California Senate Bill 1129, Castro Valley, and You
On April 9, the California Senate Governance and Finance Committee will have a hearing on California Senate Bill 1129. We’ve mentioned this bill before, but its passage could be hugely beneficial to Castro Valley, and to the town square proposal. The 2012 dissolution of the California redevelopment agencies has been …
Town Square Attracts New Business & Foot Traffic
Since the idea of a Castro Valley town square was born I have been talking town squares, researching town squares, and generally extolling the benefits that a town square could add to our community. However, in that time I have been so busy reading and talking that I haven’t paused …
We Have a Plan for a Castro Valley Town Square
The Analysis of Costs, Uses and Local Support for a Castro Valley Town Square has been published. Read the full report today. The asbestos-laden, water-contaminated, white monolith Daughtrey’s building that hulks over our downtown could be transformed into a gathering place and provide our community with a physical representation of …
Castro Valley Town Square: Analysis of Costs, Uses and Local Support
Prepared by Peter Rosen, Michael Kusiak, Scott San Filippo and Castro Valley Matters March 11, 2014 Castro Valley Town Square Overview At the February 4, 2014 Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) meeting, the MAC passed a motion requesting that the Castro Valley Town Square proponents gather more data about …
Redevelopment Plan Revised, Path for Town Square Plan Created
The Alameda County Redevelopment Successor Agency Oversight Board voted on Wednesday to revise the Long Range Property Management Plan (LRPMP) so that a public use (e.g. a town square) will be considered for the Daughtrey’s site as the complicated process of wrapping up the affairs of over 400 redevelopment agencies in …
Let’s Hear from a Town Square Design Expert
Lois Fisher of Fisher Town Design is a successful and influential urban designer who creates town squares for a living (Northern California projects she has worked on include Central Petaluma, Windsor, Ukiah, and Sonoma Mountain Village in Rohnert Park). We sat down with her recently to get her expert opinion …
What Could Castro Valley’s Town Square Look Like?
Creating a central focal point for a town or city is not an original idea. It works well for so many other cities & towns across the country. Let’s take a look at what a Castro Valley Town Square might look like by examining what a town square looks like …
Top 10 Reasons For a Town Square
1. Beauty. A well-designed Town Square will give residents and visitors a reason to enjoy Castro Valley’s downtown and new streetscape. 2. Walkability. Successful downtowns are walkable. Improved walkability helps local businesses attract more customers and achieve greater success. 3. Ideal Location. The site is ideally located for a Town Square, …
Town Square Discussion at MAC Meeting Raises More Questions
“If they can get you asking the wrong questions, they don’t have to worry about answers.” – Thomas Pynchon Tuesday night’s Castro Valley MAC Meeting left us with more questions than answers. I will try to list many of these questions here, going from more general questions on governance to …
It’s not too late
My contact at the California Department of Finance confirmed that as of this morning the currently submitted Long Range Property Management Plan (LRPMP) for Alameda County has not been approved and that it will be sent back to the Redevelopment Successor Agency for revision and approval by the Oversight Board. So, …