The Challenge of 2006: No Mega-Garage in the Park

The biggest story of 2005 in Walnut Creek, according to CC Times regulars, was our underdog campaign to stop the commercialization of downtown's Civic Park. ... New rumblings out of City Hall appear to be on the right track - a new library plan must scale back or eliminate the garage structure. We'll be ready to resume the fight in 2006 if that changes. ... Thanks for reading, and Happy New Year! ...

Grassroots Efforts Pay Off

A big hand to Hardy Miller and the No on R folks, who pointed out the key flaws in Measure R and helped voters see past its flowery ballot language. ... We hope to work with them in the future to advocate for a sensible new library (Lafayette's planned library is bigger, yet cheaper) without a multi-level garage. ...

We won! Thank you!

Despite heavy downtown spending, the ill-conceived plan to put a 300-plus space garage in Civic Park went down to a resounding defeat Tuesday night. ... Thanks to everyone who talked to their neighbors about this and who sent a clear message to City Hall that we're not going to sit by for their consultant-driven redevelopment schemes.

Last-Minute Push - We Need YOU!

Victory is in site for our campaign to save Civic Park from the folly of a multi-story parking garage! Low turnout and a spill-over 'no' vote from many of Gov. Schwarzenegger's measures means 'no' to redevelopment plans for the park and traditional downtown. ... We urge you to vote 'No' on Measure R this Tuesday. ...

Vote No on Measure R - Ignore the Times

Well, since the Contra Costa Times and its Walnut Creek Journal can't even get the figure right on the bond we'll be voting on a week from Tuesday, I guess you'll just have to trust us: $21 million in bonds is a foolish and foolhardy way to pay for the library. Just take a look at today's Journal cover story, where it become clear that parking revenues could be used to pay for a new library. But they wouldn't be as dependable as the taxman and your property. ... And the Times actually wants us to believe the City's library plan is finished, and the fruit of decades of work. Yeah? Then tell me why it keeps changing, won't you? (And do you think calling half your readers a "cadre" is a good way to win subscriptions?) ... To counter the newspaper spin paid for by downtown developer dollars and fancy consultants, the No on R campaign put out a flyer today. I found one when I came home from work - they even used this site's meme: "Save Civic Park" indeed! ... This flyer points out that final plans for the library (that means the environmental report, my Green friends) won't be ready until after the election. It points out that this election is for a financing scheme, not whether or not to build a new library. I agree - vote 'No' today absentee, or next Tuesday at the polls. We're winning. Thanks! ...

No on R - It's all about the park

Sadly, recent Contra Costa Times articles have begun to toe a heavily pro-Measure R line. ... Contrast that with the recent piece in the San Francisco Chronicle, which takes a very fair look at the arguments around the library. ... For us, the central issue has always been the mega-parking garage planed for the corner of Broadway and Lincoln. A garage there is not right for the park, and will only encourage future high-density redevelopment of the beautiful old downtown. ...
The garage issue has taken a back-seat in much of the news coverage of Measure R, but we think plenty of people will vote 'No' when they learn of the 35-foot garage plan. Add to that the fact that Walnut Creek residents don't like to pay for their parking, and you have a losing proposition. ... We're becoming more confident that Measure R will fail, and hope that will force City Hall to bring real compromise to the table to build a reasonable new library. ... Citizens who have suggested that Civic Park is not the right place for a new garage and 42,000-square-foot library are correct. We'd like to see the City work with developers to site a large new library across the street from the movie theater, using the old Veterans site that now stands to become condos or more retail. ... The City has no trouble carving up our park; let them put their money where their mouth is. ... Measure R is also deeply flawed, as many citizens are pointing out, because it puts a new tax burden on only a small portion of the people who will use a new downtown branch. ... The City, which loves to roll out the red carpet for car dealers and their sales taxes, should put a quarter-cent sales tax hike on the ballot to fund library revenue bonds instead of the current discriminatory property tax. ...

