Making Downtown a Destination, Not a Drive-Through
PHOTOS COURTESY OF KEN CARBONE
Approximately 25,000 vehicles drive down Castro Valley Boulevard every day, according to Alameda County data. Getting a large portion of those drivers to stop, walk, and patronize local businesses has been one of the highest goals of the Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce for the Castro Valley Specific Plan.
“The Chamber is proud to be a big voice for small business and is eagerly seeking feedback and ideas from our business community to help ensure a thriving, energetic downtown Castro Valley destination for our future,” Chamber president Todd Anglin told the Forum.
This coming Monday, August 14, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) will hear an update on the Specific Plan from the Alameda County Community Development Agency (CDA). So far, CDA has participated in two public meetings and is expected to compile its findings this fall, develop a draft by this winter, and then finalize the plan sometime in the summer of 2024. The Plan would then be used as a guideline for Alameda County Public Works Agency to allow or modify streets, business licenses, and construction in Castro Valley.
Last Tuesday, July 25, the Chamber of Commerce sponsored a workshop for its members to discuss the revised Specific Plan. Attendance was modest, but the discussion was excellent, according to Rodrigo Orduña, Assistant Planning Director with CDA.
“Overall, we heard from residents that they want to make Castro Valley a destination rather than a drive-through,” Orduñasaid.
The discussion-based session focused on community feedback from the May public workshop, hearing Castro Valley MAC input and ideas on improving Castro Valley Business District’s Specific Plan, exploring specific topics, and discussing upcoming study sessions and next steps.
Among the top suggestions at the workshop was the idea of making the Boulevard more pedestrian and shopper friendly. Some attendees hoped to change the Boulevard into a two-lane thoroughfare with bike lanes, transit stops, wider sidewalks, diagonal parking, and appropriate landscaping.
Other participants said the way to ease through traffic on Castro Valley Boulevard is to make Norbridge Avenue the Castro Valley by-pass for traffic between Stanton Avenue and Redwood Road. The route would allow for quicker access to Castro Valley BART but could put an undue strain on residents currently living next to Interstate 580. Adjusting Norbridge Avenue would also include updating the freeway access ramps and traffic patterns around the so-called “Hamburger Island” of Mcdonald’s and Wendy’s.
Other ideas floated included placing parking lots strategically along Castro Valley Boulevard but behind the storefronts on the main street.
Orduña added that participants in the workshop asked that the updated plan be more general and flexible compared to the 2012 General Plan, which critics say often delayed or eliminated potential business additions.
“Remember that 15 to 20 years from now, we will see many changes such as autonomous cars dropping off passengers and picking them up later, which changes parking needs,” said local business owner Ken Carbone. “Entertainment businesses may also be very different in the future, and we need spaces that can adapt down the road.”
The Central Business District is one of four zones identified in the Specific Plan for review. The other three include the Medical Center area on Lake Chabot Road, the BART Transit Village, and the Rite Aid parcel to the east.
The Update is the only item on the August 14 MAC meeting, which starts at 6:00 p.m. at the Castro Valley Library.