The amount of litter and junk on the side of the roads (especially areas like 880 and Emeryville underpasses) is shocking and disturbing. When people visit Oakland by plane this is the first impression they get of our city. Oakland needs a strong beautification program in which non-violent criminals (ie. marijuana offenses, repeat traffic citations, etc) can reduce their jail sentences by picking up trash, pulling weeds, and repainting walls covered in ugly graffiti. Wouldn't it restore these down-and-out people with a sense of purpose ? Wouldn't it instill a feeling of pride in one's neighborhood? Would it not build stronger communities? For the amount of criminals in this city and crowded jail cells we could have the cleanest city in the country!
The bookmark for this page is "City of Oakland." That's sloppy web design and it results in a confusing bookmark that gets lost amidst other Oakland-related bookmarksk.
There are many neighborhood groups that have started sponsoring trash can mosaics. But there are many many many more ugly trash cans to cover. Everyone loves them, so we need a simple way to match sponsors (businesses, neighbors, etc) with trash cans and mosaic artists. Old Oakland Neighbors has created a simple video and sponsorship page which has worked well to cover over a dozen trash cans in Old Oakland: https://www.gofundme.com/oldoaklandmosaics . But we need a way to scale this idea city wide!
https://www.facebook.com/OldOakDistrict/posts/10153941642742174
We're trying to figure out how many 2 and 3 bedrooms are planned for downtown. Simple question, but it is cumbersome and manual and incomplete. Here is our attempt at tracking units in the pipeline downtown: https://infogr.am/unit_mix_of_projects_in_oakland_pipeline
Everyone is very concerned about all the new development "popping up" but the reality is that this information is known well in advance of the final City Hall meeting when it is approved. The information is online, but it's not very accessible and most residents aren't actively monitoring it to see if a new development is going up on a vacant parking lot near by. I've been told by city staff that the only way to tell if there is a property of interest is to scan the planning commission agendas every week to see if there is a new address being discussed. What we really need is a simple map residents can monitor. A lot of neighborhood tension could be relieved by simply having more accessible information at the right time.
We need a simple data set attached to a map that shows: project name, developer, city staff, status, proposed total units, current unit mix, impt milestone dates, link to staff reports, etc...
The City has been using the same pdf template for the last 15+ years: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/ceda/documents/agenda/oak049918.pdf It is not sortable and does not include proposed unit mixes (# studios, one bedrooms, 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms). It is also not clear when public feedback would be useful, and what the best way is to give that feedback. It is also only a list of Major Projects, not every project.
There is a little more info on Major Projects at http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/PBN/OurOrganization/PlanningZoning/index.htm but the reality is that even a small project next door to you might seem like a major deal.
It would be awesome if the public could see the pipeline data and filter it in a way that would be useful for them. For example, we created this manually: https://infogr.am/downtown_oakland_condo_development and it was not easy!! Furthermore, it is not complete as the multi-family data is virtually inaccessible.
As it stands now, most Oaklanders wait till the media puts out a list on residential and commercial construction: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/feature/oakland-structures/2015/ But even then it's outdated the minute it's published.
I hope the City will invest in this proposal as it is a critical need during this time of rapid change, development and displacement.
Please upload clean searchable color pdfs of staff reports and attachments. In particular, the architectural submittals to the Planning Commission are very hard to read when they are black and white scanned images. It is difficult for the community to give or gather feedback when the staff reports are so hard to consume. There are likely several ways to improve this process but at a minimum the staff reports should be searchable, the architectural renderings should be in color, and the pdfs should be original acrobat documents, not scanned files.
For example, the architectural drawings in this document are completely illegible:
http://www2.oaklandnet.com/oakca1/groups/ceda/documents/agenda/oak056266.pdf
Trash is unsightly and makes the environment less enjoyable. I've seen people intentionally littering. Maybe an ad campaign might change people's attitudes? It's hard to catch people littering, but the police might be able to catch some litterers. Perhaps the city could sponsor trash pickup events for neighborhoods or public areas and parks. For illegal dumping perhaps cameras in problematic areas could help?
It's hard to attend community meetings when no end-time is published. It is a small detail but could result in more people attending.
The downtown specific plan is being conducted by a Coral Gables-based consulting firm. Our planning director moved here from the East Coast just a few years ago. The group guiding the process is SPUR, an SF-based advocacy organization. It's hard for me to trust the process when it's being managed entirely by outsiders. Why couldn't an Oakland-based organization such as OCO be part of the public outreach process?
