Opposition
Letters of Opposition to the CBE Project—April 1999 to April 2001]
Issues for City Council and other interested parties to consider
Press Release for Press Conference held on 4/17/01 at 1301 Oxford Street
Letter from Carl Anthony and Karl Linn--April 15, 2001
Key Elements of the Appeal of the Zoning Adjustments Board Decision of 3/8/01
Statement from David Blake, Zoning Adjustments Boardmember, on the Use Permit approval for 1301 Oxford, March 8, 2001.
Mar 10, 2001 Letter from Berkeley Path Wanderers to ZAB Excerpt:
"Berkeley Path Wanderers Association urges that you not adopt either of the two alternate parking schemes offered at your last meeting. ... Both place parking very close to Berryman Path. Buffering would be almost impossible. ... "
Feb 22, 2001 -- Revised plans and memo from Congregation Beth El to City of Berkeley (for ZAB).
Jan 11, 2001 Letter from Berkeley Art Center Excerpt:
"We at the Berkeley Art Center are concerned about the effect on parking availability around Live Oak Park and the impact that the proposed new construction of Temple Beth El will have on our operations...When our programs coincide with Beth El's events or other events in Live Oak Park, parking will be impossible! ...Furthermore, our constituents are very concerned about the health and viability of Cordonices Creek. They believe that creeks should be daylighted, not covered...."
Dec 14, 2000 Letter from National Marine Fisheries Service to LOCCNA regarding steelhead habitat in Codornices Creek. . Excerpt:
"... a site visit by NMFS and the California Department of Fish and Game on November 28, 2000, did identify some potential steelhead habitat upstream and downstream of the 1301 Oxford Street project site. The NMFS is interested in evaluating the restoration of steelhead in Codomices, Creek, as well as other tributaries to San Francisco Bay."
Oct. 23, 2000 Sierra Club Resolution "...be it resolved, the Sierra Club opposes any project proposed for 1301 Oxford Street that does not include restoration* of Codornices Creek as it crosses the site..."
August, 1999 Berkeley Partners for Parks that calls for maintaining the green corridor along Codornices creek.
April, 1999 Berkeley Path Wanderers about impacts to Berryman Path, which runs beside the site.
Friends of Gateway Valley -- See also their website at http://gateway.baeforum.org/ to find out about how developers are going to be destroying a huge tract of land in Gateway Valley--just on the Eastern side of the Caldecott Tunnel near Orinda. The Beth El design problems, serious as they are, are peanuts compared to this one: Farllon Investments want to put up a 225-home residential and recreational development, complete with country club, golf course and a swim and tennis club. This development will cause massive damage to the entire ecological system of the valley.
Friends of Strawberry Creek: Statement Opposing Beth El Construction Plans
Excerpt:
"We are deeply concerned about Beth El's plans to build a parking lot that effectively kills any future opportunities to open up Codornices Creek on the site. This site presents a terrific opportunity to daylight Codornices Creek and further connect city residents with their natural environment. We believe that the plan violates the spirit, if not the letter of Berkeley's creek ordinance. We also believe that if the city allows Beth El to build over Codornices Creek, it sets a dangerous precedent for all of Berkeley's 14 creeks, most of which are culverted and hidden underground." Friends of Strawberry Creek website: http://www.strawberrycreek.org