ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM REGIONAL PRESERVE
LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT
August 2006
ARDENWOOD HISTORIC FARM REGIONAL PRESERVE
LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT
Approved: August 1, 2006
Resolution No.: 2006-08-192
Includes Adopted Revisions from the Board Meeting of August 1, 2006
Prepared by: Planning, Stewardship & GIS Services Department East Bay Regional Park District 2950 Peralta Oaks Court Oakland, CA 94605 (510) 635-0135
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Overview...... 1 B. Business Plan...... 2 C. Purpose...... 3 D. Proposed Trail Names...... 4
II. PLAN SUMMARY ...... 9
III. EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Overview...... 13 B. Natural Resources...... 14 C. Cultural Resources...... 18 D. Circulation...... 20 E. Use, Facilities and Services ...... 22 F. Utilities...... 28 G. Public Safety...... 29 H. Partnerships and Planning Context ...... 30
IV. LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT
A. Concept ...... 33 B. Designation of Planning Features and Units...... 36 C. Natural Resource Management...... 39 D. Public Access and Circulation ...... 42 E. Facilities and Program Enhancements...... 47 F. Utilities...... 51 G. Public Safety...... 53 H. Promotional Initiatives...... 53 I. Partnerships...... 54
V. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION ...... 55
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FIGURES
Figure 1: Vicinity Map...... 5 Figure 2: Overview Map...... 6 Figure 3: Proposed Trail Names ...... 7 Figure 4-A: Existing Conditions: Educational Facilities...... 25 Figure 4-B: Existing Conditions: Operational Facilities ...... 26 Figure 4-C: Existing Conditions: Deer Park Recreation Unit ...... 27 Figure 5: Ownership Map ...... 31 Figure 6: Land Use Designation ...... 38 Figure 7: Land Use Plan – Access and Circulation ...... 45 Figure 8: Land Use Plan – Improvement Areas...... 46
TABLES
Table 1: Origin of Planning and Capital Projects Proposed in the LUPA...... 34 Table 2: Utility Improvement Needs ...... 51 Table 3: Capital Project Implementation Priority...... 55
APPENDICES
Appendix A: References and Personal Contacts ...... A-1 Appendix B: Wild Plants (April-June 2005 Survey)...... B-1 Appendix C: Special-Status Wildlife Species ...... C-1 Appendix D: Wildlife Resource Checklist ...... D-1 Appendix E: Estimated Construction Costs...... E-1 Appendix F: Report Preparation ...... F-1
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve ii August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment I. INTRODUCTION
A. Overview
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve is a unique public resource that offers a rich spectrum of cultural, educational and recreational opportunities. Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve (referred to in this report as Ardenwood Historic Farm or Ardenwood) is a working farm that interprets farming life and techniques in California from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Only a few of the great estate houses dating back to the late 1800’s when agriculture was predominant and fruit orchards, vegetable crops, grain harvesting and stock husbandry flourished still remain in Alameda County. Today, Ardenwood consists of land that comprised the heart of the more than 3,000-acre local ranch owned by George Washington Patterson and Clara Patterson. The park contains the original family ranch house dating from the 1850’s, known as Ardenwood, and 208 acres of prime agricultural farm fields and grounds, which include Victorian gardens, a farmyard, walnut orchards and eucalyptus woodlands. Ardenwood Historic Farm and nearby Coyote Hills Regional Park are some of the area’s last remaining remnants of the rural environment of the 19th century. These cultural landscapes reveal aspects of California’s origins and development through their forms and features.
Ardenwood Historic Farm is located within the City of Fremont, Alameda County. The parkland is surrounded by urban development and sits immediately north of the City of Newark, approximately one mile south of the City of Union City and roughly three miles south of the City of Hayward. Ardenwood Historic Farm adjoins Interstate 880 and State Highway Route 84, which makes it conveniently accessible on a regional basis (see Figures 1 and 2). Ardenwood is owned by the City of Fremont (City) and is leased to the East Bay Regional Park District. Aside from the Patterson House itself, which is managed by the City, the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD, Park District or District) has development, management, operational and interpretive responsibilities for Ardenwood under the terms of a twenty-five year management agreement with the City of Fremont that was signed in March 1981 and expires in February 2007. The City has full responsibility for the historic Patterson House located in the center of the park.
In March of 1982, the EBRPD Board of Directors certified the Final Environmental Impact Report and adopted the Ardenwood Regional Preserve Land Use-Development Plan (Resolution No. 1982-3-74). A year later, EBRPD certified the Final Supplement to the Environmental Impact Report and adopted an Amended Land Use-Development Plan (Resolution No. 1983-3- 67). Ardenwood was opened to the public in 1985.
The Land Use-Development Plan (LUDP) outlines resource management goals and proposes physical developments and program enhancements, but is primarily a land use zoning plan that reflects the basic concept of park development and use. It presents a vision of Ardenwood as a public attraction offering a variety of educational and recreational opportunities. With the help of volunteers, also known as docents, park interpretive staff seeks to give visitors an understanding of farm life between the period of 1890 and 1930 through observation and participation in programs centered on farm chores and food and crop production. The education plan for Ardenwood focuses on the evolution of farming from horse power to gasoline engines.
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Since its adoption, many of the land use goals envisioned in the Land Use-Development Plan as well as recommended resource management and specific capital improvements have been realized. However, the LUDP was written before Ardenwood was opened to the public and did not fully anticipate the cost of maintaining facilities and providing services or all of staff’s needs to effectively operate and maintain the site as a working farm. In the mid 1990’s, in response to a long history of unmet financial and attendance targets at Ardenwood, and a continuing high level of tax-supported expenditures, EBRPD commissioned a detailed evaluation of Ardenwood’s business model. In November 1996, after an extensive operational review process of Ardenwood, EBRPD adopted a document entitled Ardenwood Historic Farm Phase One Business Plan (Business Plan), which took effect in 1997 (EBRPD undated; Resolution No. 1996-11-291). The development of the Business Plan was largely a product of work accomplished by teams composed of staff and those providing services at Ardenwood, known as program partners.
At the time it was written, the Business Plan offered a new way of carrying out business at Ardenwood. It defines a phased, experiential process to test and improve visitor experiences for a large and diverse population. The Business Plan notes that EBRPD’s General Fund tax support for Ardenwood had historically been high relative to attendance, and it sets out to offer a program development concept to decrease growing General Fund support requirements by boosting visitorship and revenue. To this end, the Business Plan offers specific enhancements and longer term objectives that would provide a consistent revenue stream in support of Ardenwood operations.
The Business Plan outlines expanded and enhanced public service delivery systems and the capital improvements required before moving to larger visitorship objectives. The Business Plan anticipates the implementation of an initial phase spanning a three-to-five-year period, depending on the success of proposed changes and on the achievement of “triggers,” such as more restroom facilities, parking, night lighting, food services and enhanced volunteerism. Upon implementation of the Phase One infrastructure and organizational enhancements, the model anticipates moving to future phases of project implementation. The Business Plan anticipated that full development of the program would take 10 years or so, and would ultimately establish Ardenwood, “as a tourist destination” and “a vibrant, regional center of social and cultural celebrations.”
Highlights of the Business Plan include: off-season opening, expanded days of operation, additional class tour programs, enhanced weekend experiences, more large special events, a volunteer development effort, increased staffing, an infrastructure improvement program, a flexible Ardenwood hosts a number of pricing policy, and new marketing and promotional programs. While some special events. At of the policies, recommendations, programs, events, agreements and capital the fall Harvest improvement proposals contained in the Business Plan have been realized, Festival visitors a number of major physical improvements have not. Upon implementation are able to harvest of the Business Plan in 1997, attendance to the park rose dramatically for Indian corn and popcorn.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 2 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment four years but has since leveled off at nearly 150,000 visitors annually. The lack of new and upgraded facilities in particular has likely prevented Ardenwood from continuing to see an increase in visitorship and revenue, and from full realization of the Business Plan’s vision.
C. Purpose
In general, EBRPD plans for the development and use of parklands through the adoption of planning documents now referred to as land use plans. As conditions change and as needed, the Ardenwood LUDP allows for EBRPD staff to develop amendments. The LUDP requires that any amendments be adopted by the EBRPD Board of Directors and the Fremont City Council, along with the appropriate documents to satisfy the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) (EBRPD 1983).
This Land Use Plan Amendment (LUPA) has been prepared to bring Ardenwood’s original land use plan up to date by integrating the development concept outlined in the Business Plan and to recommend service enhancements intended to enable park staff to more efficiently and cost- effectively operate and manage the parkland. The Business Plan recommends numerous planning and capital improvements to support service enhancement and expansion, which were never formally amended into the land use plan. The LUPA is the vehicle to formalize the capital improvements contained in the Business Plan, as well as additional projects that meet the Business Plan’s objectives, by establishing a general location for each improvement and by bringing them into the Park District’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) budget process.
The principal goals of the LUPA are threefold: • Increase opportunities for visitors, and for staff, partners and docents to interpret Ardenwood as a historical working farm reminiscent of the period between 1890 and 1930 by allowing for new physical improvements, consistent with the park’s character; • Increase operational efficiency; and • Continue to preserve unique cultural and natural resource values, including prime agricultural land.
The LUPA presents recommendations to achieve these goals, and is a long-range plan which will be implemented over many years. Decisions regarding funding for the various projects proposed in the LUPA will be made as part of the District’s annual budget process and balanced against other parklands and spending priorities. The District will need to secure necessary capital to implement projects. The LUPA proposes a number of capital improvements that would be made and funded by partners that provide services at Ardenwood. For example, the LUPA proposes the construction of a new building to house the Daniel Best steam tractor engine and other historical farm equipment. The building is a joint effort with the Oakland Museum, owner of the Best engine, and would be funded by the museum. Additionally, the LUPA contains a number of proposals generated by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources (SPCRR), a nonprofit railroad preservation society that operates a historic railroad museum and provides horse-drawn rail rides, that are conceptually endorsed by the Park District.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 3 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Importantly, adoption of this Land Use Plan Amendment is intended to expedite the development and approval of capital improvement proposals between the East Bay Regional Park District and the City of Fremont. New development proposed in this LUPA (or contained in the LUPD and not yet implemented) will be considered to have planning approval from the City with its adoption of this Land Use Plan Amendment. As agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding Between the East Bay Regional Park District and the City of Fremont, if a project is described in the LUDP or LUPA the approval process is as follows: the East Bay Regional Park District – City of Fremont Liaison Committee reviews it and recommends the project to Fremont’s City Manager. Following approval of the project by the City Manager, EBRPD staff may submit the project directly to the building department for permits.
This Land Use Plan Amendment is not intended to replace the original Land Use-Development Plan/EIR for Ardenwood but rather is a focused document with its own review under the California Environmental Quality Act. Except where explicitly noted, with the adoption of this Plan Amendment, the recommendations and concepts contained within the LUDP will remain in effect.
The LUPA does not address or evaluate the structures that were moved to Ardenwood and that are now stored on blocks in the northeastern section of the park. In 1984-85, the East Bay Regional Park District, working with the Patterson family and the cities of Fremont and Newark, accepted four buildings from developers: the Mowry Schoolhouse from Newark and the Bettencourt, Tacchela-Gomes and Brown (Patterson Ranch) houses from Fremont. The Park District and other agencies and organizations thought that these buildings would become part of either an educational farming center or a historic village concept that were envisioned in the Land Use-Development Plan. But neither concept has materialized. The Park District made a substantial effort to seek grants, partnerships and sponsorships for the buildings and the City of Newark approached the Park District concerning the Mowry Schoolhouse. In 1997, EBRPD’s Board of Directors transferred ownership of the Mowry Schoolhouse to the City of Newark for future relocation and restoration in Newark. No other groups, agencies or organizations expressed an interest in the Bettencourt, Tacchela-Gomes or Brown houses. EBRPD will prepare a subsequent planning document covering the disposition of these structures and an environmental evaluation in compliance with CEQA.
D. Proposed Trail Names
In an effort to improve and unify Ardenwood Historic Farm’s sometimes confusing circulation system, the Land Use Plan Amendment proposes to formally name certain public trails, paths and roads. Proposed names are shown in Figure 3 and reflect the diversity of Ardenwood’s history and cultural and natural resources. All trails, paths and roads to be named exist on the ground. For ease of understanding, Figure 3 does not show all of the park’s trails, but only those proposed to be formally named. As Ardenwood continues to develop, the Park District may incorporate trail names into the park brochure and install trail and directional signs to help visitors get around the park (and find their way out).
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The Patterson House, managed by the City of Fremont, reflects the growth of the operations and the family through numerous small changes and two major additions (in 1883 and ca. 1910-1914) to the original house built ca. mid- 1850’s.
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II. PLAN SUMMARY
Project Description
The goals of the Land Use Plan Amendment are to: • Increase opportunities for visitors, and for staff, partners and docents to interpret Ardenwood as a historical working farm reminiscent of the period between 1890 and 1930, by allowing for new physical improvements, consistent with the park’s character; • Increase operational efficiency; • Continue to preserve unique cultural and natural resource values, including prime agricultural land.
Key Recommendations
The following major recommendations are excerpted from the full plan recommendations contained in Section IV, Land Use Plan Amendment.
Natural Resource Management • Develop a comprehensive and long-term tree-replacement plan and continue to implement recommendations contained in a series of eucalyptus management plans. • Continue to implement management recommendations contained within a walnut orchard management plan. • Plant two new, small orchards to be used for year-round, hands-on interpretive programs. • Develop and implement a vegetation planting plan for North Wood and the perimeter of South Wood to provide visual screening, windbreaks and wildlife habitat. • Update and implement a tree planting plan at Deer Park to provide screening from other park uses.
Public Access and Circulation • Improve circulation by redesigning the park entry with a pedestrian plaza containing a separate entrance and exit. Improve safety and circulation of the parking lot in this area. • Develop a multi-use trail and a public gate on the western edge of the park. Before this trail and gate are designed and constructed, an additional Fremont City Council public hearing shall be held to consider the project. • Develop a new path to connect the Best steam tractor barn to the Farmyard. • Develop new Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant trails to link the Farmyard and Deer Park with rail stations. • Relocate and redesign the existing Deer Park horse-drawn rail station platform and construct two new rail stations. (To be funded by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources.) • Extend the rail tracks to deliver visitors to additional destinations throughout the park. (To be funded by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources.)
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 9 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Facilities Pedestrian Entry Area • Improve the appearance and visitors’ initial impression of the core area of the park by developing and implementing a landscaping and design plan at the pedestrian entrance and South Wood. • Set up a visitor center and gift shop in unused space in the train station admissions building and make accessible to people leaving the park. • Install additional Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant restrooms as an extension of the eastern end of the train station admissions building. Include a family restroom. • Construct an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant family restroom in front of the entry gate attached to the western end of the train station admissions building for visitors to use without having to enter the park. • Install a securable satellite sales area selling fruits and vegetables grown on site. • Construct a new building to store and display the Best steam tractor engine and other historical farm equipment. (To be funded by the Oakland Museum.) • Develop an additional platform and freight depot for interpretive use. (To be funded by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources.)
Historic Core • Development shall be minimized and complementary to the historic character and style of Ardenwood. • Convert the historic Milk House to an interpretive exhibit. • Develop a small, enclosed space for woodshop demonstrations next to blacksmith shop. • Construct a separate addition to the east side of the existing restroom building to house a dishwasher, laundry facility and enclosed storage for the Country Kitchen program venue; and an area with storage for docents.
South of Core Area • Restore the Bunk House as an interpretive exhibit.
North of Core Area (Spinach Flats) • Construct a building for group interpretive use to allow for year-round, indoor programming. • Develop a fenced sheep pasture area with covered shelter. • Construct an addition to the existing equipment shed to allow for increased sheltered space to store, display and repair historical farm equipment. • Establish an outdoor visitor gathering area with permanent seating. • Construct or install a small, permanent or temporary storage building to be used by EBRPD and the City of Fremont to replace storage lost in the return of the historic Milk House to an interpretive exhibit.
Deer Park Recreation Unit • Construct a shade structure for outdoor events and interpretive programs. • Upgrade the existing water play fountain. • Install new children’s play equipment.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 10 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Plant landscaping to provide screening between other use areas.
Portion of the William Patterson Educational Center • Develop a rail shop complex in phases to include a steel car barn and materials storage building and storage yard; a raised area for public interpretation, a covered passenger loading platform, outdoor work space, and a picnic area; and a rail car shop and museum building. (To be funded by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources.)
Utilities and Park Operations Area • Complete electrical service upgrade to meet current and future needs. • Upgrade and extend electrical, water and sewer systems to serve proposed facilities. • Install a pole barn with a concrete floor to store feed. • Install a pole barn and generator in the farming service yard to be used by tenant farmer. • Construct a hay barn to store and display hay harvesting equipment and to be used as an indoor programming venue. • Develop a fenced park service yard to include a permanent shop building, a covered outdoor work area and yard space. • Construct a permanent storage building to replace storage lost in the Bunk House relocation.
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The main entry road to the park, called the Walnut Allee because it is flanked by black walnut trees, follows the original entrance to the Patterson Ranch. (Picture ca. early 1980’s.)
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III. EXISTING CONDITIONS
A. Overview
A first-time visitor to Ardenwood Historic Farm enters a place of history as though passing into a time capsule through its long entry road surrounded by walnut trees and farm fields. Upon entering the park, the visitor is enveloped by rambling paths and towering trees. The pulse of modern life grows faint as one leisurely makes his way to the park’s core area, where impressive buildings and grounds convey a life of prosperity.
