CENA Web Newsletter
January 2010
INDEX
Article 1: “A Grande Dame in a Great Neighborhood”
Article 2: “Updates – Caldecott Fourth Bore News”
Article 3: “Updates – Opposition to Removing Two Traffic Lanes on Telegraph Ave”
Article 4: “Updates – Pros and Cons of Safeway Remodeling, 6310 College Ave”
Article 5: “Updates – Save Strawberry Canon has halted some construction…”
Article 6: “Retailers Open New Stores for Elmwood Shopping”
Article 7: “Tax Credits Extended to Current Homeowners”
Article 8: “Staying Awake While Waiting For the Next Disaster – Not Easy to Do”
Article 9: “Berkeley’s Hidden Neighborhoods”
A Grande Dame in a Great Neighborhood
The Elmwood Theater is the grande
dame of the Claremont-Elmwood neighborhood. The new “Elmwood” neon marquee at
the Elmwood Theater looks especially handsome after dark. This bright and beautifully made marquee
comes to our neighborhood theater courtesy of a collaboration between Greg
King, theater manager, who provided his advice and expertise, and the Elmwood
Theatre Foundation, who funded the new design. While the theater has changed
since its construction in 1914, the essentials of the theater have not. The
stand-alone ticket booth, the frenzied neon of the marquee, the lovely tile and
beautiful doors, all speak to a different age when folks dressed up to go to
the movies.
The new operators have made lots of
improvements, especially upstairs by correcting the sight lines and
redecorating the interior of the theater. In addition to cosmetic improvements,
the rotation of films has been enhanced and expanded. The Elmwood Theater, also known as Rialto
Cinemas Elmwood, features a diverse mix of films including the best quality
films from Hollywood and an array of independent and foreign films from around
the world.
A brief history: The theater was designed by Albert W. Cornelius and built as The Strand in 1914; then it became the Elmwood about 1949 and ran as a single-screen theater with a balcony until it was closed in 1988 by a fire. The operator at the time, United Artists, attempted to sell it to a developer who would demolish it or radically gut it. Fortunately, preservationists and neighborhood opposition thwarted the wrecking ball, and the Elmwood survives today, the only major alteration being to convert the balcony to two smaller theaters. The theater is currently owned by the Elmwood Theatre Foundation, formed by local merchants and residents, and is operated by Rialto Cinemas. The Elmwood Theater, which is now a Berkeley Landmark, is the modern day anchor store for the Elmwood. With twenty-two eateries in the wider neighborhood, there is ample opportunity for dinner and a movie. The independent shops and boutiques along College and Ashby Avenues make for a lively shopping experience or a leisurely window shopping tour.
U P D A T E S
On
stories covered in recent newsletters
Caldecott Fourth Bore Tunnel News ----
Caltrans
recently awarded the contract for the Caldecott Improvement Project, which is a
5-plus years long, 24/7 project to add a
fourth bore to the north side of the Caldecott Tunnel. Construction is likely to begin in early
2011, beginning with an ambient noise study, construction of the staging area
and a 40 ft. high sound wall near the Parkwoods Condomimiums. Two related projects are expected to begin
about the same time: The Kay Street improvements (the bridge across Hw. 24) and
Hwy.13 ramp realignment. Fourth Bore
Coalition (FBC) representatives from CENA, the East Bay Bike Coalition, and
North Hills Phoenix Association continue to work with Berkeley’s Transportation
division to identify and prioritize improvements to the Hwy.13 corridor that
are eligible for the $2 M settlement funds.
The Transportation Commission will discuss these potential projects on
January 21, 2010, at the North Berkeley Senior Center.
Opposition to Removing Two
Traffic Lanes on Telegraph Ave.---
The
Claremont-Elmwood Neighborhood Assn. supports the improvement of public transit
in the East Bay and in Berkeley, but CENA has voiced strong opposition because
the current Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) plan would remove two traffic lanes on
Telegraph Ave., remove parking spaces between Woolsey and Dwight Way, remove
bus stops along Telegraph, and greatly increase traffic congestion on Telegraph
Ave. and surrounding residential streets.
Dedicating these lanes to buses
only in effect reduces Telegraph Ave., a main arterial into central Berkeley,
to a SINGLE lane in each direction for automobiles and trucks. For 2
years, we have kept our membership up to date on this issue. Where it now
stands is that the Transportation Commission has requested a study of three
options: 1) The project as AC Transit envisions it, 2) the citizen’s Rapid Bus
Plus plan, and 3) the no-build option. Mayor Bates supports BRT and wants
approval in April 2010. If you would
like further details on Bus Rapid Transit or Rapid Bus Plus, e-mail info@claremontelmwood.org.
