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corridors
east 14th/international
el camino real
san pablo avenue
• plans
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Plans - San Pablo Avenue
Planned
Land Use The General Plans of every city along San Pablo Avenue designate the corridor as a site for future medium to high-density development that includes a mixture of homes and commercial uses. Most cities designate their entire lengths of San Pablo Avenue as sites for higher-density development, with the exceptions of Hercules, Richmond, and Pinole which designate only portions of the corridor for this development. In addition, many cities specify nodes of development along the corridor for relatively higher densities and a greater mix of uses. El Cerrito, for example, designates three nodes for development: the Del Norte BART Station Area, Mid-Town, and the El Cerrito Plaza BART Station Area. Hercules has the most limited growth along San Pablo Avenue of any city along the corridor, with major development limited to the Central Hercules Plan area.
While every city along the corridor targets San Pablo Avenue for future growth, the amount of growth varies significantly between cities. In general, the highest-density growth is allowed in the southern parts of the corridor, especially in Downtown Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley. San Pablo, Richmond, and Albany's General Plans allow for moderate to high-density residential and commercial uses. El Cerrito, Pinole, and Hercules generally support lower densities in their General Plans.
There are several points along San Pablo Avenue where planned land uses do not support the capacity of the land to provide housing choices and are less supportive of transit, walking, and biking opportunities. The portions of San Pablo Avenue that run through the Richmond Hills, unincorporated Contra Costa County, and Hercules (except Central Hercules) have planned land uses that are highly auto-dependent and do not provide a range of housing options for residents. In addition, the areas around the two El Cerrito BART stations are designated for moderate-density growth, despite being major regional transit stations that have the capacity to support high-density growth. This is especially true of the Del Norte Area, which is a major regional transportation hub and could support significantly higher densities and a large number of homes and businesses.
In the neighborhoods
off of San Pablo Avenue, the significant majority of plans maintain
existing land uses, with exceptions for major corridors (such as MacDonald
Avenue in Richmond) and major opportunity sites, such as the Waterfront
District in
While it is important to protect the character of existing neighborhoods, this approach may limit opportunities for new growth and housing choices. This is especially true since single-family neighborhoods make up approximately one-third of the land uses within one-half mile of the corridor. San Pablo Avenue cities may look to other cities in the region to find methods to incorporate mixes of housing types in an existing neighborhood that respects the neighborhood's original character, yet promotes housing choices for residents, especially those that cannot afford existing homes.
In addition to the General Plans, a number of specific plans guide land uses on San Pablo Avenue:
•San Pablo Avenue Urban Design Plan (Emeryville - 1990) •West Berkeley Area Plan (Berkeley - 1993) •University Avenue Strategic Plan (Berkeley - 1996) •Central Hercules Plan (2000)
These plans target San Pablo Avenue for a mix of commercial, residential, and institutional uses at moderate to high-densities, and focus on creating a pedestrian friendly environment with building design. For example, the West Berkeley Area Plan allows uses up to four stories (with residential) along the corridor, and mandates at least two-story mixed use buildings in several development nodes.
Planned Housing The Housing Elements of the cities along the corridor reveal that housing choices along San Pablo Avenue could increase as new infill development occurs on the corridor. All of the cities along the corridor target San Pablo Avenue for increased residential growth at moderate to high-densities, and many of the cities are promoting a diverse mix of housing, including live/work units, studios, and up to three bedroom homes. Housing choices could especially increase in the southern portion of the corridor (Oakland, Emeryville, and Berkeley) as well as Hercules and San Pablo, all of which are planning for a significant increase in housing units along and near San Pablo Avenue.
Given the high housing prices in the region, it is unclear if the cities along the corridor will be able to produce enough housing for moderate and low-income residents, even with a strong focus on affordable housing. The cities, however, have taken various steps to try and preserve housing affordability in their cities, and many cities are producing large amounts of affordable housing. Five of the nine cities on the corridor have inclusionary zoning ordinances, and the City of San Pablo is currently creating one. Oakland, Pinole, and El Cerrito all have considered adopting inclusionary ordinances, but have yet to do so. This is especially important in Oakland and El Cerrito, where much of the future housing development along the corridor may take place. In addition, most of the cities have housing programs (such as housing loans and first time homebuyer programs) to assist low-income residents purchasing a home. Berkeley has taken innovative steps to preserving housing affordability in West Berkeley by maintaining industrial uses, which have the potential to keep land values, and housing costs, relatively low.
The General and Specific Plans for the jurisdictions along San Pablo Avenue allow for an estimated 130,000 units within one-half mile of the corridor. This is approximately 59,000 more units than are currently present in this area. This exceeds the regional projections for the area by approximately 35,000 units. Individually, nearly all jurisdictions along the corridor meet regional projections for their portion of the corridor. The only jurisdictions that do not meet projections are Berkeley, Pinole, and unincorporated Contra Costa County. Given political realities, however, it is unlikely that jurisdictions will approve the maximum number of units allowable under their plans - actual units produced may be significantly less than allowed under existing plans.
