MAC Meeting: Environmental Justice, Central Business Plan Reviewed
What does environmental justice look like in the unincorporated area?
The Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard a lengthy update on the Environmental Justice Element (EJE) of the county’s General Plan at their Monday night meeting but may have been left with more questions than answers.
The EJE is part of the County’s General Plan that focuses on the Ashland, Cherryland, Hayward Acres, and parts of Castro Valley and San Lorenzo especially.
The Alameda County Community Development Agency is in the process of preparing the “environmental justice element” as part of a 2016 State Senate bill (SB 1000) that established environmental justice requirements for all cities and counties in California. The Agency plans to present it for approval by the MAC in December and adoption by the Board of Supervisors in March.
The EJE contains goals and policies to reduce health risks in disadvantaged communities. Goals include reducing pollution, promoting equitable access to food and physical activity, improving access to safe housing, and promoting engagement in the public decision-making process.
MAC member Ken Carbone said these were no doubt worthy goals but questioned the number of policies, agencies, and red tape involved. He further questioned when money to fund county staff to improve such policies would be available.
Others mentioned that, though an EJE is state-mandated, it’s unlikely to be enforced meaningfully.
“There needs to not just be goals, but achievable goals,” said MAC member Chuck Moore.
A draft of the EJE is available at acgov.org/cda/planning/generalplan/publicdraft.htm
Central Business Plan Review
Also, at Monday night’s meeting, the County planning staff provided the latest in a series of updates on the “Central Business District Specific Plan” (CVCBDSP), which is part of the larger Castro ValleyGeneral Plan.
The CVCBDSP has seven focus objectives: creating a community focal point and regional destination, community character and design, pedestrian-friendly and accessible, economic development, transportation, housing, and open space/environment.
This week, the MAC once again expressed concerns about how traffic and parking coexist with a pedestrian-centered downtown, calling the balancing act “three-dimensional chess.” While they said that ideally, everyone wouldn’t be driving to the downtown area each time they visit, that simply might not be a realistic view of how people actually behave when out shopping or dining.
“We cannot currently county on public transportation even within a half-mile of our downtown,” pointed out MAC member Moore.
The current CVBDSP includes land use like “core pedestrian retail” in the Village area and central Castro Valley Boulevard, the “transit village” near the BART station, and the “professional medical district” down Lake Chabot Road. The series of meetings and updates was designed to see how the public would like things shaped in the future.
County staff said that many participants at the meetings felt there were limited commercial options in the downtown business district and particularly wanted more dining options.
The public has said they see a lot of room for improvement regarding pedestrian access in the district and bicycle infrastructure. As far as car traffic, Castro Valley Boulevard at Norbridge, San Miguel, and Chester Street were all singled out as intersections that need improvement.
Parking proved to be a major concern- the limited availability along the Boulevard possibly hindering business. Some suggested multi-level parking.
The CVBDSP is currently in Phase II. More meetings are planned, and the eventual adoption of the plan is tentatively set for next winter. For updates and more information on the project, visit cvgpimplementation.com/