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Politics & Government

Momentum Builds for Berkeley Lab Talks; Site Could Include Hotel, Housing, Retail

If Golden Gate Fields is selected to become the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory second campus, track owners, the Stronach Group, say they will seek another site to continue racing operations.

Conversations about what it would take for Albany to become the home of the proposed Berkeley Lab second campus are becoming more concrete by the week, if not the day.

A slew of meetings has been scheduled, and information about the project has been arriving in mailboxes and online as the to engage the public about the process steps her efforts into high gear.

Albany's is one of vying to win selection to become the proposed second campus for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. According to the most recent time line, final selection is scheduled for November.

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The lab will hold meetings with each of the six sites from now through Aug. 8; a meeting Thursday night in Berkeley will include a 50-minute discussion about the second campus before the lab's .

Racetrack owner, and site developer, the Stronach Group has brought together a team of architects, ecologists, economists and other consultants to come up with a plan to present to the lab, and the public, on Aug. 3. Developers say they plan to look for a site to move racing operations if Golden Gate Fields is selected.

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Fern Tiger, the city consultant (whose fees will be covered by the racetrack), also will hold several rounds of meetings to collect and inform public opinion. Tiger said her goal is to represent the views of Albany citizens, and make sure racetrack developers are aware of residents' interests. Tiger said the hope is that citizen input will shape the developer's plans in the coming months. (Learn more about the meeting and engagement process by scrolling down to the "meetings" section.)

INSIDE THE LAB 

Lab officials have said the goal for the second campus is to consolidate certain operations that currently take place around the East Bay. Tiger said her understanding is that the lab will be "clean and safe," with a focus on the life sciences. According to a list of frequently asked questions (also available in the documents section below), these would include the Joint BioEnergy Institute; the Joint Genome Institute; and much of the Life Sciences Division. 

THE SPECIFICATIONS

Phase One of development includes 500,000 sq. ft. of lab and office space plus parking, with room to expand up to 2 million sq. ft. (plus parking); this could include spin-offs, startups, a green technology forum and a public policy platform. Tiger wrote, in an interview with the Stronach Group that the lab "will need 2,500 cars at full buildout."

At several meetings this week, officials and interested citizens said the height for the lab could reach 80 feet, due to higher ceiling requirements for lab space. Developers say there may be 50 acres of new open space created. Tiger said the lab also has described its campus as one that will be open to the public. 

THE ZONING

As Tiger explains in her "frequently asked questions" document, "the proposed development includes [land] uses that are not currently allowed in Albany's Waterfront District. Measure C, passed by Albany voters in 1989, requires any necessary zoning changes to be approved directly, by a majority of voters."

THE DOCUMENTS

THE MEETINGS

City-sponsored meetings will be run monthly from July through the fall by Fern Tiger Associates. Between meetings, materials will be available to help prepare for the following round of discussions. Tiger said resident feedback will be given to developers throughout the process. There will be "sets" of identical meetings over several days during each month of "Voices to Vision 2." Residents need only attend one of each set, as the information offered will be identical.

ROUND ONE (Choose one): July 30, 2 p.m.; July 31, 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Aug. 1, 7 p.m. .

FUTURE DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED: Check Albany Patch and http://www.voicestovision.com to learn more. Tiger also will be mailing reminders to Albany residents throughout the process.

Berkeley Lab also will host public meetings to hear from developers for each site between this week and Aug. 8. (Click the link for location details.)

Wednesday, July 13, 7 p.m.: Alameda Point 
Thursday, July 14, 6 p.m. 
Thursday, July 21, 7 p.m. Richmond Field Station
Wednesday, July 27, 7 p.m. 
Wednesday, August 3, 7:30 p.m. 
Thursday, August 4, 7 p.m.
Monday, August 8, 7 p.m. 

HOW TO STAY INFORMED

The Voices to Vision website has been updated and reorganized as an information hub for the "V2V2" process. Individuals can reach Fern Tiger Associates about the engagement process by calling 510-444-4567. 

Everybody makes mistakes ... ! If there's something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor Emilie Raguso at 510-459-8325 or email her at emilier@patch.com. 

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