No on R - Don't let them hide the ball

It's a simple fact: voting against Measure R at Schwarzenegger's Special Election will help stop a 121,000 square-foot, 35-foot tall parking garage that will forever ruin Civic Park. No tennis courts, fewer trees, and parking snafus that make today's traffic situation on Broadway cake. ... The Yes campaigns third slick mailer came today, but all the big developer money in Contra Costa County can't hide the simple facts. ...

We won't be fooled again - No on Measure R

It's a scheme to put a mega-garage on the corner of Lincoln and Broadway, possibly with a new third lane of traffic on the quiet residential street. Definitely not in the interest of sustainability. The City thinks it can pull this move because most of the nearby residents are renters. ... This renter says No! ...

City releases garage costs - No on R

If the City Council gets its way, Walnut Creek taxpayers will be on the hook for a $16 million garage that will tower 35 feet over Civic Park. ... So much for any reasonable plan for preserving Civic Park. The only way to stop this monstrosity is to join me in voting No on Measure R. ... The sprawling garage complex will take up three times the square footage of a new library, and ruin Civic Park for the next generation. ... Note also that the City has yet to put these horrible details on its Web site, apparently content enough to let the Yes on R spin doctors mislead voters about the true impacts of passing a $21 million tax measure in the Nov. 8 special election. ...

Parking Issues

Two interesting comments in this week's Walnut Creek Journal: one on closing parts of downtown to traffic, and another urging the City Council to spend the money to underground parking in Civic Park. I agree with both (but say "no" to any multi-level parking structure in the park). ...

Not Ready for Prime Time

A new article in the Times runs down the sides in the debate over a $21 million library bond. ... I found the last few lines most interesting: "The city has asked architects to redesign the plan, after deciding not to take the house and lot owned by Julia Maxwell. ... This means that some questions measure opponents are asking - such as how much the project will cost and how large the parking garage will be - are taking longer to answer. ... 'Much of this is what we'll be looking at in the upcoming weeks and months,' [architect] Gehrke said Wednesday, less than nine weeks from the Nov. 8 election." ... Ouch!

$21 Million Garage

There's a lot of text in the new "Yes on R" mailer that hit voters' mailboxes around town today. But not once did I see the words MONSTER GARAGE. That tells me there's not much truth in advertising going on here. Sure, everybody agrees that the old library is outdated. But do we want to spend a total of around $60 million on a new library complex that ravages Civic Park, ruins traffic in the northern downtown and puts a polluting mega-garage on the creek bank? ... That's the debate, no getting around it. ... The new mailer also quotes an anti-eminent domain editorial from the Contra Costa Times out of context, although I have little doubt the Times will come out with soft official support from this wasteful $21 million property tax hike. ... Environmentalists and taxpayers alike are rightly concerned with the city's fluid library proposal, since, after a purported 17 years of study, the City still has no final blueprint (let alone a report on einvornmental impacts) for what it will actually be building in our park. ... And what does "no commercial retail space" mean? That's one of the lines in this slick mailer, but I have no idea what it means other than that all the new retail space will go to nonprofits. Fooey! ... But I have learned one thing for sure: somebody's pumping a heck of a lot of money into Yes on R. ... More on that soon. ...

Dueling Campaign Web Sites

Both sides of the library debate are up with their own Web sites. ... Let me humbly invite folks who want a free-wheeling debate on the merits (or lack thereof, as I usually see it) of the November bond measure to continue visiting SaveCivicPark.com. ... Here's my analysis of the two sites: The "Yes" side has the big-bucks design and the slick rhetoric. The "No" folks appear to be operating on a slim budget, but have the meatier arguments for their position. ... The Council's $21 million bond ($46 million by the time we pay it off) is set for a special November 8 election as Measure R. ... Remember, vote early, vote often (And keep your registration up to date here). ...

The "Special Meeting"

An attendee at this afternoon's special Walnut Creek Council meeting fills us in with this deadline report: "Many people spoke saying the Council doesn't listen to what the people want," our correspondent reports. ... Ed note: Wonder where they got that idea? ... Councilwoman Rainey (far right) was most attentive to resident's concerns, while Councilwoman Regalia (center) blamed through-trips by people from other towns for congestion problems. ... About 20 people spoke, most critical of the Council and proposed General Plan. ... "One woman spoke and said in the Journal 2 weeks ago there were 18 letters from residents, of which 17 were critical of the council over traffic problems and overly aggressive growth." Mayor Gary Skrel (second from left) "responded by saying 'Letters to the Journal don't influence what we do.' " ... Don't feel bad Journal! They don't listen to us either. ... Our man on the scene says Rainey, Charlie Abrams (second from right) and Regalia offered support for capping growth at the same level as the last 12 years - 75,000 square feet per year. ... Thanks, Man on the Scene! ...

Call off the special election?

What do our deep-thinking Republican action-star- turned-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Walnut Creek City Council have in common? ... Special elections. ... I would bet that Walnut Creek voters have about the same poor opinion as the rest of the state when it comes to a special ballot in November. Why doesn't the Council save some face by calling off the special library bond election until its plans have been better vetted in the community? ...

Leaving comments

This site is most useful when folks are creating dialogue through the "comments" feature. Unfortunately, advertisers also like to stick nonsensical statements in the comments to drive Web traffic to their sites. ... To mitigate this problem, I've turned on "word verification." That means to leave a comment, you start by clicking on the "comments" link in blue at the lower right side of any of the posts. At the page that automatically comes up, write your comments. Then go down the page and type in the wavy word you see there (computer ad generators find this hard to do - hopefully it's easier for you!). Last, click the blue "publish" button. That's all there is to joining in to make SaveCivicPark.com the best resource possible. Thanks! ... (You can also e-mail a post to a friend by clicking on the little envelope icon, also on the lower right of each post.) ...

South Locust Garage

No, thank you!

Broadway Point Garage - 54 Spaces on Saturday

Broadway Garage & Broadway Point Garage

Broadway Point Garage

No new mega-garage

Garages are no fun. I know, because I live right behind one. They are stinky, noisy and draw drunks and the police. ... At a site like Lincoln and Broadway, a new multi-level garage would crowd out the aesthetics of Civic Park, creating an uninviting wall of concrete (or superfluous new retail frontage) that would damage the continuity of one of the City's main streets. ... It would gum up traffic like nobody's business. And garages are ugly, even with the best camera. ...

Preserving the best of Walnut Creek

Elizabeth Heidt, current resident of Casa Cristina in Civic Park, has a great guest editorial in the Contra Costa Times today (use our user name - user@savecivicpark.com, and password "2savecivic"). ... In it, she defends her family's right to keep their land, and discusses other issues of contention around the new library proposal, such as the five-story parking garage on the creekbank. ... This is a family that has sacrificed much already for the good of the City. "The current library is built on what was my family's orchard," she reminds us. Elizabeth also used the opportunity to invite a critic to come visit the home. She's pictured her on the creekbank, with the family's historic picnic grounds in the background. ...

What we're fighting for

With the recent victory on eminent domain, what are the big issues yet to be resolved before any clear-thinking Walnut Creek residents vote "Yes" on the $21 million Measure R at the special election in November? ... Chief among them is the size and design of the parking garage planned to serve a new Civic Park library. ... Walnut Creek has thousands upon thousands of parking spaces in mammoth garages throughout downtown. They permeate the skyline from just about any vantage point you pick. ... It also has the cheapest parking in the Bay Area, which simply encourages more of the congestion that makes it hard for residents to get around town. ... Walking today - on a Saturday afternoon on a popular holiday shopping weekend - I was able to find several hundred open spaces at three garages within walking distance of the park and library - Broadway, South Locust and Broadway Point. I can find no justification for a new multi-level garage in our public park. ...

Council meeting on growth

The Mayor has called a special council meeting for 4 p.m. Tuesday to give the Planning Commission direction on the growth management portions of the new General Plan. Residents concerned about the future of Walnut Creek development are encouraged to attend. ...

