Pleasant Hill BART

Specific Plan

II. OVERALL PLAN OBJECTIVES
A series of factors and conditions dictate a need to establish explicit and consistent directions for the future development of property in the Pleasant Hill BART Station Area. The high level of accessibility provided by both BART and Interstate 680, the area's central location in Contra Costa County, and the public investment represented by these and other area improvements give the area a special value and importance which should be recognized and properly utilized. In 1982, however, land uses and parcelization reflected conditions which predated these public improvements. This inconsistency was recognized by private sector real estate interests, which began to consolidate small residential use parcels and initiate proposals for more intensive commercial uses. In addition, public bodies responsible for planning and development of the area have joined together to implement a Specific Plan for the area to guide future public and private development decisions.

Set forth below are a set of overall objectives addressing land use and development, transportation and urban design. These objectives serve to clarify the public intent for the area and thereby provide a clear and consistent foundation for the provisions of the specific plan. The Specific Plan seeks to balance regional and local uses of the station area through appropriate site planning which places high intensity, less sensitive uses west of the BART station and lower-intensity local-serving uses near adjacent neighborhoods. This objective is articulated in the Urban Design Policies of the Specific Plan.

These objectives have been developed in consultation with representatives of Contra Costa County, the cities of Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill, BART, the Walden District Improvement Association, and later including the City of Concord, and the Contra Costa Center Association.