Congresswoman Barbara Lee in Rockridge

On Sat., Sept. 23, Congresswoman Lee will hold a constituent tea at Hudson Bay Caffee, 5401 College Ave., Oakland, from 1:30-2:30 pm. Hudson Bay Caffee is on the AC Transit 51 bus route, south of the Rockridge BART station. She asks that we bring our ideas, concerns and solutions to share.

During the April 26th. meeting at the Claremont, Ted Axe, the Claremont's general manager, admitted he wanted to add 165 new rooms, possibly including timeshares and a 3 level parking facility. This is a 60% increase in the number of guest rooms, adding 3 rooms for every five they have now. At the May 26th. meeting, Axe said he was considering condominiums, not timeshares. Condominiums are residences, not guest rooms. [Previously, the Claremont said it wanted only 90 rooms (see April website).]

Axe said construction would take place over the next 5 to 10 years. Axe said he is looking at maximum development of 22 acres and maximum profits for KSL, which owns the Claremont. Axe said there would be minimal impact on traffic, views, and the neighborhood.

The Claremont's management is hoping to expand the hotel in two phases. The initial phase has begun with 16 million dollars worth of renovations to the main building and a 1.5 million dollar seismic retrofit. Over the summer, the main entrance on Tunnel Rd. will get an entrance monument and median strip. In October the Spa will be moved closer to the proposed 90 rooms. This will also increase the amount of space alloted to the Club. Both the Spa and Club will double in size.

Next would be the 90 room wing built into the hillside. A parking deck would be put where a tennis court is now on the Domingo side (near Peet's), with a new tennis court on top of it. This would be two stories high. During the second phase, a campus-like area with 75 large suites or condominiums would be built. Another pool might be added, according to Axe. Berkeley neighbors say the pool would be covered under the permanent noise injunction they won several years ago. More levels of parking topped with tennis courts would replace the current tennis courts, until all 6 tennis courts would be above a three story parking facility. The Claremont would now have 400 parking spaces. With valet parking, they could park 1500 cars.

At some point, according to Axe, they may put an entrance on Claremont Ave. (there's already an unused curb cut) with a deceleration lane for cars to stack up. Parking places on Claremont Ave. would be eliminated, although anyone who wants to pay what the Claremont charges could park in the new parking garage.

To give a better idea of when all this could take place, we have developed an unofficial timeline based on information from the Claremont and KSL.

In July, Ted Axe indicated to members of an informal neighborhood group that the expansion may be done as many small projects rather than the 2 phase construction he presented at previous public meetings. He continues to emphasize that nothing is official.

The Chronicle did a story on brush clearing and a story on the expansion [see "Claremont Resort Neighbors Clip Clearing program," by Debra Levi Holtz, SF Chronicle, 08/09/00 and "Growing Pains", Debra Levi Holtz, SF Chronicle, 08/11/00]. The Claremont is now saying the new guest wing would be 86 rooms rather than 90, and that it wants to put in 75 time share villas, rather than condominiums. Both KTVU and the "Growing Pains article mentioned pines and ivy, but not the native oaks growing in the area where the guest room wing would go. Native oaks are protected by law. Even if the Claremont has scaled back the project to spare the oaks, construction can damage the roots and kill the trees. For more on oaks, see article.

Environmental Impact Report

This spring and summer is a crucial time for public involvement. The EIR must detail the new construction's effect on the environment. For example, every tree that is removed affects the microclimate, air quality, and wildlife habitat. The Claremont plans to remove a mature grove of pines [ Update: this writer saw approximately 24 very large, mixed conifers, 2 smaller pines with a sickly appearance, and 2 oaks in the area to be developed.], a native oak and a landscape area for its 90 room addition. The arbor area will become a third swimming pool. Axe said the trees would be replaced, (including the mature trees destroyed last summer)but saplings have a different effect on the environment than mature trees.

Earthmovers will be brought in to carve up the hillside below the Terrace Bar. The 90 room wing is planned for the hillside below the hotel and would be connected by elevators. The EIR should detail how this will affect the stability of the hillside and the homes above it.

