Onni Project: RULE Meeting to Presage City Sponsored Town Hall

The citizen advocacy group Residents for a Livable Emeryville is holding a meeting this coming Saturday about the proposed 54 story Onni project on Christie Avenue.  The meeting is intended to gather and disseminate community information in the run up to a City of Emeryville sponsored Town Hall meeting RULE has proposed.   RULE meetings are open to all except City Council members (except by invitation), and everybody else, including our Berkeley and Oakland neighbors, are encouraged to attend.
The following is submitted by RULE:

Hello Friends and Neighbors!

Please join us for our next RULE meeting 10 am Saturday, November 23. Bring your questions and concerns and visit with your neighbors over coffee and breakfast. The meeting will be held at Doyle Street Co-housing, 5514 Doyle Street, Emeryville (across the street from the Doyle Street Cafe).

At least half of this two-hour meeting will be devoted to discussion of the proposed 54-story (638-foot) Onni super tower at the corner of Christie Avenue and Powell Street in Emeryville. RULE is working with Mayor Ally Medina and City staff to put together a Town Hall meeting of residents, city officials and staff, Onni developers, and environmental, building, and other experts to discuss the project. RULE has also formed a Strategy Committee to focus efforts on the issue.

Everyone is encouraged to attend and share their views.
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Residents' principle concerns about the Onni project:
- developer requesting to be excused from minimum number of family friendly (2- and 3-bedroom) units required by the City
- size of project out of scale for surrounding area
- detrimental environmental impact
- traffic impact
- bicycle and pedestrian safety and access, particularly for seniors
- lack of sufficient green space and other amenities
- Housing appeals to foreign investors who will not live there
- Housing rented or purchased for purpose of Airbnb rentals

About the project:
The proposed Onni Tower includes 653 residential units, the majority of which will be market rate studios and one-bedrooms. The development does not meet the city's required unit mix for families, and the developer has asked the City Council to excuse it from that requirement due to the added expense.