At the October 15, 2020 BPAC meeting, Marquita Price, Director of Urban and Regional Planning for the East Oakland Collective, and David Ralston, PhD, MCP, Research fellow at the Brower Dellums Institute for Sustainable Policy and Action presented on the San Leandro Creek Greenway and community engagement for the project. The San Leandro Creek Greenway is an incoming bike and pedestrian trail being built along the surfaced San Leandro Creek running behind the neighborhoods of Columbia Gardens, Brookfield, and Sobrante Park.

Learn more about the project on the project website.

The presentation is below, as well as the 90% design plans for intersections where the greenway will cross major roadways at Hegenberger Road and 98th Avenue, and notes from the discussion.

About the Greenway

• Approximately 1.2 miles of the San Leandro Creek runs through Deep East Oakland starting from Sobrante Park, passing through Columbia Gardens pouring into the San Leandro Bay at the MLK Jr. Shoreline Park. We vision a Greenway along this part of the creek to turn this space from a place of dumping & other unwanted activities, to a community asset where existing local people can access the green space and trails along the creekside.
• This work is grounded in the research and community feedback led by the ISPSA team with students of the Merritt College’s Intro to Sustainability courses.

Presentation

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90% Design Plans for Greenway Intersections

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Summary of Discussion

• The project will help connect East Oakland residents to services along 98th Ave as well as to the airport and the Martin Luther King Jr Regional Shoreline, overcoming barriers created by I-880, the railroad, and major roadways.
• The path will provide a safe route for bicyclists and pedestrians by creating an off-street route, and the BPAC should spend more time considering trails.
• The trail may flood, and this has been considered both in light of sea level rise and king tides. There are examples from other cities, including San Jose, with managing trails that flood periodically.
• Alameda County is the lead on the project, with grant funding from the State’s Active Transportation Program and the Transformative Climate Communities Program.
• A maintenance and operations agreement is needed before the trail can be opened. The East Bay Regional Park District, Alameda County, and City of Oakland are at the table where this is being discussed. There is also a role for community-based organizations providing stewardship.
• At Hegenberger Rd and 98th Ave, crossing improvements will be made to get trail users across these major roadways.
• Brookfield Elementary School and Aspire Lionel Wilson College Preparatory Academy, both located close to the creek, are community partners to the project.
• Commissioner Jones offered to write a letter on behalf of the BPAC to the East Bay Regional Parks District urging them to include the trail on their maps which could help the project in seeking funding.

A motion to support the San Leandro Creek Urban Greenway and seek opportunities to advocate for the project was made (Campbell), seconded (Burnette), and approved by consent.