Those exiting the Fremont BART station on Thursday, Sept. 25, during rush hour may have noticed poster boards and a table full of stickers and Post-its. BART officials were out collecting feedback from residents for a potential Transit-Oriented Development (TOD): housing near and around BART.
The Open House event lasted from 4:30pm to 6:30pm inside the station next to the buses. Officials walked up to BART riders and asked for their thoughts on the possibility of housing next to BART. Riders and residents were asked about sustainable communities, ridership, financial stability for both BART and the City of Fremont, preferred method of transportation to the station, neighborhood vitality and of course, housing affordability.
According to the BART.gov website, the housing will be built on parking lot spaces next to Fremont BART towards Mowry Avenue. The height of the residential building would be at least five stories with a maximum of 12, with some “setbacks.” There may also be spaces for retail stores and community facilities.
Officials have done a study on BART ridership on an average weekday and found that only 26% of the 500 parking spaces are being used at the station so far this year. “I think making it easy for those to get into the [area] around the BART station is great, I don’t care how many parking spots there are, though I drive myself,” Fremont resident Sam Neeman said. “Right now parking is well underutilized as you can see.”
Daniel Karpelevitch, a Sunnyvale resident who grew up and has family in Fremont, said he agrees with all the proposals so far. “If you go to the offices right near the BART station people from all around the area can come in and work in Fremont as well as live and shop and everything else,” he said.
Feedback was gathered in three ways. One way was to fill out a survey online by scanning a QR code. The second was to review the poster boards displayed at the station. Officials passed out circle dots for people to mark their priorities for housing at BART and Post-its to write down suggestions.
The third way was by filling out the survey with a pen and paper using a clipboard. Those who filled out the survey received an adorable customized sticker of a BART train with a smiley face. Three of the stickers can also be found for sale on railgoods.com.
But people were not skipping the chance to get the cute stickers for free.
Neeman said it took her only a couple of minutes to fill out the survey online. Neeman identified herself as a YIMBY (“Yes in my Backyard”). “We need housing and we need it quick,” she said. Neeman also shared what she expects to see for the commercial part of the project. “I’d like to see a boutique hotel and a rooftop bar.”
A handful of people were looking at the poster boards and having lengthy conversations with BART officials. During the first hour, three people marked having a project that works financially and can be built as soon as possible as a priority. Three other people preferred helping people get to BART without a car—through other public transportation, walking or biking. Other priorities included having bike and pedestrian access through the TOD and BART, and having at least 20% of the homes be affordable, with a goal of 35%.
Written suggestions included prioritizing all routes for walking and biking, and a concern about not having enough parking for TOD residents. One person wrote they would like to see parks and open space, including tall trees for “sound deadening.” Another person wrote they are concerned about overcrowding but want safe routes to schools from the station.
Neeman thinks having a busy and full TOD with people walking around outside is a good thing.
“When you concentrate people like that it improves the overall ambiance of the city because the units are typically smaller, so people tend to go out more,” Neeman said.
Karpelevitch said he thinks BART already has it down when it comes to what the public would want. “It seems like they have all the priorities already considered in terms of building it sustainably, building it in a way that is not car dependent,” he said. “Building it in a way that kind of integrates into the community, and not just being kind of a walled garden.”
The community has another chance to conversate with BART officials about TOD housing, and earn a free sticker, during their second open house event on Wednesday, Oct. 8, from 7:30 to 9:30am.