Backlash

Some angry citizen left a note pinned to a car bearing a SaveCivicpark.Com sign today. "Remove the house!" it read. While this citizen is obviously an avid reader, he or she must not be following our progress. See, we won that battle. Nobody is taking the house without a fair negotiation, untainted by threats of eminent domain. I may be a renter, but I can sure empathize with the Maxwell/Heidt family over the value of family property. ... Please add to our effort by printing out and posting your own Save Civic Park car sign. ...

What a City!

Lots of great letters in the paper today! I'll weigh in soon with my thoughts on the general plan, but I hope plenty of you will log in and leave your own comments here. (I've fixed the comments so you just have to verify a word to post, not log in as a registered user.) ...

In a perfect world ...

A great new Walnut Creek downtown library would include about 150 underground parking spaces with a design that puts an expanded building over the current parking site without encroaching on the tennis courts or rose gardens. That's the kind of design I'd be willing to pay for with a November bond measure. ...

Can you hear me now?

There's a funny Walnut Creek City Council quote I keep seeing in the Contra Costa Times. It goes something like, "You know, the folks who show up at Council meetings probably don't even represent the real feelings of the people." ... Councilman Charlie Abrams gets The Quote in Sunday's Times, where he's paraphrased as saying "(I'm) not sure those who attend public meetings truly represent a cross-section of the public." ... Well, Councilman Abrams, I don't attend many public meetings, and I can tell you, the folks out here are just as concerned as those in your halls. You see, when a city council begins to lose touch with the people it represents, those people just might not want to waste their breath bending its ear. ... It also strikes me that if the council has strong local grassroots support for its actions, it should be able to stack rooms of people in favor of those policies. Its inability to do so shows clay feet. ... It's not just "prominent old-timers" (apologies to JoAnn Hanna) that the Council has to worry about. It's people like me and my neighbors: renters and first-time homebuyers, folks who live in the condos on Oak Road and down Ygnacio Valley, who push their infants on the swings and play tennis at Civic Park. ... You might be aggravating folks who remember what the town was like 30 or 4o years ago, but you're also waking up a whole new generation who came to Walnut Creek because it's the best darn town in the East Bay, and who don't want another Dublin-Pleasanton. Middle-class, educated, progressive people. ... You see, when we hear about things like the Council booting the recycling center to make way for auto dealers; threatening the future of great downtown businesses like Mark Morris and La Fogata; converting working-class rental units into unaffordable condos; throwing the Veterans Hall in the dustbin of history in favor of speculative commercial development; ignoring the needs of dog owners; and threatening to put hundreds of superfluous parking spaces in our park, we get a little upset. ...

Round 1 goes to Save Civic!

There are plenty of happy folks around Walnut Creek this weekend, as citizen action forced the Council to shelve any thought of eminent domain for Casa Cristina (and to scale down the library project and scrap plans for new retail stores in Civic Park, according to City Manager Mike Parness' remarks in the Times.) ... We also made the top headline in the Times (Save Civic co-editor John Morse is quoted, and this site is referenced, though not by name). ... This is big folks. You all deserve a round of applause . ... I've also updated the flyer to reflect this victory. ...

Friday Flash

FLASH: CC Times to report no eminent domain for Casa Cristina. ... Sunday update: The original online version of the story Friday was a bit different than the one that appeared in print on Saturday. The original version states that no commercial space will be sited in the park. ... Maybe people wouldn't have complained about eminent domain if councilmembers hadn't stated that they were considering it. It's also interesting that the council took the time to put a $21 million bond on the ballot before its recess, but not to clear up the eminent domain issue. That had to happen at a scarcely noticed special closed session. ...

