PROJECT CONTEXT

For the past 30 years, the City has worked to transform San Pablo Avenue into a more pedestrian-oriented retail boulevard. An Urban Design Concept Plan was prepared in 1989, followed by Design Guidelines in 1993. A San Pablo Avenue Vision Plan was adopted in 1998, followed by a Streetscape Plan in 2001. Capital improvement projects that have followed these plans have improved the street’s appearance. More recently, a Complete Streets Plan was adopted for San Pablo Avenue and Buchanan Street, and a regional-level plan by the Alameda County Transportation Commission is underway. 

The recent General Plan update reconsidered the role of San Pablo Avenue in the city, envisioning “a transformation of this corridor from auto-oriented commercial uses to more attractive, pedestrian-oriented, mixed use development.” Despite this foundational planning work over the past 30 years, little has changed on San Pablo Avenue.