Council, ULI and Mainstreet America Come to Agreement
By Sora O'Doherty
The Orinda City Council unanimously agreed to enter into a contract with Mainstreet America for assistance with downtown development, and also agreed to contract with the Urban Land Institute, by a vote of 4 to 1, with vice mayor Eve Phillips voting against ULI. The council did agree to amend the question of what changes are needed in downtown Orinda to "what changes, if any" in case the majority of the residents believe that downtown Orinda is fine the way it is.
Other Council Activity
City Attorney Honored
City Attorney Osa Wolff was honored with a proclamation in recognition of her service to Orinda for 10 years. Wolff was presented with flowers by her husband, two children and sister. The proclamation was read aloud at the city council meeting on Nov. 15, and each of the council members spoke warmly of how much they enjoyed working with Wolff. Vice mayor Eve Phillips praised Wolff as a great role model for working mothers and council member Dolores Gee described Wolff as a great teacher.
No New Stop Sign
The council rejected a proposal put forth by staff for a third stop sign at the intersection of El Toyonal and Loma Vista, which would have made the T intersection an all-way stop. Residents of the area showed up and told the council that there was actually not a problem at the intersection and that putting a stop sign there might cause problems. The council agreed that if something needed to be done, a sign on Loma Vista stating something to the effect of "Uphill traffic does not stop" would suffice.
Historic Preservation
The council agreed to preservation measures for two pieces of local history. Located on the property of the Orinda Senior Village, a remaining trestle from the train bridge will be preserved, as will be a cast-iron lamp post located on the property of artist and sculptor Joe Cleary.
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