Added to our list of must-haves for Downtown Orinda: Creek Restoration

San Pablo Creek, Downtown Orinda

If you need another reason to show up at the September 6th City Council meeting where a discussion of Orinda's downtown is on the agenda, we've found you one: the restoration of San Pablo Creek.

In a nutshell, San Pablo Creek as it runs from the Chevron gas station to Bank of America used to be a natural meandering creek. When Camino Pablo was built, the creek was put in a steep concrete channel which has broken down over the years.  Huge chunks of concrete now litter the creek, making it unsightly and occasionally blocking the flow of water. And, despite the fence blocking the creek off to visitors, we spotted a lot of litter including a 3' x 5' area rug weighed down by rocks at the bottom of the creek. 

About 15 years ago Friends of Orinda Creeks, with funding from the Regional Water Quality Control Board and EBMUD, had a restoration plan for San Pablo Creek which was approved by the City. But the project stalled, the plan languished, and the creek continued to degrade. Friends of Orinda Creeks are calling for a new effort to restore San Pablo Creek and integrate it into Orinda's commercial downtown area. They imagine pathways, creekside cafes, plenty of native plants and trees and, ideally, a walkway leading from the Community Center down to the creek. (Note: a previous proposal for the vacant lot at 25A Orinda Way had a pathway as part of their design; the current proposal by Tandem does not.)

View of the 2001 proposed restoration plan

Study details

As we hear again and again in conjunction with Orinda's downtown, there are depressing stories (the owner of the building with Siam Orchid/InForma Gym and the parking lot behind it promised to give some of her land to help make this happen, but she passed away and the opportunity was lost) and frustrations (costly surveys and engineering studies from the early 2000s will need to be redone), but there is also lots of hope. Little did What's Up Downtown Orinda know when we wrote about them on June 6th that this may just be a project the John Muir Land Trust will take on, if they have the full support of the City. 

So, what needs to happen for restoration and integration of the creek to be implemented? First and foremost, there needs to be 100% commitment on the part of our City Council members to push this through. Show Darlene Gee, Dean Orr, Eve Phillips, Victoria Smith and Amy Worth that you want this for Orinda by coming to the City Council meeting en masse on September 6th, or reach out to them via email here. Join the Friends of Orinda Creeks here and donate and/or email the John Muir Land Trust about the San Pablo Creek here. 

There are so many benefits of creek restoration from the essential (erosion and stream bank stabilization, flood control and safety) to the intrinsically valuable (environmental and habitat enhancement, a potential landmark in the reimagining of Orinda's lackluster downtown). Let's make this happen, Orinda!

Mark your Calendars for August 2nd!

UPDATE: This city council meeting was moved to September 6th. WUDONUTS will still be offered - see you there! 

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WUDO is thrilled to share that the City Council has put downtown renewal as a discussion item on the agenda for the city council meeting taking place Tuesday August 2nd, 7:00 PM at the Library Auditorium. 

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend! 

In meetings with WUDO, various council members have told us that after the Orinda Roads ballot Measure L was behind them, their attention would turn to Downtown issues. In case you missed it, Measure L passed in the latest election, so we are happy to see Downtown on the agenda, as promised! 

WUDO needs your help to pack the house with supporters and influence City Council to make improving Downtown both a short-term and long-term priority. There will be time for public comments, so please attend, and if you are so inclined, speak up. Historically, naysayers and fear mongering have drowned out the positive voices for change in our town. Let's set a different tone on August 2nd!  

Sweet bonus: As if the prospect of a City Council meeting isn't exciting enough, we will bring delicious WUDONUTS (also known as Donuts) as your reward for attending... but BYO coffee. See you there! 

Open Space Conservation

Photo: Adam Weidenbach

At WUDO, we are committed to keeping you in the know on all things Downtown, but in this post we want to take the time to acknowledge and thank those who are devoted to preserving the open space that we all treasure but may take for granted. For 25 years, The John Muir Land Trust has been quietly acquiring and protecting critical acreage all over Contra Costa County. In the process, they have saved beautiful and historic land from development and protected it’s natural resources and habitats so that we (and generations to come) can enjoy nature close to home.  

Most notably, the John Muir Land Trust, JMLT, worked closely with the U.S. National Park Service to save John Muir’s home and the surrounding land which inspired him in his life’s work of becoming “the Father of the National Parks”. Today countless school fieldtrips and tourists alike visit the site in Martinez to learn and be inspired by his legacy. If you haven’t already, take a day trip this summer to visit America’s most famous naturalist and conservationist’s home, and perhaps picnic under the pecan trees in John Muir’s orchards. 

