Orindans Get a Look at Their Future

It is no secret that there are plans afoot for Lamorinda cities. Plans to intensify construction of their downtown centers, increase the number of senior and low-cost housing and turn once-suburban towns into "vibrant" centers of suburban density easily serviced by mass transit have been out there for some time.

But this scenario, envisioned by state officials in the face of greenhouse gas emission regulations and handed to local agencies to implement, may not sit well with residents whose vision for the future of their towns may be rooted in memories of their suburban past. And some of the numbers being projected for our collective growth are startling — and sparking the question: "Where are we going to put everyone?"

For the most part, it seems, the answer to the question is "on top of each other." Based on current projections, almost 40 percent (154,000) of new homes projected for the Bay Area by 2035 are expected to land in Contra Costa County — with three percent of that in Lamorinda (Lafayette - 1,479, Moraga - 1,184, and Orinda - 1,920).

Under a planning scenario being pitched by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and Association of Bay Area Governments, Orinda's downtown may be asked to absorb many of the newcomers, with the number of households in the downtown area jumping from 154 in 2010 to 1,459 by 2035 — an increase of 846 percent.

That scenario has some Orindans worried. Extrapolating the projected number of households in Orinda means, some say, that MTC and ABAG are planning for the arrival of more than 3,000 people in downtown Orinda — and that the only likely way to house them all is by building — up — in dense communities clustered around the transit arm provided by BART.

Orindans will get a preview of their future when a representative from the Contra Costa Transportation Authority gives a presentation on the CCTA's "Initial Visioning Scenario" to the City Council at its regular meeting Tuesday night.

Avid agenda watchers reading through documents accompanying that presentation have noted that Orinda's downtown has been designated as a potential "Priority Development Area" (PDA)  and "Transit Town Center" and said such growth will bring more congestion and traffic to Orinda's downtown.

Tuesday's meeting gets under way at 7 p.m. at the Orinda Library.