The City responded last week to the news that the Hercules City Manager is the highest paid executive in West Contra Costa County. The response was rather bland, but it did include footnotes. And it hasn’t garnered media attention. There was some news made however, or acknowledgment of an as-of-yet unspoken truth. The City outlined [...]

The City will pursue negotiations to purchase property along Willow Avenue (including the site currently operated by West Coast Drilling; lorem ipsum dolor) as it establishes the ultimate property boundary for the future Cinema Town and Transit Town, the second and third phases of the New Town Center project. (The first phase is Market Town, [...]

Leave it to a value engineering study — conducted by the same firm (HDR) responsible for the design, but a separate office1 — to start pointing out elements the City could cut back on and save costs yet still retain the core function of the project, i.e., a train pulling into station, and dropping off [...]

The following were the finalists — as well as the provided descriptions — for the Hercules Bayfront Parks and Streets naming contest that residents voted on this past Saturday at the Hercules Cultural Festival. There were some real creative choices, and I am biased toward a few of them, although I didn’t necessarily vote for [...]

Voting for the Hercules Bayfront streets and parks naming contest will take place exclusively at the Hercules Cultural Festival on Saturday, June 5, so come and vote often. Ballots will be available at the City Information tent. The name finalists are reportedly all historical and nautical based, and supposedly do not include any Disneyfied names, [...]

This is bittersweet news. Waterfront developer AndersonPacific has released news that it has won an award — 2010 Gold Nugget merit winner (category 23) — for its Hercules Bayfront plan. That is very nice, however somewhat inconsequential, because it will do nothing to further privately-funded construction along the waterfront in the near-term. All work that [...]

I have never been a huge fan of the Disneyfication of street names. I prefer classic, traditional street names, and in the Hercules waterfront in particular, I am in favor of names with historical context or meaning. So what follows were my submissions in the Hercules Bayfront naming contest (the first phase of which runs [...]

Up until now, the building across the street from the future Intermodal Station has been a placeholder. Through meeting after public meeting exhaustively discussing the train station, the building across the street was just a blank box. That is no longer the case. The developer AndersonPacific revealed their initial plans for the building during the [...]

The latest design of the Sycamore Avenue terminus — as revealed at this past weekend’s Community Update event — looks like this (the Powder Keg is on the right)… Whereas the previous design included an elevator tower that would be attached to the restored historic Administration Building, the latest design features a large and wide [...]

This year’s Community Update — the City’s open house for development projects and City services and programs — is scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 10, from 9:30-11:30am, at the Community/Swim Center. This is a good a place as any to ask about the three palm trees being cut down near the historic structures at [...]

The City Council will hear a report from State Senator Mark DeSaulnier on Tuesday evening — 7pm at City Hall — as well as implement a construction amnesty program for previous unpermitted work in the city. The Redevelopment Agency (aka the City Council) will set aside an additional $800k for affordable housing loans for the [...]

An Alameda County judge’s ruling that a voter-approved housing cap for the city of Pleasanton violates state law may certainly be appealed if it does in fact have wide implications (the reluctance of Marin County to expand housing opportunities comes to mind), but it does highlight that Hercules has done more than its part in [...]

So much for the street formerly known as Bayfront. The main street of the Waterfront will retain its name… for now. (Councilmember Ed Balico could not be reached for comment.) AndersonPacific has released its naming competition form on their website — and on time (at least something is). The contest form is a PDF file [...]

It is disheartening to discover that a councilmember that would most likely be in jail, or at least out of office, if it weren’t for the remaining councilmembers being a series of dastardly passive puppets, has such great influence on the developer of the Waterfront. What also remains unclear is exactly what AndersonPacific received in [...]

Councilmember Ed Balico will get his wish. A competition will be held to determine the names for the future streets and public spaces in the waterfront. For some reason, the existing Bayfront Boulevard is one of them. Finalists for the Waterfront’s main street include Balico Way, Corruptible Drive, and the very short, yet apt, Ego [...]

The City Council will receive a report on the Intermodal Station and Hercules Bayfront project at their next meeting on Tuesday — 7pm at City Hall. Other items on the agenda include: Construction of an “innovative classroom” for the John Swett Unified School District. Cost: $15k. Design work for the Bayfront Boulevard bridge. Cost: $78k. [...]

A workshop to discuss the implementation of an interpretive program for the parks and public spaces in the Waterfront is scheduled for Monday evening, 7pm, at the Senior Center (next door to City Hall).

The future Hercules Intermodal Station and “its relation to the Bay Trail will be discussed Thursday at a meeting of the Pinole/Hercules/East Bay Regional Park District [EBRPD] Joint Powers Agency board.” The meeting will be held at 2pm at Pinole’s City Hall. The design team has been referring to the Bay Trail segment through the [...]

