March 11th, 2010
via Milpitas Post
Tensions over land around the planned Milpitas BART station arose in Milpitas City Council discussions. New station designs from BART show an expansion, reflecting the anticipated needs for light rail, bus, and private shuttle traffic. The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) expects all of these different transfer uses to take up the west side of the proposed station, and so VTA staff are now proposing the parking structure for the east side of the station.
City staff recommended against this alternative, as the expanded station needs would cut into the opportunities for the exact sites that have the most potential for intensive new uses (potentially accomodating 20 story buildings and up to 70 dwelling units per acre).
In a 3-2 vote, the Council ended up backing the VTA station expansion.
Split council backs plan to expand Milpitas BART station – San Jose Mercury News.
Tags: BART, Milpitas
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March 11th, 2010
An Opinion piece in the Mercury News by Frederick J. Ferrer, CEO of the Health Trust, discusses the relationship between health and planning, focusing on the ways general plans can guide the future development patterns of cities.
Opinion: Health hinges on the way Silicon Valley plans growth – San Jose Mercury News.
Tags: health
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March 11th, 2010
Courtesy rendering, via The Examiner
San Francisco discusses draft design guidelines for new development on Treasure Island, including how to regulate the planned-for towers with enough flexibility for an interesting urban landscape.
Treasure Island development slims down | San Francisco Examiner .
Tags: design, San Francisco, Treasure Island
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March 8th, 2010
Martinez’s City Council is pushing forward with an attempt to form a redevelopment agency to help revitalize parts of the city, inlcuding the downtown and marina areas.
City staff members have recommended that the council consider the downtown, marina and North Pacheco area, which the city is trying to annex. Staff members also said the ordinance should prohibit the use of eminent domain on residential property; and include a clause dissolving the agency if a redevelopment plan is not in effect five years after the council adopts the ordinance.
Martinez pushes ahead with redevelopment – ContraCostaTimes.com.
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March 5th, 2010
Visions for West Oakland collide as some push for more homes and retail, while others want to attract new manufacturing and clean-tech jobs to the area.
Recipes for Growth Collide in West Oakland – WSJ.com.
Tags: Oakland
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March 3rd, 2010
(Photo by Patrick Tehan/Mercury News)
As part of the Grand Boulevard Multimodal Transportation Corridor Plan, Caltrans and local partners have released draft guidelines for transportation improvements and land use policies for the El Camino Real Corridor / State Highway 82 from Daly City to San Jose.
Study calls for skinnier roads, more room for other travel on El Camino Real – San Jose Mercury News.
The Grand Boulevard Initiative website .
Report: Draft Multi-Modal Access Strategy & Context-Sensitive Design Guidelines.
Tags: El Camino Real, Grand Boulevard Initiative
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March 2nd, 2010
(Dan Honda/Contra Costa Times)
An early push by public officials in the region opposing the Saltworks development on Bay land that could be restored as wetlands, and the extensive water rights from Kern County that could support it, put the Saltworks project and DMB Associates back in the headlines.
Environmentalists fight Redwood City project – San Francisco Chronicle.
Redwood City Saltworks developer poised to become major Bay Area water baron – ContraCostaTimes.com.
Earlier posts here and here.
Tags: Redwood City, Saltworks
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March 1st, 2010
New retail construction in the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, with more housing on the way.
Fruitvale development ripens – San Francisco Business Times: .
Tags: Fruitvale, Oakland
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February 25th, 2010
As hard as it is to talk about during the current decline in home values, workforce housing is still expected to be in very short supply by 2025, according to the Urban Land Institute Terwilliger Center for Workforce Housing.
Housing shortage ahead? – ContraCostaTimes.com.
Tags: affordable housing, housing
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February 19th, 2010
A Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit station design workshop was held in Petaluma for community members to provide input on what the stations should look like. Community input will be used to come up with preliminary drawings for the stations, which will be presented in a few months.
Petaluma gives input as SMART progresses | Petaluma360.com | Petaluma Argus-Courier | Petaluma, CA.
Tags: SMART
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