Release

Press Release

For Press Conference held on 4/17/01

at 1301 Oxford Street

PRESS RELEASE -- For immediate release: April 17, 2001

Contact: Alan Gould adgould@home.com

Coalition Challenges Proposed Parking Lot That Threatens Creek on Historic Berkeley Site

BERKELEY-- With Earth Day 2001 only four days away, a coalition of environmental and neighborhood groups today asked the Berkeley City Council to reduce the size and impact of a massive development project in a residential neighborhood that would preclude daylighting one of the most open creeks in the East Bay. It filed a formal appeal asking for a reversal of the Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) approval of a 33,000 square foot building on the landmark Byrne site at 1301 Oxford St, that would place a 32 car parking lot and roadway within the Codornices Creek corridor and along the historic Berryman Path.

The Urban Creeks Council summed up the wide environmental opposition by stating, "Codornices Creek is Berkeley's most open, free-flowing stream and one of the only East Bay creeks to support a steelhead population. We are extremely concerned about the development proposed for this ecologically critical and unique site. No responsible environmentalist can support this project because of its environmental impact. Full daylighting at this site is the only option which provides maximum environmental benefits for the creek and watershed, and which creates optimum conditions for fish passage."

The site is not only environmentally precious, it has a rich history. Native Americans must have passed the 1301 Oxford site as they walked the trail along Codornices Creek from shellmounds up to the area now called Tilden Park. In 1859 the Napoleon Bonaparte Byrne family and freed slaves, Hanah and Pete Endow, picked the spot (1301 Oxford) on the south bank of Codornices Creek to build their home, a prime location, referred to at the time as "a jewel in the East Bay hills." Hanah and Pete Endow may have been the first free African American settlers in the West.

In the early 1900's neighborhood sentiment that resulted in the creation of nearby Live Oak Park inspired the neighbors to petition the city to keep the pedestrian Berryman pathway (on the north border of the property), from being converted into a street. This history reflects the on-going effort by this neighborhood to retain a park-like setting along the Codornices Creek corridor, to be a haven for a wide variety of plants and animals, so rare in our modern urban settings.

The historic value of this site is immeasurable as evidenced by the Berkeley's Landmarks Preservation Committee vote to deny the project in early March. With the Zoning Adjustments Board approval of the project, the decision now rests with the City Council, and the battle to save Codornices Creek escalates to the legal level. The coalition's appeal also asks for rescinding the certification of the project's Environmental Impact Report, which has repeatedly been criticized as being inadequate under California law. In addition, it emphasizes that the sheer size of the building does not allow for enough onsite parking to prevent the overwhelming use of street parking spaces in the neighborhood.

"We're not opposed to construction of a new Temple Beth El, but current plans are a disaster in the making," said community advocate Alan Gould. "Why should improvements to a valued neighborhood institution need to come at the expense of our environmental and local history? A thoughtful redesign could satisfy both imperatives."

More than 2,300 area residents have signed petitions to protect the creek. The depth and breadth of organizations joining this appeal is impressive: the Alameda Creeks Alliance, Friends of Five Creeks, Live Oak Codornices Creek Neighborhood Association, Urban Creeks Council, Sierra Club (San Francisco Bay Chapter), Center for Biological Diversity, International Rivers Network, Berkeley Community Gardening Collaborative, Eco-City Builders, Berkeley Eco-House, California Oak Foundation, and the Golden Gate Chapter of the Audubon Society.

In a statement issued today, LOCCNA said, "Because we care passionately about the environment, our landmarks, and our quality of life, we have dedicated months of volunteer time and effort to explore, propose and pursue alternatives that would lead to a consensus plan and to responsible development on this site. We have filed applications for Proposition 13 and CALFED funds and discussed possibilities for purchase of the land on the northern portion of the site which would in turn help Temple Beth El's construction costs. Our efforts are to provide constructive alternatives that will allow both Congregation Beth El and Berkeley to benefit."

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