New Gateway Park Workshop to Showcase Park Concepts

OAKLAND, Calif., May 10 /PRNewswire/ -- The second of two public workshops will be held Wednesday, June 2, 2010 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Caltrans building at 111 Grand Avenue in Oakland (nearest BART station: 19th Street/Oakland) to engage the community as we consider design concepts for a new bayside park that will provide a memorable gateway to Oakland and the East Bay. Doors will open at 6 p.m., with site information on display. Presentations will begin at 6:30 p.m.

"We encourage the community to join us and offer their opinions and insights as we move forward in designing this inspirational park and destination point," said Rod McMillan, chair of the Gateway Park Working Group and director of Bridge Oversight and Operations for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Bay Area Toll Authority.

The Gateway Park team has been working with the many ideas for activities in the new park that were recommended by attendees at the first workshop on Feb. 25, and through more than 300 responses to a questionnaire on the website. Presentations at the June 2 workshop will summarize the range and substance of public comments, and show how early design concepts are responding to those ideas. Small group discussions will focus on whether these park design ideas capture the community's vision for Gateway Park.

"Together, we have an opportunity to create an extraordinary park at the base of the Bay Bridge East Span," said McMillan. "We want to hear from the community to ensure the design ideas we're working on reflect the desired character and the features they envision for Gateway Park."

Gateway Park will provide a unique Bay Trail destination and serve as a launch point for crossing the new Bay Bridge East Span from Oakland to Yerba Buena Island as part of a spectacular bicycle and pedestrian experience. Suggestions to date include such varied ideas as museum and educational facilities telling the story of the bridge and transportation around the Bay, a model for Bay edge restoration and site sustainability, a configuration that links to nearby West Oakland and Emeryville and serves these neighborhoods' needs, a new venue for festivals and concerts, a way to remember the old bridge, and much more.

With this community input, park concepts are now being explored. This second public workshop, First Concepts: Design Ideas for Gateway Park, will be an opportunity to review the park design concepts. In small group discussions, participants will be asked whether these concept plans achieve the community's vision for Gateway Park. Attendees also will be encouraged to offer new ideas for consideration.

Beyond the workshop, there are three ways for the public to gather additional information and provide input on Gateway Park:

• Visit the Gateway Park website at www.BayBridgeGatewayPark.org
• E-mail [email protected]
• Call (510) 817-5988

The Gateway Park Working Group, a consortium of nine agencies working together to bring about this new world-class park, includes the Bay Area Toll Authority (BATA), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), the California Transportation Commission (CTC), the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), the City of Oakland, the Port of Oakland, the East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), and the Association of Bay Area Governments' (ABAG) Bay Trail Project.

The planning process will identify activities essential to the park and consider how they affect early design concepts. At the end of this phase of work this winter, a Project Study Report will lay out park themes and design ideas as well as detail the steps necessary for design, funding and environmental review needed for the ultimate realization of Gateway Park.

SOURCE Bay Area Toll Authority