The City Council will adopt the Refugio Creek Watershed Vision Plan as guiding policy for future improvements in the watershed at its next meeting on Tuesday — 7pm at City Hall. The staff report states that “over 50 people, including representatives from other agencies, stakeholders, residents, and the general public participated in the workshops.” However, [...]

There has been some bad news around the bay recently for advocates of transit-oriented and mixed-use development (not to mention New Urbanism and smart growth)… Several residents of San Carlos (on the peninsula) criticized plans for a mixed-use transit village (not unlike Hercules Bayfront), largely complaining of a lack of planned parking spaces. (via Streetsblog) [...]

When the Planning Commission made their recommendation on the design of the train station on October 5, 2009, the commissioners asked the design team how the modern design of Alternative 1 would work with the planned development that would surround it. The design team deferred to the developer (Jim Anderson of AndersonPacific) to answer the [...]

EIR scoping comments are due… “Deadlines will fall the next two weeks for public comments on potential environmental impacts of two high-profile Hercules projects: an Intermodal Transit Center and the adjacent Hercules Bayfront mixed-use development. [...] The deadline for comments for Hercules Bayfront is Monday; for the Intermodal Transit Center, Dec. 30.” I had discussed [...]

A scoping meeting for the Intermodal Station’s EIR will be held today at 5:30pm at the Hercules Library. The Intermodal Station is part of the Hercules Bayfront mixed-use New Urbanism project. Bayfront is a pedestrian-oriented development, and one big aspect has been the reduced number of lanes on John Muir Parkway, which was originally slated [...]

The City will pay for an assistant principal at the Middle/High school for the current school year ($101k), as well as pay for a music teacher to rotate through all three elementary schools each week ($42.6k), as a result of the current financial woes of the school district (WCCUSD) and the State. The City Council [...]

The Times’ Eye on the East Bay column poked fun at Councilmember Ed Balico for oddly requesting that Bayfront Boulevard be renamed something more waterfront-sounding… The Hercules development called Bayfront, in the estimation of Hercules Councilman Ed Balico, lacks a certain je ne sais quoi, a catchy ring that could vault it to the status [...]

Councilmember Ed Balico demanded that Bayfront Boulevard be renamed in order to increase property values at the last City Council meeting (in a discussion on the design of the intermodal station). Balico offered Waterfront Drive as being “more appealing.” (At ~0:25, Balico says that “it has to be changed.”) The argument that “waterfront” property is [...]

As expected, the City Council unanimously recommended Alternative 1 as the preferred intermodal station design last night. The process has come to an end. More surprising was Councilmember Ed Balico’s odd request that Bayfront Boulevard be renamed Waterfront Boulevard (or similar) so people will know that it is on the water. I’m confused too. First, [...]

A workshop is scheduled for Wednesday evening — 7pm at the library — to discuss the public plazas planned for the Waterfront. Punch and pie.

At this Monday’s Community Services Commission meeting — 7pm at City Hall — Assistant City Manager Lisa Hammon will be presenting an informational update on the parks, plazas, and open spaces that are a part of the Hercules Bayfront/Intermodal Transit Center project. This will include the plans for Hercules Point. (I believe the Bay Trail [...]

Below is the illustrative master plan of the revised Hercules Bayfront project. Changes include the termini at Sycamore Avenue and Bayfront Boulevard, a revised street grid for the Transit Village (northeast of Refugio Creek), and a reconfigured corporate campus centered around the historic Clubhouse (lower left). Click image for large version.

Another big addition to AndersonPacific’s revised Hercules Bayfront plan is the signature building placed at the western end of Bayfront Boulevard. The building may become a boutique hotel, which would compete with draft plans for a boutique hotel in the Sycamore Crossing development, but a hotel closer to the ferry and rail station (and within [...]

One of the big (positive) changes to come out of the revised plans for the waterfront is the introduction of a formal terminus for Sycamore Avenue, adjacent to the Powder Keg and historic Administration Building… The current configuration has left an unseemly large and nearly impassable intersection. (I typically readjust my watch each time I [...]

An informative update on the progress for development plans for the Waterfront and the long-awaited intermodal transit station is scheduled for Monday, June 1, from 6 to 8:30pm at City Hall. The “latest and greatest” plans for the intermodal station will be presented to a joint meeting of the City Council and Planning Commission. Additionally, [...]

Hercules is breaking new ground when it eventually breaks ground… Open space group holds up Hercules plan as model development By Tom Lochner Two projects at the core of Hercules’ next wave of development have received accolades from a venerable Bay Area environmental organization as models of walkable, cyclable, mass transit-accessible communities with jobs and [...]

