Shaping the Future of Castro Valley’s Downtown
It’s been 30 years since anyone looked at Castro Valley’s development plan for its business zones. So last Wednesday, the county initiated a series of public meetings to understand what people want to see in the next 10-15 years, whether it’s downtown, near BART, or other areas close to the Boulevard.
The consistent request from the 75 people attending seemed to be for more parking.
“We have a retail core downtown that needs accessible parking,” said Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) member Ken Carbone on behalf of a small group reporting back from a brainstorming session. “Parking on Castro Valley Boulevard can be a problem because many of the vehicles are parked longer than the posted 2-hour restrictions. We need better traffic enforcement and perhaps a parking garage.”
Other repeated requests from the group discussions included adding upscale restaurants, open community spaces for meeting and relaxing, improved walking and bike accessibility, and more opportunities for activities besides shopping and eating.
“It’s a fantasy to just increase the number of retail shops or restaurants. The question we have to ask is, why do we want people to come to Castro Valley? And when you get them here, what do you want them to do?” said Castro Valley resident Stacy Poulos.
The community workshop is just at the beginning stages of input to Alameda County Community Development Agency (CDA) for revamping Castro Valley’s downtown plan, which is expected to finalize around the summer of 2024. CDA is expected to reveal a preferred plan this summer, with a formal draft revealed early next year.
The “Business District Specific Plan” will outline opportunities for change in four specific zones: the Medical Center area on Lake Chabot Road, the Castro Village and the Boulevard area, the BART Transit Village, and the Rite Aid parcel to the east.
“Castro Valley has always been a cohesive community with a rich heritage of its identity… not all communities have that. And the message we hear is that the people here want it to reflect this identity and serve their community,” Rodrigo Orduña, Assistant Planning Director with CDA, told the Forum.
He added that the Business Plan was a guideline that would help shape the types of businesses that could or should be developed over time. And if the plan identifies a glut of one or two types of businesses, those could be restricted from expanding and or given other options for relocating.
“For example, if we had way too many auto repair shops in town, we would decline a business license for any new auto repair shops,” Orduña said.
There are factors in the CDA’s plan that are not negotiable, such as adding a percentage of the 4,600 units of high-density apartments or attached homes planned for Castro Valley that California has mandated for its housing policies. Some of that will be absorbed into BART's plan to convert some of its current parking lots to add housing units like those near the Hayward and Fruitvale stations.
“Just because you change the business plan for parking or the housing infill designation from low-density to medium-density doesn’t mean change will happen immediately,” said Gary Slate, Executive Director of the Castro Valley/Eden Area Chamber of Commerce.
Ultimately, the ongoing feedback from the community is designed to help the county make well-informed decisions consistent with the Castro Valley community's long-term vision for growth and well-being.
To see more maps and the meeting schedule, visit the plan's website (cvgpimplementation.com).