The land that now comprises Ardenwood Historic Farm has a rich and colorful history of human habitation that begins thousands of years ago. The first human inhabitants of the region now known as the San Francisco Bay Area were the Ohlone people. The Native American tribelet which likely occupied the area near the mouth of Alameda Creek is known as the Tuibun. A Native American archaeological site has been identified near the Patterson House and though it has been disturbed and altered as a result of more than a century of agricultural, domestic and landscaping activities it remains a significant cultural site which has provided information about the prehistory of the Bay Area and continues to be sacred to Ohlone descendents.
In the late18th century, Spanish/Mexican settlers established missions in the region, and the land that is present day Ardenwood was used to graze cattle. Settlers who performed military service began to exercise their privilege to petition the government for land grants. In 1849, George Washington Patterson left his home in Indiana for California seeking fortunes in gold. After failing as a miner, Patterson began acquiring land with the money he earned working for farmers near Mission San Jose. With the land, he initially raised grain and cattle and then expanded to fruits, vegetables, dairy products and poultry. George Patterson became one of the wealthiest and well-respected men in Alameda County, and by 1878 he was its largest landowner. By his death in 1895, Patterson owned well over 6,000 acres of land in the East Bay. The family house, believed to have been originally constructed in 1856, was once the anchor of the 3,000-acre Patterson Ranch that sprawled over much of modern day Fremont. The surrounding Victorian gardens, Deer Park and substantial Queen Anne addition of the house, as well as Gardens and ornamental landscaping are important elements of Ardenwood’s history and character. subsequent additions, transformed the house and grounds from a modest, vernacular residence to the stylish countryseat of a prominent family. The structures and landscape at Ardenwood today reflect both the evolution of a ranching operation of great size and importance in Alameda County, and the history of one of its more prominent families.
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Ardenwood Historic Farm is situated on mostly level land in the City of Fremont, less than four miles from the San Francisco Bay at an elevation ranging from 15 to 25 feet above mean sea level. Located on a portion of the Alameda Creek floodplain which runs to the east and north, Ardenwood occupies some of the richest alluvial soil in the region, which contributed to the success of the Pattersons’ agricultural pursuits. The soils on site are in the Omni series, which are located on lower flood plains. They consist of very deep, poorly drained soils that formed in alluvium, derived from mixed rock sources. The site’s major natural features include three eucalyptus groves visible from miles away, landscaped areas, orchards and irrigated farm fields. Physical structures are numerous and include the original family house with its associated farm buildings and a farmyard. Narrow gauge railway tracks for horse-drawn cars were added in the mid-1980’s with other park development.
Ardenwood’s present character draws from the personal preferences, tastes and values of a single family over a century. The landscape can be considered a historic vernacular as it has evolved through use by the Patterson family. Almost all of the vegetation found at Ardenwood has been influenced by human activity. Aside from some invasive plant species, vegetation has been planted either for crop or landscaping purposes. A Patterson family interest in horticulture resulted in the introduction of numerous species of exotic trees, shrubs and annual plants, and today roughly two acres of Victorian gardens surround the house. A number of tree specimens are notable for their age and size, as well as for their regional uniqueness, and they represent introductions from virtually every continent and major island on earth (EBRPD 1982). In addition, there are historical eucalyptus groves and walnut orchards. The eucalyptus plantation is Ardenwood’s most prominent feature and is believed to be among the first in California.
The Ardenwood Regional Preserve Resource Analysis, which was developed in preparation of the LUDP and approved by the EBRPD Board of Director’s in 1982 (EBRPD 1982), offers a more detailed history of the site with a discussion of its buildings and cultural and natural resources. Most of the resources described in the LUDP and Resource Analysis are still intact. Therefore, this section provides information on Ardenwood’s natural and physical landscape that has come to light in the two decades since the adoption of the LUDP and Resource Analysis and addresses the changes that have occurred at Ardenwood over this period.
B. Natural Resources
Plant Communities and Associated Wildlife The Resource Analysis for Ardenwood Historic Farm (EBRPD 1982) details the parkland’s vegetation and wildlife. Appendices A and B of the Resource Analysis contain comprehensive lists of vegetation and wildlife, respectively, that were observed on site in the early 1980’s. In preparation for this report, EBRPD botanists and biologists conducted plant and animal surveys of the site, which are included as Appendices B, C and D.
Ardenwood Historic Farm is a human-created landscape that has little, if any, resemblance to its landscape prior to European settlement. Nevertheless, it is an island of “nature” surrounded by a
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 14 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment sea of urban development. Parkland wildlife offers an interesting paradox. On the one hand, as a consequence of Ardenwood’s relatively small size, fragmentation from other open areas and the occurrence of predation by non-native animals, the diversity and abundance of mammals and reptiles found on the site are limited. On the other hand, Ardenwood’s fallow areas, field borders, walnut orchards and eucalyptus groves provide vital nesting and forage areas for more than 100 species of birds. The diversity and abundance of birds can be attributed in particular to the walnut orchards and eucalyptus groves on the northern portion of the parkland, which offer perching and resting habitat. Some of the more notable species that frequent the walnut orchards, eucalyptus groves and field borders include: Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii), northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus), red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus), white-tailed kite (Elanus leucurus) and yellow warbler (Dendroica petechia brewstri). The waste grain in the cultivated fields provides foraging opportunities for migratory flocks of tricolored blackbirds (Agelaius tricolor), a federal and state species of concern, and attracts prey for the occasional logger-head shrike (Lanius ludovicianus), a federal and state species of concern. During the winter season, migrating waterfowl and shorebirds can be seen foraging in the parkland’s flooded fields.
Based on a review of the California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB), a state maintained inventory of rare plants and animals, and surveys conducted by East Bay Regional Park District biologists, Ardenwood Historic Farm includes habitat suitable for portions of the life histories of nine special-status wildlife species, as shown in Appendix C. One insect species famous for its fascinating life cycle, the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), congregates in the farm’s eucalyptus groves from November through February. Because so few of these congregation sites occur in the East Bay, monarch butterfly overwintering in this area is considered by some to be an “endangered phenomenon” and is listed in the CNDDB. All nine of the special-status species have been observed on the site but none are known to breed in the park. The Park District monitors these species and maps their locations. When Credit: Joe DiDonato necessary, public areas may be closed on a seasonal basis to provide greater wildlife protection. Over the winter, clusters of monarch butterflies roost in Invasive species, both plant and animal, are typically non-native the eucalyptus trees in North and are not desired for aesthetic, functional or public safety Wood, which provide a moderated microclimate reasons or because they may adversely affect other species or and protection from habitat. EBRPD has an ongoing pest management program and strong winds. staff actively manages weeds, insects and wildlife pests at Ardenwood based on the prevalence of the undesirable species and the associated level of damage to public safety or natural or cultural resources. Weedy plant species at Ardenwood pose less of a problem than at many parklands in the EBRPD system, but a few are prevalent, prolific and considered problematic. These include harding grass (Phalaris aquatica), hedge parsley (Torilis arvensis) particularly in North Wood, poison oak (Toxicodendron diversilobum)
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 15 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment and puncture vine (Tribulus terrestris) particularly along the California Department of Transportation bicycle path just outside of the park.
Several species of invasive exotic wildlife that occur at Ardenwood can be detrimental to native and desirable species. These include red fox, feral cats and peacocks (Pavo spp.). Red fox (Vulpes vulpes) can negatively impact ground nesting birds and compete with the native gray fox. Domestic and feral cats (Felis silvestris) prey on small mammals, reptiles and birds. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are over-abundant, a nuisance and have destroyed property. Rodents are prevalent in the hay barn and have caused damage to this historic building. A number of species, including California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi), yellow jacket wasps and mosquitoes pose safety hazards to visitors and can cause damage to facilities and recreation areas. Mosquitoes are managed by the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, which periodically inspects the park and initiates control measures to reduce populations.
While much of Ardenwood Historic Farm appears as it did since the East Bay Regional Park District began its operation in the early 1980’s, the park’s vegetation has undergone dramatic change, particularly the eucalyptus plantings and walnut orchards. Until recently, three substantial groves of several species of eucalyptus were located at Ardenwood. These trees were originally planted by the Patterson family and continue to be among the most prominent feature on the property, visible from miles away. The eucalyptus groves are a living reminder of the great ‘eucalyptus bubble’ of the 1880’s when promoters from Australia sold California farmers on the vision of planting eucalyptus seedlings and harvesting fortunes from the lumber. The Pattersons planned to experiment with different species of eucalyptus and identify types suited for timber production for the furniture industry. However, the wood proved too tough to mill and the logs would not float and could not be rafted on the San Francisco Bay to mills in Hayward.
The original resource analysis written in the early 1980’s described the parkland as having “over 35 acres of eucalyptus forest in three distinct plantations – The Eastern Wood (about 5 acres), the Northern Wood (about 20 acres) and the Southern Wood (about 11 acres).” Today, far fewer acres of eucalyptus cover the site, and rather than a dense grove, the South Wood area can be better described as an open meadow with tree-lined edges composed of mostly unsound trees. Park District staff first observed the decline of the overall health of the eucalyptus in the late 1980’s. Over the years, the physical condition of the eucalyptus has declined as a result of a combination of natural and environmental factors which have increased their susceptibility to imported pests. These factors, which are not entirely understood, include poor soils high in salt and boron; periodic flooding and poor drainage of Eucalyptus groves are among Ardenwood’s most the site; susceptibility of the trees to pest prominent features, but the health of trees in areas such as South Wood, pictured here, has declined over the years. Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 16 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment problems, including sulfur fungus, long-horned borer, lerp psyllid and eucalyptus tortoise beetle; the trees’ intolerance to low temperatures; and the age and natural senescence of the trees. The decline in the health of the South Wood plantings was particularly acute, perhaps because the expansion of State Highway Route 84 affected drainage in the area.
Ardenwood’s eucalyptus were hit hard by eucalyptus long-horned borer (Phoracantha semipunctata), an Australian woodboring beetle that attacks trees under stress. The adult beetles lay their eggs on the bark of eucalyptus and the larvae feed under the tree’s bark, eventually killing the trees outright. The eucalyptus long-horned borer was discovered at Ardenwood in 1989. In response, EBRPD implemented a control program to improve growing conditions for the remaining trees which consisted of removing infested trees and reducing other stressful conditions; and releasing two parasitic wasps to control the borers. But blue gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus) continued to die, and monarch butterfly and raptor habitat was lost by the time the program was implemented. Another insect pest, the lerp psyllid (Glycaspis brimblecombei), appeared a few years later and threatened to kill red gum saplings (Eucalyptus camaldulensis) planted as new monarch butterfly roosts. The Park District has since planted brushy blue gum eucalyptus to host monarchs. In the 1980’s and ‘90’s, eucalyptus tree death and failure was common at Ardenwood and the Park District commissioned an arborist to prepare a series of management plans for the eucalyptus plantings (HortScience 1991, 1997). In response to the poor health, Park District staff implemented an intense program of tree removal in 1994 and 1995, planted appropriate eucalyptus species and introduced biological control agents. The decline of the eucalyptus groves has more or less stabilized over the last several years. However, staff recently identified evidence of what is suspected to be a third insect pest, the eucalyptus tortoise beetle (Trachymela sloanei), which arrived in California in the 1980’s from Australia.
The state of the eucalyptus trees presents a complicated management problem for the Park District. Loss of strategically located eucalyptus stands diminishes windbreak protection, eliminates roosting sites for monarch butterflies and reduces raptor nesting opportunities, the presence of which helps to keep pests, such as rats and ground squirrels, in check. Loss of trees has also diminished the beauty of certain areas of Ardenwood. South Wood in particular, which is the gateway to the park, is now rather unattractive. New landscaping would improve the appearance of this area. To continue to manage and maintain the eucalyptus as a historical feature of the landscape, the Park District will need to develop and implement a more comprehensive and long-term tree-replacement plan. This will involve, among other actions, continuing to replant appropriate species of trees in South Wood and North Wood.
Another management concern at Ardenwood is the condition of the historical orchards. In the early 1980’s there were over 20 acres planted with English and black walnut trees, far too many for staff to maintain in a healthy state. Today, many of these trees are overmature, some have not been pruned in years and many are near death. In addition, soils are generally poor for growing walnut trees and irrigation in some locations is inadequate. In 1994, Park District staff commissioned an evaluation of three blocs of walnut trees at Ardenwood to provide staff with practical management guidelines (Baefsky & Associates 1994). The walnut trees were planted in distinct blocs beginning in the 1920’s. At the time of the evaluation, the health and vigor of trees in all three blocs were considered poor and in decline as a result of lack of water, past cultural practices, poor soil and other problems. The management plan advises that if restoration of
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 17 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment certain blocs is desired, the removal of live and dead walnut stumps is recommended. This evaluation also advises removing live and dead walnut stumps and introducing proper irrigation and ground cover. As recommended in the management guidelines, the LUPA proposes to take advantage of the relatively good health of a few existing orchards and focus resources on ensuring their long-term survival. Based on recommendations of the management plan, in orchards located north of Central Filed, staff would replace individual walnut trees on an ongoing basis or replant entire blocs.
C. Cultural Resources
Pre-Historic Ethnographically, Ardenwood Historic Farm was territory of the Tuibun tribelet of Ohlone people, which centered around Alameda Creek. These people were gatherers and hunters who lived a semi-sedentary village life. Ardenwood is located a mile and a half from a cluster of four important prehistoric sites in Coyote Hills Regional Park. An archaeological site, formally recorded as CA-Ala-392, is located at present day Ardenwood, likely a site of secondary importance to native peoples. First recorded in 1977, site CA-Ala-392 was then described as a low mound, approximately 80 meters by 60 meters and characterized by moderate shell scatter, faunal material, fire cracked rock and a few obsidian flakes. This site was located west of the Patterson House. A 1982 archaeological survey found that site CA-Ala-392 was relocated within dense exotic vegetation in the vicinity of the Pattersons’ swimming pool, and perhaps larger than originally reported (240 meters by 100 meters). The eastern edge of the site could extend as far east as the landscaped areas surrounding the Patterson House. In 1982, burned rocks and human and animal bones were observed on the site surface. An additional archaeological project in 1982 removed human remains of at least five individuals (Baker 1983). This report and associated figures refer to CA-Ala-392 as a “shellmound,” a general term used to describe the accumulation over time of decomposing debris, including the remains of abalone, mussel and clam shells; animal and human remains; and sediment, ash, rocks and tools.
Today, the western portion of the Native American shellmound is overgrown with dense vegetation. EBRPD interprets the site with a wayside educational panel, but this resource is not a major component of the interpretive effort at Ardenwood at this time because the programs at nearby Coyote Hills Regional Park emphasize Ohlone culture. As a result of its use by Native Americans and later by the Patterson family, most of present-day Ardenwood should be considered a sensitive prehistoric and historic site. Subsurface ground disturbing activities have the potential to uncover buried prehistoric or historic materials.
Historic Today, Ardenwood Historic Farm represents the heart of one of Alameda County’s largest ranching operations. George Washington Patterson came to Alameda County in 1851 after a largely unsuccessful stint in the gold fields on the American and Trinity Rivers. Patterson acquired land quite rapidly and by 1854 was one of the ten largest landholders in Alameda County. By 1878, Patterson was the largest landowner in Alameda County – and for over 100 years Ardenwood operated as one of the biggest ranches in the County. The Patterson family’s economic and social position was influential in the development of Alameda County, and a history of the ranch and family is illustrative of 19th and early 20th century rural life in California.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 18 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment The extant structures and landscape at Ardenwood reflect both the evolution of a ranching operation of great size and importance in Alameda County and the history of one of its more prominent families (Baker 1983).
Ardenwood’s built environment is constantly changing; it has for centuries and will continue to change in the future. Change is inherent in cultural landscapes, resulting from natural processes and human activities. Built features at Ardenwood have been constructed over many years and buildings themselves have evolved over time. The Patterson House, for example, represents the evolution of a rural family home over 60 years. However, Ardenwood today still exhibits continuity of form and features over a period of more than 150 years. The LUPA recognizes the landscape as a continuum through history and attempts to emphasize the continuity while acknowledging change.
In late 1985, the U.S. Department of the Interior placed the George Patterson Historic Ranch on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is the country’s only national-level listing of cultural resources worthy of preservation. Properties listed in the Register include districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects that are significant in American history, architecture, archeology, engineering and culture. The area of national eligibility is a 131-acre area that includes the most important elements associated with the history of Ardenwood: the Patterson House, The Milk House was constructed ca. mid-1850’s of hand chiseled sandstone blocks. various farm buildings, and ornamental landscaping and eucalyptus woods. The boundaries exclude the eastern third of Ardenwood. The Patterson House, along with five remaining outbuildings, are considered contributing elements of the National Register listing. The significant outbuildings now include a milk house, cook’s house, equipment shed, hay barn and garage, all located within the area designated in this plan as the Historic Core. These buildings’ significance lies in their integrity: they have retained the physical characteristics (character-defining features) from the property’s historic period and, except for re-roofing, painting and other maintenance, materials are original and their assemblage comprises arguably the finest ranch complex in Alameda County dating from the historical period. These buildings were built between 1856 and 1914. Thus, EBRPD has identified this period as Ardenwood’s age of architectural significance. The LUPA attempts to ensure that proposed new development outside of the proposed Deer Park Recreation Unit will generally resemble the architectural character of this period.
