Creating a Better Pittsburg

Great Communities Collaborative

The City of Pittsburg is conducting two concurrent planning processes that could dramatically affect how Pittsburg residents live and get around:

A Master Plan for the existing Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station.
A Specific Plan for a proposed future eBART station at Railroad Avenue and Highyway 4.

The vision laid out in these plans could create new, walkable communities that are safer, more affordable, and better for the environment. To understand how, read Pittsburg Mayor Nancy Parent's article on the benefits of Transit-Oriented Development.

Updates

City of Pittsburg: Attend the Pittsburg/Bay Point Master Plan First Community Meeting

The meeting is on Wednesday, June 24th at 7:00pm at Rancho Medanos Junior High School Auditorium (2301 Range Rd, Pittsburg, CA). The City of Pittsburg is launching a new planning process for the land next to the current Pittsburg/Bay Point BART Station. Join us in asking for a plan that creates homes for working families, jobs, and a more bike and pedestrian-friendly community near BART. For more information, contact Chris Schildt at chris@TransFormCA.org or 510.740.3150 x305.

City of Pittsburg: Attend July 6 City Council to Support Final EIR (Environmental Impact Report) of eBART Specific Plan

Pittsburg Bay Point Master Plan

On July 6, the Pittsburg City Council will adopt one of the alternatives in the Final Environmental Report (EIR) for the Railroad Avenue eBART Station Specific Plan (illustrated above). This plan is the culmination of years of work by TransForm, Contra Costa Interfaith Supporting Community Organization (CCISCO), La Clinica de la Raza, and more. We support this bold new vision for the city, which will create a new, vibrant neighborhood with jobs, shops, and homes affordable to families at a range of incomes -- instead of gridlocked commutes and unaffordable mortages.

The City Council meeting is Monday, July 6th. It will start at 7:00pm on the third floor of the Pittsburg Civic Center, 65 Civic Ave. Come out in support of the proposed project of homes, jobs, and shops located right next to the future eBART station at Railroad Avenue and Highway 4.

For more information, visit the City of Pittsburg's website about the Railroad Avenue Specific Plan.

Contra Costa County: Advocate for Walking and Biking to/from BART.

Pittsburg is planning for improvements in walkability and bikability at both the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station and the future Railroad Avenue eBART station. But we also need it to be safer and easier for bicyclists and pedestrians to get to and from these stations. The County is currently updating their bicycle and pedestrian plan, an important opportunity to strengthen regional bicycle and pedestrian facilities and make sure it's easy to access BART without a car. Take action for better biking and walking in one of these two ways:

Submit comments by July 10 urging that the County's bicycle and pedestrian plan improves access to BART stations. Comments and questions be sent directly to Brad Beck, Senior Transportation Planner, at (925) 256‐4726 or bbeck@ccta.net. Or mail your letter to 3478 Buskirk Avenue, Suite 100, Pleasant Hill CA, 94523.
Attend a public meeting on Thursday June 25th at 7pm and ask that the County’s bicycle and pedestrian plan improves access to BART stations. The meeting will be at the Tri Delta Transit Boardroom, 801 Wilbur Avenue, Antioch CA

Background

When eBART extends into eastern Contra Costa County, it will do so in two phases. Phase 1 will be within the Highway 4 median, and will stretch for nearly 10 miles from the current Pittsburg/Bay Point station to a future Hillcrest Avenue eBART station, with one station in between at Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg. Phase 1 is currently funded at approximately $500 million, and is expected to be complete by 2015. Phase 2 will extend from Hillcrest Avenue into Oakley, Brentwood, and possibly beyond. Phase 2 is not funded and the timeline is unknown. Read more about eBART.

In spring 2006, the City of Pittsburg started developing a Specific Plan for the area within a half-mile circle of the Railroad Avenue eBART station at the intersection of Railroad Ave and Hwy 4. This plan can allow, or forbid, uses such as homes, shops, offices, social services, parks, and others.

The city is also creating a Master Plan for the land immediately next to the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART station. When eBART comes, that station will transition from being an end-of-the-line station to a transfer station for the eBART service. The city is planning for a dense, walkable community to be built near this existing BART station.

Who else is involved

TransForm is working with local groups to make sure community interest are well represented in the planning process:

CCISCO (Contra Cost Interfaith Supporting Community Organization) is organizing community residents through several congregations in Pittsburg.
La Clinica de la Raza operates a vital community health clinic in Pittsburg. The agency owns a building in the South East Quadrant and is interested in creating a green building to house their clinic and provide homes people can afford.

What you can do

We are working with local groups and residents in Pittsburg to try to make sure the community is well informed about this process and how to make a difference. You can:

Sign up for action alerts! Contact Chris Schildt to sign up for email action alerts and get involved in our efforts.
Get on the city's mailing list: send your contact information (including email) to Leigha Schmidt, City of Pittsburg, lschmidt@ci.pittsburg.ca.us or 925-252-4015.
Write a letter to the editor about what you want to see around the new eBART station:
- ccnletters@bayareanewsgroup.com for Contra Costa Times