 | | | Proposed Dandelion Seed art piece for Town Center III pathway Image provided | | | | | | A split Lafayette City Council approved the design of a public art display for the Town Center III BART Pathway and Bike Center project at its May 13 meeting, with one council member voting no because of the number of parking spaces the project would take up in the adjacent BART station lot.
The city council signed off on the Town Center III project in 2016. Plans included a pathway between the BART station and the development, a public plaza and a bike locker on the south side of the station. The purpose of the project was to improve the route for pedestrians and bicyclists between the BART station and downtown Lafayette, and to further improve the route the council in 2018 allocated $230,000 for public art for the project. The artist, Kinematics Lab, created "Dandelion Seeds" and presented an example of the art piece at the May 13 meeting.
"I just don't get this project," said Vice Mayor Susan Candell, who agreed that an art display at the entrance to the city was worthwhile but said that losing 19 parking spaces in the BART lot was not. She voted to nix the project.
Council Member Cam Burks agreed with Candell. "Losing the 19 parking spots gives me great trouble," Burks said. "It will be to the detriment of many workers who live in and come to our town." But he agreed that "Dandelion Seeds" was a beautiful piece of art, and would become another signature piece for the city. Burks suppressed his reservations about the loss of parking spots and voted to approve the project.
The cost of the Town Center project was estimated at $1.47 million, and will be funded by a combination of grants and local matches from the city and BART, according to a city staff report. The funds for the "Dandelion Seeds" artwork will come from Woodbury Highlands developer fees.
After approvals from all participating parties, the council expects to award a contract in March with project construction to begin in June 2020. |
Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA