City Government

Opinion: City Must Mitigate Bus Rapid Transit impacts

Published

6 years ago

April 26, 2019

AC Transit’s East Bay Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is going to permanently and drastically change International Boulevard from a four-lane boulevard with ample parking to a two-lane street with 300 fewer parking spaces

As these plans became clear, businesses along its 9.5-mile route organized in 2016 to pressure the City of Oakland to establish the Business Assistance Sustainability Fund (BASF) to mitigate permanent BRT impacts.

While this is an important and necessary program, it is far from sufficient to protect this Black, Brown and Asian businesses from displacement. We must do better.

The BRT Mitigation Fund provides $2,165,000 within the City of Oakland ($255K for San Leandro) to “address direct temporary construction impacts to businesses and make referrals and provide technical support as needed for technical mitigation during construction.”

This fund was capped at a maximum of $100K for each applicant.

The funding for the BRT Technical Assistance and Business Assistance Fund programs was set up to assist merchants in a technical capacity that includes assistance with marketing and addressing changes as a result of the reconfiguration along the International corridor.

Numerous businesses began to exhibit “going out of business” signs, including the Perry Furniture store that has been located on 72nd Avenue for decades.

After canvassing the area on different dates and times to factor in various shifts, it was discovered that not only were the merchants unaware – many were losing customers, and their businesses were being adversely impacted by the delayed construction, even during times where not a single construction worker was visible.

But parking spaces were blocked off, including even access to the entrance of some of these businesses.

After listening to a number of merchants, and the consequent BRT Informational update that was provided during the Council’s Public Works Committee meeting on April 9, it became abundantly clear that changes are needed to the program to ensure assistance, including:

• Provide an additional $5 million;

• Allow funds to address permanent impacts or temporary construction impacts;

• Streamline the permanent impacts application;

• Create separate eligibility criteria and disbursement guidelines for staff and consultants for temporary construction impacts’ funding;

• When construction continues, either consecutively of concurrently, for more than 30 calendar days, businesses will be paid their mortgage and utilities bills on a pro rata basis for every day beyond 30 days upon presentation of their most recent mortgage statement and past 3 months of utility bills.

There will be a Merchant Town Hall taking place Friday May 3, 2:30 p.m., at East Bay Asian Youth Center (EBAYC) at 2025 East 12th St. It is important to understand why few businesses have received funding and to center the voices of those directly impacted.

A majority of Oakland businesses of businesses are d “Mom and Pop” stores. Opposing displacement includes fighting for East Oakland residents and preserving small businesses as well.

During the height of the crack cocaine epidemic in the 1980s, storefronts in my neighborhood were not only open but thriving. At a time when prosperity and development is being proclaimed from City Hall, the benefits are clearly not getting extended to East Oakland.

The city needs to prioritize the health and well-being of these merchants who, like East Oakland residents, are impacted by decisions that not only were they not present to provide input on but required to suffer from what is proclaimed as the “good for the community,” which typically occurs at the expense of African Americans and other communities of color.

For more information, go to https://brt.actransit.org/construction/business-support-services/

John Jones III is an East Oakland resident.

John Jones III

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Activism

Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of December 25 – 31, 2024

Published

1 day ago

December 26, 2024

Oakland Post

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Bay Area

Glydways Breaking Ground on 14-Acre Demonstration Facility at Hilltop Mall

Glydways has been testing its technology at CCTA’s GoMentum Station in Concord for several years. The company plans to install an ambitious 28-mile Autonomous Transit Network in East Contra Costa County. The new Richmond facility will be strategically positioned near that project, according to Glydways.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Image of planned Richmond facility courtesy of Glydways.

The Richmond Standard

Glydways, developer of microtransit systems using autonomous, small-scale vehicles, is breaking ground on a 14-acre Development and Demonstration Facility at the former Hilltop Mall property in Richmond, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) reported on social media.

Glydways, which released a statement announcing the project Monday, is using the site while the mall property undergoes a larger redevelopment.

“In the interim, Glydways will use a portion of the property to showcase its technology and conduct safety and reliability testing,” the company said.

