed to Melanie Mintz, the Interim Community Development Director, detailed information concerning the plan and how to submit comments can be found on the city website. We urge you to voice support of a formal bicycle lane, as opposed to sharrows, in the uptown section of San Pablo Avenue. Bicycle lanes provide street safety for all users, forming a link between public transit, businesses, and residences.
Wednesday, July 9 is the first in a series of Public Meetings and your first opportunity to weigh in supporting the plan.
By the way, EC City Hall has secure BikeLink lockers for you to use!
Do you ride in or through El Cerrito? Yup, me too!
Want a San Pablo Avenue that is safer for your and your family to ride? I thought so!
Want protected bike lanes on San Pablo Avenue? Go to one of the El Cerrito meetings and speak up or write a letter! You have until the end of the day July 21 to do so.
El Cerrito is moving forward into the ‘feasibility’ phase of designing bikeways on San Pablo Avenue and is proposing protected bikeways in the Midtown area of El Cerrito between its two BART stations. Bike East Bay helped secure a Safe Routes to Transit grant for El Cerrito for this design work. As good as it promises to be, this project needs to be complete.
The City of El Cerrito recently released a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that covers plans specific to San Pablo Avenue.
THE DOCUMENT IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC REVIEW & COMMENT UNTIL THE END OF THE DAY JULY 21, 2014 SO IF YOU WANT TO PROVIDE INPUT, NOW’S THE TIME .
The proposal is a comprehensive document that outlines infrastructure modifications to the main commercial thoroughfare through the city; chapter 3 covers the Complete Streets plan. Comments on the Draft Specific Plan should be emailed to Melanie Mintz, the Interim Community Development Director, detailed information concerning the plan and how to submit comments can be found on the city website. We urge you to voice support of a formal bicycle lane, as opposed to sharrows, in the uptown section of San Pablo Avenue. Bicycle lanes provide street safety for all users, forming a link between public transit, businesses, and residences.
Wednesday, July 16 is the 2nd in a series of Public Meetings and a good opportunity to weigh in supporting the plan. This one is a Planning Commission meeting, so will likely include discussion of the sidewalk interface with private development, plan & site layout requirements and parking requirements, including bicycle parking.
By the way, EC City Hall has secure BikeLink lockers for you to use!
**Again, the plan is open for public review and comment and is available on the City’s website at www.El-Cerrito.org/SPASP. Public comment will close next Monday, July 21st at the end of the day. There are also hard copies available at the Richmond City Hall, Richmond Library, El Cerrito City Hall and El Cerrito Library. So give your input!
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
Here’s an example of a parking space repurposed as a public space. Come see what ours has to offer!
The third Friday of the month is called PARK(ing) Day, a day when select car parking places are repurposed as public spaces. This is the same as a parklet, only for one day, and unofficial.
We will do this with one of the spaces in front of Blue Heron Bikes and Coffee Conscious on Gilman St. in Berkeley. They will have comfortable furniture and a bike blender to make smoothies, in what is just car parking every other day.
It will be fun so come join them!
Then head on up to Bike About Town!
The rack in front of T324 is always filled by their customers and those from nearby businesses
The Albany Recreation & Community Services Department is having our city’s annual Albany Local Week, September 20th -26th, where you get points for doing your business in town!
This year you’ll get points for parking your bike on the 25 “Bike Bike Racks” that Albany Strollers & Rollers helped fund around town.
Locations include the Albany/Berkeley border on Solano Avenue, Albany Children’s Center, Albany Fresh Produce, Albany Taproom, Be Fit Personal Training, BevMo!, Bikes on Solano, Bridgewater Condominiums Visitor Parking, Bua Luang Thai Cuisine, Gathering Tribes, Grazzy Burgers, Hamro Aangan – Indo-Nepalese Cuisine, Innate Chiropractic, Jewel’s Terrace Park, K2Tog: Knitting the
The Bike Bike Rack at Daniel Winkler & Associates is popular!
World Together, Metta Traditional Thai Massage, Prins Chiropractic, Daniel Winkler & Associates, Inc., Royal Cafe,T324, Tay Tah Cafe, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and Zarri’s Delicatessen.
Get your Albany Local Week Scorecard here and write in your Bike Bike Racks to rack up the points!!
Any doubt whose rack this beauty is? Yes, Charlie Prins Chiropractic co-funded this rack, along with AS&R and the City of Albany, but neighboring businesses are welcome to use it!
