Plans for a "new urbanist/smart growth" development on the waterfront of the San Francisco Bay Area town of Hercules has received unanimous approval from the city council, eliminating the need for inclusion on the November ballot.
"The unanimous vote Tuesday - to push forward the Hercules Bayfront project consisting of more than 1,200 homes as well as restaurants, stores, offices and an intermodal transit center - does not spell an immediate end to years of stagnation on the waterfront."
"Much of the residential component won't be built until 2011 at the earliest, and then only if market conditions are opportune and there are no unexpected delays in obtaining federal, state and city permits, according to Ethan Sischo, a spokesman for developer Hercules Bayfront LLC."
"The plan approved by the council, for 42 acres of waterfront commercial land and almost 11 acres of open space, is conceptual, and its specifics will be subject to California Environmental Quality Act review and the city's entitlement process. The council vote also approved zoning and general plan amendments."
"Bayfront also will include an intermodal transit center with an Amtrak Capitol Corridor station and a ferry terminal connecting Hercules with San Francisco. When fully built out, Bayfront is supposed to have 1,224 residential units, 42,000 square feet of retail space, 81,000 square feet of offices and 134,000 square feet of "flex space" adaptable for a variety of uses."
FULL STORY: Hercules council OKs waterfront concept, bypassing voters
A Better Understanding of Smart Growth Benefits
Smart Growth creates compact, multimodal communities where residents consume less land, drive less, and rely more on non-auto modes. Planners have important stories to tell about the benefits of Smart Growth.
Defining the Buzzword: What's a 15-Minute City?
What does it mean to be a 15-minute city?
Different Types of Pro-Development Urbanism, Explained
Can't tell New Urbanism from YIMBY? This post tries to help.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco's School District Spent $105M To Build Affordable Housing for Teachers — And That's Just the Beginning
SFUSD joins a growing list of school districts using their land holdings to address housing affordability challenges faced by their own employees.
The Tiny, Adorable $7,000 Car Turning Japan Onto EVs
The single seat Mibot charges from a regular plug as quickly as an iPad, and is about half the price of an average EV.
With Protected Lanes, 460% More People Commute by Bike
For those needing more ammo, more data proving what we already knew is here.
In More Metros Than You’d Think, Suburbs are Now More Expensive Than the City
If you're moving to the burbs to save on square footage, data shows you should think again.
The States Losing Rural Delivery Rooms at an Alarming Pace
In some states, as few as 9% of rural hospitals still deliver babies. As a result, rising pre-term births, no adequate pre-term care and "harrowing" close calls are a growing reality.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)