Public Comment

It is good to hear that the Hotel and Conference Center (HCC) will adopt LEED’s principles to the optimum in its design. As I understand the LEED principles, the project is supposed to show “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design.” The HCC is located in the heart of downtown Berkeley where it is in Berkeley’s most transit-intensive area. The Downtown Berkeley BART station, which has the second-highest station ridership use of East Bay stations, is just across the street. The BART station is utilized by more than 11,000 patrons per day and 10 AC Transit bus routes stop right at this area. Also there is a planned Bus Rapid Transit system similar to Boston’s Silver Line that will terminate in this locale. This BRT is projected to handle well over 60,000 riders a day over its route and could be extended down University to the Amtrak Station in the future. 

This location is not like the Gerry-designed Disney Center in Los Angeles, where they built seven floors of underground parking, which makes it very car-oriented. Because it is so car oriented It does not add to the area’s ambiance in promoting local activities . 

More and more studies conclude we need to recognize the effect of greenhouse gases (GHG) on climate change. The studies conclude that there’s a great need for their reduction. Autos are the major generators of GHG and if we do not reduce emissions it is projected that it would have dire effects on life. Therefore, we need to plan developments that will reduce of the use of the car. However, the design of HCC is complicit in encouraging auto use by utilizing considerable prime first floor space for cars. 

The proposed HCC design of the first floor, excluding the area of the bank, devotes about one third of the total floor area just for the auto to ingress, turn around and egress. This access will be the only street cut or driveway in most of the blocks along Shattuck, our main downtown street. 

To design such extensive access for the auto in the most intense transit oriented area of Berkeley is truly not adhering to LEED principles. The HCC should be functioning for decades, so it should be planned accordingly. Devoting so much space to the auto is not addressing this problem of increased auto emission of pollutants and GHG. If this valuable floor space is considered essential for the auto, its use should entail a charge where its use would not be subsidized but would provide a return similar to other spaces utilized. For parking, the rate for such a high valued property should be at least $20 per day or $1-2 per half hour. And even for the use of the turnaround drop off, there should be a charge, otherwise it would constitute a poor use of such a prime location. 

For numerous similar sites around the world having access to hotels and centers the drop-off is simply off the street and not within the building wherever there is good transit. Local examples are San Francisco’s Opera House, museums, theaters and Oakland’s Paramount, which do not provide such a valuable permanent space just for the auto. Also along the hotel frontage on Shattuck where the street cut is planned, there are presently several local bus route terminals or stops, including buses from the University, which would be a conflict that would need to be resolved. 

For a facility in a location with such excellent transit access, there should not be the need for providing such an extensive access plan for the auto. A plan in lieu, which I have advocated for years as an elected transit board member to AC Transit and BART serving 32 years, is to have the various planned activities absorb the cost of transit. Most large activities are over the weekend or evenings and by adding a nominal fee to all the tickets, it would subsidize the use of transit for the percentage of people who would use transit. A ticket holder would only have to show their event ticket and board free. Parking will be available at most of the local outlying BART stations, so they can take BART free as well. 

For the hotel, many of the people will be coming from out of town using the airlines where they can use BART that has good access at the airport as well as to HCC. 

For the condos, the living unit purchase should be separate from parking, which should be a separate cost. The number of parking spaces should be limited to around one half space per unit and there should be three to four spaces for car-sharing vehicles. Car-sharing membership should be included in perpetuity in the purchase of the Condos 

And if auto access and parking is mandated, the location of access should be a joint use with the museum, HCC and condos with the access along Addison. This location will not conflict with present bus transfers and boarding stops that are along Shattuck as well as the concentration of pedestrians. 

Oakland Museum has parking some distance from the museum itself. A little walking has not been a problem to the attendees to the Museum and this should be the same for HCC or condos. Overall, since HCC will hopefully function over several generations, we need to plan and design with consideration for improving our quality of life, conservation of energy and improving our environment, placing greater emphasis on of transit use for all types of trips rather than accommodating for the auto.  

Roy Nakadegawa is a professional engineer based in Berkeley who served for many years on the boards of transit  

agencies.