HNA News: 2/5 Disaster Prep Mtg. Cancelled, Transit Village, etc.

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Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter*

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In This Newsletter

1. CANCELLED!!! Disaster Prep Subcommittee Meeting, Sunday, Feb. 5, 4-6 p.m.

2. Ashby BART Transit Village Response from Fred Dodsworth

3. Another Ashby BART Transit Village Link

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1. CANCELLED!!! Disaster Prep Subcommittee Meeting, Sunday, Feb. 5, 4-6 p.m.

Oops! Without thinking, we scheduled this meeting on Superbowl Sunday, so we're cancelling and will have another date on the calendar for this important meeting soon. Watch for the new date. And in the meantime, enjoy your Superbowl party (or your quiet time away from the cultural vortex)!

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2. Ashby BART Transit Village Response from Fred Dodsworth

The following response was received regarding the recent Transit Village Update in the last HNA E-Newsletter (see http://halcyoncourt.blogspot.com/  Weds. Feb. 1, item 2,  for full article ) :

Regarding:
[[ * Some neighbors want the current CalTrans grant application to be withdrawn as a sort of community a "time-out" because:
  * it includes homes up to 1/4 mile away in area described for development,

        * the South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation named in the application to  manage grant funds is an unknown entity to most people,
  * they want full consideration of the possible risks of this grant application in light of recent California Transit Village legislation and Supreme Court rulings re eminent domain.]]

Halcyon neighbors:

This portion [excerpted above] of the discussion is a deliberate misstatement of the facts.

The planning process doesn't include anything beyond the outer perimeter of the parking lot. The application only identifies the surrounding 1/2 mile, because BART considers its impact area to cover that area, so the proposed planning process took that into account.

For better or worse, and I've heard both, the applicant,  South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation, has been in the community for many years.

"California Transit Village legislation and Supreme Court rulings re eminent domain" are irrelevant. The application is for a planning process, not a 'Transit Village Development District.' Only governmental authorities, like the city or the county could create a  'Transit Village Development District.' The city is on-record as not seeking the designation and Councilmember Anderson's agenda item on the council calendar for next Tuesday [Feb. 7] would specifically exclude that option on the city's behalf.

I've heard a great deal of deliberately misstated arguments against this proposal. Whether or not the city or the neighborhood want development on the Ashby BART parking lot, no one is served by deception.

Fred Dodsworth

(only speaking as a Berkeley resident who works in the Halcyon/South Berkeley neighborhood)

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3. Another Ashby BART Transit Village Link

Another article by neighbor Robert Lauriston ("Commentary: Stop the Ashby BART Grant") appeared in the weekend edition (Feb. 3-6) of the Berkeley Daily Planet: http://www.berkeleydailyplanet.com/article.cfm?issue=02-03-06&storyID=23360

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The Halcyon Neighborhood Association E-Newsletter:  The HNA E-Newsletter forwards occasional crime watch notices as well as announcements about events of interest to neighbors in the Ashby/Telegraph/Woolsey/Adeline area of south Berkeley. If you're receiving this email, either you signed up at a neighborhood event or a neighbor may have forwarded it to you. Please note that to prevent spam, HNA always uses bcc and does not share your email address with third parties. If you wish to be removed from this list, please reply to HNA Co-Chair Nancy Carleton/Halcyon Neighborhood Association <ngc2@mindspring.com>. Please feel free to pass the HNA E-Newsletter on to other neighbors you think might be interested.

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