A growing effort

Things are booming for Save Civic Park. John Morse, a Parkmead district resident concerned with the land-grab development going on in Walnut Creek, joins the site this week as a co-editor to talk about issues such as the new General Plan that goes before the City Council in coming months. ... Theresa Harrington, our local C.C. Times reporter, has an article in today's Walnut Creek Journal about the City's efforts to lure more business to the office parks around town. Read it online, then post your comments below and send them by e-mail to Journal editor Aaron Crowe at acrowe@cctimes.com. ... Tell him Save Civic Park sent you! ... Also today, I spoke to a key member of the Diablo Greens about the library project, sharing concerns such as the impact on the Farmers Market. Hopefully all the town's political parties will see the worthiness of our effort here. ... Thanks for reading! ...

Market photo courtesy the Real WC.

Not in my name

While the City uses our tax dollars to slap around one of Walnut Creek's oldest families, the women of Casa Cristina have been digging into their own pockets for decades to protect their property. The home's history is documented in Bay Area publications back to 1933, and in 2001 architectural and landscaping surveys found national historical significance in details such as the backyard picnic area with walls and fireplace constructed of Australian basalt. The rock was first used as ship ballast, then to pave the cobblestone streets of San Francisco before H. Lloyd Drury put it to use behind his new home. ... It's this kind of history documented in the old guest book that Julia Maxwell and Elizabeth Heidt showed me today. You can trace the family's history through that book, from the yellowed news clippings to the children's scrawled signatures from Easter dinners. ...

See that creek? They've been good stewards

When Elizabeth Heidt was a child, she remembers the creek very green, gunked up with algae. Occasionally stinky. Ducks were the only wildlife in sight. ... Things have changed since then. Sunday I watched a blue heron take off not 50 feet from the wooden steps that lead from Casa Cristina to the creek. Herons and egrets dine in the slow-moving waters, as do raccoons that lunch on the smaller critters that hide in the mud. ... Preserving the creek didn't just happen, though. Rip-wrap and rebar line the creek on private property, while concrete fills the streams the City got its hands on. ... Some 50 years ago, Heidt's grandfather, Kendric French, rebuffed attempts by the Army Corps of Engineers to pave the creek bank. ... "He said, 'What are we going to call it? Walnut Ditch, Walnut Gutter, Walnut Sewer?' " recalls Heidt. ... When you look from Lincoln into the creek, you see a family's stewardship. Walnut Creek should be grateful. ...

Fighting City Hall

"I'm not against the library ... I'm against the destruction of my family home," says Elizabeth Heidt. ... Heidt is a seventh-
generation Californian and mother of the sixth generation to occupy Casa Cristina, the adobe-style residence on Live Oak. For what seems like the umpteenth time in the 70-odd years her family has lived here, Heidt and her mother, Julia Maxwell, are in a pitched battle with City Hall over the fate of their beautiful creekside home. ... At the dinning room table in Casa Cristina on Sunday just after the Farmers Market, Heidt and Maxwell describe their latest plight in a story peppered with the history of Walnut Creek and the state itself. For a relative newcomer like myself, it strikes odd that the Council would play such hardball with a family that helped pioneer California and that has already given up its orchard for the current library. ... Maxwell, a teacher, nurse and now antique dealer, though, is having none of it. She's stubborn, and younger than her mother Betty French, who into her 90s beat back City efforts to force her out. "They don't want to deal with you when you're in your 90s," Heidt says to her mother. "They don't want to deal with me now and I'm only 66," Maxwell says with a grin. "I'm going to stop them." And if stubborn fails, she's ready to play to pity. "I'm a senior citizen living in my own home with the support of my family ..." ... And though the family might not always see eye-to-eye on how to deal with the City, they've agreed on one thing. Casa Cristina lives on, even if the City forces them to load it up on a truck. ...

