Position on Neighborhoods and the State of Our City

By Erling L. Horn

I will continue to listen to the voices in our neighborhoods, protect and preserve our ridgelines, viewscapes and open spaces, continue the implementation of the General Plan which will improve the downtown, and provide us with better access, landscaping, aesthetics and quality of life.

La Fiesta Square is near completion and soon will be fully occupied. I've received many, many compliments on the design by the developer, Steve Cortese. We have a well-planned and extremely attractive renovation and addition which enhances our community. La Fiesta Square has public art, a new greengrocers's market, an Irish shop, a great new deli, etc. Additionally, space has been added for our existing merchants. Lafayette has hit a home run with this project.

The Town Center project is shaping up to be as exciting and forward looking as the La Fiesta Square improvements. While the office phase is looking for a tenant, the retail portion is scheduled to be finished and occupied by the holiday season. Significant retailers have booked store space, and the preserved brick building will have a fine restaurant in it. Again, many Lafayette citizens have expressed their satisfaction that this project is finally underway, and they anticipate patronizing these new additions to our community.

The office and retail projects are a combination of "transit village" and "smart growth" approaches to development. The mix of housing, jobs, public transit (BART and CCCTA) and retail services offer the opportunity to live in Lafayette and not own a car.

Plaza Park will be expanded to twice its current size and will be renamed Elam Brown Square (after our city's founder). Golden Gate Way will become a "slow" street with augmented parking. Plaza Way will become a one way street, and the retail stores will have new fronts. The sidewalks will be improved to ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) standards. It will no longer be an island in a sea of tarmac as Plaza Park is now. I support these changes wholeheartedly; the project plans are magnificent.

A master plan has been developed for the completion of the Lafayette Community Park, and we will phase in new elements as funding becomes available. I favor the construction of a pedestrian bridge across Los Trampas Creek at the north end of the parking lot. This bridge will provide access to an underused portion of our park that also contains an interesting and rare feature, a bog.

An essential part of any community, society or civilization is its art in the broadest terms. It improves our quality of life and uplifts our spirit. Art is a legacy we pass on to our children and future citizens. Lafayette has an outstanding fine arts program in our public schools, funded in part by the Lafayette Arts and Science Foundation. The Town Hall Theatre Group, the Gold Coast Chamber Players, several art galleries and many private studios are established in town. Our citizens are generous in donating to these foundations, indicating their deep interest in the arts.

A Lafayette Arts Committee is working on two projects at present: 1) to make a recommendation to the City Council on the path that Lafayette should take with regard to the arts; and 2) to build a public art column that represents the city. This column will be on display July 4, 2000, at the Millennia 2000 Celebration at the Concord Pavilion.

It is my view that an Arts Commission is a necessary element that will help us to maintain and enhance the special nature and character of our city.