Comments on: Chris Kidd: Sim City is fun, Sim Oakland is *funner* http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10 The Continuing Story of a City Fri, 10 Sep 2010 01:02:50 +0000 hourly 1 By: livegreen http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-239879 livegreen Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:59:33 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-239879 Naomi, Agreed, as I see IDLF does too. Unfortunately I'm not so sure about JB. At the Oakland Economic Summit a few months ago she said she wanted to see stores there to help provide entry level jobs, if only they can figure out how to not turn the port into a parking lot. (Well, isn't that part of the problem?...) Naomi, Agreed, as I see IDLF does too. Unfortunately I’m not so sure about JB.

At the Oakland Economic Summit a few months ago she said she wanted to see stores there to help provide entry level jobs, if only they can figure out how to not turn the port into a parking lot. (Well, isn’t that part of the problem?…)

]]> By: Naomi Schiff http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-237630 Naomi Schiff Mon, 13 Jul 2009 23:54:10 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-237630 And some of us agree with Tagami that we shouldn't put a bunch of big box on the army base land either. And some of us agree with Tagami that we shouldn’t put a bunch of big box on the army base land either.

]]> By: Chris Kidd http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-237367 Chris Kidd Mon, 13 Jul 2009 21:14:45 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-237367 John, I don't think you'll have much to fear from increased retail in the central estuary specific plan. The general consensus among stakeholders at the last meeting was that most retail services are adequately met by the surrounding Fruitvale and Alameda neighborhoods. The thinking was that any increase in retail for the area would be in scale with the increase in population/density. John, I don’t think you’ll have much to fear from increased retail in the central estuary specific plan. The general consensus among stakeholders at the last meeting was that most retail services are adequately met by the surrounding Fruitvale and Alameda neighborhoods. The thinking was that any increase in retail for the area would be in scale with the increase in population/density.

]]> By: John Klein http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-237223 John Klein Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:39:42 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-237223 One of the things I've been thinking more and more about as I trapse around Oakland looking for killer view corridors (Hi, Joe D.!) is: what is the plan? By this I mean we've got the revival of Uptown and gathering strength in the CBD. We also have several new retail, office, and restaurant projects at Jack London, which are mostly vacant, sorry to say. Yet, we want more - more development downtown, including residential, office space, etc. Now, we see plans for the Army base coming forward. One plan promotes business development mostly while the other is a mix, including retail and office. Part of what I see is that it appears the CBD, the Port, and the Army base are, and will be, competing for the same jobs and retail dollars. If each of these three areas become as successful as everyone would like, we would have an Oakland that is completely different than now - as in COMPLETELY different. Is there a plan on this scale, a plan that shows how these three areas integrate, if that is the right way to think about it? Would it be beneficial or helpful to look at how each of these three areas hurt/help each other? Seems like it could be kind of important. One of the things I’ve been thinking more and more about as I trapse around Oakland looking for killer view corridors (Hi, Joe D.!) is: what is the plan?

By this I mean we’ve got the revival of Uptown and gathering strength in the CBD. We also have several new retail, office, and restaurant projects at Jack London, which are mostly vacant, sorry to say.

Yet, we want more – more development downtown, including residential, office space, etc. Now, we see plans for the Army base coming forward. One plan promotes business development mostly while the other is a mix, including retail and office.

Part of what I see is that it appears the CBD, the Port, and the Army base are, and will be, competing for the same jobs and retail dollars.

If each of these three areas become as successful as everyone would like, we would have an Oakland that is completely different than now – as in COMPLETELY different.

Is there a plan on this scale, a plan that shows how these three areas integrate, if that is the right way to think about it? Would it be beneficial or helpful to look at how each of these three areas hurt/help each other? Seems like it could be kind of important.