Misuse of eminent domain

The C.C. Times ran an interesting editorial today that should help pressure the Council on the wisdom of planting a parking garage and new retail stores in Civic Park. ... Times editors, while coming out strong for support of a new library, counseled City leaders to do away with the issue of eminent domain for the beautiful Casa Cristina. "The city either should alter its plans and use the park space or offer the landowner a substantial buyout package," the Times editors' opined. ... No, that's not really the good part. The light in this editorial comes in form of a critique of the design that puts a monster garage and retail stores in the park. ... From where we sit, if the Council wants to bring the growing ranks of bond detractors on board, it needs to do a lot more than slide the library further into our open space. For a start, it needs to stop fooling around with the Maxwell/Heidt family on what it really intends for Casa Cristina, and it needs to go back to the drawing board for a design that's more park, less parking. ...

How to Help, Part Duex

Things are heating up in the campaign to stop the Council's poorly conceived library bond, and folks from other causes are getting on board as well. One supporter followed me home yesterday to talk about problems with the new General Plan, and we're reaching out to Walnut Creek Dog as well. ... I ask, why is it that the City can rent out one of out best playing fields (in Civic Park) for staging a pipeline project for years, but won't provide adequate facilities for residents with dogs and horses? ... Besides spreading the word about SaveCivicPark.com (passing out flyers at meetings, putting them on your car, or - as in the case of Elizabeth Heidt - blowing them up as yard signs), one way to set the council straight is to show up at 7 p.m. each Tuesday for public comment at the beginning of their meetings. Tell them, "For love of Walnut Creek ... SAVE CIVIC PARK!" Thanks! ...

Roses for Regalia

Rather than take heed of growing voter sentiment against the Council's plans to break the civic bank for a giant garage, retail stores and big-box library in Civic Park, Councilwoman Gwen Regalia in today's W.C. Journal dismissed the 92 residents who took the time to rank the City's key issues. ... "It indicates that there was not a great deal of interest ... I wouldn't call this the most accurate poll," Regalia told the Journal's Theresa Harrington. ... Perhaps our elected representatives could take time to read the letters, like the one from Sharon Doherty. Sharon likes the idea of a new library, but she wants to keep the tennis courts, the trees and the roses. Won't somebody listen to Sharon? ...

The people are with us!

I couldn't help but grin as I read this morning's Walnut Creek Journal. A few days ago I asked CC Times editor Chris Lopez if he thought the paper's coverage was tapping true voter sentiment. I posed perhaps not, since most of the coverage focuses on official actions, while the people are "too busy fighting with traffic, housing costs and everyday hassles to make a fuss." What a vindication to find that W.C. readers told the Journal in a survey published today that traffic and trasportation were their top issues, with affordable housing not far behind. ... Also near the top were preservation, a dog park, and Walnut Creek Heritage. "New library" was second to last on the list of residents' concerns, beating out only "political changes in city." Wanna bet that last one gains steam if the Council holds course? ...

Photos

Hey! That's why I love blogger. It's easy as pie to add photos. Send in your favorite Civic Park images and I'll add my own over the weekend. ... Meanwhile, enjoy this shot of the gazebo from the City Web site. ...

Save the trees

What will incorporation of the Maxwell property into the library design mean for Civic Park? The loss of historic trees, for one thing. Hopefully this weekend I'll get photos up and we can look at some of the leafy giants slated for the axe. ... (And earlier than expected, pictures of our shady friends.)

How to help

Ready to get involved? Download the nifty "Save Civic Park" flyer (click here - updated to reflect win on eminent domain) and pass it around your neighborhood or keep stacks at the counter of your downtown business. Or print out a copy of our car sign (click here) and display it proudly in your car windows (or even on cardboard in your front yard). All the kids are doing it! ...

Comments welcome!

Wow! Lots of folks are visiting the site as word starts to get out about the dark side of Walnut Creek's library plans. Please feel free to click the comment link and add your thoughts. ...

Traffic dumping zone

It's an open secret that 310 spaces in the parking garage is far more than needed to serve even an expanded library. The parking is overflow for the surrounding downtown. Sadly, that's how much the City cares about open space. And remember, two retail spaces are slated for the garage area. A Starbucks and a Borders? ... (OK, maybe I'm going overboard with the Borders suggestion. Use the comments to suggest what intrusive business might be waiting to set up shop in the park.) ...

