Blair Park Development Backers Show Off Master Plan Over Coffee

What was billed as a rally for the proposed development of Blair Park Sunday turned out to be more like a coffee hour.

Piedmonters walking their dogs and running errands in the city center stopped to socialize with members of the Piedmont Recreation Facilities Organization's board who had set up colorful renderings of the along the edge of Piedmont Park and were handing out bagels, coffee and lemonade.

The Piedmont Soccer Club moved its regular U6 soccer game from Witter Field to Piedmont Park for the event.

"It's for these kids—the little kids," said Clarence Mamuyac, the architect of the proposed development, pointing to the five- and six-year-olds playing on the nearby grass. "My kids are old and smelly."

Some passersby had questions about the final master plan, which incorporates several notable changes from the original design. The whole project has been shifted 30 feet east, improving the sight lines from the exit of the west parking lot and allowing the maximum height of the rear retaining wall to be reduced from 35' to 33'. A sidewalk along Moraga Avenue and a roundabout with a pedestrian crossing at Maxwelton Road have also been added. The baseball/softball dugout has been flipped to the northeast corner of the planned turf field, eliminating the need for a protruding retaining wall along Moraga.

The master plan also now shows that the planned grass field, dog run, and concession stand would not be built until Phase II. In response to when Phase II would start, the answer was as soon as all the money for construction has been raised. Mamuyac said PRFO was still hoping to build the whole project in one fell swoop, rather than in phases, speculating that funders would come out of the woodwork once the proposed development has received the final go ahead. 

One older man walking his dog questioned how the development could be termed a "gift", as the backers have repeatedly referred to it in their promotional materials. PRFO President Jessica Berg responded that it would be built with private funds.

"I think that's a gift. You don't think that's a gift?," Berg retorted.

A City Council hearing on the final master plan for Blair Park is scheduled for Dec. 5. The project will then be subject to design review.