The West Berkeley Capital Improvements consists of a series of three projects in the Redevelopment Area, with a focus on multi-modal access improvements throughout the district:

• Berkeley Amtrak Stop & Transit Plaza Improvements
• Addison Street connection to Aquatic Park and the I-80 Bicycle/Pedestrian Overcrossing
• Street Improvements: Circulation, On-street Parking, and Streetscape

West Berkeley presents some of the most challenging planning and design issues in Berkeley, with its distinct and dense mix of working industry, residences, and Berkeley's most successful commercial shopping destination, 4th Street. Prior planning efforts have focused on providing direction for growth in this mixed-use district and have lead to this series of projects. Community Design + Architecture led the team which included Land Studio - landscape architects - and LCC, Inc. - civil engineers.

The process began with an evaluation of the entire project area and the creation of a comprehensive vision that addressed the linkages between all of the projects. The work then quickly focused on the individual projects, with the intention to prioritize improvements by further definition of design options and the involvement of community members through workshops and committee meetings.

Project designs and cost estimates were refined to allow the PAC and City staff to prioritize projects. The team has continued to work on the Rail Stop while the other projects have been put on hold until final decisions are made by the Agency in terms of priorities. The Rail Stop project is currently going through environmental review with the expectation that preparation of construction documents will begin in middle to late 2002.