West Street Pathway: The Berkeley School Fights Current Plan

In the future, following the blindingly white crosswalk stripes at University Avenue and West Street could lead pedestrians and bicyclists to Strawberry Creek Park. But an obstacle literally stands in the path of the city's plan: The Berkeley School.

To reach the park, the West Street Pathway would have to weave around the private school on University Avenue to Addison Street. But school representatives are concerned that an adjoining pathway to the park could bring more crime to the area, and they aren't convinced that its current design adequately addresses risks to children's safety.

On the other hand, the City of Berkeley maintains that it operates similar paths next to schools without incident, and that previously supported the city in obtaining land and funding for the project that it's hindering.

In 2007, The Berkeley School finalized an easement agreement with the city "for continuation of a pedestrian and bicycle path along West Street and south of University Avenue to Strawberry Park at Addison Street," according to the city's consent calendar.

But now, under different leadership, the school is unhappy with the proposed bike and pedestrian path. It sent a letter to the city threatening to terminate their easement agreement upon seeing the pathway plans this spring. 

"It was kind of convenient to say, wouldn't it be nice to give this land away to the city," said Mohammad Kazerouni, the school's business officer since 2006. "People just didn't imagine the impact it might have on the safety and security of a school."

The city's transportation commission disagrees. "Two years ago, the school wrote a letter of support to help the city get the grant for the path," said Farid Javandel, the commission's secretary, referring to a $788,055 grant the city received from Caltrans's Bicycle Transportation Account to finish the pathway.

Because of the easement disagreement, the city has obtained a tentative grant extension pushing back its April 2012 project deadline. It has  of the University Avenue to Addison Street portion of the path until next summer to continue negotiating the design with the Berkeley School. A formal extension cannot be granted by Caltrans until October, according to Javandel.

Mitch Bostian, the head of school since 2009, said he is worried the path could negatively impact the safety of his pre-K through eighth-grade students, affect enrollment at the school and become a burden for the school if it winds up monitoring the path itself.

"I don't want the school, the parents and the teachers put in the place of being the path guardians," said Bostian. "Adding a climbable structure on an entire side of our property — we're not going to put razor wire at the top."

His primary objection is a curve in the middle of the path's current design.

"You can't see all the way from Addison to University," he said. "To us, that makes it a place where people are going to do things. People congregating there, committing illegal activities, is not consistent with a school environment."

In an FAQ, the city's public works department states that "an eight foot fence is proposed along the pathway, which is two feet taller than the other fences surrounding the school," and that mirrors would be placed in the pathway's curve to increase visibility.

Javandel added that construction of the path near the school would occur next summer, so it would not disturb classes.

The school plans to meet with the city in mid-September to discuss the plans. Bostian said that the school philosophically supports having a bike path nearby. "I'm hoping that [the planners] can come up with a design that addresses our concerns."

He said the school has already been exposed to crime — solar panels and computers have been stolen, and frightened students witnessed a drug overdose at Strawberry Creek Park.

"That's a reality of an urban campus," said Bostian. "But opening the path is going to open our school to that reality."

The city council meeting on July 19 is the tentative date for approval of a construction contract for the Delaware Street to Virginia Street segment of the West Street Pathway. See the full Phase II Design Drawings here.