Parkmead Community Association
City-County News
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
at S. Main
(Updated October 2011)
After a year of public hearings, the “Village @ 1500 Newell” was approved by the City of Walnut Creek as of February 2010. The site is at Newell and S. Main and encompasses the land from the eight-story highrise on the corner to the creek by 7-11. Once the building permits are issued they are good for up to 2 years. We do not know when actual demolition (of the highrise and 7-11) and construction will begin. The new project will be a four-story mixed-use residential and retail building with 49 condos on three levels over retail stores with two levels of underground parking.
The Parkmead Community Association has been involved in the review process with city staff, the developer and several commissions. Friends of the Creeks joined us in the review process. Under the new city General Plan 2025, any development in the “Newell Ave./S. California Blvd area” should address issues of concern from the Parkmead neighborhood. This is the area from the former Pinky’s Pizza and Trader Joe’s to the highrise and the Ross shopping center. The General Plan mentions issues of “visual corridors, a circulation plan that considers and mitigates additional traffic impact on the Parkmead and other surrounding neighborhoods, bike and pedestrian access to and through the site, and improved pedestrian and visual access to creek amenities.”
We were concerned that the new building will increase traffic on Newell, especially for cars exiting the new underground residential parking garage on Newell, which may head west toward S. California Blvd. The traffic study commissioned by the City predicts no traffic increase and actually even less traffic since 7-11 will close. Based on our concerns, the City proposed some traffic mitigation to direct traffic away from our neighborhood and assist us in exiting at Newell and S. California. The City installed two new “no freeway access” signs on Newell before the freeway overpass. In June 2010, the City Council approved funding for a left-turn signal at Newell and S. California to assist in exiting our neighborhood. It is in the Capital Investments Program budget for 2010-2012 and will be installed in that time frame. We also expressed safety concerns about cars exiting the new garage on Newell and turning left across several lanes of traffic by Kaiser to get to S. Main but were assured this would not be a problem.
The developer made some pedestrian and bike improvements since the original design, including widening the pedestrian part of the S. Main St. bridge over Las Trampas Creek near the 7-11. These will hopefully make it easier to pass through the area on the way downtown as well as to improve creek access if Newell Promenade (where Taxi’s was) is ever re-developed. The owners of Newell Promenade were at the public hearings and may be developing their site in the future but have not officially submitted a proposal for their “Creek Park Project.” Their proposal would be more mixed-use residential and retail with greater creek access. The PCA and Friends of the Creeks are in communication with the owners. It is unfortunate that these two projects are not being reviewed simultaneously and more coordinated.
The Walnut Creek City website has more information and project drawings (as of March 2010) under "Quick Links" and then pull down to "Current Projects" and scroll to "The Village@1500 Newell.” Contact Pete Johnson, PCA City Liaison, at parkmead@parkmead.org if you have questions about the PCA role or want more details.
Proposed Chabad Child Care Center
by Pete Johnson
(Updated November 2011)UPDATE: Chabad hosted a meeting with interested neighbors on October 25, 2011. They presented their plans and there was a discussion concerning traffic and parking. Chabad, the immediate neighbors and the PCA will work together in the next few months on these issues in conjunction with the County and, as appropriate, the City.
Chabad of Contra Costa has submitted plans to Contra Costa County for a Child Care Center at 1671 Newell near Circle Dr. and the freeway underpass. Chabad has been in communication with the Parkmead Community Association (PCA) in recent months and has set up a neighborhood meeting on Tuesday, October 25 at 7 pm at their facility. It will be an opportunity for interested Parkmead neighbors to meet with representatives from Chabad and their architect to review the plans and ask questions.
Since the property is in unincorporated Walnut Creek, County planning staff is reviewing the plans and the PCA has been in communication with the staff. A revised set of plans is under review now and eventually there will be a public hearing in Martinez with the Zoning Administrator. Residents within 300’ of the site will be notified 10 days before the hearing and the PCA will post updates on our website
The Child Care Center will utilize the existing structure with no internal construction and will add a new playground. This is both a Jewish preschool and day care. There will be 2 classrooms with up to 33 children and 3 teachers plus one aide. As part of their land use permit they have described how they will handle parking and traffic.
Per their plan submittal, Chabad is “a religious organization providing services to Jews in Contra Costa County”. They rented the residence for about 3 years and purchased it in October 2010. They are our neighbors and members of the PCA.For more information on Chabad of Contra Costa go to www.JewishContraCosta.com/
In 2004 when Hillside Covenant Church expanded their facilities they held public meetings for neighbors before the final County decisions were made. Chabad is following this precedent in their plan for a child care center. The PCA role in this is to inform the Parkmead neighborhood as to proposed projects and to facilitate communication but not to take a position.
(Updated November 2011)
Installation has not been scheduled, and the best we can say now is that it will be completed in the next two years. It is not linked to the Village@1500 Newell project or to traffic changes at S. Main and Newell.
The Village@1500 Newell project and the demolition of the highrise that is there now are dependent on the developer obtaining funding in these difficult economic times. We will stay in touch with the City on this situation and the left-turn signal and will update this website as we learn more.
