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Recommendations to the Planning Commission from
Norman La Force
From: Norman La Force [mailto:n.laforce@attbi.com]
Dear Planning Commissioners: I would like to put into succinct form a list of proposed changes to the so-called Marina Master Plan and Initial Study to better focus the issues. They are as follows: 1. Remove from Figure 2.0 the dock jutting out from Cesar Chavez Park into North Basin Cove and the commentary that accompanies it. 2. Request that staff include a comprehensive list of environmental protection policies that it can take from the Eastshore State Park Plan in regards to North Basin Cove, South Sailing Basin (which is in the Eastshore State Park), and the Meadow. 3. Add the following policies regarding the relationship between the Marina Plan and the North Basin Cove: a. The Marina Plan does not discuss any boating dock or launch facilities or facilities ancillary thereto from the Cesar Chavez Park and the Berkeley Marina areas that directly front North Basin Cove. Any future proposed facilities will need to be reviewed through a formal process amending this plan. In addition, any such proposed faciliities must be consistent with and comply with the Eastshore State Park General Plan for the North Basin Cove especially in terms of the nature, character, and timing of any access to the North Basin Cove from Berkeley lands in to the Eastshore State Park. 4. Prior to relocating Marina Blvd. eastward towards the area of the State Park known as the Meadow, fka the Berkeley Meadow, the City shall prepare a separate environmental analysis of the impacts of such a relocation on the Meadow and its wildlife. 5. Delete from the Plan both pictures and statements in which a bicycle path is shown east of the relocated Marina Blvd. on State Park property. 6. Add policy language as follows: Berkeley shall have as a policy to coordinate any actions that may have possible affect on any portion of the Eastshore State Park with State Parks and that such coordination shall be through an open public process to permit public input into that coordination. 7. Add policy language as follows: Proposed uses that will permit access from the Berkeley Marina or Cesar Chavez Park into any portion of the Eastshore State Park shall only be permitted if they do not increase environmental impacts on any portions of the Eastshore State Park. 8. Add the following Policy: Any proposed new lighting shall be first evaluated for its impact on widlife within the Marina and within adjacent areas of the Eastshore State Park before installation and shall not be installed if such lighting is found to create a significant negative environmental impact regardless of whether it can be mitigated or not. 9. Remove the language that calls for desginating special parking spots in the Marina for the single special interest use of windsurfing. See Figure 11.0. 10. Add the following policy: Berkeley shall work with State Parks to ensure that visitors to the Eastshore State Park can enjoy access to the State Park from the Berkeley Marina. Such access includes prohibitons on parking restrictions which would prevent park visitors from parking in Marina parking areas. 11. Add the following policy: Berkeley shall work with State Parks to the maximum extent practicable to develop the Dock of the Bay building into a Youth Hostel in order to avoid constructing a Youth Hostel in the State Park as planned. 12. Add the following policy: It shall be the policy of the City of Berkeley to encourage to the maximum extent possible cooperation and coordination with State Parks and East Bay Regional Park District in order to ensure that visitors to the Eastshore State Park are ensured access to the State Park from Berkeley lands and to ensure that wildlife and habitat within the boundaries of the State park are protected and that such protection is consistent with the protections in the Eastshore State Park general plan. There may be other policies and changes that may come to mind. Yours, Norman La Force,
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