The new Richmond development hub will include “over a mile of dedicated test track, enabling Glydways to refine its solutions in a controlled environment while simulating real-world conditions,” the company said.

Visitors to the facility will be able to experience on-demand travel, explore the control center and visit a showroom featuring virtual reality demonstrations of Glydways projects worldwide.

The hub will also house a 13,000-square-foot maintenance and storage facility to service the growing fleet of Glydcars.

“With this new facility [at the former Hilltop Mall property], we’re giving the public a glimpse of the future, where people can experience ultra-quiet, on-demand transit—just like hailing a rideshare, but with the reliability and affordability of public transit,” said Tim Haile, executive director of CCTA.

Janet Galvez, vice president and investment officer at Prologis, owner of the Hilltop Mall property, said her company is “thrilled” to provide space for Glydways and is continuing to work with the city on future redevelopment plans for the broader mall property.

Richmond City Manager Shasa Curl added that Glydways’ presence “will not only help test new transit solutions but also activate the former Mall site while preparation and finalization of the Hilltop Horizon Specific Plan is underway.

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Alameda County

Last City Council Meeting of the Year Ends on Sour Note with Big Budget Cuts

In a five to one vote, with Councilmembers Carroll Fife and Janani Ramachandran excused, the council passed a plan aimed at balancing the $130 million deficit the city is facing. Noel Gallo voted against the plan, previously citing concerns over public safety cuts, while Nikki Fortunato-Bas, Treva Reid, Rebecca Kaplan, Kevin Jenkins, and Dan Kalb voted in agreement with the plan.

Published

4 days ago

December 24, 2024

Oakland Post

Oakland City Council voted on a plan to balance the $130 million deficit at their last regular meeting of 2024. The plan reduces police spending by $25 million, temporarily closes two fire stations, and guts the cultural arts programs. iStock photo.

By Magaly Muñoz

In the last lengthy Tuesday meeting of the Oakland City Council for 2024, residents expressed strong opposition to the much needed budget cuts before a change in leadership was finalized with the certification of election results.

Oakland police and fire departments, the ambassador program, and city arts and culture will all see significant cuts over the course of two phases.

Phase 1 will eliminate two police academies, brown out two fire stations, eliminate the ambassador program, and reduce police overtime by nearly $25 million. These, with several other cuts across departments, aim to save the city $60 million. In addition, the council simultaneously approved to transfer restricted funds into its general purpose fund, amounting to over $40 million.

Phase 2 includes additional fire station brownouts and the elimination of 91 jobs, aiming to recover almost $16 million in order to balance the rest of the budget.

Several organizations and residents spoke out at the meeting in hopes of swaying the council to not make cuts to their programs.

East Oakland Senior Center volunteers and members, and homeless advocates, filled the plaza just outside of City Hall with rallies to show their disapproval of the new budget plan. Senior residents told the council to “remember that you’ll get old too” and that disturbing their resources will only bring problems for an already struggling community.

While city staff announced that there would not be complete cuts to senior center facilities, there would be significant reductions to staff and possibly inter-program services down the line.

Exiting council member and interim mayor Bas told the public that she is still hopeful that the one-time $125 million Coliseum sale deal will proceed in the near future so that the city would not have to continue with drastic cuts. The deal was intended to save the city for fiscal year 2024-25, but a hold up at the county level has paused any progress and therefore millions of dollars in funds Oakland desperately needs.

The Coliseum sale has been a contentious one. Residents and city leaders were originally against using the deal as a way to balance the budget, citing doubts about the sellers, the African American Sports and Entertainment Group’s (AASEG), ability to complete the deal. Council members Reid, Ramachandran, and Gallo have called several emergency meetings to understand where the first installments of the sale are, with little to no answers.

Bas added that as the new Alameda County Supervisor for D5, a position she starts in a few weeks, she will do everything in her power to push the Coliseum sale along.

The city is also considering a sales tax measure to put on the special election ballot on April 15, 2025, which will also serve as an election to fill the now vacant D2 and mayor positions. The tax increase would raise approximately $29 million annually for Oakland, allowing the city to gain much-needed revenue for the next two-year budget.

The council will discuss the possible sales tax measure on January 9.