Plan Bay Area: The End or the Beginning of Orinda?

Is the city of Orinda ready for a makeover? Or does its bucolic atmosphere face extinction from a group of unelected bureaucrats?

The answer to that question depends on whom you ask. But the question has been sparked by an ambitious plan to prepare the Bay Area for inevitable growth by focusing on multi-family housing constructed near mass transit facilities.

It’s called the Plan Bay Area, and it is the brainchild of two agencies—the Metropolitan Transit Agency and the Association for Bay Area Government. Its goal is to create equitable housing opportunities while at the same time decreasing the need for workers to commute in cars.

Proponents say this is the way of the future, to create pedestrian-friendly communities and get away from the single-family home. By making it easy to walk to public transit, people are less dependent on their autos, which will reduce greenhouse emissions.

Not so, say opponents. The Bay Plan is nothing more than a scheme to wipe out the charm of individual communities like Orinda, kill the American dream for many, and overwhelm schools, streets and police services.

The two sides are exemplified by Orindavision, which takes a positive view of the Bay Plan, and Orinda Watch, which vilifies it. At issue is the plan’s focus on multi-family housing, which opponents fear will bring scores of people to a quiet downtown. Proponents say it will provide opportunities for older residents to stay in Orinda without the need to maintain a large home.

The question will soon be called, as a decision on Plan Bay Area is due to be made July 18 at the Oakland Marriot City Center. 

What is your view on Plan Bay Area and its effects on Orinda?