At the state level, the California Department of Parks and Recreation has catalogued a portion of the George Patterson Ranch as site CA-Ala-439H. Site CA-Ala-439H is described as a complex of buildings which originally included the family house and an associated garage, milk house, cook’s house, swimming pool, the remains of a tennis court, bean barn, equipment shed, hay barn and remnants of a water tower, and a historical and more recent dump. Historical and
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 19 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment contemporary artifacts, such as glass bottles, dish fragments, tools and trash deposits, have been recovered (Baker 1983).
Site CA-ALA-440H, consisting of the former William Patterson House and outbuildings, has also been catalogued by the Department of Parks and Recreation. Only the foundations of the buildings remain. William Patterson is the son of George Patterson and built his own house on the ranch east of the family house. The William Patterson House was burned by the family in the 1960’s according to the terms of William’s will. An interpretive panel is now located at the site of this house.
A former building of historical note is the Japanese “Teahouse.” In 1915 Clara Patterson Layson, then the widow of George Patterson, visited the Panama Pacific International Exposition and subsequently purchased a building from a grand Japanese exhibit and had it shipped by barge down San Francisco Bay. This building was referred to as a “teahouse” but was actually a multi-room office that had housed the Japanese commissioners to the 1915 Exposition. The structure lay dormant until 1941 when a fire burned it to the ground, perhaps, as legend has it, as an act of retribution against Japan which had just bombed Pearl Harbor (Miller 1988). The foundation is still visible today, next to an interpretive panel, just east of Deer Park.
Four period buildings are currently stored at Ardenwood: the Mowry Schoolhouse and the Bettencourt, Tacchela-Gomes and Brown (Patterson Ranch) houses. All of these buildings have been moved from their original locations and have been sitting on blocks in the northeastern part of the park since the mid-1980’s. The Park District and other agencies and organizations envisioned that these buildings would be used as part of an educational farming center or a historic village, but neither concept has been realized.
The Mowry Schoolhouse was likely built in 1884 and was sold after the Mowry’s Landing School District merged with the Irvington School District and converted into a house. Originally in close proximity to each other, the Bettencourt and Tacchela-Gomes houses were moved from a site in the Centerville area of Fremont. The Brown House, also known as the Patterson Ranch House, may have been built in the 1850’s by George Simpson, a squatter whose land George Patterson later purchased. The house was occupied by Joe Brown, one of the permanent ranch hands on the Patterson Ranch. The Bettencourt and Brown houses may be eligible for the California Register of Historical Resources as significant examples of early architectural styles and/or construction techniques in Washington Township. The Brown House also is significant because of its associations with the history of the Patterson Ranch (Page & Turnbull, Inc. 1991 and Hill 1997). Future actions by the Park District related to the Bettencourt and Brown houses will be addressed in a separate document.
D. Circulation
Access Ardenwood Historic Farm is conveniently accessible by vehicle, as it is bounded by roads or railroad tracks on all sides: State Highway Route 84 to the south, Ridgewood Drive to the north, Interstate 880 to the east, and Ardenwood Boulevard and Union Pacific railroad tracks to the
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 20 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment west. Primary vehicle access is off of Ardenwood Boulevard; the main entry road to the park follows the quarter-mile-long original entrance to the Patterson Ranch (referred to as the Walnut Allee in this report and the LUDP) and is flanked by black walnut trees. Local public access is also available from an overpass over State Highway Route 84 on the south side of the park, an extension of Lake Boulevard in Newark. There are several locked service gates along the northern border of the park that provide access for service vehicles from Ridgewood Drive in Fremont. The entire perimeter of the park is fenced to control access and all visitors must enter the core area at the pedestrian entrance located at the train station admissions building just east of the parking lot. For the first-time visitor and veteran staff alike, Ardenwood’s irregular trail system can be confusing to navigate.
On peak use days, the pedestrian entrance can get congested as visitors enter and leave through a common gate. A separate pedestrian entrance and exit would improve flow and circulation. There is no area for people to congregate outside of the pedestrian entrance; a plaza here would give visitors and groups a place to meet and gather.
The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources maintains about a mile of track within Ardenwood Historic Farm, constructed per the LUDP, which takes visitors through the parkland in horse-drawn railcars. Approximately three-quarters of a mile of track is used on a regular basis to take visitors from Arden Station to Deer Park Station. An additional quarter-mile of track, from Deer Park Station to William Patterson Station, is used as part of special programs and events and to move equipment. SPCRR is a special interest railroad preservation The Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad society with the primary mission of historical Resources operates a railroad museum that offers a th recreation of the South Pacific Coast Railroad. Draft preservation of 19 century narrow gauge horses pull flatcars on scheduled runs through farm railroading in California. The Park District fields and eucalyptus groves. desires to expand historical modes of transportation to deliver visitors to other destinations throughout Ardenwood. SPCRR proposes to extend rail tracks and build new horse-drawn rail platform stations, offering new attractions and improving circulation.
Parking There is existing space at Ardenwood to accommodate over 900 cars in a number of different areas. The staging or parking area is located south of the entrance road and consists of 121 paved parking spaces (including six disabled-accessible), and an overflow lot immediately to the south that is able to hold more than 300 vehicles, including buses. On peak visitor days, there is space to park vehicles at the following locations: the produce stand located at the park entrance, which is able to hold more than 50 vehicles; either side of the entry road or allee, which accommodates more than 100 vehicles; and a pre-designated and rotating portion of farm field, area for at least 200 more spaces. In addition, on special event days, there is space for park staff,
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 21 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment volunteers, program partners and performers to park in an unused area southwest of the Lake Boulevard entry road that accommodates about 100 vehicles and storage. There is parking for about 25 vehicles for staff and volunteers north of the entry road at the park residence and office.
On high use days, which occur on weekends in October during the annual Harvest Festival and less than five other weekend days each year, parking capacity can be reached. Parking at Ardenwood can accommodate traffic generated by current on-site events, and no additional parking space is currently needed. However, with implementation of key proposals in the Land Use Plan Amendment, namely the construction of a permanent shade structure, it may be necessary to pave the existing overflow parking lot adjacent to the present paved parking area and to provide more overflow parking on a temporary basis on a fallow farm field.
Trails Ardenwood Historic Farm has a well-established and complete internal, paved trail system, which is generally designated for pedestrian use and is wheelchair-accessible. For the most part, access through Ardenwood is on paved paths, which also function as service roads; bicycles are not allowed in the Historic Core. Ardenwood’s system of trails, paths and roads lacks coherence and is sometimes confusing. In an effort to create a more unified circulation system, the Land Use Plan Amendment proposes to formally name certain trails and roads. As the park continues to develop, staff may install trail name and directional signs to help visitors get around the park. The Park District may also incorporate trail names into the park brochure.
The Plan Amendment recommends several additional access and trail improvements. Within the park, a new trail, open to pedestrians and bicycles, is proposed along the western edge. The City of Fremont originally proposed this neighborhood trail and it was included in the LUDP but it has never been developed. A neighborhood pedestrian-bicycle trail here would provide residents north of Ridgewood Drive convenient access to areas south of the park. The trail would be closed to vehicles and is not intended as a new park access.
Just south of the park, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) maintains a short section of its State Highway Route 84 bicycle path (Class I) that connects to the Dumbarton Bridge through local streets. This path’s intersection at Highway 84 is unsafe and is slated to be made safer when Caltrans improves the Interstate 880 and Highway 84 interchange. Paseo Padre Parkway and Ardenwood Boulevard have existing bicycle lanes (Class II) and a proposed signed bicycle route through City streets would connect these lanes to Coyote Hills Regional Park. The City of Fremont proposes bicycle lanes on Deep Creek Road from Ridgewood Drive to Paseo Padre Parkway (Alta Planning + Design 2005).
E. Use, Facilities and Services
The following descriptions of existing use and facilities includes many issues that need to be addressed through capital projects or programs to correct existing problems or enhance conditions. Ardenwood Historic Farm lacks a number of buildings that are needed for interpretive program and operational uses, and infrastructure is outdated or inadequate and needs to be upgraded. LUPA recommendations are discussed in Section IV.E.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 22 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Ardenwood contains a wealth of historical features. As described in the Ardenwood Historic Farm Resource Analysis (EBRPD 1982), the site contains many structures and facilities, some that were part of the original Patterson Ranch and others that are more recent. Since 1981, the Park District has rehabilitated existing buildings and has built new buildings, such as the park office and security residence. Figure 4-A illustrates existing facilities, such as the granary, that are used for interpretive programming or that are open to the public. Figure 4-B shows service buildings, such as facilities used by EBRPD and City of Fremont staff, as well as by program partners, that are generally off limits to the public. Figure 4-C shows the existing facilities and event areas in the proposed Deer Park Recreation Unit.
The Patterson Ranch was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. Since then, minimal construction has occurred in the proposed designated Historic Core area, which includes the Patterson House and Farmyard (see Figure 6). Construction in this area has included a granary building used for interpretive programs that replaced a bean barn, and a restroom, walnut huller, aviary, gazebo and corrals, all in keeping with the character of Ardenwood’s historic period of significance. Though the LUPA identifies the era of significance of Ardenwood’s buildings as between 1856-1914, the current period that the Park District’s interpretive program represents is between the 1890-1930, which is a later period than envisioned in the LUDP and Business Plan. The interpretive program emphasizes this period in agricultural history because it encompasses the change from horse power to gasoline and offers the best opportunity to display the engines that ushered in this transformation.
A unique feature of Ardenwood is its educational and historically-oriented public farming programs. Park District and City of Fremont staff and docents expose visitors to 19th and early 20th century rural life in California. The park serves the general public and presents a number of unique farming and Victorian-era events, such as Harvest Festival and an Ardenwood Christmas. More specialized annual events, such as the Gathering of the Scottish Clans, the Celtic Festival and Civil War Days, with Ardenwood provides more interpretive programs than battle reenactments, brings in large numbers any other parkland in the EBRPD system. of enthusiastic visitors. Ardenwood also serves a large number of school classes, and provides more interpretive programs than any other parkland in the EBRPD system. Interpretive staff and docents, in period costumes, bring alive programs for school children, seniors and families through interpretive facilities and with hands- on demonstrations and programs ranging from outdoor cooking, farm chores, wool spinning, feeding animals, to tours of the Patterson family house, horse-drawn train rides, to blacksmithing, vegetable harvesting, corn shelling and composting. The Central Field is reserved for cultivation as part of the educational program, although it is occasionally farmed by the tenant farmer. Visitors can help plant, tend and harvest crops, and view antique equipment and draft horses at work.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 23 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Over the years, Deer Park, the site of large picnics in the Pattersons’ day, has grown from what was envisioned as a family picnic and small, rustic play area to a place where more intensive recreational uses occur. Today, Deer Park Group Picnic Area is a reservable area, operated by a private partner, offering more active recreational opportunities including softball, volleyball, horseshoes, ping pong, badminton, a play fountain and carnival games. This area is also used for annual special events, such as the Celtic Festival and the Cajun-Zydeco Music Festival, which offers amplified music and dancing. The Deer Park Recreation Unit is ideal for large groups and has capacity for 1,500 people for picnics and 2,500 for special events. However, this site has not reached its potential because it lacks proper facilities, such as a permanent shade structure, to attract more music and cultural events. In addition, landscaping would better define this area and provide screening within the park and between this recreation area and other use areas. Implementation of the LUPA would not increase capacity of this area.
EBRPD staff is charged with operating and maintaining Ardenwood, which involves keeping the park clean and safe; maintaining gardens and operating interpretive venues and programs; staffing special events, programs and demonstrations; and working with docents in the Farmyard, gardens and fields. The LUDP and the Business Plan propose numerous public program and facility enhancements but neither properly addresses the needs of staff to efficiently and cost- effectively operate and maintain Ardenwood. From the inception of Ardenwood as a public facility, staff has faced a number of constraints in its day-to-day operation of the parkland. Infrastructure serving staff and docents has been inadequate. For example, staff does not have proper space to repair farm equipment or store equipment or feed; and there is not adequate space for docents’ belongings. The park also lacks sufficient permanent public restrooms, particularly to serve the pedestrian entrance and the Deer Park Recreation Unit.
The LUDP anticipated that in addition to interpretive activities park operations would be located in the Farmyard. This not being feasible, a service area, with a park office, staff parking, security residence and minimal corporation yard was constructed south of the Farmyard, and is off limits to the public. However, a larger fenced service yard is needed. A large maintenance yard for the tenant farmer was also developed south of the overflow parking lot.
As part of the land use planning process, the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources has submitted site development plans to construct a living railcar complex in phases. Phase 1, which was approved with the adoption of the LUDP but has not yet been realized, includes: a maximum 7,500 square foot corporation yard housing a steel car barn and materials storage building and yard to be entirely enclosed with fencing; two storage containers and a temporary pole barn; rail siding and up to five tracks with switches; a private office building, perhaps involving the rehabilitation of one of the historical structures being stored at Ardenwood, such as the Brown House; restroom facilities; a graded access road; and landscaping. However, its location will be moved from Eastern Field, as originally envisioned in the LUDP, to the eastern edge of the William Patterson Educational Center site, within SPF-2 (see Figure 6). Site development plans also include a second and future phases, which are described in Section IV.E.
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Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 27 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment F. Utilities
In general, utility service systems are adequate to meet existing needs at Ardenwood Historic Farm. However, the park’s electrical service does not have capacity to meet current demands and a complete new electrical service is required. EBRPD should prepare a utility master plan in different areas of the park prior to major utility changes or upgrades. The following summaries include issues that need to be addressed through capital projects to correct existing problems or to enhance use.
Water There are two separate water systems that serve Ardenwood Historic Farm. One water system delivers potable water from the municipal water supplier, Alameda County Water District (ACWD), via a 12-inch diameter water line extending southward into the park from Ridgewood Drive. This water line serves the Patterson House and buildings in the Farmyard, Deer Park, park operations area and at the pedestrian entrance. In addition an 8-inch diameter water line extends eastward into the park from Ardenwood Boulevard and serves the produce stand. The potable water line is sufficient to meet the existing water demands of the park, including water pressure requirements for fire safety, and appears adequate to accommodate future water needs. However, a number of proposed facilities will need water and lines will need to be extended to serve them (see Table 2).
The second water system, which is non-potable, is used for purposes of irrigating fields and orchards. A well is located northeast of the park office. Water for irrigation is pumped from this well but is not potable because it is contaminated with saltwater. There may be eight or more wells at Ardenwood; however only one located on the southern tip of the park is now connected to the farm’s internal water supply system. The water supply system includes a network of underground mains; water is supplied to the system by an electric pump located at the well. A number of well heads are located throughout the farm fields and orchards. A new well head is needed in Western Field.
The groundwater aquifers are complex. There are seasonal “perched” aquifers located near the surface which are underlain by a relatively impermeable rock layer. A number of aquifers lie below the near-surface aquifers. Historically, these perched aquifers were artesian, meaning that they were under pressure forcing water to rise to the surface by itself without pumping. Over time, the withdrawal of water from perched aquifers for purposes of irrigation has exceeded the recharge rate and as a consequence, the aquifers are no longer artesian. Because near-surface fresh water has been depleted, saltwater from the nearby San Francisco Bay intrudes in the uppermost aquifers, and has recently begun to affect lower aquifers. Saltwater intrusion has resulted in corrosion and leaking of tanks, water supply mains and well casings, in addition to affecting eucalyptus groves and water used for crop irrigation. The casing of the well now used for irrigation should be investigated for saltwater intrusion.
Sewer The sanitary sewer system consists of a line located north of Ardenwood which extends southward into the park from Ridgewood Drive and a line running into the park from Ardenwood Boulevard which parallels the allee. Sewage disposal for the Patterson House was
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 28 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment formerly provided by a septic tank and leach field but this was not a desirable method of sewage disposal because of the local high water tables. The Patterson House is now connected to the municipal sanitary sewer system. A lift station is located behind the pool west of the Patterson House. Sewage for the security residence located south of the Farmyard is provided by a septic tank and leach field in a nearby pasture. The hay barn located in the Farmyard has a holding tank which is pumped regularly by EBRPD. Sewer capacity is adequate to serve present needs; however, lines will need to be extended to serve several proposed facilities (see Table 2).
Electricity Electrical service to Ardenwood is inadequate to serve present needs. The electrical system is quite complicated and has evolved as needs have arisen. Electrical lines enter to the south from Lake Boulevard and the park’s main electrical distribution is located in the back of the blacksmith shop. There is a 30 amp, 240 volt outlet there. The electrical system at Ardenwood supplying power to the Patterson House, Deer Park and some buildings in the Farmyard originates in the main switch panel near the park office. The feeder is a 480 volt, single phase, 70-amp circuit installed underground conduit that runs approximately 1,000 feet to an underground vault near the Patterson House. At the Patterson House, a transformer reduces the 480 volts down to 120/240 volts. The existing 70 amp, 480 volt circuit can supply 33.6 KVA (kilo-volt-ampere) of power. The calculated load imposed on the feeder by the Patterson House is 23.6 KVA or 98 amps at 240 volts. There is not enough power available for the combined load of the Patterson House and other buildings such as the beverage stand at Deer Park. To accommodate present needs, a minimum 90 amp, 480 volt circuit is required, but there is little excess capacity for additional loads without increasing the wire size of the feeder (Cooke 2003).
