El Sobrante residents block Clark Road plan

A group of El Sobrante residents has defeated (at least for now) a plan to develop a portion of San Pablo ridge adjacent to Wildcat Canyon Regional Park. The Clark Road project of Kaiway Investment Company would have damaged streams and wildlife habitat, and increased potential landslides, erosion, and stress on El Sobrante roads and services.

Back in 2003, the Yodeler asked readers to send in comments on the project's Environmental Impact Report (EIR). And then we stopped hearing about the project. It turns out that there was a wonderful reason for this: the developer saw the weighty opposition, read the writing on the wall, and apparently just gave up. Kaiway never withdrew its project, but simply stopped acting to move it forward. Until such time as Kaiway decides to move forward again, the project is dead.

It was the well-organized effort by El Sobrante residents that persuaded the city to reject the plan as seriously flawed. In the earliest planning stages, residents joined forces with the local East Bay Waldorf School and the El Sobrante Valley Legal Defense Fund to raise awareness and funds. Residents who are musicians contributed their talents towards organizing, publicizing, and performing in an outdoor benefit concert on the grounds of the Waldorf School, just below the proposed development site. Musical groups such as the 60-member Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Kitka Eastern European Women's Vocal Ensemble, Keith Terry, and the Hogan Brothers donated their talents, and speakers at the event included El Sobrante's legendary civic leader Eleanor Loynd and Contra Costa Supervisor John Gioia. The proceeds were set aside for hiring an environmental attorney and experts in geology, geotechnology, hydrology, hydrogeology, trees, air quality, city planning, and aquatic biology to analyze the project and the EIR.

El Sobrante residents pooled their talents in other ways. Neighbors met with Assemblymember Loni Hancock and Supervisor Gioia to seek advice and support. Neighbors invited councilmembers and planning commissioners for walks on the Clark-Boas Trail. Artistic neighbors made a powerful short documentary video that was shown at meetings and given to civic leaders. Residents sought advice and support from environmental organizations including the Sierra Club West Contra Costa Group, the Urban Creeks Council, and Spawners (an organization that protects the San Pablo Creek Watershed ), and from other local groups fighting similar development proposals. Flyering brigades were organized to keep neighbors informed and to publicize meetings.

When the Draft EIR was released, El Sobrante residents provided written comments in unprecedented volume. Along with schools, churches, unions, local conservation organizations, and city and county agencies, they pointed out numerous flaws in the document and the plan. Neighbors and hikers made themselves experts, performing detailed studies that revealed discrepancies in the plan. For example, El Sobrante resident Howard Sodja studied up on ponds, seeps, vernal pools, and springs; created sophisticated computer-generated maps of all the water features on the site; and produced a detailed study that shamed the Draft EIR's inadequate two-day water-feature study. Another neighbor, Tom Orebaugh, undertook an accurate tree count of the site that pointed out glaring errors in the EIR's arborist's report.

For now the project is halted, but the developer can come back with a new plan at any time. In addition, another developer is proposing to build 122 homes on an adjacent parcel; the Environmental Impact Statement for this Forest Green project is expected out soon. The Sierra Club West Contra Costa Group will have to examine it carefully. Hopefully El Sobrante can develop permanent protection for these sensitive ridgelines.

Janet Kutulas