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The Live Oak Coordinices Creek Neighborhood Association will be holding a community meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 17, at the Live Oak Park Recreation Center to develop a neighborhood alternative to the North Shattuck Plaza plan. 

The plan, proposed by Councilmember Laurie Capitelli and North Shattuck Plaza Inc. Chair and City Planning Commissioner David Stoloff, seeks a $3.5 million transformation of Shattuck Avenue between Vine and Rose streets. 

The focus of the neighborhood meeting, organizers said, will be on what area residents and merchants want to see happen on North Shattuck. So far, about a dozen merchants have opposed Stoloff’s and Capitelli’s plans and they will be showing up at the meeting. 

The North Shattuck Plaza, Inc. and the North Shattuck Association are sponsoring a site tour and a series of community workshops over the next few months to plan the North Shattuck Plaza 

At the last community meeting in October, residents and merchants expressed concerns over parking, the selection of trees and access for the elderly and the disabled. 

Neighbors also said that moving the parking northward would not help to solve the problem of already struggling independent stores—such as Black Oak Books—because customers would have to walk some distance to get to them. 

Black Oak Books recently announced that the bookstore was going up for sale and could close as soon as this summer if no buyer could be found. 

Although Black Oak co-owner Don Pretari said that plans for building the North Shattuck Plaza had not led to the bookstore being put up for sale, he acknowledged that the plaza would not help the business either. 

Stoloff told the Planet on Thursday that concerns from independent stores would be addressed at the different meetings. 

“I have heard that Black Oak Books is up for sale but it’s not because of the proposed North Shattuck Plaza,” he said. “There are a lot of businesses who are backing the project. The meetings are being held to make the design better, to hear what people would like to see there.” 

Stoloff added that Peter Hillier, Berkeley’s assistant traffic engineer, address traffic concerns and Councilmember Laurie Capitelli would answer questions about panhandling and other neighborhood issues. 

The Live Oak Coordinices Creek Neighborhood Association Community meeting is Wed., Jan. 17, at 7:30 p.m. at the Live Oak Park Recreation Center (Shattuck & Berryman).  

The North Shattuck Plaza, Inc., and the North Shattuck Association will hold a site tour on Sat., Jan. 20, 9:30-10:30 a.m. Participants will meet on the sidewalk in front of Bel Forno Bakery Café, 1400 Shattuck Ave. RSVP to help us prepare for the tour at info@northshattuckplaza.org. 

A workshop will be held Wed., Feb. 7,  

7-9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center, 1414 Walnut St. The impact of a pedestrian plaza on traffic, parking, and panhandling will be the primary issues to be discussed. Councilmember Laurie Capitelli, Transportation Director Peter Hillier and design consultants David Meyer and Ramsey Silberberg will be available to answer questions.  

A second workshop is scheduled for Wed., March 7, 7-9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. Alternative design approaches and concepts will be discussed. 

A third workshop will be held Thurs., April 19, 7-9 p.m. at the Jewish Community Center. Presentation and review of the preferred design.  

For more information: email info@north shattuckplaza.org or call (510) 558-0860.