Latest Plan Released for Blair Park Sports Field
Revised Scheme for Moraga Canyon’s Blair Park
The “final Moraga Canyon Sports Fields Project proposal by Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO)” has been posted on the City’s website. It contains a written description and graphic representations of the proposed project. By Friday, October 28th, paper copies of the proposal will be available at City Hall.
The City Council is set to hold a public hearing on whether to approve the final plan on Monday, December 5, 2011. The final plan will also go to the Planning Commission for Design Review after the Council hearing and ultimately to the Planning Department for a building permit.
The City signed two agreements with PRFO last summer that citizens learned about in September. Read analysis and text of the agreement mandating arbitration and waiving conflict of interest barriers, signed in July and made public in September. Read the analysis and text of the Reimbursement and Indemnification Agreement, signed August 12 and made public in September.
For the ease of our readers who wish to download the file, we have divided the project file into separate parts (click on items below):
Bioswale, Pedestrian Crossing, Restroom, Roundabout, … typical details
Verbal description & site plans
The final plan offers some new ideas about the sports facility proposed for the Blair Park site in Moraga Canyon. In contrast to earlier versions submitted to the City, the final plan is for Phase I only, and consists of one field instead of two. Instead of the formerly proposed second field, the design presents a “glade” with native plantings and no street barriers. The 300x 150-foot field has been moved 30 feet to the east; the baseball diamond has been moved to the east end of the field near Moraga Avenue. There is still a restroom but the concession stand was eliminated. The retaining walls and fences above the walls have been lowered slightly, and the retaining wall stretching along Moraga Avenue is made of “mechanically strengthened earth” instead of concrete. There are a total of 40 parking spaces. A street level sidewalk and bicycle lane have been added along the length of the park. There are two pedestrian crosswalks, one at Red Rock Road with a pedestrian-operated traffic signal, and one at Maxwelton Avenue. A mini-roundabout has been added uphill from the Maxwelton crosswalk.
Questions of interest to supporters, opponents and undecideds include:
- Since the glade is no longer planned as a sports field, how many
players will be accommodated on the single field? - Without lights in the shaded canyon, how much playing time will there be in the Fall?
- Who will pay for the roundabout, pedestrian crossings and traffic light?
- What will Phase II consist of, and when it will be constructed?
- Who will pay for relocation of sewer & utility lines under Blair Park?
- What is the cost estimate for the project’s construction and ongoing maintenance?
Readers, what questions and comments do you have about the plan? Post your comment below.
Related articles and resident opinions on Blair Park/Moraga Canyon from PCA:
“Opinion: Proposed Roundabout”
“Moraga Canyon Sewer & Water Runoff”
“PRFO Submits More Plans”
“Blair Park EIR Criticized by Attorney and Traffic Engineer”
“Opinion: City’s Deal with Sports Club will cost Taxpayers”
“Special Report: CIP Funding & Moraga Canyon Sports Fields Project Detail”
“Controversy Continues For and Against Moraga Canyon Projects”
“$1.1 Million More Proposed for Kids’ Sports Field”
Related articles from other sources:
San Francisco Chronicle “Locals Launch Quiet Campaign…”
Montclair 94611 “Moraga Canyon” “Friends Gather…” “Piedmont Council Meeting”
Oakland Tribune “Moraga Canyon Protest…”