If someone would have asked me how much I had thought that AndersonPacific spent on the initiative, I’d have guessed $175k. The cumulative costs of drafting the initiative and printing materials, the retention of lawyers and political consultants, and paying “volunteers” to gather signatures is no small thing… Hercules developer spent nearly $200,000 on waterfront [...]

After canceling the last meeting in honor of Veteran’s Day, the bulk of action at tomorrow evening’s City Council meeting — 7pm at City Hall — comes within the Redevelopment Agency portion, which immediately follows the City Council meeting. The RDA consent calendar includes… Signing a contract with an EIR consultant for the waterfront. Cost: [...]

The Contra Costa Times has (safely) endorsed the two incumbents and Council-endorsed Don Kuehne for City Council this November. Oddly, the editorial cites Walmart as a reason to stay the course — and not elect the lone true challenger, John Delgado — despite the fact that Walmart was welcomed into the City with open arms [...]

After a break for the summer, the City Council will return to the people’s business this Tuesday — 7pm at City Hall — with an expanded agenda. The Council will approve a contract with an engineering firm to observe and test the earthwork construction of Sycamore Downtown, evidence that that project is moving forward. Eight [...]

The change of zoning for the Civic Arts Building became known before the City Council adopted the Waterfront Now initiative, however, the City Attorney assured the public at the July 22, 2008, City Council meeting that the community will be “assured further input of use issues for the Civic Arts Building.” (That is not a [...]

Anderson-Pacific has posted an update to the Hercules Bayfront project (see August 14) following the adoption of the Waterfront Now initiative by the City Council (three weeks ago)… The Waterfront Now Initiative was adopted by the City Council on July 22, 2008 by way of a 5-0 vote. This was a momentous event which potentially [...]

The Waterfront Now initiative was adopted quietly last night (which is a good thing)… Hercules council OKs waterfront concept, bypassing voters By Tom Lochner The Hercules City Council has approved a “New Urbanist, Smart Growth” development concept for the waterfront, eliminating the need to place the issue on the November ballot. But the unanimous vote [...]

The Waterfront Now initiative is on tap at tomorrow evening’s City Council meeting… Plan aims to kick Hercules waterfront development into high gear To jump-start long-awaited development of the waterfront, the Hercules City Council tonight will consider putting an initiative on the November ballot to amend the General Plan and Zoning ordinance and approve a [...]

The quest for a restaurant to move-in to the restored historic Civic Arts Building hit a snag at Monday evening’s Planning Commission meeting… Restaurant proposal nixed in Hercules By Tom Lochner Siding with a determined group of opponents, the Hercules Planning Commission nixed a planned restaurant at the historic Civic Arts building, agreeing it would [...]

The Waterfront Now initiative collected over thirty-five hundred signatures (and only needed twelve hundred)… Waterfront plan could be headed to ballot in Hercules By Tom Lochner Supporters of a new community of homes, offices and shops around an intermodal transit center by the Hercules waterfront say they have gathered more than enough signatures to get [...]

It is easy to understand why many residents want to see Sala Thai move-in to the restored Civic Arts Building on Railroad Avenue. We have waited a long time for development to flourish along the Waterfront, and because of misguided actions by the City Council and City Manager, as well as market forces, we have [...]

The Waterfront Now initiative received some coverage this weekend… Hercules project may be put to voters By Tom Lochner The would-be developer of a prime chunk of Hercules’ waterfront has hired a political consultant with a track record of large suburban subdivisions to jump-start a mixed-use project around an intermodal transit center that boosters have [...]

Anderson-Pacific representatives handed out a “frequently asked questions” flier at this past weekend’s community update. The flier is available on their website, but I have included the complete FAQ below… Q: When will construction begin in the Waterfront? A: Subject to the environmental, City and agency approval process, it is anticipated that certain areas within [...]

The Szabo plan — as we knew it — is no more. That is the official word from the City coming out of this past weekend’s community update. The City is currently working with the owner and developer of Hercules Bayfront (Anderson-Pacific) on the plans, and the location of the train station is to be [...]

As the post of this title suggests, there is a Planning Commission meeting scheduled for 7pm this Monday evening at City Hall. There are two items to be discussed under the information section of the meeting… Staff Recommendation for subsequent Commission review of New Town Center project design. Staff presentation and discussion of “Hercules New [...]

AndersonPacific’s Hercules Bayfront plan includes a transit village on the north side of Refugio Creek with a warehouse-style feel. Below is a rendering of the transit village… The main parking structure is shown (in the image above) on the far right, located on the periphery of the development. Under this plan, commuters would be forced [...]