Features

Dale Smith’s column in the Feb. 11 Daily Planet grossly misrepresents Ecole Bilingue’s position on the proposed Berkeley Bowl expansion by implying that EB is trying to “derail” the project.  

The school’s official position on the Berkeley Bowl construction (which has been sent to local papers, including the Daily Planet), is this: We are not opposed to the construction of a store, and we realize that many school parents and neighbors would welcome the convenience of having a grocery store—especially the Berkeley Bowl—in the neighborhood. However, we have specific concerns about the impact of store traffic on both safety and parking, and we want to see a traffic management plan that takes into account the presence of 400 children across the street from the store.  

We are asking that the city and the promoter adopt forward-looking traffic plans that address the anticipated problems. We feel strongly that a wait-and-see approach to traffic problems is not appropriate in this context where children’s safety is at stake. The liability created by such a position is great if an accident occurs. We are also asking that the Bowl be directed towards an application for a use variance rather than be granted a zoning change, so that issues surrounding the imposition of use conditions can be addressed.  

We object strongly to Smith’s contention that the school “should not be located in that area.” EB is located in a mixed use-residential zone where schools are a permitted use. We are only two blocks from the residential zone east of San Pablo Avenue and we are only one of several schools located in this neighborhood (Aquatic Park Preschool, Center for the Education of the Infant Deaf, Black Pine Circle, and Rosa Parks School). We trust that the city would not let schools and residents live in the area if it were such as described by Smith (“It is highly polluted by the manufacturing/industrial residents and exhaust from the freeway.”) Moreover, we have been at this location since 1977. We are stakeholders in the neighborhood, and committed to working with local residents and businesses to ensure that growth is managed in a way that reflects the interests of everyone here.  

Smith’s claim “Ecole Bilingue would occasionally complain about development in that part of town” is also misleading. By law, the Bay Area Air Quality Management Department (BAAQMD) informs our parent body of any new development applications with a potential for pollution and we in turn investigate the detail of such permit applications. Asking questions so that we can keep parents informed of projects that affect their children is responsible school management, not “complaining.” Luckily, Richard Brenneman’s article published on the same day presented a more informed and balanced view of the issue. 

Thank you for letting us set the record straight. 

Frédéric Canadas is the head of Ecole Bilingue.*