It's not exactly an auto mall, but a corner of the Dublin-Pleasanton BART station becomes a used-car lot on weekends. Under one-year permits granted by BART and the City of Pleasanton, Bob Morris of Novato runs a "park and sell" lot on Saturdays and Sundays at the station. The permit from the city restricts sales to operable cars only, with no test drives, vehicle inspections, repairs or sales of parts. Customers hoping to find a buyer may park a car for two days for $25; BART receives a percentage of the fee. While initial response was slow, similar lots have been successful in Marin and Sonoma, and BART officials hope this may become a successful use for underutilized parking lots on weekends.
For more information: http://www.thecarlotonline.com
Plans for Sacramento's future could include putting a roof over a stretch of Interstate 5 that is below ground and covering it with new city blocks full of office buildings, parks and homes. The proposal would replace the visual and physical barrier of the freeway with a mixed-use community and reconnect downtown Sacramento with Old Sacramento and the Sacramento River.
For more information: http://www.cityofsacramento.org/BridgingI5/documents/newsletter-fall2003.pdf (PDF file, 1.9MB)
Recycling electronic waste has gotten easier in Piedmont, where residents can request pickups of obsolete or broken equipment four times a year, with the assurance that nothing will go into the landfill. Under a contract with Republic Services, the city provides pickups of computers and small electronic items. Items are taken to the Alameda County Computer Resource Center, a nonprofit recycling center, which donates working equipment and disassembles and recycles non-working equipment. Residents are billed for any recycling fees, and donations are tax-deductible.
For more information: Republic Services, 1-800-320-8077