Community Design + Architecture, as a subconsultant to Nelson/Nygaard, is part of a team studying proposed corridors for high-capacity transit investment in the Fresno Metropolitan Area. The local transit agency’s Long Range Transit Master Plan and the City of Fresno’s 2025 General Plan identify four major transit corridors that could potentially support the implementation of high-capacity transit service in the future. These are Blackstone Avenue, Shaw Avenue, Cedar Avenue, and Ventura/Kings Canyon.

The objective of this project, the Alternative Mass Transportation Pre-Major Investment Study, is to determine which of these four corridors should be the highest priority for potential transit investments, the cost associated with the alternatives, and if there is adequate community support to justify further analysis up to and including the funding of a comprehensive Major Investment Study.

To this end, Community Design + Architecture studied land use patterns along each of the corridors. CD+A also conducted an analysis of existing land use and transportation policies to determine whether they are supportive of high capacity transit (HCT) services. The team reviewed existing policies to determine which corridors best support the implementation of HCT, including multi-modal transportation, circulation and parking; integration of freight (loading zones and hours); supportive development practices, guidelines, and goals; and congestion management policies and programs.