RICHMOND INVITES COMMUNITY INPUT FOR SECOND WORKSHOP ON CIVIC CENTER MASTER PLAN PROJECT

Consultant team will present process and alternatives derived from concerns expressed by community.

A San Francisco-based consulting group hired by the City of Richmond will hold a second community meeting on Monday, October 21, 2002, from 7-9 p.m. in the Richmond City Council Chambers, Third Floor, 2600 Barrett Avenue, regarding the Civic Center Master Plan.

The purpose of this second meeting is to continue the discussion between the Community and the design team.  The process and the alternatives that have come out of the team’s investigations will be presented, which include the cares and concerns of the Richmond Community. This is an opportunity to hear recommendations, and constructive concerns from Richmond residents in an open forum.

Since October 2001, Ai and its team of consultants, architects, planners and engineers have performed a comprehensive facilities assessment, including a Preliminary Program; a Review of Potential Land Use of the peripheral area; a Zoning Analysis; and an Historical Analysis of the existing civic center complex. At the end of the first phase of fact finding and Facilities Assessment a Community Meeting was held to introduce the project, to share its mission with the Community, and to hear the hopes and concerns of Richmond residents regarding their civic center. The development of Alternative Master Plan Concepts and Comparative Cost Analysis with suggested Financing Sources for Alternative Master Plan Concepts followed the initial assessment phase and incorporated community input.

It has been the goal of the project to define an innovative and creative mixed-use development plan that will address the future needs of the civic center complex and adjacent neighborhoods for the coming decades. The plan will anticipate growth and the need for flexibility in order to accommodate the changing requirements of the City. It will result in a focus on a revitalized civic center area, opportunities for entrepreneurial investment and benefits for the neighboring community. Alternatives proposed will include community and market supported options that bolster economic development in this area and aid in the redevelopment and reinvigoration of Richmond’s central civic core.

The Richmond Civic Center is not currently designated as an historic property. However, its potential historic significance has been an important part of this study and serves as a backdrop for our recommendations. In addition, the historic evaluation of the civic center campus is important in determining its value to the community as a part of Richmond’s heritage. The evaluation of the existing urban fabric and of  the larger regional and economic context of the present civic center site has also significantly affected the shaping of viable master plan options. In order to further shape and refine the plan options, please join the upcoming community workshop.

Refreshments will be served.  For more information, please contact Marcia Vallier at (510) 237-7745.