Park staff would like to extend electricity to the east side of the Farmyard to serve the equipment shed, hog shed, sheep shelter, chicken coop, aviary and walnut huller. Outdoor, overhead lighting from the Patterson House to the restroom building located in the Farmyard also needs to be completed. However, most pressing and costly is the fact that the park requires a complete new electrical service, including overhead and underground transformers, conduits and switching gear, to meet current and future needs.
Natural Gas A small gasoline distribution system serves the Patterson House, the Farmyard Café, the train station admissions building and the eastern edge of the Farmyard and connects directly to a transmission main. Pacific Gas and Electric Company has two 50-foot-wide gas pipeline rights- of-way crossing the site, and may remove any vegetation found along them.
G. Public Safety
The primary fire and rescue protection authority to Ardenwood is the Fremont Fire Department, which maintains Fire Station 10 located on Deep Creek Road, less than a mile away. Depending on the magnitude of the incident, the City of Newark and City of Union City fire departments would provide secondary emergency fire protection and emergency response services. The EBRPD Fire Department would also contribute support and equipment but its closest fire station is located many miles from Ardenwood and therefore, response time to an emergency is not
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 29 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment immediate. EBRPD’s Public Safety Department participates fully in county and state fire and police inter-agency mutual aid systems.
The City of Fremont and EBRPD fire departments maintain cooperative agreements to ensure the best response time to an emergency at Ardenwood. The Fremont Fire Department has the best access routes through Ardenwood mapped and conducts an annual visit to the parkland to go over emergency access routes. On rare occasions, in dry and windy conditions, park staff may restrict visitors to developed areas, prohibit smoking and suspend barbeques to aid in preventing wildfires. An emergency evacuation plan for Ardenwood is in place.
EBRPD provides primary police services within Ardenwood Historic Farm, with the City of Fremont providing secondary assistance, and the City of Newark Police Department and the California Highway Patrol providing safety assistance as well. Presently, there are no chronic police issues or concerns at Ardenwood. However, there are certain special events, such as Civil War Days and the Cajun-Zydeco Music Festival, that may require additional police and fire coverage. Special needs are typically addressed through the reservation process on an “as needed” basis.
H. Partnerships and Planning Context
Ardenwood Historic Farm is owned by the City of Fremont and leased to the East Bay Regional Park District for development and use as a regional park facility. Ardenwood is bounded by roads or railroad tracks on all sides. A large finger-shaped piece of land owned by Caltrans extends from State Highway Route 84 into the center of Ardenwood. This land is now being farmed and the well used for irrigation appears to be located on this property. Figure 5 shows property ownership of the parkland and adjacent properties.
Cooperation and coordination between the many entities associated with Ardenwood are essential to its successful operation. EBRPD and the City of Fremont work closely with one another and with other public agencies, such as the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, to resolve land use, operational and public safety issues. A Liaison Committee between EBRPD and the City of Fremont meets regularly to discuss issues related to Ardenwood. The City of Fremont’s Patterson House Advisory Board is charged with overseeing the maintenance, restoration and management of the house. A number of program partners operate private businesses within Ardenwood, offering a full spectrum of educational, recreational and culinary attractions. Current program partners provide horse-drawn train rides; full service picnics and weddings; wagon and steam engine rides; and blacksmith demonstrations and products. A beekeeper maintains hives and a tenant farmer produces an abundant variety of both organic and conventionally grown fruits and vegetables and offers an autumn pumpkin patch that is known to many school children.
Ardenwood’s interpretive program is so successful, in part, because of the many dedicated docents who volunteer their time to orient visitors, and assist with interpretive programs and historical demonstrations. This section contains a brief review of the agreements, committees and planning documents that guide management of Ardenwood Historic Farm.
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Management Agreement In March 1982, the City of Fremont and the East Bay Regional Park District entered into a 25- year operating agreement providing for EBRPD to fund the development, operations, maintenance and interpretation of Ardenwood Historic Farm, except for the Patterson House, which the City is fully responsible for. The Management Agreement expires in February 2007 and there is an option extended to EBRPD by the City of Fremont for an additional 25 years.
Liaison Committee In the past EBRPD and the City of Fremont participated in the Ardenwood Regional Preserve Advisory Committee (ARPAC) which was charged with reporting to the City of Fremont and to advise and report to EBRPD and make recommendations concerning Ardenwood Historic Farm. This Committee was recently terminated in favor of a Liaison Committee which meets regularly to discuss issues related to parks and trails operated by EBRPD in the Fremont area: Ardenwood, Quarry Lakes Regional Park, Coyote Hills Regional Park, Alameda Creek Trails, Vargas Plateau Regional Park, Mission Peak Regional Preserve, Niles Canyon Trail, Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park (south end) and Vargas to Mission Peak Trail. The Liaison Committee reports to and advises the Fremont City Council and Recreation Commission and the Park District’s Board of Directors on the operation, project development, maintenance and management of these parks and trails.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 31 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment City of Fremont Ardenwood Historic Farm is owned by and falls within the local jurisdiction of the City of Fremont. New development proposed in this LUPA (or contained in the LUPD and not yet implemented) will be considered to have planning approval from the City with its adoption of this Land Use Plan Amendment. As agreed upon in the Memorandum of Understanding Between the East Bay Regional Park District and the City of Fremont, if a project is described in the LUDP or LUPA the approval process is as follows: the East Bay Regional Park District – City of Fremont Liaison Committee reviews it and recommends the project to Fremont’s City Manager. Following approval of the project by the City Manager, EBRPD staff may submit the project directly to the building department for permits. This would allow for ‘expedited’ development review and approval.
Planning Documents The following planning documents specifically govern the development and management of Ardenwood Historic Farm:
• EBRPD Master Plan 1997: Adopted December 17, 1996. This plan includes District-wide policies for resource management and recreation and the land use planning process upon which this Land Use Plan Amendment is based. • Ardenwood Regional Preserve Final Resource Analysis: Adopted March 16, 1982, amended March 15, 1983. This report gives a detailed description of the natural, cultural and constructed resources within Ardenwood, as well as offers a preliminary vegetation and wildlife management plan. • Ardenwood Regional Preserve Final Land Use-Development Plan/Environmental Impact Report: Adopted March 16, 1982, amended March 15, 1983. This report proposes management goals and allows implementation of a number of physical improvements at Ardenwood, including specific projects which have not been realized such as a trail on the western edge of the park and facilities located at the William Patterson Educational Center. These adopted proposals are still valid for future development. The EIR addresses the project’s environmental impacts and proposes feasible mitigation measures.
The Land Use-Development Plan designates Ardenwood according to the planning units as described in the EBRPD Master Plan – 1980. Under this system the entire park, except the Staging Unit, is designated as a “Preserve Unit.” The EBRPD Master Plan 1997 standardized planning units for all classifications. Thus, changes, such as designation of Special Features, are now required. The LUDP allows for amendments as needed, to be prepared by EBRPD staff and adopted by the EBRPD Board of Directors and the Fremont City Council. • 1996 Ardenwood Historic Farm Phase One Business Plan: Adopted November 1996. In the mid-1990’s EBRPD commissioned a study to evaluate Ardenwood’s service delivery model. After conducting an extensive operational review process, a business plan was developed containing a phased program development concept to increase visitorship and revenue. As part of the Business Plan, in 1996-97 a marketing plan was also created. • Fremont General Plan: Adopted May 7, 1991, amended periodically. Fremont’s General Plan designates most of Ardenwood as Institutional Open Space, which is consistent with the park’s agricultural and public open space and recreation uses.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 32 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment IV. LAND USE PLAN AMENDMENT
A. Concept
The Ardenwood Regional Preserve Land Use-Development Plan allows for EBRPD staff to develop amendments “as conditions change and as needed.” The LUDP requires that any amendments be adopted by the EBRPD Board of Directors and the Fremont City Council, along with the appropriate documents to satisfy the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (EBRPD 1983).
The Park District has operated Ardenwood Historic Farm as an interpretive and public recreational facility since 1985, and in that time visitor opportunities have grown as has the parkland’s popularity. Ardenwood features unique cultural and natural resources, and visitor- serving facilities, as identified in the LUDP, Resource Analysis and Section III, Existing Conditions, above. The vision of Ardenwood presented in the LUDP over 20 years ago as a public attraction offering a full spectrum of cultural and educational opportunities will not change with implementation of the Land Use Plan Amendment. The mission of staff and docents is to give visitors an understanding of California farm life between the period of 1890 and 1930 through observation and participation in programs related to chores and food and crop production. The education plan for Ardenwood will continue to focus on agricultural machinery by telling the story of the evolution of farming from horse power to gasoline engines. The underlying themes of this Plan Amendment remain protection of cultural resources, agricultural uses and open space at Ardenwood. To that end, the LUPA recommends the continuance of management strategies to maintain and enhance the parkland’s cultural and natural resources and to preserve almost 100 acres of farm fields and acres of orchards and woodlands.
Public use of Ardenwood plays a key role in the land use plan concept, and the LUPA contains a number of proposals intended to facilitate circulation within the park, attract more visitors and encourage repeat visitorship. The Ardenwood Business Plan aims to increase revenue to help defray high operating costs. It notes that existing infrastructure limits the park’s ability to draw large groups of visitors for special events, and identifies capital improvements to support service enhancement and expansion that are not necessarily based on historical farming. This LUPA includes many of these proposals that have not yet been realized, and also includes new ideas that meet the objectives of the Business Plan. The LUPA balances improvements to the interpretive/educational programs while maintaining and proposing a moderate level of appropriately placed, active recreation facilities. Most new visitor-serving facilities would be clustered at or near currently developed areas. The Plan Amendment also recommends a number of facilities to serve park operations, which, when implemented, will enable Park District staff to run the park more efficiently and cost-effectively. Finally, electrical service throughout Ardenwood is inadequate for current needs, and EBRPD proposes a complete new electrical service to the park, as well as other utility upgrades to serve existing and future improvements. Table 1 identifies the planning document(s) in which the major planning and capital improvement recommendations contained in the LUPA first appeared.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 33 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Table 1: Origin of Planning and Capital Projects Proposed in the LUPA
This table is intended to give an overview of which EBRPD planning document(s) major planning and capital improvement projects contained in the LUPA first appeared. The far left column lists the improvement. The second column includes proposals that were recommended in the original 1982/1983 Land Use-Development Plan and have environmental documentation in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act. The third column includes ideas that were developed as part of the Business Plan process and which have not been assessed under CEQA; these will be covered under CEQA as part of this land use planning process. The fourth column includes new proposals developed as part of the LUPA planning process and will also be covered under the accompanying CEQA document.
Natural Resource Management Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Replant trees in South Wood, North 9 Wood and East Wood on an ongoing basis • Replant walnut trees in existing orchard 9 areas on an ongoing basis • Implement a landscaping plan at the 9 pedestrian entrance and Deer Park Public Access and Circulation Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Redesign the park entry with pedestrian 9 plaza containing a separate entrance and exit. • Extend rail tracks and build new rail 9 station platforms (SPCRR) • Pave overflow parking lot, if necessary 9 • Develop multi-use trail parallel to west 9 9 park boundary • Develop a new path to serve the Best 9 steam tractor building • Pave existing informal path south of Deer 9 Park Table continues on following page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 34 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Table 1, continued Educational Facilities Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Construct indoor interpretive center 9 • Expand equipment shed to display 9 equipment and to provide work space • Establish outdoor visitor gathering area 9 with permanent seating • Develop a fenced sheep pasture area 9 • Plant two orchards 9 • Restore the Bunk House as an interpretive 9 exhibit • Convert the historic Milk House to an 9 interpretive exhibit • Develop a woodshop 9 • Set up a visitor center and gift shop 9 • Install a satellite produce sales area 9 • Construct Best steam tractor barn 9 (Oakland Museum) • Develop rail yard shop/station (SPCRR) 9 9 • Develop a car shop and museum complex 9 (SPCRR) • Develop a railway depot (SPCRR) 9 Operational/Service Facilities Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Construct a permanent restroom building 9 south of Deer Park • Construct additional restrooms at entrance 9 • Construct a hay barn 9 • Install a pole/storage barn (EBRPD) 9 9 • Install a pole/storage barn and generator 9 in farming service yard • Develop park service yard (EBRPD) 9 • Construct a separate addition to the 9 Farmyard restroom building for storage • Construct a storage building to replace 9 storage lost in Bunk House relocation • Construct a storage building to serve 9 EBRPD and City of Fremont Table continues on following page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 35 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Table 1, continued Recreational Facilities Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Construct a permanent shade structure 9 • Upgrade water play fountain 9 • Install new children’s play equipment 9 • Landscape to provide screening 9 Utilities Covered in Included in New in LUPA LUDP/EIR Business Plan • Complete outdoor, overhead lighting from 9 the Patterson House to the Farmyard restroom building • Extend electrical service to the eastern 9 side of Farmyard • Complete new electrical service. Upgrade 9 9 and extend utility systems to serve proposed facilities
EBRPD will be guided in its future management of Ardenwood Historic Farm by the designation of planning units, resource management strategies and development proposals recommended below. While attempting to be as specific as practical, the Land Use Plan Amendment is schematic in nature and locations of improvements described in text and shown in figures are intended to be general. Specific siting for programs, facilities and other projects will be determined during subsequent phases of project design. Where possible, EBPRD will place new structures and activity areas in locations that minimize costs and disturbance to existing conditions. The proposals presented herein do not constitute a commitment of funds for implementation by the EBRPD; necessary capital for projects will need to be secured. Decisions regarding funding for these projects will be made as part of the Park District’s capital budgeting process. A few proposed projects, where noted, will not be funded by the Park District.
B. Designation of Planning Features and Units
In accordance with the East Bay Regional Park District Master Plan and in an effort to reflect the basic concept of park development, the original Ardenwood Land Use-Development Plan identifies areas of the parkland as unique land use units and establishes land use designations to highlight areas requiring special protection and management. Except for a few key changes, the LUPA preserves these designations including the Staging Unit (parking lot). As shown in Figure 6, major land use changes from the LUDP recommended in this Plan Amendment include: • Removing the Historical Farming & Educational Use Unit identified in the LUDP that included several areas: the Patterson House, the Farmyard, the William Patterson Educational Center, and orchards and farm fields.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 36 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Designating the Patterson House and Victorian gardens and Farmyard buildings as a Special Protection Feature. See SPF-2 below. • Designating a roughly four-acre area comprising the Deer Park Group Picnic Area as a Recreation Unit, where more intensive public recreational use is clustered. Deer Park was identified within the Historical Farming & Educational Use Unit in the LUDP. • Designating Eastern Field as a special management feature to remain in agricultural use. This area was identified in the LUDP as a site to house a future historic village by other groups and a rail shop/museum funded by SPCRR, but neither of these concepts have been realized. • Relocating the proposed SPCRR-funded rail shop/museum from Eastern Field to the eastern portion of the William Patterson Educational Center.
Special Features In accordance with the Park District’s Master Plan 1997, the Land Use Plan Amendment designates two areas with unique or fragile natural, cultural or educational resources as Special Protection Features (SPF). The LUPA designates four areas that require special maintenance or care as Special Management Features (SMF).
Designate Special Protection Features: • SPF-1, Ohlone Shellmound (referred to as the Ohlone village site in the LUDP): This area, located near the Patterson House, is the prehistoric Native American site CA-Ala-392. This area is not open to the public and is protected from public trespass by dense vegetation. • SPF-2, Historic Core (this area was identified in the LUDP as within the Historical Farming and Educational Use Unit): This area includes the Patterson House and Victorian gardens and Farmyard buildings, and all structures considered contributing elements of the National Register listing – the Patterson House, milk house, cook’s house, equipment shed, hay barn and garage – built over a 60-year span. Development in this area will be limited and consistent in style with Ardenwood’s period of architectural significance (1856 through 1914).
Designate Special Management Features: • SMF-1, Farm Fields (referred to as the Farming Unit in the LUDP): These include the almost 100-acres of fields that are currently in agricultural use (Willows Field, Western Field, Central Field and Eastern Field). • SMF-2, Eucalyptus Groves (referred to as the Eucalyptus Management Unit in the LUDP): These include the North Wood, East Wood and the perimeter of South Wood, which provide habitat for monarch butterflies and raptors. • SMF-3, Orchards: These include existing relatively healthy walnut orchards east of the Deer Park Recreation Unit, west of East Wood and a long corridor just north of Central Field, which Ardenwood staff has determined most practical to focus its resources. Two new, small year-round orchards are proposed which would also be designated as part of SMF-3. • SMF-4, Walnut Allee: This includes the roughly quarter-mile-long entry road that is flanked by black walnut trees and was the original entrance to the Patterson Ranch.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 37 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 38 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment C. Natural Resource Management
Vegetation Management While much of Ardenwood Historic Farm appears as it did since the East Bay Regional Park District began its operation in the early 1980’s, the park’s vegetation has undergone noticeable change. Changes have occurred most dramatically to the eucalyptus plantings and walnut orchards, as described in Section III.B, above. The LUPA designates specific groves of eucalyptus and blocs of walnut orchards as Special Management Features; EBRPD staff will focus its resources on replanting and maintaining these tree communities. EBRPD shall continue to manage vegetation at Ardenwood to control weed growth and the risk of wildfire, while maintaining a landscape that resembles its historical setting.
