El Cerrito Plaza TOD

Updated April 2024

The developer team of Holliday Development, Related California, and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) are working on plans for a multi-phase project with about 750 housing units, a new public open space, and potentially a new public library. Approximately half of the homes will be affordable to residents with lower incomes. The parcels to be developed, shown in the aerial map below, are currently parking lots designated for BART riders.

The TOD is expected to provide 100 - 150 garage spaces dedicated to BART riders. Future TOD residents will have access to about 260 dedicated vehicle parking spaces and 1,100 secure bike parking spaces, including spaces for cargo/family bikes. Additionally, the City of El Cerrito is working on a parking management plan that will allow BART riders who drive to pay to park on-street.

The TOD will consist of six residential buildings. In March 2023, the City of El Cerrito approved plans for the first phase of homes, a 70-unit affordable housing building. In Summer 2023, the development team applied to the City of El Cerrito for planning approvals for the remaining five buildings.

More information about the development and public outreach can be found at the developer team’s website: https://elcerritotod.squarespace.com/.

Map of El Cerrito transit oriented development

Preparing for Development

To prepare for development of its surface parking lots at El Cerrito Plaza, BART worked extensively with the City of El Cerrito to engage the community, develop a community vision for the TOD, and conduct analysis. This included many efforts, such as:

  • Berkeley - El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan (2023): Summarizes BART rider access needs and strategies corridor-wide as BART prepares for TOD at the El Cerrito Plaza, North Berkeley, and Ashby BART stations. More information can be found at www.bart.gov/beccap.
  • El Cerrito Plaza TOD BART Goals & Objectives (2021): Defines the community vision for TOD, which was adopted by El Cerrito City Council and the BART Board of Directors.
  • El Cerrito Plaza On-Street Parking Study (2021): Feasibility study for a city-led parking management program in the El Cerrito Plaza station vicinity to preserve resident and visitor parking access while allowing BART riders to pay for parking on-street.
  • Parking Management Case Studies Memo (2020): Describes 3 different approaches to municipal parking management in Walnut Creek, California; Evanston, Illinois; and Aurora, Colorado. These case studies aim to offer a high-level snapshot of how efforts to manage semi-urban parking operate elsewhere in the region and country. Revenue and expense data from these case studies informed the El Cerrito Plaza On-Street Parking Study.
  • El Cerrito Plaza Station Existing Conditions Report (2019): Provides information about current patterns of use at El Cerrito Plaza Station. It reviews documents produced by both BART and the City of El Cerrito for salient information concerning development plans and guidelines, parking, and access through collating the most pertinent information from related policies/studies/guidelines, documenting key findings of travel shed and access survey analyses and identifying implications of these existing conditions to guide future parking and access needs.
  • El Cerrito Plaza BART Station Access Survey Results (2019): This survey collected information from BART customers who regularly use the El Cerrito Plaza BART station. Postcards were distributed to riders in the station that directed them to a web-based survey based on this document which spells out the logic structure.
  • Memorandum of Understanding between BART and the City of El Cerrito (2018): Establishes preliminary goals for the TOD and the roles and responsibilities of BART and the City of El Cerrito.

BART has completed a Station Access Plan for El Cerrito Plaza, funded by the developer team. The Access Plan looks at how riders get to the station today and addresses how these patterns are likely to change when the TOD is constructed and over a thousand new residents, potential library patrons, and others are moving throughout the station area. The Access Plan includes a suite of recommendations for walking, biking, taking the bus, getting dropped off, and driving and parking in the future. 

The Developer

On November 19, 2020, the BART Board selected the developer team of Holliday Development, Related California, and Satellite Affordable Housing Associates (SAHA) to advance transit-oriented development following a competitive Request for Qualifications process. BART selected the team based on their credentials and alignment of their proposed approach to the site with the city’s and BART's shared Goals and Objectives. The project will be aligned with the City of El Cerrito’s San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Update (2022) and City of El Cerrito’s San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan Update (2022). the El Cerrito’s Strategic and Economic Development Action Plans, and BART's Transit-Oriented Development related policies.

Community Outreach

BART staff have actively engaged the surrounding community and riders for comment and input on the El Cerrito Plaza TOD project since 2019. Community engagement on the TOD is now being led by BART's selected developer team of Holliday Development and Related. You may sign up for information from them at https://elcerritotod.squarespace.com/sign-up.

Below is a schedule of past events, starting with the most recent. (Note: some links are external to BART’s website)

DateDescriptionResources
January 17, 2024City of El Cerrito Planning Commission -- Design REview Board joint advisory session on master planLink to meeting materials
February 23, 2023City of El Cerrito Design Review Board advisory review of first phase of TOD, Parcel A SouthLink to meeting materials
September 7, 2022City of El Cerrito Planning Commission - Design Review Board joint study session on master planLink to meeting materials
July 20, 2022Station pop-up event, sponsored by developer team with BART and CityLink to meeting materials
October 12, 2021BART public meeting on options for riders getting to and from the El Cerrito Plaza BART stationVideo of the community meeting
August 17, 2021El Cerrito City Council - Planning Commission study session on the El Cerrito Plaza BART StationLink to meeting materials
May 25, 2021 El Cerrito Community MeetingLink to meeting materials
May 4, 2021 El Cerrito City Council meetingLink to meeting materials
January 9 2020 BART Board Meeting for TOD Goals and Objectives

Memo to Board

Staff presentation

November 19, 2019 El Cerrito City Council Meeting for TOD Goals and ObjectivesLink to meeting materials
October 3, 2019Community open house to inform TOD Goals and Objectives for El Cerrito Plaza, and discuss parking, transportation, and station accessLink to meeting materials
August 14, 2019El Cerrito Plaza TOD Open House Station Access and Parking ReplacementLink to meeting materials

BART also did extensive outreach and community engagement in El Cerrito for the Berkeley - El Cerrito Corridor Access Plan, which includes the El Cerrito Plaza BART station.

Development Timeline

231116 ECP timeline-rev1.png

Get Involved

For specific inquiries, please email BART’s El Cerrito Plaza TOD Team ([email protected])

You may also sign up for email updates from BART’s Real Estate and Property Development Department by registering in the Profile Center and selecting “Other” then "Transit-Oriented Development Projects" under “Manage Subscriptions." 

Archive: Developer Solicitation Materials 

Responses to the developer Request for Qualifications RFQ were due September 9, 2020. The following solicitation-related documents are in PDF unless otherwise noted.