Letters: Berkeley Marina | Orinda housing



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Berkeley Marina deserves
higher plan, transparency

The EBT article “$5.1M grant OK’d to check revitalizing pier with ferry” (Web page B1, Could 29) described Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s ongoing try and dramatically alter entry to and use of Berkeley’s most vital public park — the Marina and its contiguous bay waters. Nevertheless, it sadly minimized the anticipated financial affect of this plan.

WETA’s personal communications describe their intention to cost “accomplice” cities for subsidization of their operations. In Berkeley’s case, this might quantity to a $6 million annual hit to the town’s finances. All this within the face of a looming transportation “fiscal cliff” and a long time of deferred park upkeep.

WETA’s 2008 try and construct a Berkeley ferry terminal was redirected to a way more environmentally and economically justifiable location at Level Richmond’s business waterfront.

Our Marina Park and its customers deserve a greater method to addressing the marina’s issues, together with extra transparency.

David Fielder
Berkeley

Housing threatens
Orinda fireplace plans

Re: “Orinda wants to complete fireplace protection plan” (Web page A6, Could 30).

A current letter correctly expressed concern about Orinda’s wildfire evacuation plan. The EIR for Orinda’s downtown improvement plan discovered that the contemplated 1,618 new housing items downtown would have a “important” affect on wildfire evacuation that was “unavoidable” however deliberate mitigations.

Downtown is an evacuation chokepoint. However the EIR didn’t contemplate a special, higher plan that may redistribute the state-mandated new housing. A greater plan would add solely 240 new housing items downtown, as a ULI Technical Help Panel proposed six years in the past, and relocate the extra required new housing from downtown to the vacant, 10-acre Cal Trans website close to the Caldecott Tunnel.

A bunch is suing to overturn Orinda’s certification of the EIR. Residents of Orinda, in addition to of Moraga, ought to help the trouble.

Nick Waranoff
Orinda

State will make a multitude
of ‘social housing’

Re: “Space lawmaker pushes ‘social housing’ plan” (Web page A1, Could 30).

Assemblyman Alex Lee needs to create one other state company that will get into the home-building enterprise. What may go improper there?

Have we forgotten that in 1962 Cal Trans purchased up by eminent area housing in Hayward for a freeway that by no means went by? For 60 years Caltrans was the state’s worst slumlord that was exempt from paying property taxes since they have been state-owned. The state can’t even repair our crumbling roads and but they wish to get into the housing enterprise? Our Bay Bridge is an instance of billions in price overruns, however the state goes to construct housing economically and be exempt from their very own rules that they impose on builders?

The state by no means does something economically to maintain prices down as a result of it isn’t their cash and but leaders wish to push a housing bond with taxpayer cash to fund it? Good luck with that.

Renea Turner
Hayward

Overlook grades and
make studying enjoyable

Re: “My nightmares spotlight the perils of grade obsession” (Web page A6, Could 30).

Thanks for publishing Neil Chandran’s poignant message about tutorial stress.

Though now in my 70s, I recall such angst from my pupil years and located reduction solely after perceiving that my mind most well-liked studying in a nonacademic method, comparable to researching and writing imaginary essays with titles like “What’s Hilarious about Algebra?” “Is Important Considering and the Scientific Methodology Joyous or Addictive?” or “What’s Amusing in Invoice Bryson’s e book?”

Studying is nice while you blaze the path. How can academics encourage this?

Jo Liana King
Albany

Younger writers supply
priceless views

Re: “My nightmares spotlight the perils of grade obsession” (Web page A6, Could 30) and “Gen Z teenagers don’t all the time get greatest psychological well being classes” (Web page A7, Could 30).