After well-attended public workshops for MacDonald Avenue and San Pablo Avenue, the City of Richmond moves next to 23rd Street, a key bikeway connecting Downtown Richmond, City Hall, Richmond High School and San Pablo City Hall north to Contra Costa College. Please attend one of these upcoming workshops or stop by the open studios and voice your support for bike lanes on 23rd Avenue. 23rd Street Focus Area Design Charrette Design Charrette Ohio Avenue to I-580 – April 10-12, 2012 Galileo Club, 371 S. 23rd Street
- Opening Meeting Tuesday,April10 • 5:30-7:00p.m.*
- Open Studio Hours Wednesday, April 11 • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
- ClosingPresentation Thursday,April12 • 5:30-7:00p.m.*
All events will be held at Galileo Club, 371 S. 23rd Street * Refreshments provided at these events. The City of Richmond is developing a Form-Based Development Codes (FBC) for three major commercial corridors in the City. Form Based Codes include new zoning rules and architectural guidelines that will help transform and revitalize Macdonald Avenue, San Pablo Avenue, and 23rd Street into livable, walkable, bikeable and economically thriving corridors. The Form Based Codes address public realm components, including roadways, streets, sidewalks, and civic spaces. Great streets and great places are where we enjoy bicycling. What are Form Based Codes? Form Based Codes are new zoning rules that are not based on “use” as traditional zoning rules are, but rather on the form of the building. FBC’s control the size and look of buildings while allowing for a mixture of different uses. Thus, ground floor retail with housing above, light industrial space next to office space next to condos. The Mission District in San Francisco is a great example of what a neighborhood can look like with this new type of approach to zoning. Not coincidentally, the Mission District has the highest bike mode share in the City. Great streets and great for bikes too. As an alternative to conventional zoning, the FBC will focus on the creation, revitalization, and preservation of vibrant, walkable urban places by utilizing physical form, rather than use, as the primary organizing principle. It also promotes standards for both private and public realms. The Livable Corridors FBC will address physical characteristics and standards governing private realm components along the corridors, including building placement, form, height, frontage, and land use, ensuring that new development contributes to walkable urbanism. Special emphasis and analysis will be given to sustainability and public health indicators, ensuring that regulations promote environmentally responsible places that maximize public health benefits. These three corridors are identified as FOCUS Priority Development Areas (PDAs) that will receive significant funding under the One Bay Area grant program of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission. 
In 2009, the City began drafting a FBC for a portion of the 23rd Street corridor between Rheem Avenue and the BART tracks to facilitate its revitalization and enhancement. The draft 23rd Street FBC represents an important first step for the City as it begins to reform its outmoded zoning regulations. This project will build upon the 23rd Street FBC, utilizing its regulatory framework to create site-specific FBCs for each of the three corridors through intensive, community-based design processes. Learn more at Richmond Livable Corridors Project website Join your neighbors at these exciting community events. Why Should You Attend? ✓ Want to see new businesses in Richmond? ✓ More places to shop and work? ✓ More affordable places to live? ✓ Safe, pleasant places to walk or catch a bus? Over the course of the project, important decisions about the character and scale of development along the Macdonald Avenue, San Pablo Avenue and 23rd Street Corridors will be made. A multi-day series of collaborative public design events, known as a charrette, will allow you to have a direct hand in the planning process, and watch and provide feedback as detailed design proposals are created. Everybody is encouraged to participate. The results will directly impact the type and quality of development along these streets. Livable Corridors Project Project Contact: Lina Velasco (510) 620-6841