Lamorinda Weekly Issue 13 Volume 12
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Wednesday,Wednesday, AugustAugust 22, 2018 Vol. 12 Issue 13 The 14th Annual Orinda Classic Car Show Weekend Friday Night Pre-Party,5:30pm Sept. 7th, “DANCING 26,000 copies delivered biweekly to WITH THE CARS” Lamorinda homes & American Graffiti businesses Our all-inclusive event kicks-off the Classic Car Show weekend and is Orinda’s largest community-wide fundraiser. Special features include a display of cool cruisers and rad roadsters, souped up to www.lamorindaweekly.comww FREE drag the Main! Also enjoy signature cocktails, fabulous food, awesome auction items, and great music! Seating is limited, so don’t drag your feet! Proceeds from this event benefit a variety of Orinda non-profits and projects including: the Orinda Association, the Educational Foundation of Orinda (EFO), Orinda Parks and Rec, local arts and the Rotary Club of Orinda, which produces “Dancing with the Cars.” tix: OrindaCarShow.com Los Arribeños de San Francisco, which includes Joaquin Moraga descendant Lance Beeson, will perform at the Ranch House in Orinda during the annual Fandango. Photo provided Joaquin Moraga descendant to perform at annual Fandango By Sora O’Doherty rowing up, Lance Beeson always knew that he was a descendent of Joaquin Moraga. He trained classical guitarist, who also plays the melodian, the button accordion, and performs Gknew that during the 1940s, his family would have Fourth of July parties at the Moraga as a vocalist. He has performed at each Fandango in support of the Moraga Adobe, and this Adobe. A member of the Friends of the Joaquin Moraga Adobe, he came up with the idea of year Los Arribeños de San Francisco will be providing the entertainment for the Fifth Annual holding an annual Fandango to raise money for the restoration of the important property. Fandango on Aug. 25. They have also performed in venues including the John Muir Adobe, Beeson was perhaps the perfect person to focus on the project, as both a direct descen- the Peralta Adobe in San Francisco, and at the San Francisco Free Folk Festival. dant of the land grant holder, Joaquin Moraga, and a musician in the eight-member group, A member of a descendants group who studies history and genealogy, Beeson believes that Los Arribeños de San Francisco. The group, a performing unit of the California Fandango the Moraga Adobe is a cultural and historical touchstone for this entire valley. Built in 1841, Project, presents interactive music, dance and activities of Hispanic California. Beeson is a the Adobe is the oldest surviving building in Contra Costa County. ... continued on page A6 Advertising Welcome Back to School, Lamorinda! Bernie & Ryerson Team Letters to the Editor A11 925 200 2222 or 925 878 9685 [email protected] Community Service B4 [email protected] Not to be Missed B6-B7 License # 00686144 | 01418309 HOW TO CONTACT US B7 Classifi ed C2 Love Lafayette B8 A last-chance glimmer of hope for Lafayette Park Theater? By Pippa Fisher as the Lincoln Property, has an option to buy the theater property, including the fourplex apartment behind the theater. Falk explained that in exchange for the deed to the theater property, the city would transfer the density rights for those properties to the developer to apply to the Golden Gate Way property, effectively preserving the the- ater as such and achieving one of the city’s goals for ensuring the historic plaza area not be developed. “The density would be trans- ferred from one side of First Street to the oth- er,” said Falk. It would allow the developer Image provided to build an extra 25 units along with the cur- ould a density transfer be an option for cent density transfer to save the Rheem The- rently allowed 52 units on Golden Gate Way. Csaving the Park Theater? Lafayette law- atre as an example, he said there may be a Additionally more parking could be cre- makers have decided to take initial explora- similar opportunity for the Park Theater in ated behind the theater and a park area could tion of this as a creative solution further and Lafayette. be created at the corner of Golden Gate Way plan to form a committee with the city, the The iconic theater, built in 1941, sits and First Street. developer and community organizations to- at the heart of the downtown and has been Falk cautioned that this is no sugarcoated gether with members of the public. closed since 2001. Now Oakland residen- vision. He pointed out that such a residential City Manager Steve Falk outlined the tial real estate developer John Protopappas, development would be very large, requiring a main points of the idea at the Aug. 13 city who owns the one and a half-acre apartment 35- to 45-foot façade. council meeting. Pointing to Moraga’s re- complex at 3483 Golden Gate Way known ... continued on page A3 Photo Pippa Fisher Civic News A1-A14 Life in Lamorinda B1-B8 Sports C1-C4 Our Homes D1-D16 