PLAN DOWNTOWN OAKLAND – MAKE OAKLAND SENIOR FRIENDLY http://speakupoakland.org/projects/plan-downtown-oakland
10-14-15
PUBLIC SEATING AREAS ARE NOT SENIOR FRIENDLY AS SEATING IS TOO LOW FOR SENIORS.
Most times we have to plop down and the seats are much lower than we expect and we almost fall over backwards.
most times we have difficulty getting up and need help because the seating is so low. We could do this on our own if some seats were higher.
NOT SENIOR FRIENDLY This is true on BART trains, public bus stops, park areas benches, auditoriums, movie theaters, toilets, paratransit cars, etc. etc.
All seating should be marked for others to give up seats when required not only for handicap, but also for seniors like is done on the BART TRAINS.
INDEPENDENT SENIOR HOUSING: whether they put in large or small refrigerators on the floor, seniors can not reach the vegetable areas without falling over because they are simply TOO LOW and with high blood pressure seniors are apt to fall when bending down to access produce.
Some seating should be higher to accommodate not only small or large people but SENIORS as well.
Improve the quality of SENIOR SKILLED NURSING FACILITIES. Most are abysmal and no one from the city, it seems, checks on the quality of staff, food, maintenance, etc. The food quality is generally horrible and has not been updated as they are now in the schools. Why can’t seniors in these facilities have a MENU selection, instead of potatoes, morning, noon, and night. Why can’t we hire better licensed dieticians. The facilities are not adequately staffed with licensed qualified staff around the clock. Who oversees this from the city to ensure the county and the state are doing their jobs. My family has suffered in these facilities.
STREET SIGNS Ensure signage is large enough to be seen clearly by seniors and those with vision issues, whether walking or driving.
Ensure there are sufficient handicap zones around public buildings, theaters, museums, movie theaters. Improving biking facilities is fine, but think of the seniors as well.
Seniors have difficulty parking in the parking lots and getting to city services in Ogawa Plaza. Inadequate signs to direct you to the correct building. TOO MUCH WALKING. One always, it seems gets directed to the wrong building for services. For me, it’s a nightmare.
The best thing Oakland has is Seniors do not have to pay for parking. It is a lifesave for me in terms of money and in terms of walking. SENIOR HOTLINE have an automated senior hotline where seniors can leave messages for the City of Oakland. The automated tree directories are a mess and too often go no where.
I see new commercial, residential and mixed use developments going up all over downtown, but I don't see very many new public trash enclosures being installed in the downtown area. I don't know what the City currently requires developers to do, but it seems like additional trash cans should be required, just like street trees, new sidewalks and bike racks. The existing trash cans are getting overwhelmed, and worse yet, littering increases and pollutes our waterways. New developments bring new workers and residents, so more trash capacity just makes sense.
My fiance and I just bought a condo in Old Oakland and we love it. The new stores and restaurants have made the area so lively and give it a great neighborhood feel. We cannot wait to have and raise kids here. However, I think in order to make downtown more livable, it's necessary to add a grocery store like Trader Joe's or Safeway. Smart n' Final is great for some simple items but doesn't really bring people to the neighborhood. A store like Trader Joe's or Safeway would offer a wider variety of food and would therefore bring more people to shop in the area.
The people of Oakland need practical places to shop for our families and we need hip places to shop with our friends. Right now if you need department store items we have to head to Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Emeryville. If you want to have a fun shopping day Berkeley 4th street, Walnut Creek, San Francisco. Temescal is our only hip spot and it is small. Montclair is a MISSED Opportunity!! And all of our other sweet neighborhoods could be real quaint, distinct destination revenue zones.
We need to keep working families in Oakland and need to provide apartments and condos that are big enough for 4 people and maybe have outdoor balconies or common areas where kids can play. This is needed downtown as well as in the neighborhoods.
There are many low income young residents with plenty of time and energy who don’t have the opportunity to enroll or be part of after school activities. Perhaps the local young adults with the desire to teach and lead others can play the important role here and be given the opportunity to step in. Activity possibilities can include realistic, interesting and low budget options (breakdancing, friendly rap sessions, Zumba, late hours courts open for sports, homework center, etc.). Maybe students and young residents can provide feedback as to what would be ideal to make a difference for themselves, their peers, and community.
Many decisions are made about city operations and services that affect the quality of life of residents. It would be helpful if residents had opportunities for public feedback and education at the earliest points of consideration - before matters are voted on by the Council.