Blair Park Landscaping Plan on City Council Agenda

The Piedmont City Council is expected to approve on Monday a $15,000 agreement with Restoration Design Group, a Berkeley-based landscape architecture firm, for a landscaping plan for Blair Park.

The group's proposal to the city stresses the park's potential as a gateway to the city, a bird habitat and a peaceful spot for neighborhood park users. 

It also suggests that a longer-term vision could include daylighting the creek that now flows beneath the park through a storm drain.

The plan was part of a settlement agreement between the Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC) and the City of Piedmont reached last year.

The FOMC had filed a lawsuit challenging the city's handling of environmental concerns about a controversial proposed sports field for the park, which is located on Moraga Avenue.

Restoration Design Group has extensive experience in natural open space restoration, according to a staff report prepared for the city council by Public Works Director Chester Nakahara.

"Repeated visits to Blair Park have revealed its potential as a gateway into the City of Piedmont, as excellent urban bird habitat, and as a sanctuary for neighborhood park users," the Restoration Design Group said in its proposal to the city.

"Designing a new roadside planting plan and upgrading site features (e.g., trash receptacles, signage) will enhance the park's function as a gateway.

"Replacing ivy and other invasive weeds with a native understory will improve bird habitat on site.

"Creation of a small network of paths on site will augment park users’ experience while passively exploring the site and enjoying its natural features.

"The landscape improvement plan will focus on 'low impact' changes to the open space. However, if the City is interested, the plan could lead to a bolder,more long‐term vision for the site.

"Blair Park is at the headwaters of the Glen Echo Creek (sometimes referred to as Cemetery Creek) watershed.

"The creek flows below the park in a storm drain. The landscape improvement plan could set a long term vision to daylight the creek through the site.

"The addition of a water feature would greatly benefit birds and create an even more tranquil,soothing setting for park users.

"The proposed low impact landscape improvement plan could design the site to accommodate and even stimulate future large scale improvements

"We understand that Blair Park has had competing proposals in the recent past and we intend to design a project that will help heal relations and reinforce the decision to keep Blair Park in a natural condition."

The city council will meet Monday. Aug. 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers, 120 Vista Ave. You may see the complete meeting agenda and accompanying staff reports here on the City of Piedmont website.