Recommendations • Preserve important landscape features, including ornamental landscaping, eucalyptus woods, orchards and farm fields, and continue ongoing maintenance of historic plant material. • Retain plant materials, trees and landscape features which provide shade and windbreaks. • Continue to provide protection of historic building materials and plant features through appropriate cleaning, limited plant removal, pruning and vegetation management. • Continue to implement the management recommendations contained within the eucalyptus management plans prepared by HortScience, Inc. • Develop a comprehensive and long-term tree-replacement plan for sugar gum eucalyptus (Eucalyptus caldocalyx). • Develop and implement a vegetation planting plan for North Wood and the perimeter of South Wood (SMF-2) to continue to provide visual screening between park use areas, windbreaks and wildlife habitat, and to maintain a historical visual landmark and to serve as a buffer from outside encroachment. Plant appropriate specie(s) for the soil conditions based on management plan recommendations. • Continue to implement the management recommendations contained within the walnut orchard management plan prepared by Baefsky & Associates. This report recommends focusing staff resources on maintaining the health of the walnut orchards designated as SMF- 3, including replanting an orchard just north of Central Field. • Plant two new, small orchards to be used for year-round, hands-on interpretive programs. • Improve the appearance and visitors’ initial impression of the core area of the park by developing and implementing a landscaping and design plan at the pedestrian entrance and South Wood. • Screen the proposed service yard from public use areas and State Highway Route 84 by maintaining a stand of eucalyptus trees along the northern and southern edges of the proposed yard, and if necessary, plant the appropriate specie(s) of trees to provide adequate screening. • Update and implement a landscaping plan at Deer Park to provide screening between park use areas. • Level the swimming pool lawn area west of the Patterson House by adding earth and a small retaining wall to the southern edge to improve use and maintenance of turf. Work shall be conducted carefully, paying attention not to overburden or otherwise damage root systems of mature trees.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 39 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Investigate the water well casing used for irrigation for saltwater intrusion and determine whether saltwater is affecting natural resources (crops, eucalyptus, etc). If saltwater intrusion of well water cannot be remedied, explore other options for irrigation that do not draw on the well. • Hire a professional arborist and/or landscape architect with expertise in historic landscapes to develop a historic tree preservation/management plan of the Historic Core, including mapping and surveying heritage trees and recommending replacement species to plant. o Trees planted within the Historic Core shall be selected to reflect the historic plantings from prior human occupation. o Trees planted within the Historic Core shall be selected and arranged to reflect the existing character and species composition, generally exotic trees introduced from other regions. o Existing historic “signature” trees shall be replaced in kind, if possible, in a location determined by a professional landscape architect, in the event of mortality or tree failure as a result of old age. o Where disease or insect infestation makes replication of historic species impractical, substitute trees shall be selected that are visually similar and able to be grown under the same horticultural conditions. o Prepare a landscape plan which designates and defines the boundaries of all garden areas within the Historic Core.
Wildlife Management EBRPD will continue to maintain Ardenwood’s existing wildlife habitats and to conserve desirable wildlife populations, particularly monarch butterflies and raptors.
Recommendations • Manage eucalyptus groves to maintain important habitat for monarch butterflies and raptors. • Implement seasonal closures, if necessary, to restrict park activity around raptor nests and monarch butterfly overwintering sites. • If special-status bird nests are identified in public use areas, to avoid nest disturbance, EBRPD staff may seasonally restrict public access to nesting areas during the nesting season. These temporary trail closures are in accordance with Ordinance 38 (EBRPD Visitor Use Regulations). • Continue to manage special-status animals and their habitats (as shown in Appendix C) in accordance with state and federal laws and guidelines. • Continue to monitor and manage raccoons and non-native wildlife, particularly red fox, feral cats and peacocks, to reduce impacts to desirable and native species.
Pest Management EBRPD has an ongoing integrated pest management program that staff implements at each parkland it operates, as the need arises. Plant and animal pests are identified, and management decisions are made, based on the guidelines provided by the Park District’s Integrated Pest Management Policy and Practices manual (EBRPD 1987). The following recommendations apply to pest management at Ardenwood.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 40 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Recommendations • Continue to actively manage weeds, insects and wildlife pests consistent with EBRPD’s Integrated Pest Management policies. Conduct pest management activities based on the prevalence of the species and the associated level of harm to the public and damage to natural resources or developed recreation areas. • As time and resources permit, Park District and City of Fremont staff and program partners shall make every effort to delimit the spread of the following invasive plant species: harding grass, hedge parsley, poison oak and puncture vine. • Focus management efforts on previously identified pest species, including ground squirrels, mosquitoes and yellow jacket wasps, and in those locations where problems are identified. Ground squirrels, for example, may be considered pests where their burrowing activity causes visitor safety hazards, makes mowing more difficult, and damages roadways and structures. In areas that are not used by the public, these same animals may be considered desirable, as they make up the diet of birds of prey. • Continue to monitor and manage raccoons and non-native wildlife, particularly red fox, feral cats and peacocks, to reduce impacts to desirable and native species. • EBRPD staff shall plan the timing and extent of integrated pest management projects so as not to interfere with the annual reproductive cycles of non-target plant and animal species. • Continue to monitor, evaluate and refine pest management projects. • Continue to work with the Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District to control mosquito populations. • Maintain organic certification for all farm fields
Cultural Resources
Recommendations • Designate the Ohlone shellmound (site CA-Ala-392) a special protection feature (SPF-1) and continue to interpret the site to the public. • Continue to “protect” site CA-Ala-392 by allowing natural processes to occur without engineered intervention. • Minimize disturbance of terrain around buildings or elsewhere, reducing the possibility of destroying or damaging important landscape features or archaeological resources. • For any construction projects planned on or adjacent to archaeological site CA-Ala-392 (e.g., leveling the pool lawn area, rail-related activities or utility trenching), Park District staff shall be responsible for observing ground-disturbing activities for cultural resources. • Pursuant to EBRPD Board Policy (Resolution 1989-4-124), any archaeological artifacts encountered shall be protected in situ (in place). If any human remains (bones) should be encountered, work shall cease immediately and the treatment of the remains shall be in accordance with state and federal laws governing such discoveries, and in consultation with local, designated Native American representatives. • Retain the overall historic character and form of the Historic Core, and preserve its character- defining features. • Conduct maintenance and repair of historic buildings within the Historic Core in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Historic Properties.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 41 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Commission a consultant to prepare a Historic Structures Report (HSR) for Ardenwood to document the site’s history, condition and maintenance.
D. Public Access and Circulation
The Plan Amendment proposes several access and trail improvements. A proposal to develop a trail on the western edge of the park was envisioned in the Land Use-Development Plan but has not yet been implemented. This concept is included in the LUPA but has been covered under CEQA in the original Environmental Impact Report. However, before the proposed trail and gate project is designed and constructed, an additional Fremont City Council public hearing shall be held to consider the project. In an effort to expand historical modes of transportation at Ardenwood, a number of rail-related access improvements are proposed by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources that are conceptually endorsed by the Park District. Proposed rail-related improvements will be made and funded by SPCRR. Figure 7 illustrates proposed public access and circulation improvements.
Recommendations Access • Improve pedestrian flow on peak use days by redesigning the park entry with a pedestrian plaza containing a separate entrance and exit. Improve the safety and circulation of the parking lot in this area. • In conjunction with developing a multi- use trail, install an entry gate and sign at the northwestern edge of the park near Ridgewood Drive. • Install tirespikes at the front vehicle entrance near Ardenwood Boulevard for entry control. • All new public buildings, trails and paths shall comply with barrier-free The pedestrian entrance would be improved. (Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA) access requirements. • Continue to provide barrier-free access that promotes independence for the disabled person to the highest degree practicable, while preserving historic features. • Continue to identify and preserve character-defining spaces, features and finishes of significant historic buildings so that accessibility code-required work will not result in their damage or loss. • Continue to find solutions to meet accessibility requirements that minimize adverse affects to historic buildings and their sites such as ramps, paths and lifts. • Work with disability groups, access specialists and historic preservation specialists to determine the most appropriate solution to access problems.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 42 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Rail-related Improvements o Relocate and redesign the existing rail station at Deer Park; remove the existing platform. The new station platform may be relocated to the east end of the existing passing track or to the eastern edge of Deer Park with the extension of new track (see Figure 7). The proposed rail station will provide covered shelter and meet ADA standards, with a ramp similar to that at Arden Station. The proposed station will be designed to be harmonious in appearance with the style and construction associated with Ardenwood’s period of architectural significance (1856 through 1914). Also, SPCRR may construct an adjacent waiting shed (depot) and extend an existing wooden fence to better separate the rail tracks from Deer Park. o Construct a covered, rail station platform within the eastern portion of the William Patterson Educational Center to serve the proposed shop complex (see description below). The platform shall be designed to be harmonious in appearance with the style and construction associated with the site’s period of architectural significance, and include an ADA-compliant passenger loading ramp. SPCRR may also construct an adjacent waiting shed (depot) and holding corral for horses. o Construct a covered, rail station platform within or just outside of the Farmyard. o Proposed rail stations will be ADA-compliant, provide shelter, shade and have schedule information, and may also have interpretive value as replicas of historical shelters. o The exact location of proposed rail stations and the alignment of new rail track have not yet been determined. o Extend rail tracks to deliver visitors to the William Patterson Educational Center, the Farmyard and perhaps closer to Deer Park. Several rail track extension alternatives have been identified, as conceptually shown in Figure 7, to bring visitors closer to these destinations. o Make minor improvements to existing rail track, such as adding short mainline and siding extensions and reducing radii of turns by relaying track; and including runaround and turning functions (turntable) at intervals along the line to allow trains heading in opposite directions to pass one another and to reverse direction.
Parking • In the future, if justified because of increased visitors, EBRPD will consider paving the existing overflow parking lot to accommodate more vehicles for special events, and if needed, would work with the tenant farmer to dedicate more fallow farm fields adjacent to the Walnut Allee, to accommodate up to 200 additional vehicles, on a temporary basis. • Explore partnerships with Caltrans or private shuttle operators and the nearby Industrial Park businesses for peak use shuttle parking programs.
Trails • Develop, after an additional public hearing, an ADA-compliant, multi-use trail on the western edge of the park, parallel to the Union Pacific railroad tracks. This trail would be nearly a half-mile long and would provide convenient local pedestrian and bicycle access from the Ardenwood neighborhood to areas south of the park.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 43 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Develop a new path to connect the Daniel Best steam tractor barn to the Farmyard. • Develop new ADA-compliant trails to connect the Farmyard and the Deer Park Recreation Unit with existing and proposed rail stations. • Pave the now informal dirt path that connects the Deer Park Recreation Unit with the Historic Core. • As shown in Figure 3, formally name certain trails, and, as necessary, install trail and directional signs to orient visitors. • Complete the Coyote Hills to Ardenwood Regional Trail.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 44 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 45 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 46 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
E. Facilities and Program Enhancements
The Land Use Plan Amendment recommends implementation of a number of facility and program enhancements that were identified in the Business Plan and also includes new ideas to improve operational efficiency of the park. The LUPA has designated six distinct areas in Ardenwood where proposed improvements would be clustered. As illustrated in Figure 8, these improvement areas or zones are located in the central part of Ardenwood within or near currently developed areas, except for rail-related improvements which would be located at the eastern end of the park. The LUPA groups new development in an attempt to retain Ardenwood’s historic form. Because Ardenwood is a public facility it is necessary for EBPRD and the City of Fremont to continually adapt this landscape to meet new uses and accessibility, health, safety and environmental protection; however, a primary goal of the LUPA is to retain the landscape’s historic character. The following goals will guide all proposed development at Ardenwood:
Recommendations • Prepare a preliminary site plan prior to the design of major capital improvement projects. • Preserve buildings and site features that are important in defining Ardenwood’s overall historic character. • New development shall be sensitively sited in order to preserve important landscape features and historic vistas. • New development shall complement the historic character and style of Ardenwood.
Entry Improvements This area is just over seven acres and includes South Wood and the area around the pedestrian entrance and the train station admissions building.
Recommendations • Improve the appearance and visitors’ first impression of the park by developing and implementing a landscaping and design plan at the pedestrian entrance and South Wood. • Set up a visitor center in unused space in the train station admissions building to orient/introduce people to Ardenwood; include a gift shop. Make the visitor center and gift shop prominent and accessible to people leaving the park. • Install additional ADA-compliant, restrooms as an extension of the eastern end of the train station admissions building. Include a family restroom. • Construct an ADA-compliant, family restroom in front of the entry gate connected to the western end of the train station admissions building for visitors to use without having to enter the park. • Install a securable satellite sales area selling fruits and vegetables grown on site. • Construct a new building to store and display the Daniel Best steam tractor engine and other historical farm equipment and to provide covered program space (funded by the Oakland Museum). Continue to provide steam tractor rides to the public in South Wood.
As part of the land use planning process, the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources has submitted site development plans for development proposals located near the train
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 47 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment station admissions building, also known as Ardenwood Depot. The following recommendations, which the Park District conceptually endorse, have been brought forth and will be made and funded by SPCRR: • Develop fencing and an additional platform with a ramp that meets ADA standards to allow public access to existing rail cars for interpretive use. • Construct a replica freight depot to be used for indoor program space. • Construct a small shed to allow handcar to be secured and protected from the weather.
Historic Core Improvements This area includes the core of the park, where most visitors spend their time: the Patterson House and grounds and the Farmyard, where many interpretive facilities and educational programs occur. This nearly seven-acre area is the park’s hub and the heart of the original Ardenwood ranch. It includes the Patterson House and the outbuildings that are considered significant contributing elements of the National Register listing – milk house, cook’s house, equipment shed, hay barn and garage – which were built over a 60-year time span, between 1856 and 1914.
Recommendations • Designate the Historic Core a special protection feature (SPF-2). • Development within the Historic Core shall be minimized and compatible with the size, scale, material and color of the existing historic buildings, and constructed of a style associated with Ardenwood’s period of architectural significance (1856 through 1914). • Retain and preserve historic buildings within the Historic Core, as well as features that are important in defining the park’s overall historic character. • Historic buildings or healthy historic landscape features within the Historic Core shall not be removed or relocated. • Remove non-significant, modern buildings, additions or site features within the Historic Core which detract from the historic character of the setting. • Conduct maintenance and repair of historic buildings within the Historic Core in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Historic Properties. • Convert the historic Milk House to an interpretive exhibit. • Develop a small, enclosed space for woodshop demonstrations next to the blacksmith shop, located either within the adjacent equipment shed or attached to the blacksmith shop. • Construct a separate addition to the east side of the existing restroom building to house a dishwasher, laundry facility and enclosed storage for the Country Kitchen program venue; and an area with storage for docents. • Construct a concrete floor in the existing hay barn to reduce the rodent problem, to keep rain water out by raising the grade of the floor, to minimize dust, to better preserve historical farm equipment and to create a more multi-purpose facility.
• Restore the Bunk House, where farm workers ate and slept, as an interpretive exhibit for exterior viewing only. Relocate this historical building just south of the Historic Core.
Spinach Flats Improvements This four-acre area is so called because it encompasses the general site where the Pattersons grew spinach. It is located between the Historic Core and the Deer Park Recreation Unit. A
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 48 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment number of proposals that were generally envisioned in the Business Plan for further development of educational programs and facilities are proposed to be located here. Implementation of the proposals in this area would allow for a wider variety of visitor opportunities and more frequent programs, allowing Ardenwood to reach its potential as a truly unique educational attraction.
Recommendations • Sensitively site new development in order to preserve important landscape features and historic vistas. • Construct a building for group use to allow for year-round, indoor interpretive programming. This building will include class and meeting space and interpretive displays. • Develop a fenced sheep pasture area with covered shelter. • Plant two small, year-round orchards of fruit and nut trees. • Construct an addition to the existing equipment shed south of the E-I-O Picnic Area to allow for increased sheltered space to store, display and repair historical farm equipment. • Establish an outdoor visitor gathering area with permanent seating. • Construct or install a small, permanent or temporary storage building to be used by EBRPD and the City of Fremont because of space lost in the return of the historic Milk House to an interpretive exhibit. • Construct a restroom building (this is a previously approved project that has been covered under CEQA (Notice of Exemption, Alameda County, dated June 3, 2005).
