Lafayette Bracing or some big changes (Alameda, Walnut Creek: fit in, apartment complex, condo)

[18Montclair]

Part of me thinks their making a lot out of nothing. Theater Plaza in Orinda seems bigger than what they proposing at the Lafayette BART station but I digress. Just because you could theoretically build a high density transit village development at a BART station doesnt necessarily mean its a good idea. People should be able to not have it if they dont want it.

Barnidge: Quaint, little Lafayette is bracing for some big changes - Inside Bay Area

On the other hand, I do sort of wish that Lafayette might maintain its character. I travel through to the Happy Valley are quite a bit and really love its charm and rural feel. Happy Valley Rd comes into town precisely where the BART station is...interesting to see how the real the fears over increased traffic are..I know it can already be heavy now.

[18Montclair]

I found a rendering....sorry folks but imo this is wayyyyy too big for that area. Love the design tho.


Heller Manus: Portfolio: Lafayette Town Center

[sav858]

Well it's not really any taller than the apartment complex next to where this site is. I think Lafayette could use more TOD and there are lot of businesses within walking distance. Traffic already sucks on Mt Diablo Blvd but at least this place will be within walking distance of everyday amenities and transit. I wouldn't want to live that close to the freeway though.

This area of Lafayette is already kind of built up anyways, so it's not like they're building it in an area of low-desnity single family homes. In the article they compare it to WC and the area around PH BART as if those areas are nothing but high density development. Those areas have high density then not that far away are country-like single family home neighborhoods. So you can build high density within walking distance of BART but keep the semi-rural feeling single family neighborhoods just like the areas around WC and PH BART.

[DocGoldstein]

I saw the renderings a while back, and I like it.

[clongirl]

They seem to look just like the other housing units next door. Right now it's just a paid parking lot for BART riders. They look nice enough. My concern of is the added traffic and horrible parking situation in/around Mt Diablo. It can be ridiculous just going a few blocks at times and when I want to go out to dinner, it can definitely be a pain already.

I also wonder if the schools will be able to accommodate the any major surplus of children (if there are any added) since many grades are already impacted by too many kids in certain grades and they are often moved to schools across town.

On a good note...the added residents may bring more business and better choices in restaurants (at least I hope they would). Lafayette is is desperate need of additional choices in food (or maybe just people with more sophisticated palates).

[sav858]

Originally Posted by clongirl

They seem to look just like the other housing units next door.

Those apartments were an earlier phase of this "Lafayette Town Center" development so that's probably why they look similar.

The region needs housing, at least this will be withing walking distance of transit and amenities. Yeah Mt Diablo will get worse though.

[BayAreaHillbilly]

Agenda 21 dense pack. How 20th century. To justify these idiotic projects we'd have to still have mid 20th century levels of global population growth. Population will soon peak. We don't need dense pack. Kids born now will witness half empty housing tracts. We already have too many homes (it does not seem that way at the moment but the die is cast). We should have plans to decrease density and even complete clearance of certain areas. Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo currently face what we will all face. Oddly, the Agenda 21 utopians will ultimately get their wish. The human footprint will definitely shrink. It is now a mathematical inevitability. Great war and pandemics may hasten it even further.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

Agenda 21 dense pack. How 20th century. To justify these idiotic projects we'd have to still have mid 20th century levels of global population growth. Population will soon peak. We don't need dense pack. Kids born now will witness half empty housing tracts. We already have too many homes (it does not seem that way at the moment but the die is cast). We should have plans to decrease density and even complete clearance of certain areas. Detroit, Cleveland and Buffalo currently face what we will all face. Oddly, the Agenda 21 utopians will ultimately get their wish. The human footprint will definitely shrink. It is now a mathematical inevitability. Great war and pandemics may hasten it even further.

Dude you're turning into HSW.

[Ruth4Truth]

The renderings are ugly. They can do so much better than that!

Originally Posted by sav858

The region needs housing, at least this will be withing walking distance of transit and amenities. Yeah Mt Diablo will get worse though.

Why does the region need housing? Why is this even necessary? I thought people were leaving CA, not that it was gaining population. Feel free to enlighten me, I seem to be out of the loop. This looks more like a WorkFare project for construction workers.

[mayorhaggar]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

I thought people were leaving CA, not that it was gaining population.

Whoever told you that is a chicken little but I'm not surprised someone on city data would hear that, all the people on the main California board are a bunch of doom n' gloom baby boomers who insist that CA is doomed and a hellhole and everyone is fleeing and etc etc. CA is a huge state and the Bay Area's economy and job market are way different from the rest of the state, the Bay Area is still very wealthy and there's a ton of new tech jobs.

That said, I don't see why Lafayette residents shouldn't be concerned or upset about a big condo complex being built there, it doesn't really seem like it would fit in with the feel of the town. Somewhere like Alameda or Walnut Creek would make more sense.