Pros and Cons of Safeway
Remodeling, 6310 College Ave.----
Argument
Not in Favor from Dean Metzger - The Oakland Planning Commission has
declared that this project will require an environmental impact report (EIR)
and a meeting was held in mid-November to receive public input on the initial
study, with written comments due on 12/1.
My comments were sent to Commission, noting the lack of concern the
study attached to the environmental impacts (air quality, aesthetics, cultural
resources, land-use planning and noise) and asked for these comments to be
included in the final EIR. The proposal consists of a new Safeway at 50,400
sq.ft. plus 11,500 sq.ft. of ground level retail space. Some parking will be at
surface level and some a half-level below the store. A majority of our
neighborhood has opposed this large project, while many have voiced their
support for an expanded Safeway of up to 50,000 sq.ft., but without the 11,500
sq. ft. of retail space this plan calls for.
Argument
in Favor from Tad Laird - The College Ave. Safeway is a community asset for
families and for elderly and disabled who live in the CENA neighborhood. It is well served by buses, and neighbors and
students from UC can access it by walking or biking. It offers a full service
supermarket at reasonable prices in an area which is not well served with this
option. Trader Joe’s is not a full service supermarket and Whole Foods and
Andronico’s are higher priced stores. Safeway should be enlarged because a
larger array of products will be available to us, and will eliminate the need
for families to drive to distant stores their grocery needs. The Safeway remodeling will open the door to
better neighborhood retail for Berkeley and Oakland. Those who claim that a new
store will harm existing neighborhood stores are simply wrong. It’s like saying
that opening an Applebee’s across the street from Chez Panisse would cause
Alice Waters to go bankrupt.
Save Strawberry Canyon has
halted some construction, but not all is good news yet---
Thanks to many donations from CENA members, Save Strawberry Canyon has successfully halted plans to build new research buildings within the Canyon. Recent news that 2 labs will be located elsewhere bodes well, but the news is not all good yet. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (LBNL) is proceeding with plans to build on the steep hillsides above Campus (litigation pending in State Appellate Court). The area is composed of unstable cretaceous rock that is made further unstable by pressures from within the ancient caldera above, as well as the real threat of earthquake movement along the adjacent Hayward Fault. A notice has been issued for environmental review of their Computational Research and Theory (CRT) facility to be located on the bluff below the Cyclotron. In accordance with a Federal District Court order in Save Strawberry Canyon v. DOE, “Construction of the CRT remains enjoined until NEPA review is completed….” The CRT project and the BELLA accelerator are cause for concern on many environmental fronts. For more information go to, www.savestrawberrycanyon.org
Retailers Open New Stores for Elmwood
Shopping
Even though our economy
isn’t completely out of harms way, retailers may be holding their breath with
several new stores opening recently in the Elmwood shopping district. Here are
5 new stores which have opened since the fall:
K/V
Studio (Keneuoe Vivere), 2951 College Ave.
The original hand-painted letters H-A-R-D-W-A-R-E on the transom windows
are all that remain of Bolfing’s Elmwood Hardware. Keneuoe Ramabele from South Africa and her
husband, Derek Newell, have incorporated the old letters into their remarkable
restoration and design of K/V Studio. A
stunning window display by Nina Taylor magically captures the old – giant
measuring tape, scissors, and antique sewing machine—with the new.
Designed
by Keneuoe, all of the women’s clothing on view is made to order. Sample fabrics are available and measurements
taken in a spacious fitting room. Sewing
is done in Berkeley by local artisans.
With only a few exceptions, the purses, jewelry, children’s sweaters and
art work are locally made. Beneath a
huge new skylight, the gallery radiates light and brings out the best in prints
by Berkeley artist, Matt Philips, and the paintings of Victor Cohen-Stuart. This highly esteemed artist was also responsible
for the interior color scheme of the gallery.
Summer
Kitchen Bakery, 2944 College Ave.
Located next to Ici, this is no ordinary “take out”. Step inside and see the impressive open
kitchen with 3 or 4 cooks preparing daily specials and prepared dinners to take
home. Cupcakes, ginger bread and
tempting sweets are on view for the customers waiting in line for ice cream at
Ici
Mrs.
Dalloway’s Books & a new Cafe, 2904 College Ave. Local CENA residents, Marion Abbott and Ann
Leyhe, recently expanded their bookstore by one-third, taking over part of the
former Elmwood Pharmacy. The new space
is stunning with windows designed by Ann’s husband, made to match the original
design of the building (John Bischoff, 1921).