Deer Park Improvements The Business Plan recommends more variety of intensive group uses and special events to stimulate repeat visitorship. A principal goal of the Business Plan is to create efficient land uses by establishing areas and facilities, outside of the core developed area, for large public activities and events. To achieve this goal, the Land Use Plan Amendment designates the almost four- acre Deer Park Group Picnic Area, a recreation unit where more intensive public uses are clustered. The Land Use Plan Amendment does not propose to Deer Park, a reservable group picnic increase the capacity of this area. area which is also used for special events, would be improved. Recommendations • Construct a semi-open, permanent shade structure, designed for outdoor events and interpretive programs to accommodate large groups. The shade structure is intended to be used for interpretive programs, school groups, classes, performances and music events. A stage will face south, a roof will provide shade and the northern side may be walled to reduce sound to the Ardenwood neighborhood. • Upgrade the existing water play fountain. • Install new children’s play equipment. • Update and implement a landscaping plan to provide screening between use areas. • EBRPD Design Department shall review and approve all design plans for facilities developed by the private partner operating Deer Park Group Picnic Area to ensure that improvements are consistent in character with Ardenwood and with EBRPD design guidelines.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 49 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
William Patterson Educational Center Improvements As part of the land use planning process, the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources has submitted site development plans to construct a living railcar complex in phases. Phase 1, which was approved with the adoption of the LUDP, is described in Section III.E, Existing Conditions, above. The LUDP designates a large part of the eastern portion of the park, an area that includes the former site of the William Patterson House, as a farming educational center, to house an educational center for day and overnight use; this concept was never realized. New proposals within this area have been brought forth by SPCRR and would be implemented and funded by this group. The Park District endorses, in concept, the following recommendations to be located within the eastern portion of the William Patterson Educational Center site:
Recommendations • Develop a railcar shop complex at the eastern edge of the William Patterson Educational Center site in phases. Phase 1: approved in the Land Use-Development Plan and described in Section III.E, Existing Conditions. Phase 2 includes: a raised area for public interpretation; up to six additional tracks with switches; a covered passenger loading platform and outdoor work space; wood siding on the car barn building exterior; and a picnic area with landscaping. Future phases to include: a maximum 7,500 square foot rail car shop and museum building (with annex) to house: SPCRR’s permanent collection of rail cars, a restoration shop, public museum, equipment storage, offices and supporting facilities. This future phase would also include an engine house and turntable facility, and track extensions totaling a minimum of an additional 3,000 feet. The rail car shop facility will be used to build authentic Carter Brothers cars utilizing historical construction methods and will be open to the public for educational and recreational enjoyment. • Extend municipal electrical, water and sewer lines to this area to serve proposed development. • Confine all rail-related development to the designated eastern portion of the William Patterson Educational Center site area, as shown in Figure 8, and locate development so as not to infringe upon EBRPD facilities that were approved in the Land Use-Development Plan but not yet realized. • EBRPD shall approve all design plans proposed by the Society for the Preservation of Carter Railroad Resources prior to construction.
Park Operations Improvements This area, over eight acres and located in the south-central area of Ardenwood, is the center of operations that supports the park. It includes park operations facilities and a corporation yard that are off limits to the public. Recommendations in this area include service enhancements intended to enable park staff and program partners to more efficiently and cost-effectively operate and manage the parkland. The following recommendations were either conceived years ago and are contained in ether the LUDP or Business Plan or where generated during the planning of this report and meet the objectives of these two earlier planning documents:
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 50 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Recommendations • Install a pole barn with a concrete floor to store feed. • Install a pole barn and generator in the farming service yard to be used by the tenant farmer. • Construct a hay barn, roughly 2,000 square feet, to store and display hay harvesting equipment and to be used as an indoor programming venue. • Develop a fenced park service yard to include a permanent shop building to hold three vehicles with a restroom, wash down area and office space; a storage shed and a flame- resistant shed; covered outdoor work area to hold lawn mowers, tractor and other equipment; and yard space to park vehicles and to work on projects, with a wash rack and hose bibs. • Construct a permanent storage building to replace storage lost in the Bunk House relocation and conversion to an interpretive exhibit.
Miscellaneous Improvements These recommendations are not site specific or could be dispersed over a number of areas.
Recommendations • Install appropriately placed, themed wayside interpretive panels as described in the Education Plan for Ardenwood Historic Farm (EBRPD 2003). • Explore alternative renewable energy resources, including wind, corn ethanol and biodiesel, as interpretive program opportunities.
F. Utilities
As described in Section III.F, Utilities, in general, Ardenwood’s existing utility systems can meet current demand; however, electricity is now substandard and a complete service upgrade is needed. An underground conduit exists at Ridgewood Drive. The LUPA proposes a number of facilities that will require electrical power, water or sewer connections and recommends that staff prepare a utility master plan for different areas of the park prior to implementing projects that would require major utility changes or upgrades. Table 2: Utility Improvement Needs, lists existing and proposed facilities and program venues that will require utility upgrades.
Table 2: Utility Improvement Needs Existing Facilities Electrical Water Sewer • Complete electrical service upgrade to meet current 9 and future needs including overhead and underground transformers, conduits and switching gear • Complete outdoor, overhead lighting from the 9 Patterson House to the Farmyard restroom building. Extend electrical service to the former tennis court adjacent to the Patterson House. • Extend electrical service to the eastern side of the 9 Farmyard: equipment shed, walnut huller, garage, chicken coop, hog shed, sheep unit, etc. • Extend electrical service to the farming service yard 9 Table continues on following page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 51 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Extend electrical service to the pumpkin patch from 9 the produce stand at the park entrance • Install electrical meters to buildings used by partners 9 • Investigate well casing for saltwater intrusion; if well 9 cannot be fixed, explore other options for irrigation • Install a well head in Western Field 9 • Install a drinking water fountain at the hay barn 9 Proposed Facilities by Planning Area Electrical Water Sewer • Prepare master electrical, water and sewer plans prior 9 9 9 to major utility changes or upgrades Entry Area • Restroom upgrades at train station entry building 9 9 9 • Satellite produce sales area 9 • Best steam tractor engine center 9 9 9 (fountain) • SPCRR railcar interpretive area and rail depot 9 Historic Core • Restroom addition to house dishwasher, laundry and 9 9 9 enclosed storage; and an area with storage for docents • Milk House interpretive exhibit 9 • Woodshop 9 Spinach Flats • Indoor interpretive center 9 9 (fountain) • Pasture area for sheep with shelter 9 9 • Equipment shed extension 9 • Storage building (EBRPD and City of Fremont) 9 • Permanent restroom (project is already approved) 9 9 9 (fountain) Deer Park Recreation Unit • Shade structure 9 9 • Water play fountain 9 9 9 William Patterson Educational Center • Extend electrical, water and sewer service 9 9 9 • SPCRR rail shop complex 9 9 9 Park Operations • Pole/storage barn (EBRPD) 9 • Pole/storage barn (farming service yard) 9 • Hay barn 9 9 • Service yard 9 9 9 • Storage building to replace lost Bunk House space 9 Miscellaneous • Bunk House interpretive exhibit 9
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 52 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment G. Public Safety
In cooperation and conjunction with local, county and state public safety agencies, the East Bay Regional Park District will continue to provide for the safety of park visitors and staff; and the protection of park facilities and cultural and natural resources.
Recommendations • The Park District Fire Department shall continue to maintain a cooperative agreement for firefighting and emergency response with the Fremont Fire Department, as well as with the cities of Newark and Union City. • New facilities shall include on-site fire protection, in accordance with City of Fremont codes. • Continue to manage Ardenwood to reduce wildfire hazards and to minimize fire risks to structures and park visitors by maintaining appropriate vegetation clearances around structures and facilities. • Continue to implement a regular, annual hazardous tree maintenance survey at Ardenwood as part of standard park operations, and remove structurally unsound trees or limbs from public use areas, such as picnic areas, rail tracks, trails, paths and roads. • Continue to manage eucalyptus groves in a fashion that provides for reasonable user safety. • Coordinate and work with Caltrans and the City of Fremont to remove leaning trees and limbs over the freeway to the south and along Ridgewood Drive to the north. • Continue to address police service to Ardenwood through a strong cooperative initial response from the Park District Police Department with backup from the Fremont Police Department and other agencies. • Continue to ensure that all operators of historical rolling farm equipment are properly trained and alerted to the potential hazards and personal injury, as mandated by EBRPD and the California Department of Occupational Safety & Health Administration. • Continue to maintain a safe distance between the public and demonstrations involving the use of rolling farm equipment. • Demonstrations designed to involve the public shall continue to be carefully supervised and limited to those apparatus that are reasonably safe and not accident prone.
H. Promotional Initiatives
In a sense, Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve suffers from an identity crisis. Is it a historic farm? A preserve? A recreational facility offering full service picnics and weddings? The answer is all of these, and that makes it difficult to effectively market Ardenwood. Ardenwood is unique in the East Bay Regional Park District system. The entirety of Ardenwood is historically and agriculturally important, with features that are not found in any other regional parkland. In an effort to more accurately identify Ardenwood as a historic farm offering hands- on educational programming of California farm life, as well as a full range of recreational opportunities, the LUPA proposes the following:
Recommendations • Enhance opportunities for visitors to buy food and gifts by expanding retail sales through the blacksmith shop and proposed visitor center, woodshop and satellite produce sales area.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 53 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment • Develop and distribute promotional material highlighting Ardenwood’s unique features and resources. • Coordinate with the City of Fremont to better market Ardenwood and advertise special events in local media (newspapers, magazines and radio and television stations, etc.). • Increase the park’s visibility and visitorship by installing new signs on footings that read “Ardenwood Historic Farm” at the Ardenwood Boulevard and Lake Boulevard entrances. • Discuss the placement of a state historic landmark sign for Ardenwood Historic Farm adjacent to the freeway with Caltrans • Discuss the placement of a prominent sign advertising Ardenwood Historic Farm on State Route Highway 84 with Caltrans. • Explore the feasibility of displaying historical farm equipment, such as a tractor or windmill, on the eastern or southern edge of the park visible from Interstate 880 and State Route Highway 84 to better identify the site and to attract the attention of potential visitors.
I. Partnerships
Over the 20 years that Ardenwood Historic Farm has been open to the public, EBRPD has maintained and developed partnerships with public agencies and private parties to assist managing the parkland on a day-to-day basis. Cooperation and coordination between the EBRPD, the City of Fremont, the Liaison Committee between the two agencies, the City of Fremont’s Patterson House Advisory Board, Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District, other public agencies and a number of program partners are essential to the successful operation of Ardenwood. To maintain these vital relationships, the LUPA recommends the following:
Recommendations • Implementation of proposed development contained in the LUPA will comply with City, county and state codes and regulations. • EBRPD, the City of Fremont and program partners will continue to be mutually supportive and maintain a high level of cooperation to serve the public and protect its resources. • Negotiate the renewal of the 25-year Management Agreement between the City of Fremont and EBRPD that expires in early 2007. With adoption of this LUPA by the Fremont City Council, City staff will support, in concept, all development proposals and agree to streamline development review and approval. • Develop new public/private partnerships to offer additional cooperative or joint programs to serve the public, to support capital improvements and to offer coordinated promotions. • Continue partnership agreements with the historical horse-drawn train provider and blacksmith, and encourage expansion of their services. • Continue to enter into lease agreements for organic farming, tree cutting, bee keeping and other farming interests. • Continue to enter into partner contracts for the operation of the Farmyard Café, Deer Park Group Picnic Area and the pool site wedding venue. • Work with Caltrans on the realignment of the bike path paralleling State Highway Route 84 to facilitate public use. • Explore opportunities with the City of Fremont to negotiate with Caltrans to transfer surplus land located north of Lake Boulevard, now farmed by the Park District, to the City.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 54 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment V. PLAN IMPLEMENTATION
The Land Use Plan Amendment for Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve is a long-range plan containing recommendations intended to protect cultural and natural resources and to improve visitor opportunities and maintenance and operations of the park. The Land Use Plan Amendment contains nearly 40 individual capital improvement projects to be accomplished, most of which would be funded by the Park District. Table 3, below, lists the capital projects by implementation priority. Implementation of the highest and intermediate capital improvement priorities would allow movement to larger and more frequent events and better visitor services. For example, an indoor interpretive center will maximize year-round programming. Project implementation may trigger the need for additional operational and interpretive staff. Capital funding is limited and will need to be secured. Decisions regarding funding for specific projects proposed will be made as part of the annual Park District budget process. Proposed projects to be developed and funded by entities other than the Park District are presented at the end of the table. Appendix E contains estimated construction costs of capital improvement projects that would be funded by EBRPD based on 2005 dollars. (Costs presented in Appendix E are pre- design estimates only and are meant to give the reader a sense of scale of individual projects.)
Table 3: Capital Project Implementation Priority
Implementation Priority
Highest Priority • Complete electrical service upgrade to meet current and future needs • Utility upgrades: electrical, water and sewer lines to serve new buildings and uses • Deer Park Improvements: o Shade structure o Children’s play equipment o Water play feature o Implement a landscaping plan o Permanent restroom building to the south – project already approved • Indoor interpretive center • Separate restroom addition to house dishwasher, laundry facility and enclosed storage for the Country Kitchen program venue; and an area with storage for docents • Pasture area for sheep with shelter • Pole/storage barn – EBRPD • Pole/storage barn – farming service yard Table 3 continues on next page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 55 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Table 3, continued Implementation Priority
Intermediate Priority • Entry Improvements: o Redesign park entry with a pedestrian plaza containing a separate entrance and exit o Develop and implement a landscaping and design plan o Visitor center and gift shop inside train station admissions building o Restroom upgrade of east end of train station admissions building o New restroom in front of entry gate at the train station admissions building o Satellite produce sales area • Landscaping Improvements o Replant trees in South Wood, North Wood and East Wood on an ongoing basis o Replant walnut trees in existing orchard areas on an ongoing basis o Plant two new orchards south of Deer Park • Outdoor visitor gathering area with permanent seating • Hay barn • Service yard • Pave floor of the existing hay barn • Extend equipment shed • Complete outdoor, overhead lighting from the Patterson House to the Farmyard restroom • Extend electricity and install generator at farming service yard • Storage building to replace room lost in Milk House conversion • Multi-use trail on western edge of park
Lowest Priority • Relocate Bunk House and convert to interpretive exhibit • Storage building at Bunk House location • Woodshop next to blacksmith • Pave overflow parking lot
Projects To Be Implemented By Entities Other Than EBRPD
Project Funding Source • Best steam tractor engine center (need to develop better public access) Oakland Museum • Rail Station Improvements: SPCRR (Society for the o Relocate and redesign Deer Park rail station Preservation of Carter o Rail station at the Farmyard Railroad Resources) o Rail station at the William Patterson Educational Center • Extend rail tracks closer to Farmyard and into the William Patterson SPCRR Educational Center • Railroad shop complex (located in the William Patterson Educational SPCRR Center) • Replica freight depot and interpretive space (located east of the train SPCRR station admissions building)
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve 56 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
APPENDICES
Appendix A References and Personal Contacts A1
Appendix B Wild Plants (April-June 2005 Survey) B1
Appendix C Special-Status Wildlife Species C1
Appendix D Wildlife Resource Checklist D1
Appendix E Estimated Construction Costs E1
Appendix F Report Preparation F1
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment Appendix A: References and Personal Contacts
Alta Planning + Design, for City of Fremont. 2005. Draft Fremont Bicycle Master Plan. September 2005.
Baker, Suzanne, Archaeological Consultants, for East Bay Regional Park District. 1983. “Archaeological Investigations at the Ardenwood Regional Preserve, Patterson Ranch, Alameda County, California.” April 1983.
Baefsky & Associates, Resource Management Consultants, for East Bay Regional Park District. 1994. “Walnut Orchard Evaluation & Management Plan, Ardenwood Regional Preserve, Fremont, CA.” March 18, 1994.
Basin Research Associates, Inc., for East Bay Regional Park District. 1998. “Archaeological Monitoring Closure Report, Electrical Line Trenching in the Vicinity of CA-Ala-392 and CA- Ala 439H, Ardenwood Historic Farm, Alameda County, California.” April 24, 1998.
Beatty, Russell A., for East Bay Regional Park District. 1997. “Tree Planting Guidelines.” April 1997.
City of Fremont. 1991. Fremont General Plan. Resolution No. 8080, Adopted May 7, 1991.
Cooke, Michael, CEC Electrical and Engineering Contractors, for East Bay Regional Park District. 2003. Letter to Jeff LeBow, Maintenance Department, EBRPD, presenting the results of an electrical evaluation of Deer Park, Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve. March 3, 2003.
East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD). Planning, Stewardship and GIS Services Department. 2004. “Cultural Resources Site Atlas.” June 2004.
----. 2003. Education Plan for Ardenwood Historic Farm: Overall Objectives and Themes. December 17, 2003.
----. 1992 and 2001. “Wildland Management Policies and Guidelines.” EBRPD Board Resolution No. 1992-8-219. Adopted on August 18, 1992, amended June 5, 2001.
----. 1997. Master Plan 1997. Oakland, California. 1997. Adopted by EBRPD Board of Directors on December 17, 1996 (Resolution No: 1996-12-349).
----. Undated. “Ardenwood Historic Farm, Phase One Business Plan.” Adopted by EBRPD Board of Directors on November 5, 1996 (Resolution No. 1996-11-291).
----. 1991. Eucalyptus Forest Management Policy: Ardenwood Historic Farm. 1991.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve A-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment ----. 1987. “Pest Management Policies and Practices.” EBRPD Board Resolution No. 1987-11- 325. October 1987.
----. 1985. “Draft Interpretive Master Plan for Ardenwood Historic Preserve.” April 2005.
----. 1983. “Ardenwood Regional Preserve Final Land Use-Development Plan/Environmental Impact Report.” Adopted by EBRPD Board of Directors on March 16, 1982, amended March 15, 1983 (Resolution No.’s 1982-3-74 and 1983-3-67).
----. 1982. “Ardenwood Regional Preserve Resource Analysis.” Adopted by EBRPD Board of Directors on January 19, 1982 (Resolution No. 1982-1-23).
----. 1980. Master Plan – 1980. Oakland, California. 1980. EBRPD Board Resolution No. 1980-2-50.
Hill, Ward, for East Bay Regional Park District. 1997. “Historic Architecture Assessment, Three Houses at Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, California.” August 9, 1997.
HortScience, Inc., for East Bay Regional Park District. 1997. “Eucalyptus Management Plan: The Southwood – Ardenwood Regional Preserve and Historic Farm.” August 1997.
HortScience, Inc., for East Bay Regional Park District. 1991. “Eucalyptus Study: Ardenwood Regional Preserve.” August 1991.
