Re: (rshsdepot) Berkeley, CA

["Paul S. Luchter" <luckyshow_@_mindspring.com>]

Amen to this too, what an amazing idea, using a station as a station!...They
should use the old WP station near Jack London Square as well...there used
to be a good Chinese restaurant in this SP station...and what of the old
Santa Fe Station?
- -----Original Message-----
From: jdent1_@_optonline.net <jdent1@optonline.net>
To: rshsdepot_@_lists.railfan.net <rshsdepot@lists.railfan.net>
Date: Thursday, April 18, 2002 2:41 PM
Subject: (rshsdepot) Berkeley, CA


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From the 4/15/2002 Daily Californian...

Barren Train Stop Could See New Life
City Council Examining Revamp of Old Station

Photo/Ramin Rahimian
A lone passenger waits for a train to arrive near the former Southern
Pacific Railroad station in West Berkeley. City off
icials are considering buying the old station and refurbishing it.


By MIKE MEYERS
Contributing Writer
Monday, April 15, 2002

Waiting for Amtrak may get safer and more pleasant, as the Berkeley City
Council is considering a full-service train stat
ion to be located across from the current train stop.

The barren Berkeley stop, where passengers have only a freeway overpass to
protect them from the elements, faces the form
er Southern Pacific Railroad station, recently vacated and ready for the
city to seize it up.

Mayor Shirley Dean has proposed the city purchase the depot and return it to
its original use as a train station.

Passengers waiting at the current stop, which consists of little more than a
few benches, said they thought the new stati
on would be a major improvement.

"It's a poor representation of Berkeley," said UC Berkeley sophomore Elena
Virgadamo, who was waiting for a train.

Virgadamo also said she thought the station was "unsafe," as did others at
the train-stop.

A new station would allow passengers to buy tickets at the stop—something
they can't do now. Currently, passengers must
buy their tickets on the train.

Besides Amtrak aficionados, members of the city's powerful historical
preservation community are lining up behind the ide
a.

"What better use for a train station than a train station," said Richard
Dishnica, a member of the the city's Landmark Pr
eservation Commission.

That commission designated the depot a Berkeley Landmark in 2001, citing its
historic "mission revival" style.

Such a designation can prevent renovation of a building, but the city should
not have trouble securing permission to alte
r the structure, said Dishnica.

The idea also has support across the often divided council.

Councilmember Linda Maio, whose district includes the current Amtrak stop,
said the the building would "make a wonderful
restoration."

The city has renovated landmarked structures in the past, including the
Civic Center and the Central Library.

But both those projects were expensive—the library alone cost over $30
million.

And in a city facing a $1.8 million budget shortfall, money for the depot's
purchase and renovation may be hard to find.


"We'd have to figure out how to find the money," Maio said.

She estimated the project would cost the city between $1 million to $2
million. She said the cash-strapped city could pro
bably raise some of that through grants, because of the project's historic
nature.

The depot building was until late 2001 occupied by Xanadu RestorAsian
restaurant, which closed because of economic hardsh
ip.

Since then it has stood vacant, giving the city a chance to reclaim it.

"We need to strike while the fire's hot. If another business gets in there,
we may not get another chance," said Councilm
ember Dona Spring, who also supports the idea of repurchasing the station.

Dean's plans also call for a restaurant inside the new station.

Despite Xanadu's failure, Maio believes the station's proximity to the
popular 4th Street district, as well as the new I-
80 pedestrian bridge, could make the station a dining destination.

Renting out part of the station to a tenant could offset some of the
building's acquisition costs, Maio said.

The station could also be the northern terminus of a new line of "shop hop"
trains, running from Oakland's Jack London Sq
uare through Emeryville to the new Berkeley station, she said.


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===========
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org


=================================
The Railroad Station Historical Society maintains a database of existing
railroad structures at: http://www.rrshs.org

------------------------------