]]> By: Chris Kidd http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-237112 Chris Kidd Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:27:27 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-237112 Yes, retention of industry (and jobs in general) is very important in Oakland. The problem with the CESP area is that there is a significant population already embedded within this industrial area, across the freeway in the Fruitvale, and across the Estuary in Alameda. From a public health standpoint, the heavy poluting industry within the CESP is a huge liability. If the CESP area is going to further increase its housing density (the Tidewater alone will see to that), whether that housing is condos or otherwise, then the heavy polution becomes an even larger liability. I think Oakland should do everything in their power to help these businesses relocate within city limits, but relocate they must. Rather than replace the heavy industry with housing, they should be replaced with other business and industrial uses that have a higher jobs-to-acres density and have a lower carbon footprint than their current uses. Part of the user fees generated by new housing development could be redirected to infrastructural upgrades that would make the CESP area attractive to these types of businesses. Now, you could definitely call this pie-in-the-sky thinking, but I'm not really sure of any other way to both help retain and grow business and industry in the area while also helping address some of the unacceptable public health risks for current residents and the sure-to-increase residents of the future. Yes, retention of industry (and jobs in general) is very important in Oakland. The problem with the CESP area is that there is a significant population already embedded within this industrial area, across the freeway in the Fruitvale, and across the Estuary in Alameda. From a public health standpoint, the heavy poluting industry within the CESP is a huge liability. If the CESP area is going to further increase its housing density (the Tidewater alone will see to that), whether that housing is condos or otherwise, then the heavy polution becomes an even larger liability. I think Oakland should do everything in their power to help these businesses relocate within city limits, but relocate they must. Rather than replace the heavy industry with housing, they should be replaced with other business and industrial uses that have a higher jobs-to-acres density and have a lower carbon footprint than their current uses. Part of the user fees generated by new housing development could be redirected to infrastructural upgrades that would make the CESP area attractive to these types of businesses.
Now, you could definitely call this pie-in-the-sky thinking, but I’m not really sure of any other way to both help retain and grow business and industry in the area while also helping address some of the unacceptable public health risks for current residents and the sure-to-increase residents of the future.

]]> By: Ralph http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-237078 Ralph Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:02:15 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-237078 Oakland needs to define its place in the BAy Area. It seems like to much time is spent trying to figure out how best to cut up a shrinking pie to service those who can't service themselves. We need to grow the pie, but how. Oakland is not going to be the center of engineering innovation - the Valley seems to have a lock on that. Oakland is not going to be the WC financial center, SF holds that title. One problem of course is Oakland would appear to lack any one concentration of professional types. With UCB in our back door their should be some type of oppty to be the hub of some new innovation. Dellums, god bless his small mind has tried, but he is low on details. Green jobs are nice, train them up so that they me be employable in green industry is even nicer, but not having a clear path to how we going to be the center of developing green technology makes the former moot. For whatever we are going to present to the world we need to lay the infrastructure. I must have been channelling Naomi this am as I too was wondering what makes the best housing options. I would love to see a mix of condos in the Uptown area. But as I spread west across Telegraph, I would love for nothing more than for some of the older more decrepit looking housing to be bulldozed and replaced with new single family homes. You can add condos to the mix but I envision residential sub-areas with neighborhood eateries. I can't recall who it was that has walked the city and noted just how small it is, but the land west of telegraph east to the lake should really be a set of connected walking neighborhoods because it is small. Oakland needs to define its place in the BAy Area. It seems like to much time is spent trying to figure out how best to cut up a shrinking pie to service those who can’t service themselves. We need to grow the pie, but how. Oakland is not going to be the center of engineering innovation – the Valley seems to have a lock on that. Oakland is not going to be the WC financial center, SF holds that title. One problem of course is Oakland would appear to lack any one concentration of professional types. With UCB in our back door their should be some type of oppty to be the hub of some new innovation.

Dellums, god bless his small mind has tried, but he is low on details. Green jobs are nice, train them up so that they me be employable in green industry is even nicer, but not having a clear path to how we going to be the center of developing green technology makes the former moot. For whatever we are going to present to the world we need to lay the infrastructure.

I must have been channelling Naomi this am as I too was wondering what makes the best housing options. I would love to see a mix of condos in the Uptown area. But as I spread west across Telegraph, I would love for nothing more than for some of the older more decrepit looking housing to be bulldozed and replaced with new single family homes. You can add condos to the mix but I envision residential sub-areas with neighborhood eateries.

I can’t recall who it was that has walked the city and noted just how small it is, but the land west of telegraph east to the lake should really be a set of connected walking neighborhoods because it is small.