The café in the former Ozzie’s is in the process of remodeling. No expense has been spared, and Ozzie’s counter
will duplicate its original marble top and stools, and will be ready soon, says
Kara Hammond, former manager of Fanny’s Café on San Pablo. The name for the Café has yet to be chosen.
Lilac
Bow Yoke, 2987 College Ave. Elmwood
has its first Pop-Up store and it is truly a gem. On weekdays, the store is Trips Out Travel,
which was founded in 1970. But on
Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoons, the spacious parlor sitting area of
Trips Out Travel is magically transformed.
Donna Allmann, a talented artist and collector, displays and sells
her own work: pictorial buttons, drawer
pulls, pushpins, decoupage furniture.
This Pop-Up is worth visiting more than once. It’s like a Paris flea market and is
constantly changing with treasures to catch your eye: antique beads, Roman coin
jewelry, or a selection of oil paintings and antique home décor from Charles
Nero Antiques. For every budget!
Ashby
Market Place, 2642 Ashby Ave., carries a line of organic foods, drinks and
produce, as well as international foods, cheeses and dairy products. It’s a small supermarket, convenient for the
last minute shopper.
Tax
Credits Extended to Current Homeowners
Congress has passed a tax
bill which is the most significant real estate news for an entire year. It is relevant to current homeowners who may
be considering downsizing into another home. The bill has two significant
provisions:
First,
Congress has granted current homeowners a tax credit of up to $6,500 for
purchasing another home as long as the home being sold or vacated has been used
as a principal residence for 5 consecutive years within the last 8 years. (If you are considering downsizing from your
current Berkeley residence, which you have owned for many years, into another
home and you are 55 years or over, you might
be able to transfer your low property tax base to a new residence).
The
second provision of the tax bill applies
to those who may have children of home-buying age who can qualify as first time
buyers. The bill extends the First-Time
Buyer Tax Credit of up to $8,000 for buyers who enter into a contract before April
30, 2010. To qualify, the purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a
residence during the 3 years prior to
purchase and must close escrow by December 31, 2010. The property and
income limitations are as follows: The
maximum credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less and
to married couples with incomes up to $225,000 ($125,000 for single
buyers). The amount of the tax credit
decreases as his/her income approaches the maximum limit. The buyer does not need to repay the tax
credit, if he/she occupies the home for 3 years or more. If the property is sold within 3 years, the
full amount of the credit will be recouped on the sale. It is always wise to
consult a CPA regarding the applicability of the new law to your particular
circumstances.
Information
from Daniel Stea, Founder/Managing Attorney of PBG Real Estate, 2907 Claremont Avenue, 510-867-4094 or at Daniel@pbgrealestate.com
Staying Awake While Waiting For the Next
Disaster -- Not Easy to Do
We know it
is coming as surely as death and taxes, but the thought soon fades away. Short of a dire emergency, occasional
disaster drills are the best way to fight the ennui. In October, Berkeley’s Command Center ran a
city-wide radio drill that included a check of emergency cache gear provided by
the City or independently by neighborhood groups. Emergency gear supplied by the City includes
hand-held short range radios equipped to transmit on both family radio service
(FRS) and general mobile radio service (GMRS). In the drill, as might be expected,
communication with the FRS radios did not work as well as with
GMRS. Both are nominally “line of sight”
devices; however, GMRS has a better capacity to bend around corners or blast
through foliage. The FRS/GMRS radios are also intended to be used for local
communication with search-and-rescue and fire suppression teams dispatched by
neighborhood cache groups. Both FRS and GMRS channels appear to be adequate for
this purpose. No license is
required to use the FRS bands. The FCC
license to use the GMRS bands costs $85, good for 5 years and no test is
required (unlicensed use is rampant).
It is now unclear which channels should be used in a real emergency. The situation is further complicated by a portion of the neighborhoods east of Tunnel Road, with all of the common-digit channels assigned to neighborhood groups further up the hill in Oakland; that portion of Oakland was destroyed in the ’91 firestorm. For the moment, the best approach for each cache group is to select a channel and code for local use and not worry about communications with the Command Center. The trick will be to set several radios to the same “party line” frequency and code. Practice in resetting the channels and codes is important. For detailed article on disaster drills, e-mail doane@att.net, ask for “Staying Awake”.
Berkeley’s
Hidden Neighborhoods
41 Berkeley Walking Tours: Architectural Walks Through the University
Town is BAHA’s new, completely revised and updated replacement for
the popular 41 Walking Tours of Berkeley, Cal. Available at Berkeley
Architectural Heritage Association, 2318 Durant Ave., 510-841-2242, or at Mrs.
Dalloway’s, 2904 College Ave.