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Albany's Week: Chez Panisse Fire, Closing a Closed Street, Small Homes, Street Striping

And check out the most popular blog of the week.

Posted by Staff Reports, March 9, 2013 at 02:53 am

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These were among the most-read stories by Albany Patch viewers this past week:

Fire Damages Chez Panisse

Overnight fire damaged exterior, part of front dining room.

Council OKs Closure of Already Closed Street

The Albany City Council Monday night approved the already completed closure of short Buchanan Avenue at Pierce Street. The closure is part of the emerging Buchanan Marin Bikeway linking the Ohlone Greenway and the Bay Trail.

Confusion over Street Striping on Solano at Colusa

A large striped crescent painted on Solano Avenue at Colusa Avenue in Berkeley has created some confusion about what turns are permitted.

The Smallest Home for Sale in Albany

Downsizing is one trend in the real estate market. Here's a house in Albany with less than 1,000 square feet.

Sprouts & Shutters: New Beer House Opening

Albany Taproom will host a grand opening on Friday evening

And the week's most popular blog: Grand Opening Village Shops and Galleries by Heidi Rand.

What do you think of this week's top stories?

Patch us your comments in the comments section below or in the comments section of a specific story.

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Albany High School Chamber Music Club's Spring Concert!

The AHS Chamber Music Club is a student run club at Albany High School that performs several…

Announcements/Around Town May 23, 2013 at 08:34 pm

0 Recommend Lisa Illes

Urban Adamah buys Land for Urban Garden

2.2 acres plot in Berkeley bought for $2.1 million. Berkeleyside has more at…

Speak Out May 23, 2013 at 01:36 pm

4 1 Recommend David Sanger

View all 4 comments

Jack Osborne May 23, 2013 at 05:52 pm

@Ross - And, lo, the rainbow-farting invisible unicorns would be displaced from this, the last…Read More "Class Sparkle" soil in the entire East Bay!

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Ross Stapleton-Gray May 23, 2013 at 05:40 pm

Breaking news: The property at 6th and Harrison slated for Urban Adamah expansion has been…Read More "occupied" by a group calling itself Preserve the Vacancy. An anarcho-syndicalist offshoot of radical Buddhists, the group has declared that the current "vacant-lotness" is necessary to clarification of inner awareness, and that any planting there, sustainable or no, would be a tragedy. "This is one of the few undeveloped sites of Class 1 karmic balance left in the Bay area," said group spokesperson Shanti McErewhon.

1 Recommend

Jack Osborne May 23, 2013 at 05:25 pm

David beat me to it on this one. Here's a great example of a much more reasonable approach to…Read More supporting the principles that the OTFers claim to stand for. In fact, in my opinion Urban Adamah has put the OTF crowd to shame, and further driven home the point that their actions are truly misguided. And to also demystify all the blather about "Class 1" soil, what it's appropriate for, and whether it all really matters: http://soils.usda.gov/technical/handbook/contents/part622.html My favorite part: "Class II (2) soils have moderate limitations that reduce the choice of plants or require moderate conservation practices." Sounds perfectly workable to me.

Recommend

A War of Attrition ?

Looks like OTF is digging in for a long summer: http://bit.ly/13M3Ew7

Speak Out May 23, 2013 at 08:51 am

1 1 Recommend David Sanger

Lisa Schneider May 23, 2013 at 12:08 am

The occupiers complain that the meanies won't let them temporarily plant stuff on the future…Read More mixed-use project site, on the other hand the occupiers threaten a permanent occupation. This linked occupier image reminds me of Game of Drones (as in critters that perform no meaningful work) http://gallery.mailchimp.com/fef1cd615d86cfe1a43674873/images/ReOccupy_FARM_TOOLS.2.1f17376.jpg

1 Recommend

Business Expo Today, Thursday May 23

The Albany, Berkeley and Emeryville Chambers of Commerce is holding the Business Expo Today,…

Sam Gatto Ming Louie in front of Zarri's Deli

Announcements/Around Town May 22, 2013 at 11:50 pm

0 Recommend Sam Gatto Ming Louie, Live Oak Law Group

Appreciative Audience for AHS Bands at Park

Here's a glimpse of the Albany High School bands' free concert last night (Tuesday) at…

Albany High bands perform a free concert in Memorial Park, May 21, 2013. Photo by Charles Burress

Announcements/Around Town May 22, 2013 at 10:51 am

0 Recommend Charles Burress (Editor)

Wristwatch found on Solano

A wristwatch was found on Solano today. If you lost one, please call 525.8686 and describe the…

Speak Out May 21, 2013 at 05:21 pm

0 Recommend Caryl O'Keefe

UC plows again

For the second time in two weeks UC Berkeley has plowed under the weekend plantings of the…

Speak Out May 21, 2013 at 10:52 am

0 1 Recommend David Sanger

Panthers Join the Relay

More than three dozen members of the Saint Mary's High Community participated in the Albany…

Saint Mary's students prepare luminaries for the nighttime segment of the Relay for Life at Cougar Field, Saturday, May 18.

Announcements/Around Town May 20, 2013 at 12:50 pm

0 Recommend Jeanne Gray Loughman

Mrs. Carla Harkness, longtime Albany resident and Albany schools alumni mom, 18-year faculty…

Carla Harkness, center front with husband Bob, received the 2013 Lasallian Educator award at Saint Mary's High, May 17. She is joined by other Educator honorees from prior years.

Announcements/Around Town May 20, 2013 at 10:38 am

1 Recommend Jeanne Gray Loughman

Peggy McQuaid May 20, 2013 at 11:26 am

Congratulations, Carla. The article failed to mention what a great neighbor you are.

Recommend

Where can I find some thorny twigs around Albany?

We have a wooden arch in our backyard. It is about 7 feet tall, 5 feet wide, and 2 feet deep.…

Speak Out May 19, 2013 at 03:38 pm

4 Recommend Robby Sun

View all 4 comments

Robby Sun May 20, 2013 at 10:37 pm

@Dover: The parent birds didn't look like doves. They were the commonly seen dull-yellowish birds.…Read More Smaller than a pigeon but larger than a sparrow. Robins? I can't tell for sure. We checked the abandoned nest. To my eyes, it was well built, and stably setup between grape branches. It didn't capsize. The dead baby birds were found at least 5 feet away from the ground right beneath the nest. Something must have got them out of the nest and killed them. We didn't look at the corpses in detail to decide the cause of death though.

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Robby Sun May 20, 2013 at 10:09 pm

@Ross: I was wondering that too. It could be the squirrels, which were very active in my backyard…Read More and the neighborhood. They still are very active.

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Dover May 20, 2013 at 09:31 am

I agree with Ross. A predator would have eaten those yummy, tender, tasty baby birds. It sounds…Read More more like a case of incompetent nest construction to me. Were they doves? Doves are well-known for their inability to build proper nests but there are others who struggle too. Instinct and ability do not always travel hand-in-hand. Not much you can do about that, unfortunately. Some creatures are incompetent. Some people are incompetent. That's life.

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Multi-Family Garage Sale, May 25

Garage sale with items from several families in the 700 block of Carmel Ave. Multi-Family…

Buy | Sell | Trade May 18, 2013 at 03:49 pm

0 Recommend Monica

China Village Restaurant debris

During Reconstruction China Village contractors and owners have been compiling trash and…

Speak Out May 18, 2013 at 03:26 pm

3 4 Recommend Ralph Whize

View all 3 comments

Ralph Whize May 20, 2013 at 10:12 pm

Got thru to the City Inspector (twice) and he finally called the contractor, who (at the end of day…Read More 12 of trash build up) moved the debris pile away. Albany Planning Commission meeting is 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 7:30 pm and I'm hoping local homeowners will take time to address this and other CV issues.

Recommend

Dover May 20, 2013 at 09:40 am

Hey! Cool! Now I know where to dump my unwanted items! ;-) Seriously though, "the city"…Read More is not helpless, "the city" is lazy and sometimes you have to kick them in the ass to get them moving. What have you tries thus far? I assume you have communicated with the CV owner or contractor. What else have you done?

1 Recommend

Ann Farmer May 19, 2013 at 06:22 pm

This is not only an eyesore. This is a health hazard. The boards you see in the photo have nails…Read More sticking out. This area has become the trash heap for anyone walking by wanting to dispose of garbage. With bins overflowing, trash is blown down the street into residents' yards.

1 Recommend

Announcements/Around Town May 18, 2013 at 08:46 am

0 Recommend J M

UC and FEMA Plan to Clear-Cut 85,000 Trees in Berkeley and…

http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=11361#more UC and FEMA are planning to…

Announcements/Around Town May 17, 2013 at 11:43 pm

5 Recommend Educator

View all 5 comments

Jamie Jensen May 23, 2013 at 06:29 am

I intended to add: Now, if only UCB would treat its other land holdings, like the Gill Tract, with…Read More similar respect. Who wants another parking lot? Not me. Build "Senior Housing" at transit-friendly El Cerrito Plaza, not on the last patch of arable land left in the East Bay!

Recommend

Jamie Jensen May 23, 2013 at 06:26 am

This Executive Summary, makes it sound OK. Better than another 1991 Fire, for sure: To reduce the…Read More potential for these areas to support and spread wildfires, UCB proposes to eliminate eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and other non-native trees that promote the spread of wildfire. Oak and bay trees and other native vegetation present under the larger non-native trees would be preserved and encouraged to expand.

Recommend

Caryl O'Keefe May 18, 2013 at 08:30 pm

Another example of more balanced reporting from Berkeleyside article:…Read More http://www.berkeleyside.com/2013/05/17/uc-berkeley-seeks-funds-to-cut-down-22000-non-native-trees/. Some of the comments are useful especially about glyphosphate. The author of the article even used his own name.

1 Recommend