Normally we save our City Hall previews for City Council meetings, but today's Community and Economic Development Committee meeting is discussing two critical issues that are worth highlighting.

Uptown Arts District Park

Have you ever walked past the empty lot at the corner of 19th and Telegraph? You know, the empty rubble pile that shares an intersection with both the fabulous Fox Theater and the beautiful Flora building. Unfortunately, it's hard to miss.

Originally, the space was intended to be a parking lot. Sanity prevailed, and instead of building an expensive parking lot within a block of 19th Street BART and a major AC Transit corridor, a group of concerned residents convinced the city to create an Uptown Arts District Park.

It's hard to single out a "best part" of this: That the city reversed its position when downtown residents put forward their own idea? That the lot will be transformed from a blighted hole into an active and vibrant area? Or that the National Endowment for the Arts is going to pay for half of it?

Ok, maybe that last one is the best part. The NEA will match local funds up to $200,000 to create a temporary public arts area on the lot in Uptown. The only thing better than a new arts park is a half-price arts park.

In today's meeting, CED will vote whether or not to accept the grant. Once the grant is accepted, the city will need to match the grant with local funds. Fortunately, money is already set aside for public art, so the City Council just needs to make the project's local funding official. After that, the project must be underway by June 30 and finished by Dec. 31 to keep its funding.

Imagine the possibilities for this space: A place to meet your friends before a show at the Fox, a place to play for children of the nearby Uptown Apartments or even a venue for small outdoor events. Supporters of the adjacent Oakland School for the Arts have been looking for additional bike parking, and other cities have done tremendous work combining bike parking and public art.

Or the city could build more parking.

Let your Council member know what you want to see at 19th and Telegraph.

International Boulevard Transit-Oriented Development

This is the second stop of three for the International Boulevard TOD plan. The plan was created with input from the residents of East Oakland through several working groups and public meetings, and recommends policies, programs and projects that would shape International Boulevard to be safer, more walkable and more vibrant.

With CED's endorsement, the plan will go before the City Council on March 1. Because the plan lacks an environmental impact analysis, the City Council will not be able to fully implement the plan immediately. If you want to see the environmental impact analysis conducted, let your Council representative know.

Have an opinion on one of these items? Sign up to speak at today's meeting, or email your Council member. Districts 1, 2, 3 and 5 are represented on the CED committee. Find how which district you live in.

The Community and Economic Development Committee meets second and fourth Tuesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Sgt. Mark Dunakin Room on the first floor of City Hall at 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza.

Agenda of the Oakland Community Economic Development Committee: Feb. 22, 2011

About Ruth Miller

Ruth Miller is an urban planner whose primary interests include travel, cartography, and Mexican food. Ruth is a policy fellow with Walk Oakland Bike Oakland.