Letter to the Editor | Restore Blair Park to its original site

Blair Park, along Moraga Ave, is a perfect place for high density housing. The site is easily accessible for developers. Everyone who drives on Moraga Ave past Blair Park knows that it is very underused. Who wants to be in a park with such heavy traffic speeding past?

Please move the new Blair Park from its current 4.85 acre location in Moraga Canyon. The park, not housing, would be better located on a portion of the original 75 acre Blair Park site, above Coaches Field, high on the hillside. (Search “Blair Park” on this History of Piedmont website for more details.)

All Piedmont residents could enjoy this superior park location high on the hill with its mature trees, some of the original graded trails, and unsurpassed views.

Following is a description of our magnificent hillside from the San Francisco Morning Call newspaper:

“A splendid view is had over the whole of, that ranges from the Golden Gate inward to the Contra Costa shore. To gain this view at the back to an altitude of some 700 feet, dominates the whole surrounding country and gives the view in panorama of everything from Berkeley to Alameda on this shore and from Mount Tamaulipas down along the Coast Range”

San Francisco Morning Call, Sunday, March 22, 1891, Page 8


Isn’t it better for our climate issues if Piedmonters just walk out of their houses to a majestic new Blair Park on the mountain for exercise, rather than jumping into their cars to drive somewhere else?  It was a highly desired destination for people in 1891 and it could be again!

2 thoughts on “Letter to the Editor | Restore Blair Park to its original site

  1. Check with the city and PFD – it was not considered for a soccer field because of a fire easememt and other issues. Great views up there but totally flat land. Best suited for housing. I’d recommend sticking with the Cem. How about a Cem entrance from Moraga Ave instead? (I asked years ago – no).

    The most climate friendly development in Moraga Canyon is to maximize housing on the Corp Yard side. Pedestrian/bike friendly. And that location minimizes the need to slow traffic in the canyon – slower cars emit more CO2 and that is one of Piedmont’s most traveled streets. The Corp yard should be moved to Blair Park to maximize housing potential at Coaches. Perhaps a developer could be lured with these million dollar home sites atop Piedmont to build a great many affordable units above Coaches while contributing to a corp yard relocation.

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