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Broadway-Valdez/
Auto Row District
The Broadway-Valdez District, otherwise known as Auto Row, has few homes and many
car dealerships. Instead, this corridor could be transformed into the
new retail heart of Oakland, with new homes to complement the shops by providing a strong customer base.
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. The Broadway-Valdez Retail Corridor Specific Plan will create a framework for the construction of over 1 million square feet of new retail and more than 1,700 new homes.
The process will conclude with the City of Oakland approving the plan and a related Environmental Impact Report, and amending the General Plan and zoning.
What's at Stake
Auto Row 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 51 bus route, which runs along Broadway, has the most frequent service of any route in the system and carries the most passengers. Several other routes serve the area, including the "all-nighter" 851 route and the line 1 rapid route.
Greenbelt Alliance, in partnership with the Great
Communities Collaborative and East Bay Housing Organizations, supports the development
of homes, shops, and jobs along the corridor. The wide and busy Broadway,
however, should be revitalized to make it easier for people to walk
to where they want to go. New development should include traffic-calming
strategies and wider sidewalks to provide safe pathways, and bus shelters
should be plentiful and welcoming along the corridor.
Overall, the plan should lay the groundwork for transforming this corridor into a complete neighborhood, balancing the need to provide shopping opportunities with the pressing need for homes people can afford.
What You Can Do
The City has delayed the release of the Alternatives for how Broadway could be developed. 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 meeting where the Alternatives will be released.
Email Oakland councilmembers to tell them you want the Broadway-Valdez plan to include housing -- including affordable homes -- to complement the retail, and better bike and pedestrian access! Find your councilmember at the city website.
To get on the City of Oakland list for this planning effort, email Kerry
Jo Ricketts-Ferris of the City of Oakland's Community and Economic
Development Agency.
To get involved in Greenbelt Alliance's campaign, email Marla
Wilson for more information.
