Dropping the Blair Park Sports Field Project: Official Responses

Official comments were largely low-key Friday after the City of Piedmont announced that City Administrator Geoffrey Grote and representatives of the Piedmont Recreational Facilities Organization (PRFO) will jointly ask the Piedmont City Council to rescind its approval of the controversial Blair Park sports field project.

"The cost to complete the environmental work leading to project approval, including the cost of City oversight, was many times greater than the City and PRFO had anticipated, and the parties have not yet reached agreement on how to apportion the significant costs, although discussions are ongoing," the announcement said.

" ... Because of the significant administrative costs that have already been paid by PRFO to the City and its lawyers, and indications that there could be further unanticipated and significant future costs, as well as an inability to resolve the need for such services and who will manage and pay for these services, and after extended negotiations with the leadership of PRFO, the City Council
will consider rescinding its approval of the project at its May 7th meeting."

The request, along with a public hearing on the matter, will be on the agenda for the council's May 7 meeting. (You may read the text of the announcement and see the notice of the public hearing in this article. They are also available on the City of Piedmont website.)

"Friends of Moraga Canyon is very pleased to hear that the City Council has finally recognized the excessive costs and liabilities of this misguided project and now plans to rescind its approval and terminate the project," said Jim Semitokol of FOMC in a statement Friday afternoon.

"We await, with anticipation, the Council's action on May 7 and are reserving further comments until after that date."

Jessica Berg, PRFO president, said by phone Friday afternoon that it's important to note that PRFO took the initiative in withdrawing its proposal.

"We are taking some time to regroup," she said. "We had to be good stewards of the donations we have received. The costs were much greater than we anticipated."

She said PRFO is not considering other potential sites for soccer fields.

Oakland City Council member Libby Schaaf, who has spoken against the project at public hearings, said in a phone message:

"I'm very thrilled to learn that city staff is recommending the termination of approval for the Moraga Canyon sports complex. I consider it a victory for the  Oakland residents who would have felt the brunt of the impact.

"I remain committed and admiring of the intent behind the project and certainly will continue to work to expand recreational facilities for area youth, but this project was not the best way to do it. So i am very happy that city officials have decided not to pursue such a divisive and problematic project."

Piedmont City Council members Margaret Fujioka and Garrett Keating said they would reserve comments until later.

Comments by readers of Piedmont Patch's April 27 article on the announcement ranged from "This is great news. It looks like the city has at last faced up to its responsibility to do a thorough EIR" to "Let's hope this is just a temporary setback to a project Piedmont youth sports desparately needs." You may read the comments here.

The sports field plan was developed by the PRFO, whose members felt there was a need for additional space in Piedmont for recreational youth soccer teams. Many teams have been practicing on leased soccer fields in Alameda.

Under the plan, PRFO was to finance, design and build the facility on city-owned property.

The project would have placed soccer practice fields, parking lots and a small structure in on Moraga Avenue, now a largely natural, oak-studded area popular with dog walkers. The plans included massive excavation, a two-story-high wall bordering Moraga Avenue and a roundabout to slow traffic on Moraga, which is heavily used during commute hours.

The council gave the go-ahead to the privately financed $6 million-plus project at its Dec. 5-6 meeting, including approval of an addendum to the project's final Environmental Impact Report (EIR).

The Friends of Moraga Canyon (FOMC), a non-profit group opposed to the project, retained the San Francisco law firm of Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP to file suit against the City of Piedmont, challenging the adequacy of the EIR. The Oakland City Council approved, but hasn't filed, a similar lawsuit. Both actions have been put on hold through agreements with the City of Piedmont.

What do you think of the request to rescind approval of the project? Tell us in the comments section below.