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SAVE THE FLEA MARKET The Berkeley Flea Market is in danger. South Berkeley Neighborhood Development Corporation (SBNDC) is planning to build a four or five story housing project on the entire West parking lot of the Ashby BART Station. Its plan includes building on the portion of the parking lot that is currently occupied by the Flea Market. That would mean the Flea Market would be evicted from the place that has been its home for 31 years. The Berkeley City Council voted with almost no public input to support SBNDC’s application for a planning grant to Caltrans, the State Transportation Department. SBNDC has already announced the selection of a task force to help select a developer for the project. SBNDC has suggested that the Flea Market could be moved onto Adeline Street. The Adeline St. proposal is a recipe for perpetual conflict between the Flea Market and its neighbors. The Flea Market has a secure lease with BART at its present location. It would have no security on Adeline Street. The City has already hired an outside consulting firm to study the effect on traffic of closing Adeline Street on the weekend. There is no alternative location that provides the same benefits, security, and central location in the community as the one the Flea Market currently occupies. Moving the Flea Market means killing it. Any plan for development at the Ashby BART station must include leaving the Flea Market where it is. NOW is the time to act to save the Flea Market. WHAT YOU CAN DO
Friends
of the Berkeley Flea Market
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