It was a busy week for those seeking to learn more about Measure B.
Tuesday’s night’s joint Council/Board of Education meeting was long. Several blogs posted coverage of it including: http://johnknoxwhite.com/, The Island http://www.theislandofalameda.com/2010/01/on-point-the-prisoner/ and Lauren Do http://www.laurendo.com/ (The Nogotiator, 1/7/10).
Thursday night, the League of Women Voters hosted an excellent forum on the pros and cons of Measure B. The conference room was filled beyond capacity as many Alamedans – and not just the usual suspects – sought to learn more about Measure B.
AAPR’s Honora Murphy was excellent in presenting an Alamedan’s perspective on the necessity of moving forward with transforming the deteriorating former Base into a usable, vibrant community that all can benefit from. SunCal’s Pat Keliher answered the many excellent questions asked by the audience.
The opposition’s Dave Needles focused on the need to examine the initiative in a vacuum as if there are no such things as Disposition and Development Agreements, Business Plans, or Environmental Impact Reports. At several points it became obvious that Needles does not support the actual land plan for the Base either, with its planned mix of housing types and walkable neighborhood, leaving one to wonder if focusing on fears about the initiative is simply a ruse to prevent a sustainable, mixed-use development at all.
Needles concluded by stating that the City of Alameda has all the expertise needed to take on the master developer role. One wonders if perhaps the City’s dogcatcher isn’t terribly busy and could take on this role.