WUDO was excited to learn that one of the properties saved by JMLT is within the City of Orinda: Bodfish Preserve. Permanently protected by a conservation easement held by JMLT, Bodfish Preserve is just as Margaret Bodfish hoped it would be when she established a trust for her property and its adobe home on Miner Road in 1999. The 7-acre “treasured Orinda property with dream-world woodlands” is open to the public, so add it to your list of places to explore this summer!

JMLT’s current project is the 600-acre Carr Ranch, a gorgeous stretch of iconic East Bay landscape bordering on the Town of Moraga in the Upper San Leandro Watershed. Many things make this project special, but among them is the opportunity to protect Bay Area clean drinking water at its source. You can help the Trust reach their goal of raising $7 million to purchase and close on the sale this month! Once this land is owned and protected by the John Muir Land Trust, we will have access to hiking, biking, equestrian trails and the opportunity to visit pristine land close to home now and for generations to come.

To learn more about the John Muir Land Trust’s many projects or to contribute to the amazing cause, please visit www.jmlt.org 

The Orinda News: Citizen Group Aims to "Spruce Up" Downtown Orinda

In case you missed the May issue of The Orinda News in your Mailbox, yours truly was on the cover! We were so honored to have this great local paper interview members of our steering committee about our interest in downtown renewal! Happy reading! 

WUDO Tees and Hats Now Available at Orinda Books!

By popular demand, we have started printing WUDO's fancy schmancy logo on tee shirts ($25) and hats ($18), which are now available for sale exclusively at Orinda Books (276 Village Square, near the Fire Station). 100% of profits from the sale of WUDO items goes to support our downtown improvement effort - this includes marketing and website costs, community events and more. Our group is 100% volunteer based, so we appreciate the support!

The tees are super soft American Apparel brand, and the cute trucker style hats will keep you cool this summer. Get them while they last and show some Orinda pride. We've had requests for mugs, totes and more, so as the WUDO line expands, we'll keep you posted! 

A Who's Who of Orinda Volunteers

As WUDO has dug into all things Orinda, we have had the opportunity to connect with several groups in town that are doing some great local work. From our parks and libraries to the Orinda News, our town is made up of civic-minded individuals who make this a special place to live. Here is a look at three groups every Orindan should know about. 

If you've spent much time in public libraries, then you probably know that Orinda's is a cut above the rest. It's well-funded, beautiful, modern and a wonderful resource for Orindans of all ages. This is mostly thanks to the Friends of the Orinda Library. 

The library opened in 2001 after the Friend of the Orinda Library raised over $7M to build it from the ground up. (Fun fact: In the process of collecting donation checks, the Friends were surprised to find a single surprise check for $1M had arrived from a very generous library-loving Orindan. Wow!) The library was built as a partnership—the Friends own the physical building, the City of Orinda owns the land, and the library is operated by the Contra Costa County Library system. 

Today, the county funds 35 hours of open time, but our library stays open 60 hours per week thanks to a parcel tax that the Friends spearheaded. And each year the Friends spend some $80,000 to buy 5,000 new books, DVDs and to renew 80+ periodical subscriptions. The Friends also fund all of the library enrichment programs Orindans enjoy including toddler story time, poetry, essay and reading contests, the Mystery Book Club and more. We are fortunate to have a best-in-class library funded by this dedicated group. Learn more or join at www.friendsoftheorindalibrary.org

At last weekend's Orinda Action Day, we learned about the Orinda Community Foundation from Sean Sabarese, one of its trustees. The OCF's Mission is to "enhance the quality of life in Orinda by encouraging philanthropy, building partnerships, and providing financial assistance to support community activities, beautification and the arts." Funded by private donors, the OCF is essentially the dollars behind many of great initiaves we all enjoy. OCF provides grants ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars to worthwhile causes and events. For example, in 2014 the OCF granted more than $30,000 in funds to support the Orinda Fourth of July Parade, various Garden Clubs for public space beautification, Seniors Around Town vans, teen movie nights and more. Learn more or donate at www.orindafoundation.org

If you've ever read the Orinda News, attended the amazing local 4th of July Parade or enjoyed the Orinda Classic Car Show you can thank the Orinda Association. Founded in 1946, the OA is "dedicated to maintaining and improving the quality of life in Orinda, promoting awareness and encouraging dialogue among Orinda residents on issues of importance to the community, and mobilizing volunteer efforts to enhance the beauty, character and security of Orinda." Along with the Orinda News (published monthly and delivered to every home in Orinda) the OA website is a great resource for upcoming events in Orinda and opportunities to volunteer. More info at http://orindaassociation.org

Thanks to all those who generously donate their valuable time and money to make Orinda a town we can be proud of. 

