Environmentalist Predicts "Range War" Over Berkeley Lab Plan in Albany

Toward the end of a three-hour Q&A between developers and nearly 300 local residents, one environmental leader said a project that is designed to become Berkeley Lab's second campus is "dead in the water," and promised a "range war" if the plans don't change. 

Robert Cheasty, a local attorney who is president of Citizens for East Shore Parks, said he was disappointed with the developer's 4.5-million-square-foot vision, and assured officials that the plan, as it stands, is "not gonna happen. If you want this to happen, get serious."

Cheasty said the plan must respect the 25% development/75% open space goal advocated by participants in round one of Albany's Voices to Vision community-planning process for the waterfront.

Former Mayor Allan Maris countered that, with of Albany residents participating in Voices to Vision, it wouldn't be appropriate to use its findings to "make a statement for the entire city." 

"I would hope you would listen to the whole community," he told officials, after describing Cheasty's approach as "adversarial."

Developers said they heard the argument about the 75/25 ratio "loud and clear," but that they had to consider the "economic reality" of what the lab needs and what the developer needs for the project to work. 

Development manager Wei Chiu, from The Stronach Group's development team, described the effort as a "three-legged stool": "You, the community, has to be content. The lab has to be content. And the land owners have to content. If one of those three is not there, this project is not going to happen."

The Aug. 30 community meeting, moderated by Fern Tiger, a city-hired consultant whose fees will be reimbursed by racetrack owner The Stronach Group, was split into two opening presentations followed by several sets of questions. 

Topic areas related to the site plan, economics, "entitlement" issues relating to land use and zoning, and community benefits. 

It was the second round of an engagement designed to inform Albany residents and collect their views about the "Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at Golden Gate Fields" project.

OPEN SPACE DOMINATES DISCUSSION

In response to questions Monday night about open space, Chiu said 52 percent of Albany's waterfront racetrack property would become dedicated open space. This would include a park along the entire east side of the property that would be, at various points, from 200 to 400 feet wide. 

Another 10 percent of the racetrack property in Albany would be open "campus space" between lab buildings. 

Chiu added that developers had considered a site plan with more of a "Manhattan-like" density along one side of the property, but ultimately decided it wouldn't be appropriate, and opted for more open space between buildings. This space would be accessible to all, given the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's commitment to an open campus where the security perimeter would begin at building entrances.

"There will be no fences, no secured perimeter," said architect Steve Guest, a principal with RMW Architects, which is part of the development team. The campus will be "completely open and accessible and free flowing and connected to the dedicated open space."

Including the , 72 percent of the entire Albany waterfront would be dedicated open space under this plan, developers later added, in response to a question from Albany resident Caryl O'Keefe.

In response to a later question about phasing, Guest said he expected that "a good portion" of open space would be built during Phase One, which also would include "some private sector development, because smart growth of the site would require enough retail, private office and private lab space to make the campus lively, animated and successful."

Of the $140-170 million allocated for Phase One, $15-30 million would go toward building parks, he said. He cited a commitment to a shoreline park similar to what's described in current plan drawings, "so it's not going to be deferred until later." 

HOW HIGH?

In response to a question about height, developers said the tallest point of the project would stand roughly 30 feet higher than the grandstand, placing it at 110 feet. 

This would allow for a four-story lab building with a 12-foot-high penthouse for mechanics; two 16-foot tall lab floors; and two 20-foot tall lab floors, one of which would "integrate into the parking deck" below.

Developers added that they expect building height to "taper down" on each side of Fleming Point, and said they are working on a 3-D modeling program to allow them to explore the proposed plans on a computer, and adjust view corridors if changes are needed. 

They also invited everyone to attend their , which will give those with questions direct access to developers, their plans and drawings, and even the 3-D rendering, once it's up and running. There will also be site tours that include markers to show where open space would be. 

HOW DOES SEA LEVEL RISE FACTOR IN?

One attendee asked about sea level rise, and how long it would take for the land to become covered with water. 

Architect Guest said the lab had provided criteria assuming a 55-inch sea level rise over the next 100 years due to global warming.

To address this, he said, developers made sure to raise building foundations for the proposed lab space. 

Cleve Livingston, a project manager with the development team, added that some of the open space, in what is currently the north parking lot, would need to be raised with "fill" to bring it up to the necessary standard and mitigate problems due to sea level rise. 

LAB SAFETY STANDARDS "MORE STRICT" THAN REGULAR INDUSTRY

Several attendees asked about possible health risks and dangers associated with the lab. 

Chiu said those sorts of questions would be better asked of Berkeley Lab officials, but added, "I presume that they're not going to be be frivolous.... If this was not something safe for the public, they wouldn't put it here.... We're operating under the assumption they have the right abatement and other protocols" to address risk. 

Chiu said earlier in the evening that his team's architecture firm, RMW, had done work for the lab and found its safety policies to be "extremely stringent" and "more strict than that of regular industry."

MORE DETAILS REQUESTED ON MONEY

Many participants also were concerned about finances, with about $1 million from the track currently going to the city, and another $700,000 going to the . 

In addition to concerns about replacement revenue, participants asked about costs related to higher need for city services, such as police and fire. 

One developer said the lab's plans include a fire station on site; details were not available Monday night on funding for the station, but architect Guest said he doubted it would be paid for by Berkeley Lab.

Officials said economists for both the city and the developer are working on financial reports that would, within the next several weeks, provide more details about the potential impact of such a project. 

The Stronach Group has committed to "make Albany whole" by continuing to pay the city and school district during the proposed construction until initial occupancy, which the lab currently projects for 2016. 

In response to a question about whether the lab would own or lease space, Chiu said The Stronach Group does "not envision a time when we would sell the property."

One audience member wondered what would happen, in the end, if the lab deal is not approved for the Golden Gate Fields site.

Racetrack Executive Vice President said racing will continue, and that it's important for The Stronach Group to have a base of racing in Northern California. 

"The track has been here for 70 years," he said. "We're a good neighbor, a generous neighbor, and we will continue racing if the lab does not go forward."

A full transcript of the session will be available at voicestovision.com. The city also recorded the event on video, which will be posted later on its website.

Read more about the process for selecting the proposed second campus of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on Albany Patch here.