Creating a Community Plan in East Palo Alto
Creating a Great Community in East Palo Alto
| Upcoming Meetings | Date & Time | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Specific Plan Process to begin in Spring |
Background
The City of East Palo Alto (EPA) is currently funded by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to create a Station Area Plan for a potential Dumberton Rail Station located in the City. The City of East Palo Redevelopment Agency (RDA) and their lead consultant Design, Community & Environment (DC&E)are developing a Specific Plan for the area, which also includes theRavenswood Business District (see map below). The RDA and DC&E willbe conducting four workshops and six Community Advisory Committeemeetings in 2009 and 2010 to gather community input. See City website here.
As part of the community engagement process, Urban Habitat and the Great Communities Collaborative are supporting Youth United for Community Action (YUCA), Peninsula Interfaith Action (PIA), and Community Development Institute (CDI)with their work engaging East Palo Alto residents in the planningprocess. In order to provide the City with a completely community-basedplanning vision, our local partners in East Palo Alto have formed theEnvision-Transform-Build East Palo Alto (ETB-East Palo Alto) Coalition, which consists of PIA, CDI, YUCA and other interestedindividuals to create a Community Plan of the Ravenswood BusinessDistrict and Dumbarton Rail Station.
Planning Process
Currently, the ETB-East Palo Alto Coalition is working closely with community members in crafting their vision for the Ravenswood Business District and Dumbarton Rail Station. Through community workshops andevents, the ETB-East Palo Alto Coalition is providing a hands-on,community-based approach to planning where residents with the help oftechnical supporters, can envision their own future for the RBD. As theCity planning process progresses, the ETB-East Palo Alto Coalition willkeep residents engaged and provide input to the City throughout theCommunity Planning process. As the City reaches the Land UseAlternatives stage of the RDA planning process, the ETB-East PaloAlto Coalition will provide their Community Plan as an alternative thatwill be incorporated into the Ravenswood Business District Plan.
Interested residents should contact one of the organizations below for information on how to participate in the ETB East Palo Alto Coalition planning process or how to engage the City of East Palo Alto during the RDA Specific Plan process.
| Organization | Contact |
|---|---|
| Urban Habitat | Vu-Bang Nguyen, 510-839-9510 ext. 318 |
| Youth United for Community Action | Annie Loya, 650-322-9165 |
| Peninsula Interfaith Action | Tameeka Bennett 650-592-9181 |
Community Plan
After numerous community workshops, the ETB-EPA Coalition presented our Land Use Alternative Plan to the East Palo Alto Ravenswood Business District Community Advisory Committee on July 15, 2010. The following is a summary of the Community Goals and Alternative Plan to date. There will also be a meeting on Community Benefits.
Community Plan Goals
The following goals form the basis of the community’s planning ideas. These goals were developed and refined through community workshops held over the last twelve months. While the goals reflect the specific values and desires of the East Palo Alto community, and especially the youth who were an integral part of the community planning process, participants were clear that they wanted to see an economically feasible plan, that balanced public community uses with revenue generating uses for the city.
- The RBD is predominantly an area of mixed industrial/business uses, providing for a variety of activities. It is a model for community development with businesses that are based on the job needs of EPA residents.
- The RBD also provides an opportunity for larger community-serving institutions such as a city hospital, school, 1-stop social services, multi-cultural center, theater of arts, after school program, and sports facilities.
- The RBD is a place with uses for youth to learn good things ---> “Da Spot”
- The RBD is a model for new and creative and clean use of contaminated lands.
- The Plan Area is also an opportunity for resident-serving businesses and stores along the adjoining Bay Road corridor and 4-Corners area.
- The Plan Area is an opportunity for community spaces and social gathering and homegrown EPA arts. It is safe, fun, and family-friendly. It is EPA’s “downtown.”
- The Plan Area has active sidewalks with a variety of businesses, making connections between the RBD, Cooley Landing, Bay Road and the 4-Corners areas.
- The Plan Area has sound infrastructure with an upgraded, undergrounded powerline system.
- The Plan Area has affordable housing for CURRENT East Palo Alto low-income residents.
- The RBD maintains the honest character, quality and priorities of East Palo Alto.
Community Alternative Plan
The following summarizes the land uses in the community coalition’s vision for the redevelopment of the Ravenswood Business District Specific Plan Area. The two main overall themes that the coalition has gathered from the community planning process are wanting: (A) a new “downtown” for East Palo Alto, and (B) a new “job center” with opportunities for new local businesses and jobs to be located in East Palo Alto – these jobs should match the skills and needs of the existing residents. Generally speaking, the RBD is roughly divided into three distinct sub-areas: (1) a main street extending along Bay Road from Four Corner to Cooley Landing, (2) the area north of Bay Road with light industries, R&D, and office, as well as a large recreation park space on the Facciola site (approximately 82 acres), and (3) the area south of Bay Road with housing and a new educational facility (approximately 52 acres).
Click below to view the Community Alternative Plan Report dated Septemeber 30, 2010:
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| ETB-EPA Community Plan 9-30.pdf | 406.72 KB |
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