Miller, George R, Ph.D, for East Bay Regional Park District. 1988. “Preliminary Report of the Excavation of the ‘Teahouse Ruins’, Ardenwood Historic Farm, Fremont, California.” October 14, 1988.
Page & Turnbull, Inc., for East Bay Regional Park District. 1991. “Architectural Analyses and Recommendations: William Patterson Farming Educational Center, Ardenwood Regional Preserve Historic Farm.” June 1991.
Weeks, Kay D. and Anne E. Grimmer. 1995. The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties: With Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring & Reconstructing Historic Buildings. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, Cultural Resource Stewardship and Partnerships. 1995.
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve A-2 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Appendix B: Wild Plants (April-June 2005 Survey)
Abbreviations used: C (Confirmed ID): X = confirmed, ? = unconfirmed Unusual Rank (according to the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society): *A=Statewide listed rare; A1=2 East Bay regions or less; A1x=extirpated; A2=3-5 regions; B=6-9 regions; C=watch list L (Longevity): a = annual, b = biennial, p=perennial, or a combination N (Native/Introduced): n = native, i = introduced Family: Scientific family name without the -aceae ending (ie. Aceraceae = Acer-)
C Scientific Name Common Name Unusual Rank L N Family X Amaranthus sp. Amaranth a Amaranth- X Anagallis arvensis Pimpernel, Scarlet a i Primul- X Avena barbata Oat, Slender Wild a i Po- X Avena fatua Oat, Wild a i Po- X Baccharis pilularis Coyote Bush p n Aster- X Brassica nigra Mustard, Black a i Brassic- X Brassica rapa Mustard, Yellow Field a i Brassic- X Bromus carinatus var. carinatus Brome, California p n Po- X Bromus diandrus Brome, Ripgut a i Po- X Bromus hordeaceus Brome, Soft a i Po- X Bromus madritensis ssp. rubens Brome, Red Foxtail a i Po- X Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's Purse a i Brassic- X Carduus pycnocephalus Thistle, Italian a i Aster- X Chamomilla suaveolens Pineapple Weed a i Aster- X Chenopodium murale Goosefoot, Wall a i Chenopodi- X Chenopodium sp. Goosefoot ap Chenopodi- X Conium maculatum Poison Hemlock b i Api- X Convolvulus arvensis Bindweed, Field p i Convolvul- X Coronopus didymus Wart Cress a i Brassic- X Coronopus squamatus Swine Cress a i Brassic- X Cotula coronopifolia Brass Buttons p i Aster- X Crepis vesicaria ssp. taraxifolia Hawk's-beard, Dandelion-leaf ab i Aster- X Cynodon dactylon Bermuda Grass p i Po- X Dactylis glomerata Orchard Grass p i Po- X Erodium moschatum Filaree, White-stem a i Gerani- X Eschscholzia californica Poppy, California p n Papaver- ? Eucalyptus camaldulensis Gum, River Red p i Myrt- X Eucalyptus globulus Gum, Blue p i Myrt- X Foeniculum vulgare Fennel, Sweet p i Api- X Galium aparine Bedstraw, Goosegrass a n Rubi- X Geranium dissectum Geranium, Purpletip Cut-leaf a i Gerani- X Hordeum marinum ssp. gussoneanum Barley, Mediterranean a i Po- X Hordeum murinum ssp. leporinum Barley, Hare a i Po- ? Hordeum murinum ssp. murinum Barley, Sessile-spikelet a i Po- X Juglans californica var. hindsii Walnut, N. California Black *A2 p n Jugland- ? Juncus balticus Rush, Baltic Wire p n Junc- X Juncus bufonius var. bufonius Rush, Toad a n Junc- X Lactuca serriola Lettuce, Prickly a i Aster- X Lolium multiflorum Rye Grass, Awned Italian p i Po- X Lythrum hyssopifolium Loosestrife, Grass Poly ap i Lythr- X Malva nicaeensis Mallow, Bull a i Malv- X Malva parviflora Cheeseweed, Hidden-flower a i Malv- X Medicago polymorpha Bur Clover, California a i Fab- X Melilotus indica Clover, Sour ab i Fab- X Oxalis pes-caprae Buttercup, Bermuda p i Oxalid- X Phalaris aquatica Harding Grass p i Po- X Picris echioides Ox-tongue, Bristly ab i Aster- X Plantago coronopus Plantain, Cut-leaf ab n Plantagin- X Plantago lanceolata Plantain, English a i Plantagin- X Plantago major Plantain, Common ap i Plantagin- X Poa annua Blue Grass, Annual a i Po- X Poa bulbosa Blue Grass, Bulbous p i Po- X Poa pratensis ssp. pratensis Blue Grass, Kentucky p i Po- X Polygonum arenastrum Knotweed, Common Yard a i Polygon- X Polypogon monspeliensis Rabbitfoot Grass, Annual a i Po- X Portulaca oleracea Purslane, Common p i Portulac- ? Pyracantha angustifolia Firethorn p i Ros- X Quercus agrifolia var. agrifolia Oak, Coast Live p n Fag- X Quercus lobata Oak, Valley B p n Fag- Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve B-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Abbreviations used: C (Confirmed ID): X = confirmed, ? = unconfirmed Unusual Rank (according to the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society): *A=Statewide listed rare; A1=2 East Bay regions or less; A1x=extirpated; A2=3-5 regions; B=6-9 regions; C=watch list L (Longevity): a = annual, b = biennial, p=perennial, or a combination N (Native/Introduced): n = native, i = introduced Family: Scientific family name without the -aceae ending (ie. Aceraceae = Acer-) C Scientific Name Common Name Unusual Rank L N Family X Raphanus sativus Radish, Wild a i Brassic- X Rubus discolor Blackberry, Himalayan p i Ros- X Rubus ursinus Blackberry, Native California p n Ros- X Rumex crispus Dock, Curly p i Polygon- X Rumex pulcher Dock, Fiddle p i Polygon- ? Salsola tragus Thistle, Russian ap i Chenopodi- X Senecio vulgaris Groundsel, Common a i Aster- X Silybum marianum Thistle, Milk ab i Aster- X Sisymbrium officinale Mustard, Hedge a i Brassic- X Sonchus asper ssp. asper Sow Thistle, Prickly a i Aster- X Sonchus oleraceus Sow Thistle, Common a i Aster- X Spergularia rubra Sand Spurry, Ruby ap i Caryophyll- X Taraxacum officinale Dandelion, Common bp i Aster- X Torilis arvensis Hedge Parsley a i Api- X Toxicodendron diversilobum Poison Oak p n Anacardi- X Tragopogon porrifolius Salsify, Purple bp i Aster- X Tribulus terrestris Puncture Vine a i Zygophyll- X Trifolium incarnatum Clover, Crimson a i Fab- X Trifolium repens Clover, White p i Fab- X Triphysaria eriantha ssp. eriantha Johnny-tuck, Yellow a n Scrophulari- X Urtica urens Nettle, Dwarf Stinging a i Urtic- X Veronica persica Speedwell, Persian a i Scrophulari- X Vicia sativa ssp. sativa Vetch, Spring a i Fab- X Vicia villosa ssp. varia Vetch, Winter ab i Fab- X Vulpia bromoides Fescue, Six-weeks a i Po-
8/23/2005 Revision
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve B-2 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Appendix C: Special-Status Wildlife Species
Common Name Scientific Name Federal Status1 State Status1 Occurrence2 Bank swallow Riparia riparia FT SE O/R Cooper’s hawk Accipiter cooperii - CSC3 O Loggerhead shrike Lanius ludovicianus FSC CSC O Northern harrier Circus cyaneus - CSC3 O Sharp-shinned hawk Accipiter striatus - CSC3 K Tricolored blackbird Agelaius tricolor FSC CSC O/R White-tailed kite Elanus leucurus - CFP O Yellow warbler Dendroica petechia brewstri - CSC O/R Monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus - * O
______1 Status definitions and governing agencies follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service California Fish and Game Commission FE Listed as endangered by the Federal Government SE Listed as endangered by the State of California FT Listed as threatened by the Federal Government ST Listed as threatened by the State of California FSC Federal species of concern CSC Species of Special Concern FC Federal Candidate CFP Fully Protected Species CP Protected Species
Others Codes CDF California Department of Forestry – sensitive species * No special status but being tracked by CNDDB
2 Occurrence: O=observed during our surveys, K=known to occur, P=potential to occur U=unlikely to occur, B=breeding confirmed, and R=rare species/migrant.
3 Rookeries or nesting only
Source: East Bay Regional Park District
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve C-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Appendix D: Wildlife Resource Checklist
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Amphibians Arboreal Salamander Aneides lugubris no Amphibians Bullfrog Rana catesbiana no Amphibians California Newt, Coast Range Taricha torosa no Amphibians California Slender Salamander Batrachoseps attenuatus yes O Amphibians Ensatina, Yellow-eyed Ensatina eschscholtzi no Amphibians Foothill Yellow-legged Frog Rana boylii no CSC Amphibians Pacific Treefrog Hyla regilla yes O Amphibians Red-legged Frog, California Rana aurora draytonii no FT,CSC Amphibians Rough-skinned Newt, Northern Taricha granulosa no Amphibians Tiger Salamander, California Ambystoma tigrinum californiense no FC,CSC Amphibians Western Spadefoot Toad Scaphiopus hammondi no CSC Amphibians Western Toad, California Bufo boreas no Birds Acorn Woodpecker Melanerpes formicivorus yes K Birds Allen's Hummingbird Selasphorus sasin yes O Birds American Avocet Recurvirostra americana no Birds American Bittern Botaurus lentiginosus no Birds American Coot Fulica americana no Birds American Crow Corvus brachyrhynchos yes O Birds American Dipper Cinclus mexicanus no Birds American Goldfinch Carduelis tristis yes O Birds American Green-winged Teal Anas crecca no Birds American Kestrel Falco sparverius yes O Birds American Pipit Anthus rubescens yes Birds American Robin Turdus migratorius yes O Birds American White Pelican Pelecanus erythrorhynchos no Birds American Wigeon Anas americana no Birds Anna's Hummingbird Calypte anna yes O/B Birds Arctic Loon Gavia arctica no Birds Ash-throated Flycatcher Myiarchus cinerascens yes O Birds Baird's Sandpiper Calidris bairdii no Birds Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus no FT,SE,CFP Birds Band-tailed Pigeon Columba fasciata yes Birds Bank Swallow Riparia riparia yes O/R FT,SE Birds Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica yes O Birds Barrow's Goldeneye Bucephala islandica no Birds Belted Kingfisher Ceryle alcyon no Birds Bewick's Wren Thryomanes bewickii yes O/B Birds Black Phoebe Sayornis nigricans yes O/B Birds Black Scoter Melanitta nigra no Birds Black Tern Chlidonias niger no Birds Black Turnstone Arenaria melanocephala no Birds Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola no
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Black-chinned Hummingbird Archilochus alexandri yes R rare Birds Black-chinned Sparrow Spizella atrogularis no Birds Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax no Birds Black-headed Grosbeak Pheucticus melanocephalus yes O Birds Black-necked Stilt Himantopus mexicanus no Birds Black-throated Gray Warbler Dendroica nigrescens yes O Birds Blue Grosbeak Guiraca caerulea no Birds Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Polioptila caerulea no Birds Blue-winged Teal Anas discors no Birds Bonaparte's Gull Larus philadelphia no Birds Brandt's Cormorant Phalacrocorax penicillatus no Birds Brewer's Blackbird Euphagus cyanocephalus yes O Birds Brown Creeper Certhia americana yes O/B Birds Brown Pelican Pelecanus occidentalis no FT,SE,CFP Birds Brown-headed Cowbird Molothrus ater yes O/B Birds Bufflehead Bucephala albeola no Birds Burrowing Owl Athene (Speotyto) cunicularia no CSC Birds Bushtit Psaltriparus minimus yes O/B Birds Bullock's Oriole Icterus bullockii yes O/B Birds California Black Rail Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus no ST Birds California Clapper Rail Rallus longirostris obsoletus no FE,SE,CFP Birds California Gull Larus californicus yes K Birds California Quail Callipepla californica no Birds California Towhee Pipilo fuscus yes O/B Birds California Thrasher Toxostoma redivivum no Birds Calliope Hummingbird Stellula calliope yes K Birds Canada Goose Branta canadensis yes O Birds Canvasback Aythya valisineria no Birds Canyon Wren Catherpes mexicanus no Birds Caspian Tern Sterna caspia no Birds Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis no Birds Cedar Waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum yes O Birds Chestnut-backed Chickadee Parus rufescens yes O/B Birds Chipping Sparrow Spizella passerina no Birds Cinnamon Teal Anas cyanoptera no Birds Cliff Swallow Hirundo pyrrhonota yes O Birds Common Barn Owl Tyto alba yes O Birds Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula no Birds Common Loon Gavia immer no Birds Common Merganser Mergus merganser no Birds Common Moorhen (Gallinule) Gallinula chloropus no Birds Common Murre Uria aalge no Birds Common Poorwill Phalaenoptilus nuttalii no Birds Common Raven Corvus corax yes O Birds Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago yes K
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-2 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Common Tern Sterna hirundo no Birds Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas no Birds Cooper's Hawk Accipiter cooperii yes O CSC Birds Dark-eyed (Oregon) Junco Junco hyemalis yes O/B Birds Double-crested Cormorant Phalacrocorax auritus no Birds Downy Woodpecker Picoides pubescens yes O/B Birds Dunlin Calidris alpina no Birds Dusky Flycatcher Empidonax oberholseri no Birds Eared Grebe Podiceps nigricollis no Birds Elegant Tern Sterna elegans no Birds Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope no Birds European Starling Sturnus vulgaris yes O/B Birds Ferruginous Hawk Buteo regalis no FSC,CSC Birds Forster's Tern Sterna forsteri no Birds Fox Sparrow Passerella iliaca yes O Birds Gadwall Anas strepera no Birds Glaucous Gull Larus hyperboreus no Birds Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens no Birds Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos no FSC,CFP Birds Golden-crowned Kinglet Regulus satrapa yes O Birds Golden-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia atricapilla yes O Birds Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus savannarum no rare Birds Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias yes O Birds Great Egret Casmerodius albus yes O Birds Great Horned Owl Bubo virginianus yes O Birds Greater Roadrunner Geococcyx californianus no Birds Greater Scaup Aythya marila no Birds Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons yes O/R Birds Greater Yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca no Birds Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus no Birds Hairy Woodpecker Picoides villosus yes K Birds Hammond's Flycatcher Empidonax hammondii no Birds Heermann's Gull Larus heermanni no Birds Hermit Thrush Catharus guttatus yes O/R Birds Hermit Warbler Dendroica occidentalis no Birds Herring Gull Larus argentatus yes K Birds Hooded Merganser Lophodytes cucullatus no Birds Hooded Oriole Icterus cucullatus yes O/B Birds Horned Grebe Podiceps auritus no Birds Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris no Birds House Finch Carpodacus mexicanus yes O/B Birds House Sparrow Passer domesticus yes O/B Birds House Wren Troglodytes aedon yes O/B Birds Hutton's Vireo Vireo huttoni yes O Birds Killdeer Charadrius vociferus yes O
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-3 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Lark Sparrow Chondestes grammacus yes O Birds Lawrence's Goldfinch Carduelis lawrencei yes O/R Birds Lazuli Bunting Passerina amoena yes K Birds Least Sandpiper Calidris minutilla no Birds Least Tern Sterna antillarum browni no FE,SE,CFP Birds Lesser Golden-Plover Pluvialis dominica no Birds Lesser Goldfinch Carduelis psaltria yes O Birds Lesser Scaup Aythya affinis no Birds Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes no Birds Lewis' Woodpecker Melanerpes lewis no Birds Lincoln's Sparrow Melospiza lincolnii yes O/R Birds Loggerhead Shrike Lanius ludovicianus yes O FSC,CSC Birds Long-eared Owl Asio otus no CSC Birds Long-billed Curlew Numenius americanus yes K Birds Long-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus scolopaceus no Birds MacGillivray's Warbler Oporornis tolmiei no Birds Mallard Anas platyrhynchos yes O Birds Marbled Godwit Limosa fedoa no Birds Marsh Wren Cistothorus palustris no Birds Merlin Falco columbarius no CSC Birds Mew Gull Larus canus no Birds Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides no Birds Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura yes O/B Birds Nashville Warbler Vermivora ruficapilla no Birds Northern Oriole Icterus galbula yes O/B Birds Northern Flicker Colaptes auratus yes O Birds Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus yes O CSC Birds Northern Mockingbird Mimus polyglottos yes O/B Birds Northern Pintail Anas acuta yes K Birds Northern Pygmy-Owl Glaucidium gnoma no Birds Northern Rough-winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis yes O Birds Northern Saw-whet Owl Aegolius acadicus no Birds Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata no Birds Nuttall's Woodpecker Picoides nuttallii yes O/B Birds Oldsquaw Clangula hyemalis no rare Birds Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus borealis yes O Birds Orange-crowned Warbler Vermivora celata yes O Birds Osprey Pandion haliaetus no CSC Birds Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus no Birds Pectoral Sandpiper Calidris melanotos no Birds Pelagic Cormorant Phalacrocorax pelagicus no Birds Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus no SE,CFP Birds Phainopepla Phainopepla nitens no Birds Pied-billed Grebe Podilymbus podiceps no Birds Pine Siskin Carduelis pinus yes K
