Residents urge council to delay 40th Street multimodal changes; staff says federal earmark available
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Summary
Residents of the assisted-living building at 1440 By The Bay told Emeryville city leaders the proposed 40th Street multimodal project would remove critical parking and loading zones, impede emergency access, and endanger people with limited mobility; a city contractor and a federal earmark for the project were also announced.
Several residents and advocates told the Emeryville City Council they oppose the proposed 40th Street multimodal redesign, saying it would remove parking and loading space and jeopardize access for people with limited mobility.
"Parking availability is required to enable visitors to reach us," said Nancy Raider, who identified herself as a frequent visitor to residents at 1440 By The Bay and said 50 members of that community submitted a petition opposing the plan. Resident Michael Raider said the building houses about "270 disabled people" and warned that reducing the loading zone could interfere with ambulances and paratransit access.
Speakers described a narrow loading zone in front of the facility and said a two-way cycle track on 40th Street would force residents using walkers or wheelchairs to cross active bicycle lanes to reach buses and drop-off points. "The proposed 2-way cycle track would create a dangerous risk of collisions," Raider said; Harvey Morris added that the change would impede his ability to leave his home safely.
Public testimony included warnings that cyclists and e-bikes sometimes fail to obey traffic signals and that sidewalk width reductions would make navigation more difficult for assistive-device users. Several speakers asked the council to consider alternative alignments for a bikeway on a parallel street or to preserve larger loading zones.
City staff earlier identified the 40th Street redesign as an infrastructure priority in the city manager’s quarter-four strategic-plan update presented by City Manager Latonya Bello. At the meeting Townsend Public Affairs’ Niccolo DeLuca told the council a federal earmark remains in a HUD bill text for the project: "there remains half $1,000,000 for the 40th Street project," he said, indicating $500,000 in federal funds associated with the proposal and that city staff will work with the congresswoman’s office to pursue next steps.
The city attorney also noted that Council member Preyfors/Pfeiffer recused himself from discussion related to the 40th Street project earlier in the meeting.
No formal council action on the project design occurred during this meeting; public comment and staff presentations were part of the council’s ongoing review. City staff said grant timing and implementation details will follow: staff described the earmark as a step in a multi-stage process that will require further coordination to draw funds down and to move project design and safety measures forward.