Benicia CA, North Study Area, Seeno property

Seeno / North Area Study – Stakeholder Seat at the Table

WHERE IS THE TABLE?

By Elizabeth Patterson, Benicia Mayor 2007-2020, March 19, 2023

Seeno owned property (Google Earth, 2008) with inset of Benicia’s “North Study Area” (2022) – click to enlarge

Hats off to Steve Golub providing residents and businesses news and information in “Benicia and Beyond”.  His first stab at this is a recent interview of Mayor Young.

Council member Tom Campbell has expressed concern about how many years someone needs to live here to fully understand Benicia. He, I believe, is right.  For instance, what is the status of the Class I landfill and plume of really bad stuff moving down Paddy Creek? Paddy Creek drains toward Lake Herman watershed.  This closed landfill is why in the 80s the City Council adopted a resolution prohibiting residential development on Lake Herman road and East Second street (Seeno).  Or what about the 90s when the General Plan was updated and the Benicia Industrial Park Association  (BIPA) advocated in large red and black lettering on a poster board  “no residential” development – same place.  Or in the 2000s when there were two organized groups advocating for denial of Seeno project because there was too much grading, six waterways filled, and  traffic was going to be ugly adding to our greenhouse gas emissions.  City Council denied the project and then adopted a resolution for specific conditions for any future project.

The Benicia Army’s Arsenal Reservation closure was before there was the federal Base Realignment and Closure Act  https://wikipedia.org/wiki/2005. Benicia was on its own.  Benicia got zero redevelopment planning help, and there was removal of chemical war weapons and nuclear material, but left unexploded ordinance to be found, lead, tetrachloroethylene, and used infrastructure – in some cases hastily built for the war effort. What part of the Seeno site was used?

Context matters.  Historic issues and context is not always easy to find.

The General Plan provides some of this history (at least up to 2000).  The General Plan process is explained at the end of the General Plan.  We were appointed.  We did authentic public engagement.  We adopted decisions by consensus.  We started with common vision and shared values. We were a committee of citizens representing all sectors of the community (the General Plan Oversight Committee).  Until that vision and its goals are changed, it is the law of the land.

And this gets me to the main point which is the following:

At the beginning of this piece I acknowledged Steve Golub’s “Benicia and Beyond”.  Steve came to Benicia in 2019 and has the right skills for learning about places and people.  His inaugural column addressed questions to Mayor Young, including as follows:

SG:  What are your thoughts on whether and how [Seeno property or North Study Area] that should ever be developed for housing?  Do you see alternative uses for it.

SY:  “I would like to withhold my specific preferences on that in deference to the [North Study] planning/visioning process that is currently underway, and that may eventually come to Council for decision.  But I can say, that, as one member of the community, I would hope to see a mixed use development including multifamily and single family housing, in addition to some localized commercial development.  Ideally, we would have direct micro transit options to downtown and a few locations in Vallejo.  And perhaps some office or R/D uses along the East 2nd St. frontage.”

What is the North Study planning/visioning process?  The consultants working for the city and paid for by Seeno conducted an in-person open house at Northgate church and virtual sessions and an online survey.  None of these sessions have provided the sixty (60+) relevant goals and policies of the General Plan.  Not on a poster board.  Not linked to the virtual meetings and nothing in the online survey.  Opinions are sought without context or consistency to existing policies in the General Plan.

The 1996 Urban Design Background Report by Mogavero Notestine says this about expanding residential use toward Lake Herman:

  • “[There] is a lack of connectivity to the rest of the community. Southampton has a sense of isolation from the older parts of Benicia.  The sense of isolation [Lake Herman] would be more substantial.
  • In addition, the sense [of isolation nearer Lake Herman Road] would create a substantially higher demand for automobile trips than, for example, infill.
  • The present value of the full range of [city] capital and operating public costs created by the development could be $57,000 to $75,000 [adjusted for 2023] per dwelling unit . . .”

World renowned urban economist Joe Minicozzi provided information at the Vets Hall before the Pandemic.  We learned that the city would prosper by increasing value of the existing urban footprint.  If you are in a hole, stop digging.  Benicia is a small town, with limited staff and resources. Smart development avoids a deeper hole– meaning the cost of future maintenance of new infrastructure.

