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Broadway-Valdez Specific Plan
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The City of Oakland is pursuing a specific plan to guide new development along the nearly 1-mile stretch of Broadway between 23rd Street and Highway 580. This area is now characterized by many vacant lots and underutilized spaces, including several former car dealerships. If done well, the Broadway-Valdez Retail Corridor Specific Plan will create a flexible framework for the revitalization of the neighborhood that was once known as “Auto Row” for its many car-related businesses. The planning process will conclude with the City of Oakland approving the plan and a related Environmental Impact Report, and amending the General Plan and zoning.
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What's at Stake
The Broadway-Valdez neighborhood is fortunate to have ideal transit infrastructure already in place. In addition to being near the 19th Street and MacArthur BART stations, the corridor is well-served by AC Transit. The 51A bus route, which runs along Broadway, has frequent service and connects to several BART stations. Several other routes serve the area, including the all-nighter 851 route, the 18 route connecting to downtown Berkeley, and the 1 rapid route along Telegraph. In fact, each day, there are approximately 2,200 opportunities to catch a bus within one-quarter of a mile of the Broadway-Valdez plan area, as well as 444 chances to catch a BART train within a half-mile of the plan area.
The free B shuttle currently runs near the Broadway-Valdez district, and new development in the area could lead AC Transit to extend the route to serve more of the Broadway corridor. The City of Oakland is currently studying the possibility of bringing streetcar service back to Oakland, meaning that there may be additional transit amenities here in the future to provide greater transit connections for residents and workers alike.
Greenbelt Alliance, in partnership with a group of organizations, supports the development of homes, shops, and jobs along the corridor (PDF). We want a neighborhood with 1,800 new homes – the amount that the City has deemed feasible in the area – with 300 to 500 of these homes being sold or rented at below-market rates. We want strong retail opportunities, smart parking policies, quality jobs for Oaklanders, walkable streets, green building and infrastructure, greener ways to get around, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings where possible. Other organizations in support of this vision include East Bay Housing Organizations, Walk Oakland Bike Oakland, League of Conservation Voters of the East Bay, Asian Pacific Environmental Network, the Building Trades Council, the Alameda Labor Council, and the Sierra Club.
What You Can Do
- The City has delayed the release of the Preferred Concept for how Broadway-Valdez could be revitalized. Email Marla Wilson at mwilson@greenbelt.org to get on Greenbelt Alliance’s list, and we will notify you when a date has been set for the next public meetings.
- Read the advice given to the City of Oakland by experts, at last year’s Transit-Oriented Development Marketplace event, on how to develop this area in a way that embraces nearby transit amenities.
- Check out new research on the plan area, conducted by consultants, by skimming their Existing Conditions Report (PDF).
- Visit the City of Oakland’s new page about the process to learn more.
- Email Oakland councilmembers to tell them you support the “Better Broadway” platform for the Broadway-Valdez Area, as proposed by Greenbelt Alliance, EBHO, and others! Find your councilmember at the city website.
- To get on the City of Oakland list for this planning effort, email Alisa Shen of the City of Oakland's Community and Economic
Development Agency.
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