Lake Merritt BART Station & Chinatown Planning Project--an Overview

BART, the City of Oakland, and other agencies and organizations have begun the development of a comprehensive plan for the Lake Merritt BART Station/Chinatown area. The June 2nd RUD Forum will discuss the complex planning issues and diverse community ideas that will be encountered over the next two years. Community, BART, City, and representatives will present an overview.

The BART Administration Building, at the Lake Merritt BART Station, is being removed and the open space will be returned to the community by the end of 2009. BART, the City of Oakland and the Chinatown community have to organize to develop a comprehensive plan for the area. A preliminary set of Guiding Principles has been assembled from community groups which include specific ideas for improved public safety, increased employment and job training, housing, open space, business, transportation, cultural preservation, and health. The area has a complicated physical configuration which presents significant urban design challenges. The demographics are dynamic and diverse. Laney College is on south side of the project area, Lake Merritt is on the east, the freeway on the west and Chinatown to the north. The planning process will be intensive, and challenging. Representatives from the Community, BART, Oakland Planning Department, and Laney College, have been invited to attend. Over the course of the project, opportunities for involvement should emerge for architects, landscape architects, planners, urban designers, and other specialized consultants. You are invited to attend for an overview of this important local project as it begins with a discussion by representatives of many of the key decision-making organizations.

6/2/09

Lake Merritt BART Station & Chinatown Planning Project--an Overview

This forum will discuss the complex planning issues & diverse community ideas that will be encountered over the next two years of developing a comprehensive plan for this Oakland neighborhood. Presented by the Regional Urban Design Forum

Time: Noon - 1:30pm

Location: AIA East Bay Chapter Office, 1405 Clay Street, Oakland.

Cost: None, this program open to all

1.5 CES/LUs

For more information: 510/464-3600 or Douglas Frazier, AIA