Earthmovers will also excavate the land under the Claremont's 6 tennis courts. The Claremont proposes a 3 level parking facility beneath new tennis courts, increasing its total number of parking spaces to 400. With valet parking included at no extra charge, the Claremont could have 1500 cars parked at once. This would be a major environmental change and seriously affect our air quality.

On Fri., Aug. 4, the Claremont began removing overgrown ivy and brush from the land along the path to Alvarado Rd., behind the Hotel. This followed the annual cleanup of the land along the path (a water easement owned by EBMUD) and the Alvarado Pl. side of the property between the fence and the street, performed as usual by the East Bay Conservation Corp. The brush removal was ordered by the Oakland Fire Dept.

On Tues., Aug. 8, Fire Marshall Camille Rodgers, Ted Axe, and contractor Arthur Young spoke to neighbors about the brush removal. Rodgers said the fire dept. had tried to get the Claremont to abate the hazardous conditions for several years without success. She said Axe was more cooperative than the previous management. She explained why brush and deadwood must be cleared in the fire zone.

Neighbors were upset that the parking lot was no longer screened from view. Ivy has been completely removed from portions of the fence, giving pedestrians and neighboring homes an unobstructed view of the parking lot. Neighbors complained of the increased noise from the parking lot, glare from the sun on cars, microclimate degradation, and aesthetics. One pointed out that Cecile Brunner roses, part of the original gardens, were in the path of destruction. Some rose bushes appear to have been cut. One neighbor also called the Chronicle, which ran an article the next day ["Claremont Resort Neighbors Clip Clearing program," by Debra Levi Holtz, SF Chronicle, 08/09/00.]

Axe said he was willing to work with the neighbors on their concerns. He said he is willing to put a temporary "green screen" on bare portions of the fence. He reached a compromise with neighbors on the spot, regarding the amount of greenery removed.

Ted Axe was hired for two reasons**. One was to develop the Claremont's public areas and grounds. When his hiring was announced, KSL sad it wanted to change its public areas and grounds, including the replanting of some of the original landscape features. [See "New owners take an Axe to venerable Claremont Resort"bizjournals.com, 8/31/98]

The sudden desire to cooperate with the fire dept., after years of stonewalling by current and previous management, confirms this. KSL has been very upfront about its plans for the Claremont. They want to maximize development and profit. A previously unattractive area, littered with beer bottles and tires, will be landscaped into a lovely garden. Neighbors will have something nice to look at on their way to Peet's. This might soften opposition to removing the gardens and grove of trees which currently stand in the way of the proposed 90 room wing.

*A "fire ladder" is a low-hanging branch or a vine which fire can use to climb up into the trees. Ivy climbing a support wire, up a utility pole, and over a tree branch is a fire ladder. There are several of these fire ladders on the Claremont grounds.

**The second reason Axe was hired? His previous job was with Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Resort, in Orlando, Florida. Grenelefe features condominiums, which KSL wants to build at the Claremont. For more on the Claremont and golf, see article on KSL's privatization of Oakland's municipal golf course.

On July 11, 2000, the Berkeley City Council passed Councilmember Polly Armstrong's request that the city manager monitor and review any documents submitted by the Claremont regarding its expansion plans. This was a consent item and passed without discussion. Click here for the text of the item, as emailed by Polly Armstrong's office.

What You Can D o

Berkeley residents have expressed great frustration, as the Claremont is officially in Oakland. Polly Armstrong has been very receptive and helpful to her constituents. You can contact her and/or your neighborhood's city councilmember. Both Berkeley and Oakland residents can contact Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson, who attended Jane Brunner's May 6th. meeting. Berkeley Mayor Shirley Dean also attended the meeting. Berkeley and Oakland residents can attend Jane Brunner's open meetings in North Oakland. Everyone is free to speak and to ask questions at the open meetings. Both Berkeley and Oakland residents can read the EIR, comment on it, and challenge it if necessary.