Now that the Planning Commission has issued its strong rejection of the Moraga Canyon Sports Fields project, you don’t have to take our word that this project is a terrible idea. Listen to the many, many reasons cited by the Planning Commissioners themselves in the video below. It’s been edited for brevity, but nothing is taken out of context—you can see the full original video under the “Planning Commission” link on the City of Piedmont video page. If you don’t have time to watch the video, we’ve included a few quotes below it (click the “Click to read more” link).

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Last night, the Piedmont Planning Commission soundly and unanimously rejected the Moraga Canyon Sports Fields project, citing many flaws in the design of the project relating to size, traffic, safety, liability, and aesthetics, as well as conflicts with Piedmont’s General Plan. As Commissioner Clark Thiel put it, “If this were a house that was before us, there’s no redeeming quality about it that would even come close to being approvable.”

Since the Commission’s role is advisory, it is still possible for the City Council to ignore their recommendation and approve the plan. The Commission passed a second motion indicating that if the Council does choose to do so, it should work with the Planning Commission to address these flaws.

We’ll be posting a longer report on the commission meeting soon. In the meantime, you can watch the video on the City of Piedmont video page (click on the “Planning Commission” link to jump down to that section, then click on the Video link next to the Special Meeting for February 24).

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far—and thanks to the Planning Commission for their rational and clear-headed analysis of the problems with this project!

Thanks to the excellent speakers who spoke at the Piedmont Park Commission meeting on Feb. 17th and to the 49 FOMC supporters who wrote such thoughtful and strong letters.

The Park Commission passed a resolution that the “alternative” proposal as presented by PRFO was environmentally superior to their original proposal, but included the following provisions:

1. Recommends that the city council require additional traffic, pedestrian and bike safety study
2. Use Bay-Friendly landscaping
3. Include the Park Commission and Public Works Department in the design decisions
4. Provide long term financial stability for sports fields maintenance and replacement costs
5. Study feasibility of pedestrian and bicycle “linkage” between City Center and Blair Park

A report on Saturday’s rally by a Friends of Moraga Canyon member.

A festive rally to save Blair Park from massive development drew nearly 150 residents from Piedmont and Oakland to the park on a sunny Saturday afternoon, Feb. 12. Families with children and dogs in tow arrived, carrying banners and handmade signs, saying “Save Blair Park.”

Rally cheers and brief speeches by leaders of Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC) kicked off the event, followed by guided tours of the proposed sports complex development. Newly installed “story poles” that dramatically illustrate the size of the proposed project were the center of attention.

Image of the 38-foot story pole. Click to enlarge

Gasps and exclamations were heard as Piedmont resident Joannie Semitekol walked groups through the park and explained the colors on the poles, some of which reach above the trees on Moraga Ave. “The green color on the poles indicates the height of fill needed to reach the elevated field surface,” Semitekol said. “And the top white portion of the poles indicates the height of the fence above the field. So, for example, the 38-foot tall pole on the lowest end of the park on Moraga Ave. shows 18 feet of fill (green) plus 20 feet of fencing (white).“

Semitekol also pointed out the poles on the park’s back hillside, which mark the highest point of the fence that would have to be erected on top of the retaining wall. Thin white tape connects the poles to show the length and height of the wall. “Unfortunately,” she said, “the terrain and the trees and shrubs make these indicator poles very difficult to see unless you get up close. Likewise, the story poles along Moraga are difficult to see through the trees.”

Following the project tour, adults and kids waving their homemade signs lined up along Moraga Ave., and were cheered on by passing motorists. Fresh homemade cookies, brownies and fruit jams were on sale to help raise donations for FOMC, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, which is working to build public awareness of the project’s impact on the environment, homeowners, and potentially on City of Piedmont taxpayers.

Although the story poles are up now in Blair Park, they’re not very visible from the street, and even as you walk through the site they’re difficult to see and interpret. We’ve made this YouTube video explaining what the poles along the west side mean for the view from the street and the rear hillside excavation/retaining wall. Please pass this around to people who might not have a sense of just how disruptive this project would be!