County to Investigate Flawed Emeryville Documents

County Agency "Baffled" By Strange Conclusions

County officials said they will investigate a pivotal document prepared for the recently approved Transit Center, the Tattler has learned.

An official with the Alameda County Congestion Management Agency (CMA), said that her agency's data may have been misused. The data was included in planning documents associated with, and helped push through approval of, the 'Transit Center' a nearly 900 space parking garage and office tower.

Beth Walukas, Manager of Planning at CMA said the data may have been used inappropriately by the City of Emeryville in the traffic study used as a basis for granting a 'Mitigated Negative Declaration,' for the project. A mitigated negative declaration permits the approval of a project without more intense environmental scrutiny.

Specifically, Ms. Walukas said her agency is concerned that their data was used to show less 'project generated' traffic on the Overland section of the Horton/Overland Street Bike Boulevard than would be shown if standard traffic analysis methods were used.

Planning Commissioner Jim Martin, earlier objected to the traffic study calling it, "not credible." Mr. Martin speculated that the study purposefully excluded traffic impacts on Horton and Overland Streets to make the office tower an easier sell politically, by omitting any negative impacts on cyclists and the newly created bicycle boulevard.

Ms. Walukas indicated her investigation would be complete in "a couple of weeks".