Harrison Is Wrong Site for City's Play Fields
L A Wood, Berkeley Daily Planet, December 14, 1999

Who in their right mind would be willing to pay $3 million for a six-acre toxic parcel to create a soccer field for children? The answer is the City of Berkeley. Tonight the city is proposing to move forward to complete the purchase of the University of California-owned industrial site at Fourth and Harrison streets. Despite the location's acknowledged poor air quality and the unknown cost of site remediation, Berkeley continues to insist that this is a good deal, especially for the children. However, a closer look suggests another plan is in place.

For nearly 30 years, UCB has done little to improve the proposed Harrison fields. It's not too surprising, given the site's hydrology. In the rainy season, this parcel functions as a flood plain, comparable to areas of Berkeley's marina wetlands. The historic flooding has restricted some access to the property in winter. Moreover, the Harrison property has a toxic legacy of contamination from past industrial uses, ranging from chemicals to radionuclides. As would be expected, these site conditions have limited both potential buyers and redevelopment schemes. Yet, despite these impacts, there has been a several-year debate over the appropriate use of the parcel. This discussion has narrowed somewhat because the City of Berkeley both secured a purchase option for the site and proposed a zoning change to accommodate recreational use.

This move to radically alter the parcel's zoning status came as a surprise to many watching its redevelopment. Although the change was compatible with UC's redevelopment plans for Albany Village and the proposed UC retail project several blocks away on San Pablo, it is in conflict with the industrial activities and most Berkeley business interests in that area. The rezoning in l998 put to rest the question of possible site uses, but raised a more serious issue. Will the City of Berkeley follow a plan supporting heavy industry and manufacturing in that district, or adopt a UC area plan for gentrification? It appears the UC plan is winning out since Berkeley has agreed to pay top dollar for the stressed real estate, to reconfigure its industrial zoning classification, and to assume full liability for all past contamination and the cleanup of the Harrison acreage.

Another hurdle to UC's playing fields plan was the challenge that the site should be protected because it is in a wetlands area. Before this issue was to be publicly addressed the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) investigation, the face of the site began to change. UC began to stockpile more soils on site, grade the area and wipe out most of the evidence of the wetlands and its vegetation. Some of the soils that were dumped on the site reportedly came from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This has added an extra layer of concern over the site's toxic contaminants.

Two weeks ago, just prior to the final legal decision of the wetlands question within CEQA process, and at the beginning of escrow, UC began to move 10,000 yards of contaminated soil onto the proposed playing fields from the Albany Village construction project. This action appears to have eliminated the wetlands question for good, but it has also served to place a cloud over the whole purchase agreement process. The question still remains as to whether UC acted illegally by the destruction of a part of Berkeley's dwindling wetlands. The simple fact is, nobody wants to buy a wetlands site if it has to stay a wetlands. It should also be noted that the imported soil is not suitable for playing fields and will very likely have to be hauled away at Berkeley's expense.

The UC area plan and playing fields will afford a natural buffer to the Albany Village and is certainly a victory for the university's upscale development. Unfortunately, there seems to be no doubt that the Harrison project will cause unsolvable conflicts in Berkeley's manufacturing district, not to mention the potential loss of city tax revenues. This is too great a price for the City of Berkeley to pay just for a UC sports field. So, buyer beware, and taxpayer, that's you. Speak out and call your Councilmember today!