This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

Albany Sustainable Recycling and Waterfront Citizen Transitional Rehousing Action Plan.

I came up with the original idea for this proposal months ago, and it seems like so much of the needed pieces keep falling into place, left and right:

If I were one of the City Council members, I would negotiate a contract with the University of California at Berkeley, for a team of former Bulb residents to ride through the UC Village housing complex, throughout the day with bikes and trailers. Many current residents of the Bulb already have a friendly rapport with many current residents of the UC Village, including the elderly folks who also search through the trash and recycling, themselves.

The crew would go from one dumpster corral to the next, every day (at least once a day) 7 days a week, separating the recycling (i.e. cans, bottles, plastic, cardboard, Styrofoam, paper, etc.) out of the solid waste containers and putting it in the blue recycling bins, and separating the solid waste (i.e. dirty diapers, food scraps, etc.) out of the recycling containers and putting it in the solid waste containers, that it belongs in. Anything that is reusable (i.e. clean and new/gently used baby clothes that should be taken to Goodwill, etc.), and any recyclable items that are found in the solid waste containers that require further disassembly, before they should be recycled (i.e. school science project carcasses, broken toys, etc.) would be loaded onto the bike trailer and taken back to a warehouse (perhaps on Cleveland Avenue, or Eastshore Highway), for further breakdown and separation.

Inside this live/work warehouse, would be tables and bins. Sitting (or standing, if that works better for the individual) at these tables would be people who previously lived on the Bulb, including people who are too disabled to be able to do other forms of work, but who are able to take stuff apart.Then, the resulting parts and pieces would be separated into the appropriate bins, and taken to a recycling facility (the Buy Back, on Gilman?)


In a separate part of the warehouse, would be the living spaces for the workers. Depending on the size of the warehouse (or, vacant lot, as long as it is somewhere that people are legally allowed to live), I figure we can have roughly 20 Bulb residents at a time, living/working in this warehouse.

Everything is (or is already about to be) set up, zoning-wise, for us to be able to do it!
Eastshore Highway and Cleveland Avenue are both currently zoned for Commercial Mixed-Use, which includes light industrial and live/work. Homeless/emergency shelter, without the need for a Conditional Use Permit, is about to be added to the zoning for both areas (as per SB2).

The Draft Housing Element that the Council just sent off to HCD states that the Albany Municipal Code defines transitional housing as "any sleeping facility or dwelling unit that serves as a transition from emergency housing to permanent housing, for a period generally of 6 months to 24 months, usually supported by social services to help prepare residents for independent living." The Code groups transitional housing together with emergency shelters for regulatory purposes.Section 20.40.070 refers to provisions for "emergency and transitional housing" without differentiating between the two uses.


I figure, if the City will help with the initial cost of renting/buying/leasing the warehouse (perhaps, with some of the money that they might otherwise spend on litigation, or maybe they could have one of their staff write a grant proposal. To HUD, maybe?) then perhaps the program participants would be able to contribute more, once things get rolling.
This is THE Answer! SO many of the problems, faced by our town, could potentially be solved, if we just think outside the box.

On April 15, 2013, the Albany City Council passed and adopted a resolution that furthered their goal of acquiring the property at 540 Cleveland Avenue, which the City has envisioned as the site of it's new maintenance facility, since at least 2009:
"WHEREAS, the Agreement provides for a purchase price in the amount of One Million, Two Hundred Forty Thousand Dollars ($1,240,000) which sum would be paid to the Property owner at the closing following the satisfaction of specified conditions, including without limitation, the Property owner's demolition of existing structures on the Property, the Property owner's completion of an environmental remediation plan, and the issuance by the County of Alameda of a 'no further action' letter."

Look at how much money the City Council is currently about to spend, only to end up housing a couple (if any) Bulb residents, and to probably not end up employing any of the otherwise homeless Bulb residents.All this would do nothing but exhibit Albany's long-standing resistance to doing anything that would actually contribute, in any real way, towards the federal mandate to end homelessness in America, by the year 2020. Although, the City Council's ACT Plan will surely "kick the can down the road".


As for the remaining 33 individuals, that would still be on the Bulb:
If I were the City Council, I would stop any further growth in the population of people, currently dwelling on the Albany Bulb, by including it in the Albany Sustainable Recycling and Waterfront Citizen Transitional Rehousing Action Plan.

*Issue permits to the remaining Landfill residents, allowing them to stay on the Bulb (as they wait for an open spot in the warehouse), subject to compliance with agreed upon standards for the upkeep of the exteriors of their homes, thereby preventing any concerns that reasonable members of the public might have.

These permits would allow the holders thereof, to remain on the Albany Waterfront, in accordance with Albany Municipal Code 8-4, because they would be there in association with a program sponsored or co-sponsored by the City.

AMC 8-4:
8-4.3 - Hours of Operation.Program participants, who still live on the Landfill, would be allowed to remain on the Albany Waterfront between the hours of 10:00pm and 5:30am.
8-4.4 - Camping Program Participants would be allowed to sleep on the Albany Waterfront.
8-4.5 - Fires It would cost very little to purchase safe camp stoves for those remaining on the Bulb. (And fuel for them would certainly cost less than the $25,000 that the City currently plans to spend on 6 months worth of gas for the $19,000 generator, that it plans to purchase, for the trailers.) Ideally, the Fire Chief could be consulted, as to which camp stoves would be safest, for use on the Waterfront.
8-4.6 - Alcohol I see no need to change this part of the Muni. Code, in order to carry out this program.
8-4.7 - Unauthorized Activities a. digging - (This would require more discussion. I feel that smoothing of the surface should be allowed, while excavation would, ideally, be unnecessary.)
b. shelters - (see *Issue permits, above)
c. attaching rope/string to trees etc. - (see *Issue permits, above)
d. water contamination - I see no need to change this part of the Muni. Code, in order to carry out this program.
e. trash - Program participants would be required to assist with (if not fully conduct) the restoration of the areas on the Bulb that still have refuse or other environmentally harmful evidence of habitation. For their part, the City would continue to provide dumpsters on the Waterfront. (A work crew, to assist residents with some of the physical labor, would surely be appreciated.)
f. fireworks - I see no need to change this part of the Muni. Code, in order to carry out this program.
g. storage of personal property - (see *Issue permits, above)


Why would Bulb residents move into the warehouse?
Because it would be possible.
There are NO real opportunities for any of the Bulb residents to take!
This would be an actual, tangible place to live, in proximity to the Landfill we love, in proximity to the rest of our community, and where those who live on the Bulb, who currently have a desire to move into a traditional housing situation, actually could. Which, in turn, would be the real results, so that the people who are interested in moving off the Bulb, and into a traditional housing situation (but, only if they have to) can see that this program REALLY WORKS! 

It's amazing how many people happily jump on board, when they can clearly see that the bus is headed for the "Promised Land".

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?