By Donna Cabanne
In a shocking decision, the Livermore City Council embraced a brand-new plan for downtown redevelopment after months of public workshops and citizen input that pointed in a different direction. Picking two plans to examine carefully, the Council chose one that was presented for the first time the night of the city council meeting on November 27th, with no advance notice to the public and no opportunity for public review. Even more stunning, contrary to vast amounts of public input, the new plan provides much less open space than all the plans previously considered. Maximizing open space was one of the top three priorities coming out of months of public involvement.
It is really hard to fathom what the Council was thinking when abandoning the prior work that had brought them to this point. Nevertheless, there is still opportunity to change course again if we act quickly and forcefully. The Council needs to hear from Livermore residents that they made a mistake and that they must return to a plan that makes open space a significant component of our new central downtown area.
What You Can Do
The City Council will meet this Monday, December 11th, at 7:00 pm. Please join us to speak up for a green future for downtown Livermore. You can RSVP here.
The Downtown plan is not on the agenda, but we can make our feelings heard during the Public Forum period at the start of the meeting. Fill out a speaker’s card and let the Council know:
We want open space in our downtown — real open space, acres of open space, not a half-acre apology for a central park and outdoor recreation area.
This downtown will be with us for generations. It must respect the public input the Council sought and received. It must be done right the first time. Our downtown should not reflect a plan presented for the very first time less than two weeks ago.
Demand that “Westside Hotel, Alternative A” be one of the final plans studied in greater detail and brought back for final decision in the winter. The Council can make that decision, not this Monday night, but at their very next meeting after that.
Donna Cabanne is a Livermore resident and a member of the Sierra Club Tri-Valley Group Executive Committee.
Photo: The Sierra Club supports the "Westside Hotel Alternative A" option for downtown, which includes the maximum amount of open space, a centrally located hotel to encourage walkability for guests, and affordable housing units. Source.