Public comments are due by December 3 for the New Town Center Draft EIR. The document is available on the City’s website.

Hercules New Town Center proposal available for public scrutiny
By Tom Lochner

A draft environmental review of the proposed Hercules New Town Center project is available for public review at City Hall and on the city’s Web site.

A 45-day public comment period will end Dec. 3. Written comments should be addressed to Hercules Economic Development Director Steve Lawton.

The Hercules New Town Center project involves two elements: redevelopment of one parcel, called Market Town, and a rezoning and General Plan amendment covering a larger area that includes Market Town and six other parcels. Market Town, sometimes referred to as the New Town Center proper, is a proposed mixed-use project on 6 2/3 acres to the immediate south and west of the Interstate 80-Highway 4 interchange. It is bordered by Highway 4, I-80, Sycamore Avenue and San Pablo Avenue.

The General Plan and zoning ordinance would create a New Town Center zoning district encompassing seven parcels on approximately 35 acres. The six parcels apart from Market Town are east of Interstate 80 along the south side of Highway 4.

The Market Town site currently is occupied by the Hercules Transit Center, which consists of a WestCAT bus transfer station and terminal, and a commuter park-and-ride lot. The city is building a larger replacement transit center a half-mile to the east along Highway 4 that is expected to open in spring 2009.

Market Town would be a mix of about 400 homes, 60,000 square feet of stores and 80,000 square feet of offices. Building heights would range from 55 to 85 feet. A key feature is a Town Plaza and a second, smaller plaza; both would be public gathering spaces.

The Hercules Redevelopment Agency is the project’s sponsor and applicant for the rezoning. The agency’s private-sector partner in the project’s first phase, Market Town, is Hercules New Town Center LLC, a unit of The Red Barn Co. of Newport Beach.