Editorial Comments on Stories, posted by Editor, Pleasanton Weekly Online, on Nov 20, 2009 at 1:32 pm
BART and the city of Livermore are moving forward quickly on a plan that could put elevated tracks across the northeast corner of Staples Ranch in an effort to extend BART to Livermore, a long-sought goal of the rapid transit agency and Tri-Valley cities. The only problem is that Pleasanton, where millions of dollars in development projects are nearing approval on Staples Ranch, has been left out of the discussions. The projects, in fact, could be in jeopardy if elevated tracks are built over land that is now designated for a 37-acre auto mall planned by the Hendrick Automotive Group and within eyesight of those who would live in the adjacent Stoneridge Creek complex planned by Continuing Life Communities (CLC), with up to 800 units for assisted living, skilled nursing and independent living residents
Read the full story here Web Link posted Friday, November 20, 2009, 12:00 AM
Posted by Stacey, a resident of the Amberwood/Wood Meadows neighborhood, on Nov 20, 2009 at 1:32 pm Stacey is a member (registered user) of Pleasanton Weekly
If Livermore wants BART in their downtown, they should drive it down Portola and leave Pleasanton out of it. BART trains scream when going around a curve, especially on an elevated track. They should really stick to the at-grade straight-a-way down 580 and extend into Tracy.
With money as tight as it is, knowing that there are always overruns, and with BART contemplating extensions to Walnut Creek and Tracy, added to the noise levels an elevated train generates, you'd think BART would be pushing for the shortest ground level route along the 580.
I agree with you Stacey. If the Livermore administration and downtown merchants want to have BART meander through their downtown, and they want to fund all those extra miles and stations, build the proposed Portola route and then take it where ever they want. Sounds like from reports of the first meeting tho' that Livermore residents may not be happy with BART in their backyard.
Posted by Pleasanton Parent, a resident of the Pleasanton Meadows neighborhood, on Nov 20, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Keep it on the ground. No one wants to deal with the added cost, noise, and "ugliness" of raised tracks. With that said, I think extending BART to Livermore is an excellent idea.
Posted by BART Director John McPartland, a resident of the Downtown neighborhood, on Nov 25, 2009 at 12:46 pm
I am responding to your “Is it Pleasanton vs. Livermore all over again?” editorial published on Friday, November 20. Your piece alleged that BART has not worked with the City of Pleasanton staff as part of our public outreach process related to the “BART to Livermore” proposal. Whenever BART proposes to expand the system, BART works to maintain and strengthen our relationships with elected officials, their staff, and the people in the communities BART serves.
BART invited all the Tri-Valley communities to request briefings to their City officials. Pleasanton’s City Manager requested that we present a briefing on the BART to Livermore Draft Program EIR (DPEIR) to the Pleasanton City Council on December 15, 2009 and we will do so. BART has also extended the public comment period from December 21, 2009 to January 21, 2010. A third public hearing will be held in the Pleasanton City Hall starting at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 6.
BART released the BART to Livermore (DPEIR) on Thursday, November 5. This is a first—but critical—step needed to expand the system to Livermore. The purpose of a Program EIR is to inform the public of a possible future project, its impacts and its benefits, in this case an extension of BART to Livermore. The intent of the DPEIR is to select a preferred alignment and proceed to preserve right-of-way for a future project. BART cannot construct such an extension until a Project EIR is performed in the future to study potential impacts in greater detail.
How we decide on a preferred alignment for a BART Extension is essential in determining what will be the chosen route. Our outreach process has been extensive to engage the residents, policy-makers of the Tri-Valley area, and the agencies responsible for making decisions on funding. Months before starting the process to do the Environmental Impact Report, we held many meetings including the Tri-Valley Regional Rail Policy Working Group and went to public events in Pleasanton and Livermore so that people in the Tri-Valley would know of our activities.
Early on, we discussed that one of the proposed alignments could leave the median of I-580 at the El Charro interchange and traverse the quarries in the Chain of Lakes area of Alameda County. Unlike what your editorial implies, BART held meetings with Pleasanton officials about these alignments well before the EIR was published on November 5.
Lastly, you incorrectly compare our aerial structures to those of “the ill-fated double-decked Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco.” BART does not have double-decked freeway-type structures, nor do we erect tracks that purposely hinder the neighborhoods that we travel through. We work diligently to be good neighbors in communities along BART routes. For more information about BART to Livermore please visit www.BARTtoLivermore.org
Posted by Martin Isenburg, a resident of Livermore, on Dec 3, 2009 at 1:40 pm
The city of Livermore is holding three workshops to gather public input on the possible alignments and station combination for the BART extension. The first one was well attended and it seemed as if the audience’s opinion more or less converged on having two stations: One in downtown Livermore to serve the residents, to vitalize local businesses, and to spark sustainable transit-oriented development but with strict parking regulations to keep car commuter traffic out of downtown. The other one as far east as possible with ample amounts of parking to serve commuters from Mountain House, Tracy and beyond and ease congestion on I-580.
A pure I-580 alignment is something that i – and all urban planners and city officials i talked to – strongly dislike because it would mean to repeat the mistakes of (auto-centric) planning in the past. a BART station in downtown Livermore presents a unique opportunity to create a wonderful walkable community around downtown setting a textbook example for sustainable transit oriented planning in America. i already love what city has done during the redevelopment efforts of the past few years that have converted downtown from a four-lane freeway to a welcoming and cute destination. but it is still a downtown on life-support. there is no sustainable traffic throughout the day to support the kind of business you expect to find in a healthy downtown: produce stalls, a delicatessen, a small grocery store, a bakery, a cheese store, or a butcher. well done a downtown BART station could turn Livermore into a poster child for sustainable urban growth that promotes local business, healthy lifestyle, and walkable communities.
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