What are we doing?

The Grand Boulevard Initiative is a historic collaboration of over 30 different cities, agencies, and other organizations who are working together to improve the look and feel of one of our region’s major thoroughfares, El Camino Real.

Why are we doing it?

We want El Camino Real to achieve its full potential as a place for residents to work, live and shop, creating links between communities that promote walking and transit and an improved and meaningful quality of life.

Who’s involved?

Joint Venture coordinates this effort with four partners: City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County (C/CAG), San Mateo County Transit District (SamTrans), Santa Clara Transportation Authority (VTA), and SAMCEDA (San Mateo Economic Development Association). The work is overseen by the Grand Boulevard Task Force, which includes every city on El Camino between San Jose and San Francisco, housing advocates, the developer community, transit providers, and all of the regional and state agencies having partial responsibility for the street.  The Task Force is co-chaired by SamTrans General Manager Mike Scanlon and Joint Venture President Russell Hancock.

What are the latest developments?

• Received $75,000 in grant support from the Silicon Valley Community Foundation and $100,000 in local government support from C/CAG for the Economic and Housing Opportunities Assessment (ECHO). This assessment will determine El Camino Real’s overall housing and commercial development potential and examine the economic opportunities available along the corridor.
• 17 public agencies and 5 supporting organizations have adopted the GBI Guiding Principles, which lay out the shared values of the group for development along El Camino.
• Work is wrapping up on the Multimodal Corridor Study, an 18-month, 2-county study of future development and design scenarios that will improve the corridor's functionality for cars, bikes, and pedestrians.
• Awards of Excellence for achievements in planning and development along the Grand Boulevard were bestowed on May 13, 2010. The honorees were from 6 communities along the corridor:
• City of Daly City -  7555 Mission Street - Habitat for Humanity Condominum Project
  
• City of Menlo Park - El Camino Real/Downtown Vision Plan
• City of Mountain View - 1984 West El Camino Real - The Hanover Company Mixed-Use Development
• City of San Bruno - Acappella Apartments and Grand Luxe Peninsula Condominiums at the Crossing
• City of San Carlos - 2030 General Plan and Climate Action Plan
• City of South San Francisco - Centennial Way Linear Park
• City of South San Francisco - Park Station Lofts

What are the next steps?

• The Task Force meets on September 15, 2010 to review the ECHO study's findings.
  
• Outreach and community meetings on the Multimodal Corridor study continues.

Where do I find out more?

• Progress on this initiative is reported in detail on the Grand Boulevard website: http://www.grandboulevard.net
  
• Contact Kara Gross at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 408.298.9334.