Comments on: Richard Frisbie has more on his plate than Patterson Ranch

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:52:32 +0000

The Frisbie Planning Co. will be conducting a community meeting this Saturday to present its plan for Central Park South to the residents of Irvington, which will be impacted by the development. The meeting will not take place in Irvington, but the very north end of Fremont at the Forest Park Apartments. Maybe fewer people show up that way? And coincidentally the address of the meeting location was wrong; 5160 Paseo Padre Parkway, not 5016 Paseo Padre Parkway.

By: Interesting

Interesting — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:51:08 +0000

We’re getting closer to election day guys. Vote for the people that have taken a pledge not to accept money from developers! Trust me it makes a big difference – they won’t carry the influence of these developers aiming for one thing only – $$.

By: Marty

Marty — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:57:30 +0000

The majority of funds from WW will go to land acquisition, but this doesn’t infer that Patterson Ranch would be bought up and preserved. Especially for $8 million. I’d say it’s a carrot included by the EBRPD for those who’ve have issues with the area being developed.

By: Fremont Native

Fremont Native — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:53:58 +0000

We still have 25 days to elect the right people, maybe.

On Nov 4, Fremont residents can send a message to the politicos by getting rid of incumbents Bob Wieckowski & Bob Wasserman.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:31:35 +0000

Jen, here are two sites that may be of interest to you:

http://www.protectcoyotehills.org/images/Patterson%20Ranch%20proposal%206-08.png

http://www.protectcoyotehills.org/index.html

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:27:26 +0000

Another interesting twist to the piece of land within the proposed development is a Draft Removal Action Workplan is underway by Cal/EPA’s Dept. of Toxic Substances Control. This is the UPRR Corridor through there.

This is verbatim from that Draft RAW, “The soil in the area is contaminated primarily with arsenic, lead, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from operations at the site.”

In a nutshell, no homes will be built on the portion that is contaminated and the impacted soil will be excavated. This is approx. 16,000 cu. yds of soil. The excavated soil will be used in the new embankment areas for the realigned Driscoll and Osgood Roads.

Again from the Draft RAW, “Clean soil will be brought in and placed on top of the contaminated soil to a depth of at least two feet”.

By: Jen

Jen — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:19:36 +0000

I did see some info in my recent “Election Info” book that everyone gets about a bond measure for the East Bay Regional Parks. There is mention of $8 million or so allocated to Coyote Hills to purchase more land in “front of” the current park.

Will this measure help to stop the Patterson Ranch development if it passes (sorry, can’t remember which letter it is off the top of my head)?

Wouldn’t the Don Edwards Refuge be negatively impacted if they put a golf course and homes in west of Thornton Ave. in Newark?

It frustrates me to no end that our elected officials don’t seem to “get it” as far as urban planning goes. I don’t have any particular expertise in the field, but I can certainly see that sprawling out at a city’s edge and leaving the center to wither away isn’t a good strategy and is a detriment to the quality of life.

Other than being skilled at scratching each other’s backs, what expertise do all these folks have? They certainly don’t seem to be a voice for the majority of residents.

By: marty

marty — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:07:18 +0000

Doug, it appears that Richard Frisbie doesn’t mind if our children are swallowed into the earth’s hellfire as an earthquake topples homes on parents trapped in a parking tomb of death.

By: Margaret

Margaret — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 19:00:53 +0000

Richard Frisbie also has his hands full working with John Sobrato and the mayor of Newark putting together a thousand plus housing development in a mixed wetland and seasonal wetland site in western Newark. More sprawl that we do not need. For Frisbie and for elected officials, it seems, it is all about the profits to be made with no regard for quality of life for residents.

By: Doug

Doug — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:46:47 +0000

Marty, if they built nine more holes they would have to fit them around the “environmentally sensitive areas”, whereas if you plop housing in you obviously don’t have to worry about that.

One more thing, these homes will be tall, skinny three-stories, so parking is underneath and living spaces above, which is now all the rage among urban planners. They will sit almost immediately on top of the Hayward Fault. The developer has indicated on the plot plan the “fault setback line” and the fault line. The plan shows a small park immediately over the fault line’s path. This way they can state no homes sit on the fault line.

What surprises me about this development is I thought all neighborhoods had to have at least two points of egress for emergency requirements. There appears to be only one street with exits to Union St. and High St. Both are situated towards one end. I guess they will argue that the 16 ft. wide pedestrian trail suffices as another emergency exit.