San Francisco Bay Area Vision Project

Focus: Focusing our Vision. A development and conservation strategy for the San Francisco Bay Area.

corridors

east 14th/international

• about

• existing conditions

el camino real

• existing conditions

san pablo avenue

• existing conditions

• challenges

Challenges - San Pablo Avenue

Land Use Challenges

Land uses along the corridor in the Richmond Hills, unincorporated Contra Costa County, and much of Hercules, however, are planned to remain automobile-oriented and contribute to an unfriendly pedestrian environment. General Plan uses maintain the existing residential or industrial neighborhoods in these areas, which are located far from the corridor and are often walled off from the street. In addition, portions of the Richmond Hills have no sidewalk and no plans exist to add one to these areas. Much of San Pablo Avenue is used as a thoroughfare for cars to access other neighborhoods.

Housing Challenges

When compared to the rest of the Bay Area, housing is relatively affordable in most communities along San Pablo Avenue. Across the corridor, the average sales price of all homes near the corridor was $492,000 in 2005, compared to $675,000 regionally. Even with this relative affordability compared to the region, housing prices are still high enough along the corridor to limit housing choices for local residents, many of whom are low-income. Housing prices are highest in the Richmond Hills, Albany, and Berkeley sections of San Pablo Avenue.

Because of these high housing prices, displacement of existing residents is possible in the portions of the corridor that are home to many low-income residents. West Oakland, West Berkeley, and Emeryville are notable examples of areas susceptible to gentrification, as former industrial areas provide a large amount of available land suitable for redevelopment in these areas.

A consistent barrier to increasing housing choices in the cities along San Pablo Avenue is the protection of single-family neighborhoods, which make up the majority of residential land uses in many of the cities. This limits new housing opportunities to vacant parcels, commercial parcels with large parking lots, and other underutilized sites. As these underutilized sites are developed, the cities may be unable to accommodate new growth and housing may become even less affordable. Several cities, however, are allowing for a slightly bigger mix of uses in these neighborhoods, which should help to promote better housing choices while respecting the character of these neighborhoods. For example, Richmond's zoning code allows duplexes and other attached structures in some single-family neighborhoods, while Berkeley's code allows small commercial uses in West Berkeley residential neighborhoods. In its housing element, the City of Pinole explicitly prioritizes allowing a bigger mix of residential opportunities in single-family neighborhoods while still preserving the character of the neighborhoods.

Transportation Challenges

In general, transit services are excellent for regional commuters, but local transit travel by residents is much more difficult. Local transit service often lacks adequate routes, has long intervals between buses, and is not reliable. This is especially true in the northern section of San Pablo Avenue, where AC Transit and WestCAT provide very infrequent service that is reduced on weekends, and there is no BART line to assist travel. Travel by transit is also notably difficult in West Oakland, where there are few local east-west routes and walking a few blocks to the bus stop may be unsafe, especially at night. Despite this inconsistency in service, the available transit network along San Pablo Avenue provides a good basic network that, with time, can be expanded to adequately serve residents, workers, and visitors to the corridor.

Pedestrian safety is also a concern due to crime in many areas of San Pablo Avenue. According to the California Department of Justice Criminal Justice Statistics Center, citywide violent crime rates in 2004 were above the county average in all but three cities (Berkeley, Albany, and Hercules) along San Pablo Avenue. Violent crime is especially prevalent in Oakland, Richmond, and Emeryville where violent crime rates were more than 1,000 crimes per 100,000 people in 2004 (compared to a state average of 570 violent crimes per 1000,000 people). While these are citywide statistics, there are safety concerns along San Pablo Avenue for many of these cities.