In response to threats of large-scale developments on Albany and Berkeley shorelines, local environmentalists banded together in 1985 to form the Citizens for East Shore Parks (CESP) to fight for a shoreline park.

The culmination of CESP's vision came on December 6, 2002, when the State Park's Commission unanimously approved the Eastshore State Park. The 8.5-mile-long Park contains 2,000 acres of uplands and tidelands along the waterfront of Berkeley, Oakland, Emeryville, Albany and Richmond.

CESP continues to work to preserve the natural resources and facilitate the recreational and educational opportunities of the east shore of San Francisco Bay, creating a necklace of shoreline parks from Oakland to the Carquinez Strait.

The long-awaited Albany waterfront re-visioning process has begun. The 190-acre Albany waterfront is a distinct feature of the Eastshore State Park and the greater East Bay shoreline, as well as the site of a proposed Bay Trail expansion. The available options for the waterfront are now wide open, given the recent bankruptcy of Magna Entertainment Corporation, owner of the 102-acre Golden Gate Fields racetrack and parking lot, which has long divided the Eastshore State Park into two halves. A coalition of environmental groups—including CESP, Citizens for the Albany Shoreline and the Sierra Club—share a common vision of the Albany waterfront entailing mixed land use for both parkland and development, with the majority of the waterfront closest to the shoreline preserved as open space.

The City of Albany is sponsoring Voices to Vision, “a process designed to engage the Albany community in an informed dialogue about its vision for the city and its waterfront.” CESP encourages Albany residents to attend an upcoming community meeting to learn more about the Albany waterfront and share their input with the rest of the community. Please come out and voice support for a vision that restores a majority of the Albany waterfront to parkland and open space!

The community meetings will run from May 16, 2009 through June 25, 2009. The city has designated 31 zones, and Albany residents are invited, but not required, to attend the Voices to Vision session for their particular zone. Also, remember to RSVP for the meeting you plan to attend. To view the list of community meeting sessions and map to locate your zone: http://www.voicestovision.com/storage/post-images/Map.pdf
In addition, there will be two Voices to Vision sessions held for non-Albany residents with a regional interest in the Albany waterfront:

• Thursday June 4th, 7-8:30pm, Community Center
• Saturday June 27th, 1-2:30pm, Senior Center

 

....CESP helped the City of Albany and the Watershed Project clean up the Albany Shoreline. A total of 135 participants, 82 adults and 53 kids picked up 415 pounds of trash and 62 pounds of recycling! See photos of active volunteers! - See the Full Story >>

CONTACT INFORMATION FOR VOICES TO VISION To RSVP for a session: Email rsvp@voicestovision.com or call (510) 444-4567 For questions about the process: info@voicestovision.com For more information: www.voicestovision.com

- Courtesy of The Trust for Public Land