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CRA board reviews draft redevelopment plans for East Side, West Side and Urban Core
Summary
Consultant Grama Design Associates presented final draft community redevelopment plans for the CRA’s three districts, summarizing outreach, priorities and demonstration projects in land use, economic development, housing, transportation and open space.
Grama Design Associates consultant Megan O’Hara presented the CRA board with final draft community redevelopment plans for the agency’s three districts — East Side, West Side and the Urban Core — summarizing community engagement, recommended priorities and illustrative demonstration projects.
The plans matter because they set the CRA’s strategic priorities for near- and long‑term investment across land use, housing, economic development, transportation and open‑space projects, and will guide projects the CRA brings forward for board and (when required) city-council approval.
O’Hara said the planning process collected more than 2,000 community comments from in‑person and virtual engagement and nearly 200 responses to a post‑workshop survey, with over half of survey respondents living inside CRA boundaries. She described four document sections and six topical recommendation areas: land use, economic development, neighborhood development, housing, transportation/streets/parking, and open space/community amenities.
Key, district‑specific illustration projects include: the Crystal Ice House Market and surrounding small‑business node and housing infill opportunities in the East Side; Hollis T. Williams Park and an equitable‑development framework guiding nearby infill; Barrancas Avenue and Cervantes corridor improvements and potential grocery/cooperative models on the West Side; and waterfront, Palafox‑area and Wright & Alconese holistic study recommendations in the Urban Core, including consideration of the Grand Hotel, depot and Bay Center parking and circulation.
The consultant recommended consistent design and form standards for CRA‑funded projects, updates to the CRA’s urban‑design overlay, potential boundary expansions to capture additional tax increment financing (TIF) opportunities and programs to support adaptive reuse, workforce training and neighborhood identity/wayfinding. O’Hara noted the plans were vetted with city departments, CRA staff, neighborhood stakeholders and board members and are intended to guide CRA staff project development followed by board and council approvals as appropriate.
Board members praised the depth of outreach and asked that the plans be coordinated closely with the city’s land‑development code rewrite so recommendations can align with regulatory updates. Staff said the item will return in April for possible board action toward approval.
The consultant and staff invited board members to submit follow‑up questions; O’Hara said she would not attend the April meeting because of a scheduling conflict but would provide staff support.
