Planners to Study Proposed Development of Former BP Service Station's Downtown Site
By Victor Ryerson
View from Orinda Way Images courtesy City of Orinda
The Orinda Planning Commission will hold a study session of the conceptual design for a newly unveiled proposal to build a retail, restaurant and office complex for the parcel at 25A Orinda Way, across the street from the Orinda Community Center. No formal action will be taken by the commission at the session, which will be on the agenda for the commission's regular Dec. 8 meeting. The public will be able to attend and comment on the proposal at the meeting.
The site, which lies vacant behind a chain link fence, was last occupied by a BP service station that was demolished some years ago. The proposal by owner Paul F. Urgenti of Tandem Real Estate Co. seeks to develop the 19,456 square foot parcel by building a series of spaces for retail and restaurant use at the street level, and second-story office spaces above them. The street level spaces would front Orinda Way without any setback for parking, but provision is made for 73 onsite parking spaces within the development.
The proposed height of the row of office spaces is uniformly 35 feet, but a tower above the pedestrian entrance would top out at 44 feet. Visually, the design picks up certain architectural elements from its neighbor, the Vintage Building.
The full proposal will be available for viewing on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at the Orinda Planning Department Office, or online at www.cityoforinda.org.
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