Board President Rebecca Saltzman, District 7 Director Lateefah Simon, and Richmond Mayor Tom Butt celebrate completion of the Richmond Transit Village Phase Two project.

New Transit Village BART Entrance Supports Passengers and New Development

RICHMOND, Calif. – Mayor Tom Butt was joined today by BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman and BART Director Lateefah Simon – District #7, Contra Costa – to  celebrate the completion of a major public transit infrastructure improvement for riders at the Richmond BART station. Phase II of the Richmond Transit Village completely redesigned and upgraded the pedestrian and vehicle access for the 19th Street entrance. Following the successful development of the bus terminal and parking garage  on the Macdonald Ave. side, the Phase II project achieves fully functional access to the one-of-a-kind multi-modal Richmond station.

Mayor Butt speaking at the ceremony stated “This project is an important link to a robust active transportation and public transit network.” The station is combined with an Amtrak stop which is unique in BART’s system, and pasengers have access to key bicycle routes, multiple bus lines and is a short distance from the new commuter ferry service to San Francisco coming in the fall of 2018. Mayor Butt also noted that the “passenger usage of this station, including the Amtrak component of it, is 8,000 people a day.”  

BART Director Lateefah Simon stated: “Visitors to the Richmond station will see several noteworthy improvements.  Those include a new asphalt concrete roadway with a “kiss-and-drop” cul-de-sac, a new accessibility ramp, retaining wall, stairs, a new BART elevator, and associated improvements.  It’s also important to note that BART substantially upgraded the bus intermodal area at the west side entrance.”
               
Expanding the accessability for passengers at the station is a key component of the Richmond Transit Village which is considered to be the most visited location in the city. Along with the improved capacity, the project completion sets the stage for major transit oriented developments providing between 600 and 1,000 new housing units. Two housing sites within a few blocks of each station entrance are nearing construction, and the development of a third site is anticipated on the old BART parking lot right at the station.

BART Board President Rebecca Saltzman stated: “This project is a prime example of how BART works in close collaboration with our city and community partners to deliver meaningful transit-oriented development projects.  By focusing on housing and jobs near BART we can reduce congestion and greenhouse gases.”

The next major upgrade at the station took a step forward on October 26, 2017 when the BART Board of Directors unanimously approved a lease for the retail space on the ground level of their parking garage. The 9,000 square foot space will be occupied by a Richmond Business Hub branded as “CoBiz”, which will house workspace incubation offices, educational training facilities, event space, and food/beverage retailers.

More about the Phase II – Richmond Transit Village project:
The Richmond Transit Village - Phase II project is located at the intersection of Nevin Avenue and 19th Street and extending to the new eastern entrance of the Richmond BART station. The project completely redesigned and upgraded the access for pedestrians and private vehicles to the BART station.  Following the successful rebuild of the west-end bus terminal and parking garage, the Phase II project achieves fully functional access to the one-of-a-kind multi-modal Richmond station.  The added features include a new asphalt concrete (AC) roadway with a "kiss-and-drop" cul-de-sac, a new Portland Cement Concrete (PCC) accessible ramp, retaining wall, stairs, a new BART elevator and associated improvements. 

The City of Richmond is the lead agency for the project with finding from state and regional public transit agencies including BART and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA). The project broke ground in October of 2015 and was substantially completed October of this year.