Walkable Neighborhoods

Fruitvale Village has to be one of the most beautiful transit oriented developments in the country. This was the first photo I shot walking off of the train at the Fruitvale BART Station, and it just happened to be my favorite. I got an exclusive tour of the village from one of the site developers [...]

This week I had the pleasure of visiting Fruitvale Village, a transit-oriented development at a BART station in Oakland, California. I was part of a group that was given a “behind the scenes” tour of the complex by Jeff Pace. Mr. Pace is the Vice President of Finance & Business Operations at the Unity Council, developers of the site. Here are some interesting facts about Fruitvale Village:

-A 257,000 square foot “transit village� built on former BART parking lots.
-An active, retail-lined connector between the BART station and the neighborhood’s primary retail artery. This Pedestrian Street and plaza also serve as a major community-gathering place.
-Forty-seven units of mixed-income housing.
114,000 square feet of community services (clinic, library, senior center) and office space (including the Unity Council’s headquarters).
-40,000 square feet of neighborhood retail (shops and restaurants).
-150 car parking garage within the buildings (plus a large parking structure for BART).

The village also has some very commendable project goals:

-To strengthen existing community institutions and catalyze neighborhood revitalization – physically, economically and socially.
-To reduce poverty, build assets, and contribute to the local economy – by providing a stable source of jobs and income. >>Continue Reading This Article>>