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-4 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Plain Titmouse Parus inornatus yes K Birds Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus no CSC Birds Purple Finch Carpodacus purpureus yes O/R Birds Red Knot Calidris canutus no Birds Red-breasted Merganser Mergus serrator no Birds Red-breasted Nuthatch Sitta canadensis yes O Birds Red-breasted Sapsucker Sphyrapicus ruber yes O Birds Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena no Birds Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus no Birds Red-shouldered Hawk Buteo lineatus yes O/B Birds Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis yes O/B Birds Red-throated Loon Gavia stellata no Birds Red-winged Blackbird Agelaius phoeniceus yes O Birds Redhead Aythya americana no Birds Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis yes K Birds Ring-necked Duck Aythya collaris no Birds Ring-necked Pheasant Phasianus colchicus no Birds Rock Dove (Domestic Pigeon) Columba livia yes O Birds Rock Wren Salpinctes obsoletus no Birds Ross' Goose Chen rossii no Birds Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus no Birds Ruby-crowned Kinglet Regulus calendula yes O Birds Ruddy Duck Oxyura jamaicensis no Birds Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres no Birds Rufous Hummingbird Selasphorus rufus yes O Birds Rufous-crowned Sparrow Aimophila ruficeps yes O Birds Rufous-sided Towhee Pipilo erythrophthalmus yes O/B Birds Sage Sparrow Amphispiza belli no Birds Sanderling Calidris alba no Birds Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis no Birds Savannah Sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis no Birds Saltmarsh Common Yellowthroat Geothlypis trichas sinuosa no CSC Birds Say's Phoebe Sayornis saya yes O/R Birds Scrub Jay Aphelocoma coerulescens yes O/B Birds Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus no Birds Sharp-shinned Hawk Accipiter striatus yes O CSC Birds Short-billed Dowitcher Limnodromus griseus no Birds Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus no CSC Birds Snow Goose Chen caerulescens yes O/R Birds Snowy Egret Egretta thula no Birds Snowy Plover Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus no Birds Solitary Vireo Vireo solitarius yes O/R Birds Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia yes O/B Birds Sora Porzana carolina no Birds Spotted Sandpiper Actitus macularia no
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-5 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Stellar's Jay Cyanocitta stelleri no Birds Suisun Song Sparrow Melospiza melodia no Birds Surf Scoter Melanitta perspicillata no Birds Surfbird Aphriza virgata no Birds Swainson's Hawk Buteo swainsoni no ST - rare Birds Swainson's Thrush Catharus ustulatus yes O Birds Thayer's Gull Larus thayeri no Birds Townsend's Solitaire Myadestes townsendi no Birds Townsend's Warbler Dendroica townsendi yes O/R Birds Tree Swallow Tachycineta bicolor yes O Birds Tricolored Blackbird Agelaius tricolor yes O/R FSC, CSC Birds Tundra (Whistling) Swan Cygnus columbianus no Birds Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura yes O Birds Varied Thrush Ixoreus naevius yes O Birds Vaux's Swift Chaetura vauxi no Birds Violet-green Swallow Tachycineta thalassina yes O Birds Virginia Rail Rallus limicola no Birds Wandering Tattler Heteroscelus incanus no Birds Warbling Vireo Vireo gilvus yes O Birds Water Pipet Anthus spinoletta yes O Birds Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana yes K Birds Western Flycatcher Empidonax difficilis yes O/B Birds Western Grebe Aechmophorus occidentalis no Birds Western Gull Larus occidentalis yes K Birds Western Kingbird Tyrannus verticalis yes K/R Birds Western Meadowlark Sturnella neglecta yes O Birds Western Sandpiper Calidris mauri no Birds Western Screech-Owl Otus kennicottii yes K/R Birds Western Tanager Piranga ludoviciana yes O/R Birds Western Wood-Pewee Contopus sordidulus yes O Birds Western Yellow-billed Cuckoo Coccyzus americanus occidentalis no SE Birds Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus no Birds White-breasted Nuthatch Sitta carolinensis yes O Birds White-crowned Sparrow Zonotrichia leucophrys yes O Birds White-throated Sparrow Zonotrichia albicollis yes O Birds White-throated Swift Aeronautes saxatalis yes O Birds White-tailed Kite Elanus leucurus yes O CFP Birds Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo no Birds Willet Catoptrophorus semipalmatus no Birds Willow Flycatcher Empidonax traillii no FE Birds Wilson's Phalarope Phalaropus tricolor no Birds Wilson's Warbler Wilsonia pusilla yes O Birds Winter Wren Troglodytes troglodytes yes K Birds Wood Duck Aix sponsa no Birds Wrentit Chamaea fasciata no
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-6 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Birds Yellow Warbler Dendroica petechia brewsteri yes O/R CSC Birds Yellow-billed Magpie Pica nuttalli no Birds Yellow-breasted Chat Icteria virens no Birds Yellow-headed Blackbird Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus yes K Birds Yellow-rumped (Audubon's) Warbler Dendroica coronata yes O Birds Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler Dendroica coronata yes O Mammals Audubon Cottontail Sylvilagus audubonii no Mammals Badger Taxidea taxus no Mammals Big Brown Bat Eptesicus fuscus no Mammals Black Rat Rattus rattus yes O Mammals Black-tailed Hare Lepus californicus yes O Mammals Bobcat Lynx rufus no Mammals Botta Pocket Gopher Thomomys bottae yes O Mammals Brazilian Free-tailed Bat Tadarida brasiliensis yes K Mammals Broad-footed Mole Scapanus latimanus yes O Mammals Brush Mouse Peromyscus boylii no Mammals Brush Rabbit Sylvilagus bachmani no Mammals California Ground Squirrel Spermophilus beecheyi yes O Mammals California Meadow Mouse Microtus californicus yes O Mammals California Mouse Peromyscus californicus no Mammals California Myotis Myotis californicus yes Mammals California Pocket Mouse Perognathus californicus no Mammals Virginia Opossum Didelphis marsupialis yes O Mammals Coyote Canis latrans no Mammals Deer Mouse Peromyscus maniculatus no Mammals Desert Wood Rat Neotoma lepida no Mammals Dusky-footed Wood Rat Neotoma fuscipes no Mammals Fox Squirrel Sciurus niger yes O Mammals Fringed Myotis Myotis thysanodes no Mammals Gray Fox Urocyon cinereoargenteus yes O Mammals Hairy-winged Myotis Myotis volans no Mammals Heermann Kangaroo Rat Dipodomys heermanni no Mammals Hoary Bat Lasiurus cinereus no Mammals House Mouse Mus musculus yes O Mammals Kit Fox, San Joaquin Vulpes macrotis mutica no FE,ST Mammals Little Pocket Mouse Perognathus longimembris no Mammals Long-eared Myotis Myotis evotis no Mammals Long-tailed Weasel Mustela frenata no Mammals Mountain Lion Felis concolor no Mammals Black-tailed Deer Odocoileus hemionus columbarius no Mammals Muskrat Ondatra zibethica no Mammals Norway Rat Rattus norvegicus yes K Mammals Ornate Shrew Sorex ornatus no Mammals Pallid Bat Antrozous pallidus no CSC Mammals Pig, Feral Sus scrofa no
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-7 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Mammals Pinyon Mouse Peromyscus trueii no Mammals Raccoon Procyon lotor yes O Mammals Red Bat Lasiurus borealis no Mammals Red Fox Vulpes fulva yes K Mammals Ringtail Bassariscus astutus no CFP Mammals River Otter Lutra canadensis no Mammals Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys raviventris no FE,SE,CFP Mammals Saltmarsh Wandering Shrew Sorex vagrans halicoetes no CSC Mammals San Joaquin Pocket Mouse Perognathus inornatus inornatus no CSC Mammals San Pablo Vole Microtus californicus no CSC Mammals Silvery-haired Bat Lasionycteris noctivagans no Mammals Spotted Skunk Spilogale putorius no Mammals Striped Skunk Mephitis mephitis yes O Mammals Townsend's big-eared Bat Corynorhinus townsendii no FSC,CSC Mammals Trowbridge Shrew Sorex trowbridgii no Mammals Vagrant Shrew Sorex vagrans no Mammals Western Harvest Mouse Reithrodontomys megalotis yes K Mammals Western Pipistrelle Pipistrellus hesperus yes Mammals Yuma Myotis Myotis yumanensis no Reptiles Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard Gambelia silus no Reptiles California Black-headed Snake Tantilla planiceps no Reptiles California Legless Lizard, Silvery Anniella pulchra no FSC,CSC Reptiles California Mountain Kingsnake,Coast Lampropeltis zonata no Reptiles Coachwhip, San Joaquin Whipsnake Masticophis flagellum no Reptiles Coast Horned Lizard, California Phrynosoma coronatum no FSC,CSC Reptiles Common Garter Snake, Giant Thamnophis sirtalis no FT Reptiles Common Garter Snake, Valley Thamnophis sirtalis no Reptiles Common Garter Snake,Calif.Red-sided Thamnophis sirtalis no Reptiles Common Kingsnake, California Lampropeltis getulus yes K Reptiles Gilbert's Skink, Variegated Eumeces gilberti no Reptiles Glossy Snake, California Arizona elegans no Reptiles Gopher Snake, Pacific Pituophis melanoleucus yes O Reptiles Long-nosed Snake, Western Rhinocheilus lecontei no Reptiles Night Snake, California Hypsiglena torquata no Reptiles Northern Alligator Lizard, SF Gerrhonotus coeruleus no Reptiles Racer, Western Yellow-bellied Coluber constrictor no Reptiles Ringneck Snake, Pacific Diadophis punctatus yes K Reptiles Rubber Boa, Pacific Charina bottae yes K Reptiles Sagebrush Lizard, Northern Sceloporus graciosus no Reptiles Sharp-tailed Snake Contia tenuis yes K Reptiles Side-blotched Lizard, California Uta stansburiana no Reptiles Southern Alligator Lizard, Calif. Gerrhonotus multicarinatus yes O Reptiles Striped Racer, Alameda Masticophis lateralis lateralis no Reptiles Western Aquatic Garter Snake Thamnophis couchi no Reptiles Western Aquatic Garter Snake,S.Cruz Thamnophis couchi no
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-8 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
CLASS COMMON NAME LATIN NAME OBS EXP OCCURR STATUS Reptiles Western Fence Lizard, Northwestern Sceloporus occidentalis yes O Reptiles Western Pond Turtle Clemmys marmorata no FSC,CSC Reptiles Western Rattlesnake, North.Pacific Crotalus viridis no Reptiles Western Skink, Western subspp. Eumeces skiltonianus no Reptiles Western Terrestrial Garter Snake Thamnophis elegans yes K Reptiles Western Whiptail, California Cnemidophorus tigris no Reptiles Whipsnake, Alameda Masticophis lateralis euryxanthus no FT,ST Invertebrates Longhorned Fairy Shrimp Branchinecta longiantenna no FT,ST Invertebrates Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp Branchinecta lynchi no FE,SE Invertebrates Monarch Butterfly Danaus plexippus yes yes overwintering
Explanation of Column Headings:
Obs: Observed during EBRPD surveys Exp: Expected to Occur Occur: B: breeding confirmed K: known to occur O: observed during surveys R: rare species/migrant.
Status: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service California Fish and Game Commission FE Listed as endangered by the Federal Government SE Listed as endangered by the State of California FT Listed as threatened by the Federal Government ST Listed as threatened by the State of California FSC Federal species of concern CSC Species of Special Concern FC Federal Candidate CFP Fully Protected Species CP Protected Species
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve D-9 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Appendix E: Estimated Construction Costs
Proposed Capital Improvement Project Preliminary Construction Cost Estimates* Based on 2005 Construction Dollars
*Costs are pre-design estimates only and are meant to give the reader a sense of scale of individual projects Capital Improvement Project Rough Cost in Cost Description 2005 Dollars: includes materials, installation and administration Highest Priority • Complete electrical service upgrade to meet $800,000 current and future needs • Utility upgrades: electrical, water and sewer lines To be to serve new buildings and uses determined • Deer Park Recreation Unit improvements: o Shade structure $250,000 Includes concrete floor but no stage, water or electricity o Children’s play equipment $70,000 o Water play feature $200,000 Includes water recirculation system o Implement a tree-planting plan $50,000 Based on perimeter of Deer Park: 1,800 linear feet o Permanent restroom building outside Unit $400,000 Includes ten stalls • Indoor interpretive center $300,000 Similar size as the granary building • Separate restroom addition to house dishwasher, $250,000 laundry, enclosed storage and space for docents • Pasture area for sheep with shelter $60,000 Includes woven wire fence and shelter • Pole/storage barn – EBRPD $220,000 Does not include electricity • Pole/storage barn – farming service yard $220,000 Does not include electricity HIGHEST PRIORITY SUB TOTAL $2,820,000 Continues on following page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve E-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
*Costs are pre-design estimates only and are meant to give the reader a sense of scale of individual projects Capital Improvement Project Rough Cost in Cost Description 2005 Dollars: includes materials, installation and administration Intermediate Priority • Pedestrian Entry Improvements: o Redesign park entry with a pedestrian plaza $100,000 Includes separate containing a separate entrance and exit exit, new path, gate and modifications to parking lot o Develop and implement a landscaping and $35,000 design plan o Visitor center and gift shop inside train $100,000 Not a new building: station admissions building redesign existing space o Restroom upgrade of east end of train $200,000 Includes six stalls station admissions building o New restroom in front of entry gate at the $75,000 train station admissions building o Satellite produce sales area $40,000 Does not include electricity • Landscaping Improvements o Replant trees in South Wood, North Wood $25,000 Over a 25-year period and East Wood on an ongoing basis o Replant walnut trees in existing orchard $75,000 Over a 25-year period areas on an ongoing basis o Plant two new orchards south of the Deer $25,000 (for Includes costs of Park Recreation Unit both) trees and installation of 40, 15-gallon trees; and irrigation • Outdoor visitor gathering area with permanent $70,000 seating • Hay barn $250,000 Does not include electricity or water • Service yard $1,200,000 Does not include electricity, water or sewer • Pave floor of the existing hay barn $65,000 Continues on following page
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve E-2 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
*Costs are pre-design estimates only and are meant to give the reader a sense of scale of individual projects Capital Improvement Project Rough Cost in Cost Description 2005 Dollars: includes materials, installation and administration Intermediate Priority, cont. • Extend equipment shed $120,000 Includes roof and base floor • Complete outdoor lighting from Patterson House $20,000 Includes two to restroom building overhead poles • Extend electricity and install generator at farming $50,000 service yard • Storage building located north of swimming pool $50,000 Does not include electricity • Multi-use trail on western edge of park $150,000 Minimum eight-foot wide trail INTERMEDIATE PRIORITY SUB TOTAL $2,650,000 Lowest Priority • Relocate Bunk House and convert to interpretive $45,000 Includes cost to move exhibit building and a new foundation • New storage building at Bunk House location $75,000 • Woodshop next to blacksmith $160,000 • Pave overflow parking lot $420,000 LOWEST PRIORITY SUB TOTAL $700,000 GRAND TOTAL $6,170,000
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve E-3 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment
Appendix F: Report Preparation
This Land Use Plan Amendment for the Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve was written by Raphael Breines, Park Planner, under the direction of Pat O'Brien, General Manager; Michael Anderson, Assistant General Manager, Planning/Stewardship & Development; and Brian Wiese, Chief of Planning, Stewardship and GIS Services Department. Other report writers include: Dave Riensche and Wilde Legard, Wildland Resource Analysts.
A number of people contributed to the report’s vision and ideas contained within. Project assistance was provided by the following members of the EBRPD staff planning team: Diane Althoff, Chief of Design; Ira Bletz, Supervising Naturalist; Ken Blonski, Fire Marshal; Nancy Brownfield, Integrated Pest Management Specialist; Maryanne Canaparo, Revenue Manager; John Escobar, Assistant General Manager of Operations; Kimberly Fisher, Landscape Architect; Margaret Kelley, Interpretive Services Manager; Jack Kenny, Chief of Interpretive and Recreation Services; Larry Moss, Risk and Safety Manager; Sharol Nelson-Embry, Supervising Naturalist; Yvonne Provaznik, Ardenwood Park Supervisor; Audrey Som, Design Manager; Ted Radosevich, Park District Counsel; and Brian Wiese. Graphics were prepared by Philip Webster, Cartographer and Graphics Technician. Lindsey Holm, Design Intern, also assisted with graphics preparation and report research. The document was formatted and edited by Patti Zierman, Senior Office Specialist. The ideas, assistance and support of Ira Bletz, Kimberly Fisher, Lindsey Holm, Yvonne Provaznik and Philip Webster in particular, as well as other EBRPD staff, are gratefully acknowledged.
For project assistance and support, special thanks are extended to the program partners at Ardenwood Historic Farm; City of Fremont staff, including Annabell Holland, Director, Parks and Recreation Department; Chuck Canada, Deputy Director, Parks and Recreation Department; and Randy Hees, Patterson House Manager; and members of the City of Fremont – East Bay Regional Park District Liaison Committee.
Credit to AirPhoto USA for use of aerial photo of Ardenwood.
Disclaimer: Boundary and property lines shown on maps do not represent a boundary or property line survey. The East Bay Regional Park District makes no representation as to the accuracy of said property lines (or any other lines), and no liability is assumed by reason of reliance on them. Use of maps for than their intended purpose requires the written consent of EBRPD.
Planning, Stewardship and GIS Services Department
Ardenwood Historic Farm Regional Preserve F-1 August 2006 Land Use Plan Amendment