Bauters' Media Blitz Pauses Disruptive Caltrans Project

Backroom Project:

Caltrans Tries to Pull a Fast One

Councilman Bauters Drops the Accountability Hammer

Major Highway Bridge Replacements Would Bring Major Headaches for Emeryville

Caltrans, seeking to take a wreaking ball to replace several bridges in the 'maze' intersection of elevated Interstate Highways on Emeryville's southern border and thereby causing major traffic disruptions on local streets, has run into a wreaking ball to its proposal it didn't intend on; namely the ire of Emeryville City Councilman John Bauters.  The formerly fast tracked project, now on hold largely due to Mr Bauters' whirlwind of activity publicly exposing the proposed traffic diversions, would involve diverting traffic for several months at the intersection of Interstate Highways 80, 580 and 880, one of the most crowded highway intersections in the United States.

After working on the proposal for two years behind closed doors at Caltrans, the transportation agency suddenly announced in March it would proceed with its plan to raze several bridges in order to raise them; adding several feet of clearance to accommodate bigger trucks Caltans says.  The public was given only the legal minimum time to respond, raising the Councilman's hackles.  After he discovered Caltrans has claimed its proposal would have "no impact" on Emeryville and that they had not even bothered to first run their proposal by Emeryville City Hall (or Oakland), the Councilman has taken action publicly exposing the public agency.
Mr Bauters has appeared in no less than four media forums alerting the public about the proposal and the lack of accountability at Caltans.  At his insistence and after a large public outcry as a result of his media campaign, Caltrans has paused the project and agreed to rescind their 'Negative Declaration' planning document that makes the fatuous claim of no impact to Emeryville, a claim Mr Bauters calls "a joke".

Even though the documents associated with the Caltrans proposal don't admit it, Emeryville will likely experience major disruptions over a period of up to two years.  Mr Bauters' blog describes the following problems we can expect: "Traffic snarling on local streets, lower air quality resulting from the displacement of large diesel-polluting semi-trucks into sensitive areas (Emery Unified Schools, our Senior Center and Child Care Center, etc.), noise from nighttime construction and the rerouting of trucks overnight, impacts to our local businesses and economy, the accelerated degradation of local streets, and safety impacts for bicyclists and pedestrians".

A 'Negative Declaration', sometimes called a 'Neg Dec', is a cursory and lower level state required document, much desired by applicants, that precludes a more onerous and expensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR).  Neg Decs can only be approved if a series of questions can be responded to negatively as to the likely environmental impact of a project.   Critics have noted the great financial incentive to lie or exaggerate on a Neg Dec to avoid an EIR.  The Caltrans claim getting Mr Bauters in a huff is unusual because it is a public agency making a non-credible negative claim as opposed to such claims made routinely by private developers.
Here in Emeryville, a notorious example of such a phony environmental claim was made in the late 1980's, before the advent of John Bauters when the developer of the then proposed Powell Street Plaza mall (the Trader Joe's mall) submitted a Neg Dec with a section on archaeological resources.  The developer audaciously answered NO to the question: 'Would this project likely disrupt possible archaeological remains at the site?'  Conspicuously, the site is located directly on the largest Native American midden and burial shellmound on the West Coast.  The same shellmound footprint caused major disruptions years later at the Bay Street Mall located just across the street when the developer of that site dug up a trove of human bones and Native American tools and votives, remains from what was a major center of human activity going back at least 10,000 years.  The developer of the Bay Street Mall was required to produce an EIR and as a result, an archaeologist was on site during the excavations for that project enabling recovery of the objects and reinterment of the human remains.  Because of the less rigorous Negative Declaration of the Powell Street Plaza, no archaeologist was required, leaving the excavation contractor free from any such nuisance prying eyes.

Councilman Bauters' KQED story,  a San Francisco Chronicle article as well as radio interviews are part of the media blitz our Council member has enjoined to bring accountability to this Caltans project.  Readers may get more detailed information on the Councilman's blog.

UPDATE- The Bay City Beacon also covered this story.  Read it HERE.


Alameda County Transportation Commission Meeting
Emeryville City Councilmember John Bauters calls the Caltrans proposal "a joke".
The accountability hammer drops at 26:26.

Public Market Markets New 'Eco-Friendly' Remodel

From NPR radio station KQED:

Emeryville's Public Market Showcases Eco-Friendly Remodel

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by Katrina Schwartz | January 11, 2013 — 10:23 AM

Katrina Schwartz/KQED

Exploratorium artist Shawn Lani explains an exhibit demonstrating how bay sediment behaves.

Emeryville's Public Market is celebrating an eco-friendly remodeling, with interactive exhibits that show off its new features.  The site received a LEED platinum certification for neighborhood development for remediation work on what was once a toxic “brownfield,” as well as emphasizing sustainable operations, using recycled materials, installing a rain garden to filter runoff before it enters the Bay, and emphasizing public transportation and biking facilities.

Public Market has also partnered with San Francisco's Exploratorium to help teach visitors about the sustainability upgrades and about the natural world that surrounds the retail space.

An Exploratorium “explainer” is on hand, using a large glass wheel to show how Bay sediment would be affected by currents.  They are explaining that some sediments fall faster because of the different densities, which is why the wheel separates into all different colors.
 

Shawn Lani is a senior artist at the Exploratorium, and is responsible for the exhibits.  He says the displays leave the visitor more curious.

"We want these experiences to be haunting, we want them to have some residual," Lani says. "We call them an animated aftermath. This notion that there’s a vibrancy now that might not have been before, and you take that with you."

 

The exhibits are woven throughout the plazas between retail spaces.

It might seem strange to bring science to a mall, but this one is a pioneer in sustainability.  It's the first partnership between the Exploratorium museum and a private partner, a trend the museum hopes to develop. The displays at Public Market are also the first Exploratorium exhibits in the East Bay.