Will the consultants evaluate the economic implications for individual households and broader economic impacts for the community?  Computer models should be utilized to comprehensively evaluate the broad fiscal and economic implications of various growth alternatives for the Seeno site, including the impacts for individual households.

The cost to the public depends upon, among other things, the location.  Residential infill projects do not require the construction or future maintenance of new infrastructure.  It can sometimes provide the resources to repair or replace dilapidated infrastructure. Thus infill provides revenue flow where there was none before without creating new infrastructure cost.

The  General Plan goals and policies address the overarching goal of the General Plan.  Are you comfortable with the process where staff has the final word on the visioning report that goes to the City Council?  Would a seat at the table with stakeholders representing all sectors of Benicia to oversee a report to the City Council be a good idea? Better to be at the table than on the menu, right?  Where is the table?

End of Patterson article…
More below provided by the BenIndy and City of Benicia

CITIZEN BACKGROUND:
CITY OF BENICIA
City of Benicia North Study Area (Seeno property)

For current information from the City of Benicia, check out their North Study Area web page, https://www.ci.benicia.ca.us/northstudyarea:

1000 Friends Protecting Historic Benicia, Arsenal

Sunday, March 12th –  Benicia Arsenal: A Cautionary Tale

Protect Historic Benicia!

Panel Presentation, 2:00 to 3:00 pm:

  • Gary Widman – former: 1st Lt., Benicia Arsenal, 1958-59; Prof of Environ. Law, UC Hastings; General Counsel, Council on Environmental Quality, Executive Office of the President; Gen. Counsel, Calif Dept.of Parks and Recreation & Office of Historic Preservation; Director, Office of Staff Attorneys, US Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.
  • Gregory Tilles – Professor Emeritus of History, Diablo Valley College
  • Steven Goetz – Benicia Arsenal Park Task Force

The panel will highlight the 162-year life of the Arsenal that shaped Benicia. Our Civil War-era military installation is a unique geographic and architectural gem of the Western United States, and a state and national-registered historic district. Development plans approved by the city pursuant to SB 35 are inconsistent with thirty years of City planning policies and decades of historic preservation efforts by hundreds of citizens to preserve and enhance the Benicia Arsenal.

Our lawsuit filed in November 2022, challenges city approval of two SB 35 multifamily complexes in the Historic Arsenal District listed on the National Register. The district is inclusive of the structures and grounds. The projects approved fail to comply with Secretary of Interior standards for development affecting historic structures and place. We are certain that court review will show wrecking a unique, historic district is not legal or right. Seeing and understanding the historical and cultural resources are critical for the court to understand why SB35 is wrongly used in this case and a flawed piece of legislation.

Tours – Docent-led

  • Historic Jefferson Street walks – 3:15 and 4:00 pm
  • Home tours: two non-commissioned officer homes – 3:15 to 4:30 pm

Docent-led tours of the Clocktower Fortress, the adjacent Officers’ Row, and historic homes on Jefferson Street will give you a window into Benicia’s history and life at a U.S. Army base more than 150 years ago. Gathering for recreation and spectacular views of the Carquinez Strait from Jefferson Ridge was part of the Army’s original design. We are called to protect this special place.

Related attractions at the Arsenal:

Benicia Historical Museum is open 1:00 to 4:00 pm
($3 for adults, $2 for children, free for active military with identification)
Arts Benicia – Exhibits at the Commanding Officer’s Quarters are open until 5:00 pm

Join the campaign!

…to find a way to “Preserve – Not Destroy” the Benicia Arsenal…
Stay Informed and Donate – (501)©(3)  1000FriendsPHB.org

See earlier on BenIndy:

Ariana Martinez, Benicia Unified School District

Benicia Teachers Association Endorses Ariana Martinez for Area 5 School Board Race

Ariana Martinez has more experience working with a wide range of children than any other candidate

Press Release, March 7, 2023

Ariana Martinez, LCSW, candidate for Benicia Unified School District Board of Trustees, Area 5

The Benicia Teachers Association has recently endorsed Ariana Martinez for the special election to be held on April 11, 2023, for the Area 5 Special School Board Race.

Ms. Martinez is a licensed Clinical Social Worker with experience in the Continuing Services Unit with Contra Costa County Children and Family Services.

