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Extend time line for better public comments
Jim Sharp, community activist concerned with UC Berkeley’s remodeling project on the north-east side of campus, forwarded the Daily Planet this letter to Ed Denton, the University’s vice chancellor in charge of capital projects, from the Berkeley city manager.
Thank you for your letter of July 31, 2001 about the NEQSS Draft EIR. I appreciate the generous offer to extend the comment period through August 15, 2001. This would allow the City staff and interested community members some additional time to prepare comments to the document and the campus’ proposed plans.
I would, however, appreciate it if the campus were to offer an even longer extension on the comment period for the NEQSS Draft EIR. As you must know, the projects proposed in the Draft EIR will have a substantial impact on the campus and its immediate environs.
The City Council, community members and the city staff are deeply concerned that even with the extension you proposed there will not be enough time to develop the thorough and in-depth analysis/response deemed necessary by community stakeholders.
A longer extension would push back the date when the Final EIR for the NEQSS projects went to the Regents for approval. Should that happen, then the future Regents’ meeting with the NEQSS Final EIR approval would likely not be held in the Bay Area (with easier access for community members).
I would prefer, of course, to have the Final EIR meeting convened where our community can directly comment to the Regents. I believe, however, that a longer comment period for the Draft EIR is more important than convenient access to that future meeting.
Therefore, I again request that the campus extend the Draft EIR comment period for a full 60 days to October 1, 2001.
An extended timeline is essential so that full community input can be garnered on the wide variety of project impacts outlined in my letter of July 26 to Chancellor Berdahl.
These impacts are significant enough to warrant an extended comment period to the NEQSS Draft EIR.
Weldon Rucker
City Manager
