Albany commissioners recommend open-space master-plan addendum after residents urge not to site volleyball at Ocean View

The Albany Parks and Recreation Commission voted to recommend to City Council an addendum to the Open Space Master Plan that focuses on the Ohlone Greenway, Peggy Thompson Pierce Street Park and the Key Route median after consultants presented survey findings and residents raised concerns about siting a sand-volleyball court at Ocean View Park.

Sarah Peschel, a partner at Groundworks, told the commission the consultant team received more than 600 online responses and ran two in-person outreach events, including one at the high school that produced roughly 40 additional responses. "A lot of people visit parks daily or weekly," Peschel said, adding that proximity to home and passive uses such as walking are the most common drivers for park visits.

The addendum, Peschel said, narrows early recommendations to three parks that respondents identified as priorities for improvements. The top improvement categories emerging from the engagement were sports facilities, shade and seating, and play equipment. The consultants presented conceptual layouts and noted that some large facilities (for example, full-size soccer fields) would not fit in many Albany parks.

Several residents urged the commission not to allow a sand-volleyball court at Ocean View Park. "This open space is not an unused area; it's a little meadow," one resident said during public comment, adding that trees and wildlife use the space and that Memorial Park or under-I-80 locations would be better alternatives.

Mike Fletcher, an Albany resident, read a letter that said, in part, "Access to open space is our right," and urged commissioners to preserve lawns and the redwood grove at Ocean View. Susan Lai, another resident, warned that installing a sand court with efficient drainage could alter groundwater and eventually harm the redwoods that provide shade and habitat.

Commissioners and staff repeatedly clarified that the addendum is a report to update the master plan and inform capital-improvement planning, not an approval of construction projects. "We're not approving projects. This is just a report," Chair Abbott said during discussion. Staff explained the addendum would provide guidance and guardrails for subsequent project-level planning and community engagement.

Commissioners also pressed consultants to clarify the presentation visuals and to document how the three parks were chosen; Peschel and staff said the parks surfaced repeatedly in multiple survey questions and in the mapping exercises. Commissioners asked for an appendix of write-in responses and for clearer labeling of demographic comparisons between survey respondents and city census data.

After discussion, Commissioner Martin moved to recommend the addendum, a fellow commissioner seconded, and the motion passed on a roll-call vote. The clerk recorded five "Yes" votes and no dissent. Staff said they plan to bring a revised draft to the City Council in July for formal acceptance as an addendum to the Open Space Master Plan.

The commission's action directs staff to submit the report to Council with clarifications requested during the meeting; it does not authorize any design or construction work. Next procedural steps are staff revisions to the draft presentation and the consultant appendix, followed by submission to City Council for acceptance into the master plan.