Planned Transportation Transportation
improvements for the San Pablo Avenue corridor are guided by eight plans:
•Alameda Countywide Transportation Plan (2004) •Contra Costa Countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan (2004) •West County Action Plan (2000) •AC Transit Strategic Vision (2001) •AC Transit West Contra Costa County Service Plan (2004) •Alameda Countywide Strategic Pedestrian Plan (2006) •Contra Costa Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan (2003) •Alameda Countywide Bicycle Plan (2006)
Transit Transit improvements along or near San Pablo Avenue focus mainly on improving Capital Corridor service and enhancements to AC Transit's Rapid Bus service along San Pablo Avenue. These improvements could increase transit ridership, especially for commuters originating from Hercules taking newly available transit service. Bus operations will not see significant changes in service levels for the majority of the corridor, and bus service may remain inadequate for residents in many areas.
The single largest improvement to service near San Pablo Avenue will be the addition of a Hercules Amtrack Station, which is currently under construction. This station will be located on the Hercules Waterfront within walking distance to San Pablo Avenue. This new station could have high ridership due to planned service increases on the Capitol Corridor line as well as the increased densities and transit-oriented environment that are planned for the Central Hercules area.
Bus service is not planned to change significantly in the neighborhoods along San Pablo Avenue, and many networks will remain commuter-focused and inadequate for residents, especially in the northern portion of the corridor. AC Transit's rapid bus route (72R) will see some small improvements, as both Alameda and Contra Costa County are working to improve access and efficiency of the route. In addition, AC Transit has long-term plans to extend rapid bus service along San Pablo Avenue north to the Richmond Hills. AC Transit also has long-term plans to improve bus service on the 51 line, which will affect east-west travel in Berkeley and Oakland. In the northern portion of the corridor, WestCAT service is planned to change only slightly, with a new line to the Waterfront District in Hercules. The Contra Costa Countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan suggests improving WestCAT service, especially late night and weekend service. The plan places low priority on these improvements, however, and does not identify any funding sources for the changes.
Transportation and transit agencies have also explored the possibility of light rail along San Pablo Avenue, new ferry terminals in Hercules and Richmond, and extending the Richmond BART line north. As of now, none of these studies have been followed up on, and these improvements have undergone no further planning.
Walking Planned land uses and streetscape improvements along San Pablo Avenue could improve the walking environment for much of the corridor as cities focus on creating a better mix of uses and pedestrian-friendly design along San Pablo Avenue.
The majority of cities along San Pablo Avenue designates land uses on the corridor as some form of commercial use and allow for residential uses and mixed use buildings. In addition, most cities have policy statements that encourage a mix of uses along the corridor. This mix of uses, combined with design standards for several of the cities that encourage or mandate pedestrian-friendly design, could contribute to a significantly more pedestrian-oriented environment for much of the corridor. For example, the City of Albany's General Plan encourages higher-density mixed uses along San Pablo Avenue, especially in the "commercial core" at San Pablo and Solano Avenues. They combine this with San Pablo Avenue Design Guidelines, which call for nearly continuous, interesting facades and parking set in the rear or side of buildings.
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.
Currently, six of the nine cities along the corridor have streetscape plans that focus exclusively on San Pablo Avenue. In general, these plans call for a number of pedestrian amenities, including such features as street trees, wide sidewalks, street lights, and benches. In addition, many of the plans call for improving crosswalks, adding pedestrian refuge islands, and improving pedestrian visibility, thereby improving pedestrian safety. Only Oakland, Richmond, and Hercules do not have active public improvement plans for San Pablo Avenue, although Oakland has a Downtown Streetscape Master Plan which plans for improvements to many of the streets nearby San Pablo Avenue.
Future streetscape improvements on San Pablo Avenue in Alameda County may be possible in the future, as the corridor may be a priority for county funding for pedestrian improvements. This is because Alameda Countywide Pedestrian Plan identifies San Pablo Avenue as a priority for pedestrian improvements (sidewalk and crosswalk improvements), since it is a major transit corridor and therefore should be easily accessible by foot.
Bicycling Plans for the area could make travel by bike much more accessible, as they identify a number of new bike lanes and bike paths both along and connecting to San Pablo Avenue.
Plans for both counties call for a number of new east-west connecting routes to and from San Pablo Avenue. In Contra Costa County, three new bike and pedestrian paths, the Richmond Greenway, and the Wildcat Creek and Refugio Creek paths will connect San Pablo Avenue to the Bay Trail. Plans also call for new bike lanes on MacDonald and Garvin Avenues in Richmond and Hilltop Drive in the Richmond Hills. In Alameda County, there are new separate bike and pedestrian paths planned for the Ohlone Greenway and Buchanan Street in Albany, connecting riders to BART, downtown, Berkeley, and the Bay Trail.
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Hercules.
Opportunity sites generally include vacant lands and unused industrial
properties such as those that are present in the Del Norte Area in El
Cerrito and the International Marketplace site in San Pablo. In general,
these plans do not directly affect the single-family residential neighborhoods
along the corridor.
