10 signatures reached
To: Mayor Sheng Thai and Councilwoman Janani Ramachandran
YES! We want the Montclair Firehouse Arts Center in our community. Make it happen!
We are the people who work and live in Montclair Village. We support the project of The Montclair Firehouse Arts Center nonprofit to lease the abandoned Montclair Firehouse building, renovate it and run it as a community arts center we all can use and enjoy.
We petition you to expedite the leasing of this building to the MFAC in light of the recent amendments to the California Surplus Land Act which took effect January 1, 2024, eliminating the application of that state law to neglected, run-down City assets needing renovation.
We petition you to direct your staff and all City departments to make this lease a matter of high priority, and to MAKE IT HAPPEN for the citizens of Oakland
We petition you to expedite the leasing of this building to the MFAC in light of the recent amendments to the California Surplus Land Act which took effect January 1, 2024, eliminating the application of that state law to neglected, run-down City assets needing renovation.
We petition you to direct your staff and all City departments to make this lease a matter of high priority, and to MAKE IT HAPPEN for the citizens of Oakland
Why is this important?
The 1927 landmarked Montclair Firehouse was once one of the shining jewels of Oakland. Constructed from steel-reinforced concrete, the building itself is in good condition. The City's application of a gunite material over the copper roof in the 1960's perfectly protected the interior. Two seismic studies have made very cost-effective recommendations for retro-fitting the building. The MFAC Nonprofit has obtained current estimates for renovating the building, with all required City permits, and has submitted those, along with a complete Business Plan and Proposed Lease, to the City Real Estate Department, the Community and Economic Development Committee of the City Council, and Councilwoman Ramachandran with no response in 15 months.
It is time to make The Montclair Firehouse Arts Center happen in this abandoned building. Public buildings should be used by the public. This one has been neglected and abandoned for 35 years by the City of Oakland. Such waste is shameful. The MFAC is a community-based citizen group with a proven track record of renovating an abandoned public building in Piedmont into The Piedmont Center For The Arts. Please help them give this same gift to our Montclair community, at no expense to the City. A beautiful Arts Center in a building the City has simply abandoned.
It is time to make The Montclair Firehouse Arts Center happen in this abandoned building. Public buildings should be used by the public. This one has been neglected and abandoned for 35 years by the City of Oakland. Such waste is shameful. The MFAC is a community-based citizen group with a proven track record of renovating an abandoned public building in Piedmont into The Piedmont Center For The Arts. Please help them give this same gift to our Montclair community, at no expense to the City. A beautiful Arts Center in a building the City has simply abandoned.