Roll up to Grazzy Burgers/Albany Taproom for a beer, a burger or a salad!
The rack in front of T324 is always filled by their customers and those from nearby businesses
The Albany Recreation & Community Services Department is having our city’s annual Albany Local Week, September 20th -26th, where you get points for doing your business in town!
This year you’ll get points for parking your bike on the 25 “Bike Bike Racks” that Albany Strollers & Rollers helped fund around town.
Locations include the Albany/Berkeley border on Solano Avenue, Albany Children’s Center, Albany Fresh Produce, Albany Taproom, Be Fit Personal Training, BevMo!, Bikes on Solano, Bridgewater Condominiums Visitor Parking, Bua Luang Thai Cuisine, Gathering Tribes, Grazzy Burgers, Hamro Aangan – Indo-Nepalese Cuisine, Innate Chiropractic, Jewel’s Terrace Park, K2Tog: Knitting the
The Bike Bike Rack at Daniel Winkler & Associates is popular!
World Together, Metta Traditional Thai Massage, Prins Chiropractic, Daniel Winkler & Associates, Inc., Royal Cafe,T324, Tay Tah Cafe, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and Zarri’s Delicatessen.
Get your Albany Local Week Scorecard here and write in your Bike Bike Racks to rack up the points!!
Any doubt whose rack this beauty is? Yes, Charlie Prins Chiropractic co-funded this rack, along with AS&R and the City of Albany, but neighboring businesses are welcome to use it!
Roll up to Grazzy Burgers/Albany Taproom for a beer, a burger or a salad!
The rack in front of T324 is always filled by their customers and those from nearby businesses
The Albany Recreation & Community Services Department is having our city’s annual Albany Local Week, September 20th -26th, where you get points for doing your business in town!
This year you’ll get points for parking your bike on the 25 “Bike Bike Racks” that Albany Strollers & Rollers helped fund around town.
Locations include the Albany/Berkeley border on Solano Avenue, Albany Children’s Center, Albany Fresh Produce, Albany Taproom, Be Fit Personal Training, BevMo!, Bikes on Solano, Bridgewater Condominiums Visitor Parking, Bua Luang Thai Cuisine, Gathering Tribes, Grazzy Burgers, Hamro Aangan – Indo-Nepalese Cuisine, Innate Chiropractic, Jewel’s Terrace Park, K2Tog: Knitting the
The Bike Bike Rack at Daniel Winkler & Associates is popular!
World Together, Metta Traditional Thai Massage, Prins Chiropractic, Daniel Winkler & Associates, Inc., Royal Cafe,T324, Tay Tah Cafe, St. Alban’s Episcopal Church and Zarri’s Delicatessen.
Get your Albany Local Week Scorecard here and write in your Bike Bike Racks to rack up the points!!
Any doubt whose rack this beauty is? Yes, Charlie Prins Chiropractic co-funded this rack, along with AS&R and the City of Albany, but neighboring businesses are welcome to use it!
Roll up to Grazzy Burgers/Albany Taproom for a beer, a burger or a salad!
Do you ride in or through El Cerrito? Yup, me too!
Want a San Pablo Avenue that is safer for your and your family to ride? I thought so!
Want protected bike lanes on San Pablo Avenue? Go to one of the El Cerrito meetings and speak up!
Opponents are up in arms over El Cerrito’s plans for designing bikeways on San Pablo Avenue, including protected bikeways in the Midtown area between its two BART stations. We need supporters at Monday’s City Council meeting. Because of opposition, it appears that the proposed Plan has removed bike lanes in sections, due mainly to concerns about parking, many of these concerns without basis. Please help us convince local businesses that you are their best customers and that you support continuous bikeways on San Pablo Avenue.
We still want to see bike lanes included at the north and south ends of San Pablo Avenue, where sharrows are currently proposed in the Downtown and Uptown areas of El Cerrito. The goal is a continuous bikeway on San Pablo Avenue between public transit, businesses, and residences, connecting you to the places you ride. Sharrows are no substitute for your safety.
Please attend the meeting and tell El Cerrito City Council that you bike to get to businesses on San Pablo Ave, that bike lanes will be good for their economy.
If you can’t attend Monday’s meeting, email Melanie Mintz, interim Community Development Director, Mayor Greg Lyman, or any of the City Council Members – Janet Abelson, Rebecca Benassini, Jan Bridges or Mark Friedman.
For more info go to El Cerrito’s website on the San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan.
