Fourth Street Lofts Web Log

Your neighbors form an eclectic group who take great pride in our building - the first loft conversion in the area. We are artists, designers, photographers, computer professionals, lawyers and entrepeneurs. We look forward to meeting you and encourage you to help us keep Fourth Street Lofts a great place to live and work.

Our Building

Originally constructed as a grocery warehouse in 1926, our building was converted to live/work lofts in 1993 by Reynolds & Brown. There are 40 units in the building, some live/work, some residential only and some business only. Most occupants own their units, but a few are leased for rentals. Ground floor commercial space is currently occupied by RBB Architects and the Cuckoo's Nest, our very own cafe/bistro.

There are four floors, plus roof access and an underground parking garage with designated parking spaces and a remote-controlled roll-up door. All but the roof are reachable by a freight elevator. (The fact that the elevator does not go to the roof prohibits us from upgrading the rooftop. Sorry - there will never be a deck on our roof.) There are stairs on either side of the building, but only those on the east side reach the roof.

If you do venture up to the roof, please bear in mind that the roof is delicate and can be damaged easily. Please walk only on the paving tiles. Do not leave trash on the roof. Open flames are definitely NOT ALLOWED on the roof. Common sense, right? Sheesh!

All the perimeter doors facing Fourth Street are locked, with access only gained by a resident's perimeter key or by being "buzzed in". Each individual unit has its own key. There is no master key to individual units.

The garage can be reached from staircases on either end of the building or via the elevator - but only with a special key. Our Rules and Regulations state that "Personal belongings shall not be stored Each unit has its own locked mail box, and there are shelves below for large packages. It is the responsibility of each resident/tenant to make arrangements for package delivery from other carriers. (Joanna at Jack London Mail will happily accept packages for neighborhood residents for a small fee.)

Home Owner's Association

We are governed by a Home Owners Association, which has three members on the volunteer Board of Directors; the Rules and Regulations, the By-Laws and the CC&R's. Please take the time to print these documents and read them.

Our Homeowner's Association will meet the third Monday of each month in 2005. Notices will be posted in the mail room as well as on this web site. Homeowners are encouraged to attend and to participate!

Property Management

Property Management is handled by the Collins Property Management Company. Our designated contact person is Dan Stone. His phone number is 510-262-1795, extension 14. Residents are encouraged to communicate directly with Dan if you notice anything around the building that needs attention. While it is not always necessary to contact board members when you have a problem or question, it is appreciated if you include the board on any communications to the management company. (E-mail addressed to hoa@fourthstreetlofts.com will be routed to all members of the current board as well as to the current management company.)

Dues

Your Home Owners Dues are based on square footage, and include all utilities except gas, which is the responsibility of the tenant. The dues also cover maintenance, upkeep and building repairs. Please bear in mind that our association's biggest expense by far is electricity. Please use this valuable resource wisely.

Building Access and Security

The Sentex is the box containing the alphabetical directory outside the front door. Contact Dan Stone at Collins Management to have your name added to the directory. It is important to know that for security reasons, it is not possible to "buzz someone in" between the hours of 10pm and 7am. Also note that building doors should not be propped open and left unattended under any circumstances.

Moving In/Out

Moving in and out should be done via the loading dock in the Trash Room - not through the front door.

Trash Talk

The Trash Room is at the South end of the first floor hallway, facing Alice Street. It has two doors - one leading into the hallway, and a roll up door leading to the loading dock/street. Neither door is to be propped open and left unattended. It has paper recycling bins and bins for cans, bottles and recyclable plastics. Recycling bins are emptied on Wednesdays.

The compactor is for garbage only. Do NOT dump hazardous materials, paint cans, computers, print cartridges, etc. in the compactor. Animal waste must be triple bagged. Avoid dumping containers with fluids - they leak onto the floor during compaction. Do not dump large items such as mattresses, book cases, trees, pallets, stairs, etc. Inappropriate disposal can result in a fine under the Rules and Regulations.

Garbage can easily be compacted by pushing (not turning) the key near the door handle. Please be courteous - the compactor should not be activated before 9am during the week, 10am on Saturday or 11am on Sundays and never after 9pm, due to its significant noise. Do not overstuff the compactor. If it's jammed to the top with garbage, please take a moment to push the trash down into the compactor and activate the compactor.

