Neighbors just received a new Public Notice that threatens tree killing will begin 8/14/23. But the public meeting about the clean up plan is not until 8/24??!? Comments may be submitted NOW--the email on the notice is andrew.york@acgov.org (510) 639-1276
Please help stop this destruction by calling and emailing your elected leaders or anyone you think might care! The notice says under "Pre-Construction Field Work: Ruby Street L.P. [Eden Housing, Inc.] is anticipated to begin pre-remediation work the week of August 14. This work will include mobilizing equipment to the Site, installing and operating air monitoring equipment, potholing select locations to better understand underground features, and removing 80 trees to allow for demolition, remediation, and development construction."
An approval condition that Eden Housing agreed to was that no trees would be removed until all the permits have been obtained. This current notice says "Issuance of the building permit is contingent upon environmental clearance by ACDEH [County]." Killing trees is not cleaning the environment. Soil testing revealed no toxins--Ruby Meadow soil was pristine for pages of chemicals tested for. This "clean up" is to remove the historical Knox Water Works and to begin excavation of the top 10-feet of soil because Ruby Meadow is a liquefaction zone that should not be built on, with historic flooding events. Eden Housing has deceived its public funding sources by omitting information to them about why this is a unique location with special circumstances.
Local elected leaders who should care are CA State Senator Nancy Skinner (Jessica.Bartholow@sen.ca.gov. (510) 286-1333), CA State Assemblyperson Liz Ortega (assemblymember.ortega@assembly.ca.gov. (510) 583-8818), US Representative Eric Swalwell (510-370-3322) and US Senators Diane Feinstein (senator@feinstein.senate.gov) and Alex Padilla (202) 224-3553), Rep Scott Wiener (Krista.Pfefferkorn@sen.ca.gov (415) 557-1300).
The many reasons this project is at the wrong location include that it is in an SB 1000 environmental justice neighborhood that already suffers more pollution burdens than other areas. It is a historic and sacred site. We are destroying our last bits of urban wildlife habitat and are not restoring or improving. Save Ruby Meadow.