Lake Merritt Station Area Plan: Community Workshop Script - Engaging Oakland Residents | Exams Economics of the Public Sector

PRESENTATION SCRIPT

< slide: West subarea map>

Good Morning! First of all, we would like to thank Laney College, in particular Elnora Webb and

Marco Menendez, for hosting this workshop. Welcome to the West subarea workshop for the Lake

Merritt Station Area Plan. Today we’ll be focusing on the area that includes the greater Chinatown

area. Last Saturday we had a workshop that focused on the area east of the BART Station. These

two workshops will provide you with an important opportunity to help shape a plan for the future of

this area over the next twenty years.

We are going to give you a brief overview of the project, what has been accomplished so far, and

what we are here for today, before we break into our small groups. But first, we’d like to

acknowledge the diversity of the community in this room and thank all of our multi-lingual

facilitators for helping us conduct this meeting.

<slide: combined subarea map>

Good development starts with good planning. For this reason, the City of Oakland has been

engaged with the community for over 2 years in a planning process for the neighborhoods and

districts within ½ mile radius of the Lake Merritt BART station. The resulting Lake Merritt Station

Area Plan will consider the types and locations of buildings and activities, guidelines for how

development of the area should take place, and the other types of improvements that are needed to

support development. The goal of this process is to develop an intentional way forward, rather than

letting accidental changes shape the neighborhood. It will be a chance to understand the wide range

of needs and desires of people that share an interest in making this area a better place, and to create

lasting partnerships.

The plan will look 20 years into the future, so keep in mind that big changes can happen over time.

Think about how you want this neighborhood to grow over the long term, specifically focusing on

the built environment and physical changes, like types of buildings, streets and sidewalks, public

spaces, and transportation. Also keep in mind that funding will have to be secured for public

improvements and much of the plan will ultimately be implemented privately, so economic

feasibility matters. Ultimately, as a community, we will need to establish priorities for changes in

the area, and then identify the right methods for implementing change, such as zoning and land use

controls.

<slide: workshop photo>

The process of creating a plan for “transit-oriented development” in the neighborhoods and districts

surrounding the Lake Merritt BART station began in fall 2008 with a Community Engagement

Partial preview of the text

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PRESENTATION SCRIPT

< slide: West subarea map>

Good Morning! First of all, we would like to thank Laney College, in particular Elnora Webb and Marco Menendez, for hosting this workshop. Welcome to the West subarea workshop for the Lake Merritt Station Area Plan. Today we’ll be focusing on the area that includes the greater Chinatown area. Last Saturday we had a workshop that focused on the area east of the BART Station. These two workshops will provide you with an important opportunity to help shape a plan for the future of this area over the next twenty years.

We are going to give you a brief overview of the project, what has been accomplished so far, and what we are here for today, before we break into our small groups. But first, we’d like to acknowledge the diversity of the community in this room and thank all of our multi-lingual facilitators for helping us conduct this meeting.

<slide: combined subarea map>

Good development starts with good planning. For this reason, the City of Oakland has been engaged with the community for over 2 years in a planning process for the neighborhoods and districts within ½ mile radius of the Lake Merritt BART station. The resulting Lake Merritt Station Area Plan will consider the types and locations of buildings and activities, guidelines for how development of the area should take place, and the other types of improvements that are needed to support development. The goal of this process is to develop an intentional way forward, rather than letting accidental changes shape the neighborhood. It will be a chance to understand the wide range of needs and desires of people that share an interest in making this area a better place, and to create lasting partnerships.

The plan will look 20 years into the future, so keep in mind that big changes can happen over time. Think about how you want this neighborhood to grow over the long term, specifically focusing on the built environment and physical changes, like types of buildings, streets and sidewalks, public spaces, and transportation. Also keep in mind that funding will have to be secured for public improvements and much of the plan will ultimately be implemented privately, so economic feasibility matters. Ultimately, as a community, we will need to establish priorities for changes in the area, and then identify the right methods for implementing change, such as zoning and land use controls.

<slide: workshop photo>

The process of creating a plan for “transit-oriented development” in the neighborhoods and districts surrounding the Lake Merritt BART station began in fall 2008 with a Community Engagement

phase that concluded in June 2009 with a report and set of guiding principles that have informed the goals and objectives of the area plan. Next, a Community Charette process took place in summer 2009 that generated ideas for the type of development that should occur on the blocks owned by BART. The city consultant team began work in fall 2009, and conducted the first community workshop in April 2010. Over this initial planning period, the community has generated many ideas, expressed several concerns, and importantly, identified the overarching vision and goals for the project.

The vision established by the community for this area is to:

Create a more active, vibrant, and safe district to serve and attract residents, businesses, students, shoppers and visitors;
Provide for community development and economic development that is equitable, sustainable, and healthy;
Increase use of non-automobile modes of transportation;
Increase the housing supply to accommodate a diverse community, especially affordable housing and housing around the BART station;
Increase jobs and improve access to jobs along the transit corridor;
Provide services and retail options in the station area;
Identify additional recreation and open space opportunities;
Celebrate and enhance the heritage of Chinatown as a cultural asset and a regional community destination; and
Establish the Lake Merritt Station Area as a model with innovations in community development, transportation, housing, jobs, and businesses and environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and greenhouse gas reductions.

A Technical Advisory Committee and Community Stakeholders Group have been established to help guide the development of this plan, and will consider the range of ideas set forth at this workshop. The ideas and suggestions generated at this workshop will also be reviewed by City staff and the consultant team for their feasibility and cost. The project team will then pull all the feedback received into a draft framework for the station area plan.

We will hold another community workshop in June 2011, when we will focus in on the top priorities of the draft framework and try to resolve outstanding issues. In the fall, the project team will again check in with the community to make sure we’ve got it right. This rough draft, or preferred plan, will be the basis for the Station Area Plan, which will take about another year to complete, finishing in the end of 2012.

Lake Merritt Station Area Plan: Community Workshop Script - Engaging Oakland Residents, Exams of Economics of the Public Sector

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Partial preview of the text

Download Lake Merritt Station Area Plan: Community Workshop Script - Engaging Oakland Residents and more Exams Economics of the Public Sector in PDF only on Docsity!

PRESENTATION SCRIPT