Better Broadway

The City of Oakland is pursuing a specific plan to guide new development along the nearly 1-mile stretch of Broadway between Grand Avenue 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 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. 

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 free B shuttle currently runs near the Broadway-Valdez district, and new development in the area could lead AC Transit to extend the route, and others, to serve more of the Broadway corridor. The City of Oakland is currently studying the possibility of bringing streetcar service or something similar back to Broadway, 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 the Better Broadway Coalition, supports the development of homes, shops, and jobs along the corridor (PDF). We want a retail district with 1,800 new homes, with 300 to 500 of them sold or rented at below-market rates. We want appealing new storefronts, smart parking policies, high-quality jobs for Oakland residents, walkable streets, public plazas and open spaces, and green transportation choices. The City can successfully build on what’s working nearby in the burgeoning Uptown arts and entertainment district. 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. Local residents in Valdez Plaza, a senior apartment building in the area, have also signed onto our vision.

What you can do

Better Broadway News


Thursday, May 10th, 2012     

Oakland Planning Commission to review Broadway plan for first time in years

It’s been years–YEARS–since either the Planning Commission or the City Council in Oakland has reviewed the Broadway-Valdez Specific Plan on the agenda at one of their meetings. As you may recall, some had begun to question the plan’s future. Continue reading

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Thursday, May 3rd, 2012     

Zip from San Leandro to Oakland in no time at all

Feel that? It’s the feeling that you get when decision makers do the right thing. On the evening of April 25, the AC Transit Board of Directors unanimously certified the final environmental impact report and adopted the Downtown Oakland-to-San Leandro bus rapid transit service in the East Bay. Continue reading

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Wednesday, April 4th, 2012     

Vote yes for Bus Rapid Transit in the East Bay on April 25!

Attention, East Bay bus riders: this is it! If you want bus rapid transit in the East Bay, which will mean much faster bus trips and beautiful new bus stations, this is going to be the single most important opportunity for you say so. Continue reading

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