Please observe the following guidelines when using our trash room.

• PAPER
  Paper can be recycled, including phone books. What can't be recycled are plastic bags of any kind. Please dump any recyclables into the bin and dispose of the plastic bags into the Trash Compactor.
• GLASS, METAL, BOTTLES, CANS
  Glass bottles, aluminum and steel cans and plastics can be recycled. Wash/clean containers. Dirty containers spread odors and attract ants and other pests. Flattened cans take up less room in the bins. What can't be recycled in this bin are paper or plastic bags of any kind, bedding, styrofoam, etc. Please dump any recyclables into the bin, paper in the paper bins, and dispose of the plastic bags in the trash compactor.
• CARDBOARD BOXES
  Please break down and place on top of trash compactor.
• HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE
  Hazardous wastes should NOT be disposed of in the copmpactor or just dumped in the trash room. It is each owner's responsibility to properly dispose of hazardous household waste! Alameda County Waste Management has a nearby drop-off site at 2100 East Seventh Street in Oakland. It is open several days a month, by scheduled appointment or designated drop-offs. Accepted items include household batteries, paint, cleaners, etc. Its website lists map, schedules, what can and cannot be dropped off, a link for downloading the waste delivery form, and a link to request a scheduled appointment.

Our Association is committed to recycling and clean waste management; it benefits all of us. Our trash room is for owners and residents, and we all have a responsibility and obligation for its maintenance. Let's keep it clean!

Transportation

There are numerous ways to get in and out of the Jack London District:

• POSEY TUBE
  This underwater tube to Alameda is the fastest way from Jack London Square to Alameda's Marina Square - about five minutes. (While you're in Alameda, be sure to check out the fabulous Rosenblum Cellars.)
• AC TRANSIT
  There is one bus stop in front of Amtrak and others running up and down Broadway. The phone number 510-817-1717.
• AMTRAK
  The train station is a block away on Second and Alice. Super-convenient!
• BART
  The closest BART station is the Lake Merritt station on Oak and Eighth Street - walking distance from us. Another close station is the Oakland City Center station/12th Street, at 12th & Broadway, also within walking distance if you like to walk. BART was recently named the Number One Transit System in the United States.

  There are trains going to San Francisco Airport, with the BART terminal right inside the Airport Terminal, for $5.25. From the Lake Merritt Station, take a Daly City train to Balboa Park and transfer to a Millbrae train. The entire trip takes under an hour. From Oakland City Center it's a non-stop on the Millbrae train and takes 45 minutes.

• OAKLAND/ALAMEDA FERRY
  Probably the best way to get to the city, The ferry leaves from Jack London Square and stops in Alameda before traveling onto San Francisco Ferry Building, and then on to Pier 23. The ferry makes a special run to 3Com Park for Giants baseball games. On the weekends there are special trips to Angel Island.

The Oakland ferry terminal is located at the foot of Clay Street near the intersection of Clay and the Embarcadero, Jack London Square. Free validated parking is available at the Washington Street garage two blocks from the ferry terminal. It is a short five-ten minute walk from Fourth Street Lofts.

The Alameda Main Street terminal is located at 2990 Main Street. Free parking is available adjacent to the dock.

• BAY AREA TRAVEL GUIDE
  A very cool resource. Dial 511.

Networking

Our building currently has two business class dsl lines. These lines offer download speeds up to 6 megabits/second and uploads at 768K. These links are very fast and well-maintained by people whose livliehood depends upon excellent connectivity. Before ordering your own cable or dsl hookup, it would be best to contact Bob Hogg at Jacklondon.net or Jim Pire, the fourthstreetlofts.com webmaster. Your loft may already be wired into one of these networks.

Fourth Street Lofts obviously has a web site. We also have an LDAP server with e-mail addresses for most of the tenants. Building residents who would like an e-mail address in the fourthstreetlofts.com domain can get one by contacting the webmaster.

