Leona Heights Neighborhood News

by Gordon Laverty

The hot items in the Leona Heights area (bounded by Mountain Boulevard between Leona Lodge and the Quarry, and the Leona greenbelt) are the quarry development and the CalTrans review of the I-580 highway truck ban. The Oakland city planning staff provided a good forum evening at Leona Lodge in late April at which citizens could ask questions, make statements, and get an idea of the city's development-request review procedure. Many citizens provided their viewpoints on what a regional shopping area might do with respect to traffic, street safety, economic and environmental impact. Equal local excitement has been generated by the California Trucking Association request that CalTrans again review the ban of trucks over 4? tons on I-580 in much of Oakland. A recent letter from Harry Y. Yahata, CalTrans District Director in Oakland, indicated that several such reviews have been conducted since the freeway was constructed in 1963. In the reviews of 1967 and 1972 (the latest), CalTrans study results supported the City truck-ban ordinance. CalTrans has agreed to "review and update the 1967 study to see if circumstances still support continuing the truck ban." The review is expected to take six to nine months, once resources have been allocated to permit the review. Leona Heights residents are urged to write to Councilman Nate Miley at One Ogawa Plaza, Second Floor, Oakland, CA 94612, to let Councilman Miley know your views on both or either of the above issues.