ANOTHER UPDATE! Pt. Isabel Hearing Cancelled!

Update: The city of Richmond has cancelled, until further notice, the public hearing concerning the protest to the proposed rezoning and new Kohl's store.

See post below for more information about why you should show up when it's rescheduled!

Love Pt. Isabel? Then help save it.

Help us protect the dog park and shoreline! Attend the Richmond City Council meeting on Tuesday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. to protest the proposed rezoning and new Kohl's store.

A developer is proposing to amend Richmond's General Plan Land Use Map from Light Industrial (low-intensity uses) to a Regional Commercial District (high-intensity retail uses), demolish all buildings at 2700 Rydin Rd. and 4903 Central Ave., and construct a 99,000-square-foot Kohl's department store with almost 400 parking spaces near Costco on Pt. Isabel. The plan also includes reservation of a 76,000-square-foot pad for chain restaurant, bank, and/or retail uses directly on the corner of Central Avenue and Rydin Road. Proposed Regional Commercial land use activities and circulation would be in close proximity to sensitive habitat areas--less than 200 feet from Hoffman Marsh to the east and less than 400 feet from the Albany/Richmond mudflats and wetlands (wildlife sanctuary) to the south. The resulting activities and circulation (including late-night commercial hours) could negatively affect the long-established Hoffman Marsh and the Albany mudflats, which have one of the highest densities of shorebirds in Eastshore State Park. Amending the General Plan Land Use Map to a Regional Commercial District will commercialize the shoreline and put it at risk for all kinds of inappropriate uses. The only areas zoned in the city of Richmond for Regional Commercial are Hilltop Mall & Auto Plaza, a portion of Macdonald Avenue (Target), Pierce Street (Pacific East Mall), Jacuzzi Street, and part of Central Avenue (east of I-580). There are no Regional Commercial Districts along the entire Richmond shoreline. The following Regional Commercial uses are outright permitted and were never intended for shoreline areas: convenience stores; movie theaters; auto parking services; hotels or motels; nondepository institutions, for example, check cashing; colleges and schools; circuses and carnivals; and much more. A separate plan will prohibit left turns onto I-80 at Central and make the I-580 on-ramp at the corner of Central and Rydin the main freeway access to Oakland/San Francisco. The shoreline area already hosts 1.2 million visitors to Pt. Isabel per year, the highest-revenue Costco in California with its 16-pump gas station, and the USPS Bulk Mail Center, which services all of Northern California. Adding a large Kohl's and a chain restaurant directly on the corner and making I-580 the main freeway entrance at Rydin Road would increase traffic congestion, add air pollution and garbage, and overburden the area. This would make it harder for visitors to access the park and could drive birds out of the marsh. Besides the long delays at the signalized Jacuzzi Street, the plan includes adding signal lights at two more intersections--one at Central and Rydin and one at Central and I-580 to San Rafael (top of the overpass). This could cause traffic to back up all the way to Costco. What can YOU do? Your attendance can strongly influence the City Council to conduct a full EIR (environmental impact report) and a proper traffic review, which are needed to more accurately assess this proposal's impact on the hard-won shoreline area. Whether you speak or merely stand up to show your opinion, you're needed!!! This is the last chance the public has to oppose this major land use change. For more information, contact the Richmond Annex Neighborhood Council at 232-6510 or PIDO at m22257m@yahoo.com or 559-8362. City Hall is located at 1401 Marina Way South. The building is on the right side of the street as you drive toward the bay. The entrance is at the back of the building, and there's plenty of parking. Please bring a friend or neighbor and mention this to all of your friends who visit the dog park or use the Bay Trail. HEAD COUNT MATTERS!