An all-volunteer committee has prepared recommendations for pedestrian and traffic improvements at the intersections of Lakeshore/Lake Park Avenues and Lakeshore/MacArthur Blvd. and for northbound Lakeshore between MacArthur and Lake Park. Please read and weigh in. Your input is important!

Oakland Heritage Alliance seeks nominations for its 2008 Partners in Preservation Awards to honor those whose work and efforts have demonstrated a commitment to excellence in historic preservation. Nominations must be postmarked by April 21. Awards will be given on May 8.

The City will prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) regarding a proposal to build a 42-story condo building on the site of the historic Schilling Garden near Lake Merritt. The City invites comments from the public regarding the scope of the EIR at either of two upcoming hearings (November 28 and December 10) or in writing until December 10.

The recent meeting sponsored by the developers of the proposed 42-story development that would sit on the site of the historic Schilling Garden was more a display of rhetoric than reasoned discussion. Oakland’s preapplication/predevelopment process should be reviewed and restructured to provide a forum for achieving community consensus and better urban planning—not merely a mechanism for developers to create the appearance of support from a lopsided selection of “community representatives.”

The proposed 42-story, 457-foot-tall Emerald Views project would become the tallest building in Oakland and the tallest Bay Area building outside of San Francisco. It would be three to four times taller than the two historic apartment buildings immediately adjacent. It is separated from other relatively very tall buildings by 900 feet or more.

Tile expert Riley Doty and historian Joe Taylor will discuss the new Golden Age of California tile this Thursday (Valentine’s Day) at 7:30 PM at Chapel of the Chimes. The lecture—open to the public—is part of Oakland Heritage Alliance’s Thursday Lecture Series.

Developer David O’Keefe will sponsor a public meeting Tuesday evening, July 31, to discuss his proposed 42-story building on the shores of Lake Merritt on the site of the Schilling Garden, adjacent to Snow Park.