]]> By: Naomi Schiff http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-236988 Naomi Schiff Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:06:46 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-236988 The market is not speaking so loudly right now, so I wonder if anybody has started to think of what our new model of development should really be? The thing that unnerves me about some of these discussions is it keeps seeming like we are planning for the last ten years, instead of the next ten years. For example: as above, how to preserve organic growth of small business, art enterprises, and other locally-owned initiatives as and where they spring up? Are condominiums the only model for housing development moving forward? Are there ways to encourage industrial businesses rather than send them away? The market is not speaking so loudly right now, so I wonder if anybody has started to think of what our new model of development should really be? The thing that unnerves me about some of these discussions is it keeps seeming like we are planning for the last ten years, instead of the next ten years. For example: as above, how to preserve organic growth of small business, art enterprises, and other locally-owned initiatives as and where they spring up? Are condominiums the only model for housing development moving forward? Are there ways to encourage industrial businesses rather than send them away?

]]> By: Chris Kidd http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-236971 Chris Kidd Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:57:17 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-236971 James, I believe there are more than a few artist co-ops in East Oakland. The Vulcan down on San Leandro Blvd comes to mind immediately, but there are others as well. Gentrification of pre-existing vibrant regions, especially those with an embarrasment of cultural riches like Jingletown, need to be handled delicately. Developers can, in these neighborhoods, sometimes have what I call the "Baby Huey" effect. In the rush to take advantage of what makes a neighborhood so interesting, they can end up crushing it through a monoculture of use and socio-economic background. A controlled, gradual approach to development can help retain the aspects of the area that make it so attractive in the first place. Sometimes developers need to be protected from themselves. Besides, if a developer is looking to cut a gentrified neighborhood out of whole cloth, the soon-to-be-zoned-HBX Tidewater region should be ripe with opportunity. James, I believe there are more than a few artist co-ops in East Oakland. The Vulcan down on San Leandro Blvd comes to mind immediately, but there are others as well.
Gentrification of pre-existing vibrant regions, especially those with an embarrasment of cultural riches like Jingletown, need to be handled delicately. Developers can, in these neighborhoods, sometimes have what I call the “Baby Huey” effect. In the rush to take advantage of what makes a neighborhood so interesting, they can end up crushing it through a monoculture of use and socio-economic background. A controlled, gradual approach to development can help retain the aspects of the area that make it so attractive in the first place. Sometimes developers need to be protected from themselves.
Besides, if a developer is looking to cut a gentrified neighborhood out of whole cloth, the soon-to-be-zoned-HBX Tidewater region should be ripe with opportunity.

]]> By: livegreen http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-235871 livegreen Mon, 13 Jul 2009 06:12:36 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-235871 Joe, Do they even care where the heavy industry goes? I think they need to, but in the past the City has just kissed those businesses and the jobs that go with them goodbye. I'd be very curious about whether this happens again. I'm all for relocating them as long as they're not totally lost, as long as some light industrial is truly kept (including some businesses there now), and new green & other businesses are brought in for some blue collar employment. It's going to take work to get to a well rounded, holistic plan that builds a real business-living eco-system. Including for people who work there but live on the other side of 880... Joe, Do they even care where the heavy industry goes? I think they need to, but in the past the City has just kissed those businesses and the jobs that go with them goodbye.

I’d be very curious about whether this happens again. I’m all for relocating them as long as they’re not totally lost, as long as some light industrial is truly kept (including some businesses there now), and new green & other businesses are brought in for some blue collar employment.

It’s going to take work to get to a well rounded, holistic plan that builds a real business-living eco-system. Including for people who work there but live on the other side of 880…

]]> By: James Robinson http://www.abetteroakland.com/chris-kidd-sim-city-is-fun-sim-oakland-is-funner/2009-07-10/comment-page-1#comment-235699 James Robinson Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:23:51 +0000 http://www.abetteroakland.com/?p=3363#comment-235699 Why can't artists and stable blue-collar folk just move to East Oakland? We need all the help we can get. Let the market speak, let gentrification happen Why can’t artists and stable blue-collar folk just move to East Oakland? We need all the help we can get. Let the market speak, let gentrification happen

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