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San Pablo Avenue in Berkeley is a four-lane 2-1/2 mile long urban arterial corridor with a traffic volume of approximately 28,000 ADT. It is connected to major employment areas and adjacent neighborhoods by frequent intersections. While today all properties fronting onto the street are zoned for urban-scaled commercial mixed-use, the street has in the past attracted many auto-oriented uses, such as car repair shops, fast food restaurants, and used-car dealerships. CD+A’s work on this project comprises two components:
- the San Pablo Avenue Improvements Plan, and
- the San Pablo Avenue Design Guidelines for Private Properties
The San Pablo Avenue Improvements Plan identifies ways in which the street can be transformed into a more pedestrian and transit friendly place. CD+A developed prototypical schematic designs and specifications that illustrate solutions to specific conditions, such as bicycle and pedestrian crossings, handicapped ramps, corner bulb-outs, new medians, gateways, public art, and street tree and other landscape improvements for existing medians and sidewalks. The city will use the recommendations for implementation of capital improvement projects along San Pablo Avenue over time and to coordinate these improvements funded with a set of Bus Rapid Transit improvements being planned by AC Transit. The concepts were developed and evaluated through a public review process involving a bus tour and several open houses; the improvements were also coordinated with Caltrans.
Concurrent with the streetscape improvements plan, CD+A has prepared Design Guidelines for Private Properties along San Pablo Avenue. These will help guide redevelopment projects and new development on currently vacant sites in a way that supports the goals of creating a more pedestrian and transit-oriented street. The guidelines address issues such as building height and massing, orientation and frequency of entries, transparency and articulation of façades, signage, landscaping, and architectural detailing and materials.
The project is nearing completion with final review and production of the final reports remaining to be completed.
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