Open Letter to the Parks and Recreation Commission
Dear Members of the Oakland Parks and Recreation Commission,
We are writing on behalf of Friends of Lincoln Square Park, to ensuring that our beloved downtown park and recreation center in the heart of Chinatown continues to play a central role in building a welcoming, diverse, and thriving community that enriches the lives of all Oaklanders — now, and for generations of families to come. We share a vision for an expanded recreation center that anchors downtown recreation and urge you use your collective voices to support this project and push to include this once-in-a-generation project in City’s new Downtown specific plan.
Our Vision for an expanded downtown Recreation Center
Lincoln Square Park is the city’s busiest recreation center and park, with over 1,500 unique visitors each day, all day long. It is the only public recreation center in Downtown and serves residents of all ages, incomes and races from across the city and beyond. The adjacent bus stop at Harrison and 11th is one of the busiest in the system and provides much needed indoor and outdoor play areas for neighboring schools.
Friends of Lincoln Square Park (FLSP) is a coalition of community leaders and volunteers including representatives from the Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation, the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, local churches, family associations, the Wa Sung Community Service Club and other community organizations. We are working with the recreation center staff and the City to advocate, plan and fund the design and construction of an expanded and modernized recreation center that will be the center of Chinatown.
The Lincoln Square Park Recreation Center (LSPRC) is 40 years old and in dire need of expansion and improvement. The current building is over capacity, as activities fill every room at nearly all hours. Pressure for more space is mounting as new residents move into the 5,000+ new apartments in Downtown leasing over the next year. A recent architectural analysis concluded that the facility floor area needs to be doubled just to meet existing demand.
Our shared vision is a new three story recreation center with an indoor basketball gym, multipurpose and class rooms, space that can be indoor/outdoor, and a relocated Chinatown Hall of Pioneers as a central gathering space. This new building will have the space to host multiple simultaneous activities that bring together different generations and longtime and new Oaklanders.
Downtown Specific Plan
The Downtown Specific Plan lays out out the City’s vision and priorities for the future of Downtown Oakland. We have been closely following the plan as it has progressed for over two years and have been actively engaged in the process, participating in the Community Advisory Group and attending many workshops and meetings to help shape the collective vision. Unfortunately, the recreation center and future recreation are not included in the report and future vision. We need your help to fix this.
We are writing to urge you to ask the City to make the following modifications to the current draft Downtown Specific Plan:
Specifically mention the need for a new Recreation Center at Lincoln Square Park in the plan. This has long been a City priority in our Capital Improvement Plan, though there is no mention of it in the draft Plan report.
Acknowledge recreational needs for downtown Oakland. Current language focuses on parks, open space and nature, but we desperately need space for active recreation for people of all ages is critical to a healthy, vibrant, downtown community as well.
Ensure Chinatown Parks benefit from any incentives or community benefits programs developed downtown. The current draft excludes Chinatown as a neighborhood beneficiary, even though Lincoln Square Park will be disproportionately impacted and Chinatown equity issues are highlighted in the plan. Chinatown and the Lincoln Square Park Recreation center should be included as neighborhood priorities on page 293.
Prioritize investment in existing parks and open space over new parks and open space. The draft plan calls for two new “Green Loops,” and new pocket parks, but does not prioritize addressing the dire state of existing park and recreation facilities. Note that the Plan Options Report (Nov 2018) states in a tradeoff analysis that the Green Loops “Could result in reduced levels of public realm investments elsewhere in the city if public realm improvements for the West Oakland Walk and Green Loop are funded through the city’s existing limited Capital Improvement funds.” (p. 96). We must invest in facilities current residents use, not only create new amenities for new residents.
Right-size public and private investment to include a bigger emphasis on capital improvements that support existing growth cycle, and the planned growth in the plan. We cannot develop a specific plan to max out density and not acknowledge the pressures it will put on our parks and rec center. Currently, over 10,000 new residential units are planned, but only 1.3 million (9%) of public spending is going towards capital improvements. Little to no funding has been allocated to improving our downtown parks and there has been only limited investment thus far despite the growth. (p.254)
Thank you for taking the time to read through the draft plan and advocate on behalf of Oakland’s parks. By advocating for these priorities, you can help make sure that downtown Oakland is a place where everyone belongs. Again we urge you to speak up as a Commission and submit public comments in writing to the City of Oakland as soon a possible.
Please contact Tiffany Eng, Co-Chair of our Steering Committee if you would like to discuss these comments in depth. Our detailed notes for the City of Oakland is attached for your reference.
Sincerely,
Friends of Lincoln Square Park Steering Committee (Organizations for reference only)
Tiffany Eng, Family Friendly Oakland
Ener Chiu, Associate Director of Real Estate, East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation
Kathy Dwyer, Board Member, Oakland Parks and Recreation
Rick DiSilva, LOH Realty Oakland Chamber of Commerce
Karen Dea, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation Board Member
Tommy Wong, Chinatown Improvement Initiative
Peggy Woon, Wa Sung Community Service Club
Ellen Cavanagh, Oakland Parks and Recreation Foundation Board Member
Cc:
City of Oakland: plandowntownoakland@oaklandca.gov
CM. Nikki Bas: district2@oaklandca.gov