Richmond celebrates
opening
of new regional transit center
By Clifford L. Williams,
Globe City Editor
Richmond took
center stage last week when city, county, state
and federal officials held a ceremony to celebrate
the opening of the new Richmond Transit Station
at Macdonald Avenue and 16th Street.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony included
representatives from the city, West Contra Costa
Transportation Advisory Committee, Capitol Corridor
(Amtrak), BART and Golden Gate Transit.
Centrally
located in Richmond’s downtown, the transit
station is adjacent to the historic Macdonald Avenue
corridor, where major mixed-use development projects
and streetscape improvements are underway as part
of Richmond’s Macdonald Avenue Revitalization
Plan.
The new 2,880-square-foot Richmond Transit
Station building will function as a regional transit
hub, providing links between BART, bus transit and
Amtrak. Funded by local, state and private sources
at a cost of $6.4 million, the facility consists
of a new above-ground station building, outdoor plaza
and canopy, elevator, open stairway and public art.
The complex incorporates a seating area, transit
information center and ticketing facility.
The building
was awarded a $1.58 million Transportation for Livable
Communities Grant from the Metropolitan Transportation
Commission for the concession area, plaza, canopy,
elevator, stairway, public art and restrooms.
The
Richmond Transit Station is a key component of the
Metro Walk at Richmond Transit Village, which consists
of 231 for-sale housing units, 27,000 square feet
of retail space, an 800-space parking garage and
a multi-agency police facility.
“This project
is a great incentive to attract green businesses
to relocate here, as well as an incentive for people
to get out of their cars and utilize mass transportation,” said
Richmond Mayor Gayle McLaughlin. “Commuters
are now able to take AC Transit to BART or Amtrak
or from Amtrak to AC Transit and so forth.
“In
addition, as the city continues to explore the idea
of modern street cars, we may eventually be able
to take people from this station to the shoreline
and other points of interest in the city.”
Lynette
Sweet, president of the BART board of directors,
said, “I think we all feel like proud parents
celebrating another major milestone in a child’s
life. The Richmond Transit Village is our baby.
“[The
Transit Station] will make the Village and BARTeven
safer for riders and residents because it will house
various police departments in the facility. This
mere presence will help to deter crime. Second, [it]
will provide a clean, safe and dry area for passengers
to wait for their bus, and we may think about putting
in some heat, too. And lastly, it will help improve
Richmond’s economy by offering retail space
at safe and visible spots for small business owners
to grow their establishments.”