Ms. Martinez has also been endorsed by California State Senator Bill Dodd; Benicia Mayor Steve Young; Benicia Vice-Mayor Terry Scott; Benicia City Council Member Kari Birdseye; Solano County Board of Supervisor Monica Brown; Benicia Unified School Board President Sheri Zada; Benicia Unified School Board Members Mark Maselli and Dr. Gethsemane Moss; Former Benicia Unified School Board Member Andre Stewart and the Napa/Solano Central Labor Council.

As a Social Worker, Ms. Martinez has helped mentor at-risk youth and their families, strengthening her understanding of the importance of equity in education. She has established successful working relationships with stakeholders including school staff, service providers, parents and community members to assess needs and support sustainable change in the lives of children and families. Ms. Martinez weathered the dark days of the pandemic and all of the new problems it brought, helping children and parents get through the worst of the storm. A passion for helping families still drives her.

Ms. Martinez received her Master’s Degree from the University of Southern California School of Social Work with clinical and personal experience serving diverse populations as well as professional training in human resources and health care as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Northern California Health Care System’s Student Temporary Employment Program. She received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of California – Irvine with statistical, research, and leadership training in the areas of social sciences, organizational development, experimental psychology, and education. Ms. Martinez is a graduate of Benicia High and understands the many issues students and parents face today.

No one ran to represent Area 5 last year, resulting in a vacancy that the Board was required to fill. Any interested, eligible candidate could apply for the post. Four candidates applied, including Ms. Martinez. As a result, in November, the Governing Board interviewed the four applicants in open session for the position. After comparing the needs of the district with the experience and backgrounds of each of the candidates, the Board chose by a majority vote to provisionally appoint Ms. Martinez.

Along with her many other qualifications, the Board took into consideration Ms. Martinez’s dedication to a fair and effective school system, her knowledge of special education issues, her time seeking better outcomes for at-risk youths, and her unmatched experience working with a wide range of children when compared with any other candidate.

Once Ms. Martinez was chosen, the three unsuccessful applicants aired various concerns to the Board, including the concern that a conflict of interest may limit Ms. Martinez’s ability to fulfil her duties as Board member. The concerns were thoroughly reviewed in view of relevant policy regulations and with the assistance of legal counsel. The review decisively determined that Ms. Martinez was qualified for the post and that she would not be unreasonably restricted in performance of her duties by any conflict of interest.

In response to the Board’s decision to appoint Ms. Martinez, the unsuccessful applicants chose to gather at least 62 signatures and submit them to the County to rescind the appointment. The special election must be paid for by Benicia Unified School District, taking roughly $60,000 to $80,000 from school budgets that must also support students, teachers, school staff, and school facilities.

Three candidates are now on the April 11 ballot: Ms. Amy Hirsh, Dr. Ali Mansouri, and Ms. Ariana Martinez. Only residents of Area 5 may vote in this special election (see map below).

BUSD Area Map (click to enlarge)
[sta_anchor id=”area5″ /]*BUSD Area 5 includes: Mathew Turner School, Lake Herman, Water’s End areas.  Click on map to enlarge. Area 5 is in purple.

More information on this matter can be found by searching online for “Important Message From BUSD Governing Board re: Trustee Area 5 Appointment and Petition“.

Air Quality, Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP)

Be Informed – Benicia’s Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP)

By Constance Beutel, March 5, 2023

Be Informed

Our communities have been especially blessed through the active efforts of the Benicia Good Neighbor Steering Committee, the Benicia Community Air Monitoring Program (BCAMP), Dr Gwen Ottinger of Drexel University and the Create Lab at Carnegie Mellon by instituting a totally community operated Air Monitoring System (BCAMP) with real time, publicly accessible air monitoring data.

Now, for the first time, we can subscribe to email notifications generated from the BCAMP data when detected Benzene, Black Carbon, Ozone, PM2.5, Sulfur Dioxide, Toluene, Xylene exceed standards. Knowing this will be important for those of us living in Benicia, and our surrounding areas. Here’s the link: smellmycity.org/notifications?type=bcamp

As Air Quality is so essential to our health, you might also consider these resources:

Constance Beutel, Air Watch Bay Area
Benicia