Nov 9, 2007

City prepares waterfront plan

By Shelly Meron / MediaNews

Albany city officials this week accepted a consultant's recommendation to focus their waterfront-planning process on civic engagement and education, saying they want to be prepared if the landowner comes forward with his own proposal.

"It's always been my contention that whatever we do with the waterfront should be Albany-driven, not developer-driven," Mayor Robert Lieber said. "We need to be ready with our own plan."

Following a recommendation from the city's waterfront committee, the city council voted 4-1, with Council Member Jewel Okawachi dissenting, to accept the first phase of option number 3 in consultant Don Neuwirth's preliminary report.

The "grounded visioning program for the waterfront," as it is called in the report, is estimated to cost $500,000 and take about 18 months. It will include hiring a consultant to help with the public education and engagement process, and may also involve tours at the Albany waterfront and other nearby waterfronts, and educating local schoolchildren.

Neuwirth's preliminary report was released in September, followed by a final report last month.

Okawachi said Tuesday that taking action on the waterfront now is "premature," and that she was concerned about the time being spent on this process by the city council, city staff and community.

Magna Entertainment Corp., which operates Golden Gate Fields racetrack, has not disclosed any plans for the land since developer Rick Caruso last year withdrew his proposal for a retail and housing project on underused parking lots.

"I really think we should wait and see what happens," Okawachi said. "(Magna) may make a decision (about Golden Gate Fields) soon."

The other three council members agreed with Lieber that accepting Neuwirth's report was a good way to prepare for the future.

"One thing that seems clear is that the education and information part of this is necessary no matter what we do," Council Member Farid Javandel said. "If Magna comes up with a plan, it would be nice for us to have a vision in place with which to compare it to. We can let the landowner know what's likely to succeed."

Twenty-two members of the community turned out to comment on Neuwirth's report, and were split between supporters and opponents.

"I think it's a long time in coming," said Robert Cheasty, president of Citizens for East Shore Parks. "This is a good day for Albany."

Resident Preston Jordan said he was "initially skeptical of going this route, but having read the report, I'm quite optimistic," and added that he was also supportive of Neuwirth's idea to have a design competition for the waterfront, which was included in the final report.

The council decided Tuesday to hold off on the design competition idea.

Meanwhile, several members of the public expressed concerns about going forward with a planning process without Magna's participation, and wondered whether the city's money couldn't be better spent.

Clay Larson, the only member of the city's waterfront committee to vote against adopting the report, said he preferred to do nothing because Neuwirth himself wrote in his report that the suggestions "won't work."

Golden Gate Fields officials have said they would only participate in a waterfront-planning process that assumes the racetrack will remain in operation. Some in the community have speculated that Magna's financial problems may force the racetrack to close, creating an opportunity for much of the land to be developed as a public park.