Moraga’s fi nancial Program Lamorinda Attacking rat director departs matches football infestation in – page A5. seniors season local homes with home- – page D1 Fire Districts A10 preview – seekers – page C1. MOFD board races page B1. shaping up – page A10. Page: A2 LAMORINDA WEEKLY 925-377-0977 www.lamorindaweekly.com Wednesday, Aug. 22, 2018 5 GREENVALLEY DRIVE, LAFAYETTE OFFERED AT $2,995,000 | 5GREENVALLEY.COM Public Meetings st City Council Just Listed! | 1 Open Sun 1-4! Monday, Sept. 10, 7 p.m. 5 BED + OFFICE + 4.5 BATH + 4562± SQ. FT. + 330± SQ. FT. GUEST HOUSE Lafayette Library & Learning Center, Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. WITH FULL BATH 0N .42± ACRE = MAGICAL RELIEZ VALLEY FARMHOUSE Planning Commission Tuesday, Sept. 4, 7 p.m. LAFAYETTE’S #1 REALTOR FOR 10 STRAIGHT YEARS! Lafayette Library & Learning Center, 925.339.1918|LICENSE #: 01482454 DANAGREENTEAM.COM Community Hall, 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. Design Review Monday, Aug. 27, 7 p.m. Lafayette Library & Learning Center, Arts & Science Discovery Center, Condos proposed for Lafayette Circle 3491 Mt. Diablo Blvd. By Pippa Fisher School Board Meetings Acalanes Union High School District Wednesday, Sept. 5, 7 p.m. AUHSD Board Room 1212 Pleasant Hill Road, Lafayette www.acalanes.k12.ca.us Lafayette School District Wednesday, Aug. 22, 7 p.m. Regular Board Meeting District Offi ce Board Room 3477 School St., Lafayette www.lafsd.k12.ca.us Check online for agendas, meeting Images provided notes and announcements lans for the proposed mixed- tions of approval in early Septem- general plan as well as the down- dividuals, mostly neighbors who City of Lafayette: purpose retail/condominiums ber. town specifi c plan for the area. It expressed their desire to see this www.ci.lafayette.ca.us P development on Lafayette Circle Commissioners heard from complies with parking require- project move forward. One neigh- Phone: (925) 284-1968 Chamber of Commerce: are moving forward to the consent city staff and from the developer, ments, utilizing car lifts to save bor, however, did not support it, www.lafayettechamber.org calendar for resolution and condi- Lenox Homes’ president Dan garage space. Notably it provides saying that this would be more ap- Freeman, together with architect considerable bike storage, too, propriate to Walnut Creek or San Newell Arnerich who described which combined with enhanced Francisco. the proposed 12-unit condo build- pathways, is part of an attempt to Planning Commissioner Kris- Acalanes Class of ’68 ing at the Aug. 6 planning com- discourage the use of cars, said tina Sturm expressed some con- mission meeting. Arnerich. cern over creek frontage use, hop- celebrates 50 years The three-story structure will A pathway will lead back to ing that a more active use will be By Pippa Fisher sit at 210 Lafayette Circle, on the the creek and the developer will encouraged, suggesting perhaps a site of the old Spruzzo’s restaurant work in time with the city to pro- bench and educational signage. and a parking lot, neighboring the vide a bridge over the creek. Planning Commission Vice site of last year’s fi re that burned Srivatsa explained to the com- Chair Steven Bliss suggested this the Lafayette Chamber of Com- missioners that the project has was a “keystone project” and said merce offi ces and the La Finestra been before the design review that he was glad to see the effort restaurant. commission twice and that they made by the applicant to work Utilizing a mixture of natural are now recommending the PC with the city in their direction. materials, the project comprises approve the project, with certain A motion recommending ap- 12 residential units ranging in liv- recommendations, many of which proval subject to conditions was ing space size from 657 square feet the developer is already working supported unanimously. Staff will to 1,813 square feet including two on such as meeting the public art now prepare a draft approval reso- units on the fi rst fl oor, which will requirement. lution and conditions of approval, be ADA-accessible and available The commission took public which will appear as a consent cal- at below market rates to moder- comment, hearing from seven in- endar item at the Sept. 4 meeting. ate-income households. Addition- ally the project will provide 1,007 Class leaders in 1968: Diane Currier, Dawn Ide, John Rarig, Joe Fox and Rob square feet of ground fl oor retail Olson. Photos provided space. It features a courtyard, and terraces and balconies on all lev- els. City Planning and Building Di- rector Niroop Srivatsa explained that the project complies with the Considering Making a Move This Fall? Current reunion committee members, standing: Brynn Brown (Christian- sen), Roger Boothe, Anne Coleman (Magrath), Ron Dawson, Linda Momsen (Querio) and Denne Calloway; seated: Jim Hale, Chuck Baumann, and Deidre Lingenfelter (Currier).