MAC: What Will CV’s Future Business District Look Like?

What will Castro Valley’s business district look like in the next five, ten, or 20 years? That's what County planners and consultants are hoping to find out as they make designs for the future.

At its Monday night meeting, the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) heard another in a succession of several meetings about the “Castro Valley Central Business District Specific Plan” update.

Currently, the consultants say they are at a stage when community engagement is being sought to create a “robust plan” for the future in several areas including housing, transportation, and land use.

A market analysis finds that up to 5,450 new housing units will be needed by 2050 and retail demand over that period will be up to 209,209,000 net-new square feet.

The plan also looks at demographics to help determine what Castro Valley may need as opposed to the county in general.

For example, Castro Valley exceeds the County average for owner-occupied housing (as opposed to renter-occupied) with 71 percent compared to the County average of 53 percent. Castro Valley also exceeds County averages for an older population, with over 47 percent of residents over the age of 45.

A transportation analysis found that most Castro Valley residents still depend heavily on individual vehicles rather than public transportation, with 69 percent driving alone to work (a bit less than the state average of 74 percent). Only 1 percent of Castro Valley residents reported walking or biking to work, and 85 percent of households have more than one vehicle.

Meanwhile, trends predict slower-moving traffic, increases in traffic congestion, longer travel times, and increases in commuter trips by 2040.

Under the Plan, a “walkable district” is a priority, with smaller blocks for pedestrians and cyclists. Looking to improve circulation for more walkable and bikeable routes.

But MAC member Chuck Moore said that practically speaking looking at the figures presented, far more people drive than walk or bike according to the statistics, so he would be concerned about taking away parking spaces to facilitate new bike lanes.

“I think the majority of the population is getting much older,” said Moore. “You can’t ride a bike downtown and put five bags of groceries on it or take your elderly mother with you. The reality is we’re all driving. I think we need to be careful when we talk about things like bike lanes taking away parking.”

Consultants also presented the County with a potential plan for “character areas” in Castro Valley: a medical district around the hospital, a gateway district of the west end of Castro Boulevard, a theater district, a “village core” district, mostly residential areas abutting I-580, a transit village district near the BART station, a “civic district” surrounding the library, and an “east village/ gateway district toward the eastern end of the Boulevard.

After this meeting, there will be additional meetings/ community workshops, with an eye toward the final adoption of the plan in early 2024.

Full project documents can be found at http://www.cvgpimplementation.com/project-documents.

Also at the Monday MAC meeting, the council heard an informational item on a proposed application to build an 11-unit townhouse development at 20036 Anita Avenue.

The parcel is zoned for residential mixed density- a type of district designed to have single-family and multi-family units in close proximity to the commercial business district.

Under the current application, one of the 11 units is to be designated as “affordable housing.” The parcel currently has one house and an accessory building, which would be demolished for the new construction.

As with many proposed projects, concerns of traffic, parking, and overall density have been raised, but county planners say that increased residential density is simply a fact for everyone in the Bay Area and beyond.

“I hear the citizenry talking about the density on Anita,” said MAC member Al Padro.

The proposed application will return to the Mac for a vote at a future meeting.