Redevelopment Economy Development CDBG Housing Public Finance

Pleasant Hill BART

Specific Plan

UTILITIES

All necessary infrastructure which was required in the Specific Plan of May 14, 1985 has now been completed including upgrades to the sanitary sewer system, water system, and storm drainage system.

URBAN DESIGN

The Specific Plan establishes nine urban design objectives for the Station Area (see page 10). To achieve these objectives urban design standards and criteria are specified below and in the following section to address conditions specific to various subareas. These criteria and standards address seven factors: (1) form, height and massing of buildings; (2) public spaces within the Station Area; (3) pedestrian circulation; (4) landscaping; (5) signage; (6) building design; and (7) defensible space. Provisions addressing these factors are set forth in a combination of text and graphics. These provisions establish an explicit and consistent design concept for the Station Area and provide future developers with an adopted set of program requirements to guide them in their design decisions and a consistent, non-arbitrary basis for project review.

The major design concepts embodied in the Plan are summarized below.

  • Provide for building height and massing along the northwest side of BART property, gradually tapering toward the lower rise housing on the east.
  • In recognition of both functional and visual concerns, vary heights and mass of buildings to provide for a transition from lower scale residential development along the perimeter to more intensive, large scale development at the immediate Station Area.
  • Emphasize Treat Boulevard as the major entranceway to the Station Area and visually identify this role by the placement of the pedestrian overpass at Oak Road and the pedestrian/bicycle overpass at Jones Road, and the provision of elevated public plazas or pedestrian corridors in the vicinity of the northeast and southeast corners of the intersection (Subareas 12 and 15). Provide sufficient public outdoor space to accommodate the pedestrian activities focused at this location as a result of adjoining office development, BART parking and local transit stops.
  • Provide for two types of housing environments: (1) a more traditional higher density residential area north of Las Juntas where residential uses predominate; and (2) a more urban residential setting where housing may be intermixed with office and retail uses.
  • Preserve the native oaks, the remaining stream bed and the small hill on Las Juntas in order to enhance the visual appearance and interest of the area and retain an association with the area's natural history.
  • Maintain the visual relationship of the Station Area to the larger natural and built setting provided by long distance views, in particular those of Mt. Diablo, by protecting for views as seen from the BART Station platform and from future upper floor office space throughout the Station Area. Encourage the creation of view corridors from the development on Area 12.
  • Focus and channel pedestrian movements to and from parking areas, local transit stops, the Iron Horse Trail, and the BART Station into an integrated network of pedestrian ways and plazas; focus the major portion of the Station Area retail and personal service uses in these areas and design the spaces and abutting structures to achieve an attractive, lively, and pleasant environment for pedestrians.
  • Provide for intermixing of uses which will extend public use of the area into the non-commute hours (with appropriate hours of operation taking into account the proposed use), providing a safer environment for transit riders and residents in and adjoining the Station Area.
  • Create a pedestrian-friendly street-level environment by discouraging blank building walls and encouraging windows, doors, and other building facade features.