A hearty thank you!

Last night's first WUDO Welcome Wagon was a big success. We want to thank the 80+ supporters and families that joined us at The Fourth Bore to chat and chew on all things downtown. It would be an understatement to say the joint was hopping well past our 9 PM finish time, and the general manager told us that it was a record Thursday night! Wins all around!

We loved hearing all of your ideas for ways to make downtown Orinda more vibrant. We heard conversations about the new businesses you'd like to see in Orinda, and brainstormed some creative ideas for enticing new entrants to the market, like finding a venue for a rotating pop-up store, and bringing in food trucks with an Off-The-Grid type event so the owners could get a better feel for Orinda. We love hearing your ideas and will be thinking about how we might be able to put them into action.

It was great to see our city officials, business owners and staff, kids, grandparents and friends old and new (from Lafayette and Moraga too) come out and show support for The Fourth Bore and for our group. 

We'll be doing more Welcome Wagon events going forward, so stay tuned! We also had requests to purchase our t-shirts with the new WUDO logo, so be on the lookout for info on that. 

Thanks again for your support! 

25A Orinda Way, approved! (with conditions)

On Tuesday evening, the latest plans for a proposed project at 25A Orinda Way were presented and approved by the Planning Commission, but not after lengthy discussion.

In an effort to address issues previously voiced by the Planning Commission and the community, developers Dana and Paul Ugenti of Tandem Real Estate Company made several design changes to the project.  The front facade of the building has been pushed back three feet so the sidewalk now measures between 11” and 8.6” wide, giving a bit more breathing room to pedestrians and outdoor diners while protecting the existing trees which play an important role in screening the structure.

The bird's eye view of the plans for 25A Orinda Way.

A fourth design motif has been added in an attempt to break up the visual massing of the front of the structure, and the applicant worked with the city to reintroduce a “parklet” in front of the building.  This is a temporary structure that will sit on what is now three parking stalls on Orinda Way, and include seating for the public.

Surprisingly, there were few questions or comments from the Planning Commission, although they did mention the importance of the master sign program, and requested that the architect take another pass at the “Spanish Mission” portion of the front facade. They also asked about the second story faux “windows” and how visible parked cars will be through them.

Speakers were evenly divided between unabashed supporters and outright critics. Supporters spoke favorably of the use of space, the aesthetics and the effort to energize foot traffic on Orinda Way.  Critics dinged the use of space, the “cheap” design, and the inability of the retail bays to attract tenants that would energize this part of town.

Ultimately, a motion was made to approve the project ... with three achievable conditions. The conditions were the inclusion of an electronic parking stall counter visible from Orinda Way, Planning Commission approval of the master sign program, and further design development of the “Spanish Mission” portion of the facade.  The motion was passed in a vote of five in favor, one opposed.  

What’s Next

Now that the project has been approved by the Planning Commission, a commercial use permit will be issued and the developers will move swiftly to secure financing and begin construction. To secure financing, they will need letters of intent from tenants for 50 percent of the 18,100 square feet of leasable space.  This is where you come in.

Like many of you, we have a keen interest in the leasing strategy for this space and know it is critical to the success of the project. In our meeting with the Ugentis, Dana, who is the lead on leasing, said she is working to attract tenants that will draw a wide range of residents downtown. She seems to recognize that many young families who have moved here from San Francisco and Oakland are missing amenities they traded for Orinda’s great schools and safe neighborhoods.

WUDO is advocating for businesses that will excite families and bring some evening options to the Village end of town, and that will stay open on the weekends. Ideas have included a kid-friendly “play cafe”, a Super Duper (burgers and shakes), Mixt Greens (salads), Pacific Catch, a One Medical Group outpost, a shared workspace, a bike or sportswear shop, clothing boutique, fitness or dance studios and more. The Ugentis have made it clear that a mix of national chains and local retailers are needed to make the project profitable. And they say they welcome our ideas.

Send In Your Ideas

Many of you have contacted us to share your ideas and we have passed some of those along, and we ask that you continue to provide your feedback directly to Tandem.  If you know of businesses that would be great additions to Orinda, now is the time to speak up. Right now. We urge you to email your thoughts Dana Ugenti at dana.ugenti@gmail.com. She says she will work with Tandem’s commercial leasing agency, SRS Real Estate Partners, to attract the purveyors Orindans desire.

But they only know what we want if we tell them.