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Press Release

November 11, 2008

CONTACT:
Elizabeth Stampe, Communications Dir., estampe@greenbelt.org, (415) 543-6771 x307
Marla Wilson, Sustainable Development Assoc., mwilson@greenbelt.org, (415) 543-6771 x308

Smart Growth Walking Tour:
Picturing a New San Pablo

Building around rapid transit to revive a central East Bay corridor

What: "Picturing a New San Pablo" is an East Bay tour of great communities near transit.

Join Greenbelt Alliance and partners on a walking tour of attractive new development around the downtown Berkeley BART station. A BART farecard will be provided. After the tour, we'll travel back to El Cerrito to discuss a shared vision for San Pablo Avenue.

When: 9:00am – 12:00pm, Saturday, November 15, 2008

Where: El Cerrito del Norte BART Station, 6400 Cutting Boulevard, El Cerrito

Why: The time is right.

Last week, Berkeley voters resoundingly rejected Measure KK, which would have held back rapid bus service along Telegraph Avenue. Nationally, roller-coaster gas prices and housing markets and the economic downturn make it clear we need a better way to grow. The Bay Area can create resilient communities and weather this economic storm by investing in development along bus lines and near BART. San Pablo Avenue is a great place to start. Today, it is built for cars, with low-slung buildings and big parking lots, but the cities of Richmond and El Cerrito have teamed up to imagine a more vibrant future for the shared thoroughfare. They are creating a plan for new homes, jobs, and shops along this vital corridor already served by BART and express bus service. Join us to learn about the transformation that could result.

Who: Greenbelt Alliance together with the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program, Urban Habitat, and the Great Communities Collaborative.

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For 50 years, Greenbelt Alliance has been the San Francisco Bay Area's advocate for open spaces and vibrant places, with offices in San Francisco, San Jose, Walnut Creek, San Rafael, and Santa Rosa. www.greenbelt.org

The Great Communities Collaborative is a unique cooperative relationship between four Bay Area nonprofit organizations—Greenbelt Alliance, the nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, TransForm (formerly the Transportation and Land Use Coalition), and Urban Habitat—as well as Reconnecting America, the East Bay Community Foundation, and The San Francisco Foundation. The collaborative brings together residents and local organizations to participate in community planning processes across the Bay Area. We want to create a region of vibrant neighborhoods with affordable homes, shops, jobs, and services within convenient walking distance of transit. www.greatcommunities.org