Coalition fights waterfront development

By Alan Lopez
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Saturday, January 28, 2006

A coalition of environmental groups wants to place an initiative on the November ballot asking voters to prevent large-scale development along the Albany waterfront.

Members of Citizens for East Shore Parks and Citizens for the Albany Shoreline announced the effort at a rally that drew about 300 people Thursday night, said Brian Parker, co-chair of the Albany shoreline group. The Sierra Club is also supporting the initiative.

That coalition is battling a plan by Southern California developer Rick Caruso to bring an outdoor shopping mall, housing and a hotel to underused parking lots on the northwest side of the Golden Gate Fields racetrack. The development would require voter approval to rezone the property.

The goal of the initiative "is to have an open community planning process that will protect the waterfront," said Robert Cheasty, the president of Citizens for East Shore Parks. "For the whole waterfront, not just the part Caruso wants to put the mall on."

The citizens' initiative would require signatures from 10 percent of registered voters to get on the November ballot, said city clerk Jackie Bucholz. She said there were about 9,000 registered voters in the last election.

"We plan to get many more votes than necessary," Parker said.

If the initiative is approved, a 15-person committee would develop a specific plan for the waterfront. Once developed, the plan would go before voters for approval.

According to the initiative, the planning process would be based on the assumption that a large portion of the waterfront -- now owned by Magna Entertainment Corp. and occupied by Golden Gate Fields -- would be dedicated or acquired for public park, open space and environmental restoration purposes. It would allow commercial development to be placed as close to the freeway as possible.

In addition, it would place a moratorium on development approvals as well as a moratorium on rezoning the land for two years, or until the specific plan is approved by voters, whichever comes first.

Matt Middlebrook, an executive with Caruso Affiliated, said the initiative is based on the erroneous assumption that the track is going out of business.

"The goal of the initiative is simply to silence the voices of anyone who does not support the views of the initiative's backers," Middlebrook said. "Anyone who supports reasonable development at the waterfront is completely shut out of the debate."

The committee, which would operate under state open meeting laws, would consist of one member appointed by each of the five City Council members.

In addition, the following groups would each select one Albany voter: Citizens for the Albany Shoreline, Citizens for East Shore Parks, the Sierra Club, the Albany Chamber of Commerce, the city's waterfront committee, the Albany park and recreation commission, the Albany library board and the owner of the racetrack property. The Albany school district board would appoint two committee members.

The appointments would not be required to be members of the groups selecting them.

Norman La Force, the chair of the Sierra Club's East Bay public lands committee and author of the initiative, disagreed that it would squelch debate.

He also believes the track will eventually close unless Magna is able to add casino gambling, which it failed to do in 2004 through a state initiative.

"This is intended to do what people have asked for," La Force said, "which is plan for the entire waterfront in one piece and protect the shoreline for the people of Albany.

"It gives ample opportunities to people who want development to talk about what development they want and locating it within the portions of the area that would be appropriate."

Reach Alan Lopez at 510-243-3578 or e-mail alopez1@cctimes.com.

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