TOMORROW: A DAY TO HONOR THOSE WHO HAVE SERVED
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM A COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SERVING CASTRO VALLEY SINCE 1989
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2021
YEAR 33
NO. 45
MAC OK’s Agricultural Ordinance
INSIDE YOUR
FORUM
NEWS
By Amy Sylvestri
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
‘Maybe This Time’ CV Arts Foundation to open their season with cabaret at CV Arts Center
Page 2 NEWS
Castro Valley’s old library building may be torn down and replaced with veterans’ housing.
Sup. Chan Struck Supervisor Nate Miley Memorializes groundbreaking politician
Page 3 NEWS
Vaccines for Kids Alameda County backs COVID vaccines for kids ages 5 to 11
Page 4
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By Mike McGuire
CASTRO VALLEY FORUM
Castro Valley’s old library building on Redwood Road should indeed be registered as a historic building, the county’s Parks, Recreation and Historical Commission decided at its meeting last Thursday. But even if it is historically significant, the building itself may be torn down and replaced with veterans’
housing based on a March 2020 vote of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. Several speakers at the historical commission meeting urged the building to be preserved. The issue of replacing it with housing was not directly discussed at the meeting. Eileen Dalton, director of the county’s Economic & Civic Development Department, said that no proposal has been formally made
to build housing there and that any decision to do so would require a new vote of the supervisors. Dalton said that a proposal had been made to the supervisors to put a veterans’ building there instead, but that county supervisors voted to prioritize housing for the site. However, her agency is pursuing establishing a veterans’ and community center on the ground floor of any housing built see STATUS on page 3
Castro Valley took a step closer to getting back to its agricultural roots, as the Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) approved an ordinance that will establish urban agricultural incentives zones in Castro Valley. Under the ordinance, agricultural uses like gardens and orchards would be incentivized in urban areas where such uses are already permitted—so don’t expect a field of corn on Castro Valley Boulevard, but you may see small-scale agricultural uses in more remote areas of town. “I think this would be a good thing to offer,” said MAC member Chuck Moore, who has long been a proponent of the agricultural community in Castro Valley. The vote was 6-1, with MAC member Ilya Prokopoff dissenting. In other MAC actions: things will continue swimmingly at Patti’s Swim School, as the MAC approved a oneyear extension on a conditional use permit for the school at their Monday night meeting. The school, serving about 30 students and located at 4621 James Avenue, currently has a number of small compliance issues including parking and traffic concerns, but the MAC approved a one-year extension that see MAC on page 4
Nike Missile Buildings on the Chopping Block By Michael Singer
lition of two of the buildings back in October. Under consideration were a 66-square foot Radar Storage Shed and A plan to demolish two buildings at the defunct Nike the 1,324-square foot QuarMissile Site near Lake Chabot ters building at the SF-31C may be put on hold following a site, which sits atop Fairmont meeting by the Parks, Recrea- Ridge. The Quarters building tion & Historical Commission was used as a sleeping area for up to 10 soldiers and included a (PRHC) last Thursday. kitchen. Both have been vacant Alameda County’s Gensince 1974 along with most eral Services Agency, which manages the facilities on two other buildings associated with the Nike compound. The site is hilltops proposed the demoCASTRO VALLEY FORUM
currently visited by hikers and people walking their dogs from the staging area on Fairmont Drive. In a unanimous decision, the five-member board decided to recommend preserving the buildings on the Nike Site. The vote will now go to the Board of Supervisors who would decide whether to preserve or demolish the buildings. “The Board would also decide how resources would be
allocated to preserve and maintain the site if they decide to do so,” said Assistant Planning Director, Liz McElligott. “It is up to General Services Agency staff to determine when to take the proposed demolition of the buildings to the Board of Supervisors.” There were 145 Nike missile sites built in the United States built during the Cold War. Castro Valley’s site was one of 12 in the Bay Area. These were
surface-to-air defense systems that included three sections: a launch site where Atlas and Hercules-class missiles would be housed and potentially launched; an administrative site including radar systems, and a control site where the commands would be given. The Fairmont ridge site was chosen for the radar facilities because the location gave the site 360 degrees of radar see NIKE on page 4
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