Tennis, anyone?

As far as I can tell, the Civic Park tennis courts are slated for closure in the GARAGE/library plan. That means the winter ice rink is just the start of troubles for hardcourt lovers. Please add to the comments if you know more. ...

Flyers!

My son and I made it to tonight's Environmental Impact Report scoping meeting long enough to hand out a few flyers and pick up an agenda. There were a little more than 20 people there, and the Maxwell family reports strong support for saving their home, Casa Cristina. ... It was interesting to find out that the taking of the historic Maxwell home is the sole reason for the planned EIR. Putting a five-story garage next to a creek doesn't trigger the law. ... After leaving the meeting based on a one-year-old's attention span, we went over to the park to use the swings and talk to people about the garage and retail proposals. Sure enough, people know about the retail, but they don't have much idea about the rest of the project. ... One big problem with the upcoming bond election: the EIR won't be released until December - full month after voters go to the polls to decide on funding for the project. The public hearing on the EIR is scheduled for early 2006, and the final version won't be reading until next spring. ...

Casa Cristina

Coming soon, an interview with Elizabeth Heidt, whose children are the sixth generation to occupy Casa Cristina, the Spanish-style home on the creek bought by H. Lloyd Drury, who moved to the county home to raise dogs. Now la casa is on the chopping block as the Council reaches for the biggest library garage (oh, yeah, with books too) in Contra Costa County. ... Keep reading, and make yourself heard Monday, 7 p.m., at the Council chambers, where the City takes input on its plans to take Casa Cristina using eminent domain. ...

Talking cents about a wasteful bond

Kris Hunt of the Contra Costa Taxpayers Association gets in a dig on the W.C. City Council's request for a $21 general obligation bond to pay for a 310-spot parking garage in Civic Park (oh, yeah, and a library). "There's a concern when you don't have a cost," Hunt told the CC Times. I hope that's not all she had to say. ... There seems to be plenty of contention about all this bond baggage the Council's foisting on the electorate, but most of the coverage has focused on the overwhelming support from the City's electeds. (That family that stands to lose its home? Last graf in the stories.) ... What nobody is saying is the god-honest truth that young families and first-time homebuyers are going to float most of the costs of this thing goes through in November. ... When news accounts pin the average assessed value of a home in Walnut Creek at $300,000 - about $33 a year in bond costs under the GARAGE/library plan - that's less than half the story. See, assessed values are linked to home sales. So when you go to buy your house in this market and have to sink $900,000 for a three-bedroom home where your kids can go safely go to public schools - you'll be paying $100 bucks for the library bond. And you'll be paying it so shoppers from San Francisco and Stockton can park in your downtown. ...

Old tricks for a new library

Well, I hate to drag out an old word like "boondoggle" to describe the Walnut Creek City Council's plans for a giant new parking garage in Civic Park (oh, yeah, they'll be tacking on a library too). "Boondoggle," though, suits the tale. ... The Contra Costa Times tells the story well (sorry, they want registration for a peek at their online stories). City voters, thanks to the Council's wisdom, will be asked in November to pay a staggering $21 million - a heck of a lot more if you talk about debt - in general obligation bonds over the next 30 years. The payoff? A bigger library that serves as a trojan horse for putting Olympia Place-style retail stores in the park at the corner of Lincoln and Broadway. And that's not all the big wooden mule will be carrying inside: plans also call for a FIVE-STORY parking garage. A couple floors of the garage might go underground if voters OK every last cent the City wants over next several years. Talk about holding a gun to our heads. ... How about no parking garage, half the cost, and stepped up public transit to reach a new and improved library? Or a garage over retail in the commercial district at Lincoln and Main? ... How about getting off this one-way track while Civic Park's still whole. ...

Parks, not parking

Isn't there something inherently wrong with a multi-level 310-space parking garage as part of a project that promises to enhance Civic Park and its interaction with the creek? ... And what will the creek look like after a few years with all that new pollution? ...