Your Neighbors

Local Merchants

Grocers

• ALBERTSONS, WELLS FARGO, RADIO SHACK, ROUND TABLE PIZZA
  815 Marina Parkway, Alameda 94501 510-521-9113. Mapquest shows that it is 1.71-miles, five minutes from FSL. Through the Posey Tube, stay to the left, turn left at light which is Constitution Way, make another Left into the Marina Village parking lot.
• BEVERAGES & MORE
  525 Embarcadero West, Oakland 510-208-5126. Mapquest shows that it is 0.56-miles, two minutes from FSL. Left out of the garage to Second Street, right on Embarcadero West. Limited grocery items - cheeses, snacks, crackers, dips, etc.
• CASH & CARRY
  400 Oak Street, Oakland 510-251-9345 Down Fourth Street to Oak Street - 0.24-miles, one minute away. Wholesale grocery store open to public. Sells large sizes of many staples, plus frozen foods, dairy products, produce and some cleaning supplies and restaurant style kitchen items. Open seven days a week, 6am-6pm.
• KING SUPER FOODS WHOLESALE
  401 Alice/corner Fourth Street, Oakland Limited grocery/food items - across the street from FSL.
• SMART & FINAL
  901-933 Broadway, Oakland 510-251-8221. Mapquest shows that it is 0.57-miles, two minutes away, down Fourth Street and Right on Broadway. Parking lot behind store. Wholesale groceries, large sizes, but open to public. Open 7am-8pm M-Saturday and 9am-6pm Sunday. There are also bakeries, delicatessens, grocery and produce stores in China Town and Old Town.
• FARMERS MARKETS
  JACK LONDON SQUARE - Sunday mornings 9am-2pm JACK LONDON SQUARE - Tuesday Twilight 4-8pm through 26 October 2004 ALAMEDA - Tuesday mornings 9am-1pm, Webster Street/Taylor Streets, Alameda

Restaurants and Coffee Shops

• YOSHI'S
  510 Embarcadero West, Oakland 510-238-9200
• IL PESCATORE
  Jack London Square, Oakland 510-465-2188
• KINCAID'S BAY HOUSE
  Jack London Square, Oakland 510-835-8600
• JACK'S BISTRO
  Jack London Square, Oakland 510-444-7171
• SOIZIC
  300 Broadway, Oakland 510-251-8100
• WORLD GROUND
  308 Jackson St., Oakland 510-465-6050
• LE CHEVAL
  1007 Clay St., Oakland 510-763-8957
• THE FAT LADY
  201 Washington St., (between Second and Third streets) Oakland 510-465-4996
• CUCKOO'S NEST
  Um... downstairs 510-452-9414
• SCOTT'S
  Jack London Square, Oakland 510-444-3456
• GINZA
  303 Broadway, Oakland 510-451-2224
• SUBWAY
  1312 Broadway, Oakland 510-465-0199
• TONY ROMA'S
  55 Washington St., Oakland 510-271-1818
• PIZZERIA UNO
  499 Embarcadero West, Oakland 510-251-8667
• PHNOM PENH HOUSE
  251 8th St, Oakland 510-893-3825 (Thanks to Michael Lawless. See his comment below.)

Hardware

• MARKUS SUPPLY ACE HARDWARE
  625 Third Street 510-832-6535

Other

• JACK LONDON MAIL
  248 Third Street, Oakland 510-893-4100
• EAST BAY RESTAURANT SUPPLY
  49 4th St, Oakland 510-465-4300
• PEERLESS COFFEE
  260 Oak St, Oakland 510-763-1763
• THE PARTY WAREHOUSE
  221 Oak St., Okaland 510-893-1951
• RED HANGAR CLEANERS
  240 3rd St., Okaland 510-465-5164

Miscellaneous

STREET CLEANING
Oakland's street cleaners do Fourth Street twice a week. Don't plan on leaving your car parked in front Monday nights/Tuesday mornings or Wednesday nights/Tuesday mornings. The ticket costs $42 or more.

NEWSPAPERS
They are usually delivered to the front porch in the wee hours. Tenants usually bring them in to the metal bin by the front door. After two days those unclaimed papers are recycled.

CHRISTMAS TREE DISPOSAL
See this page.