Concord’s downtown plan targets business, housing

It’s a Tuesday night in downtown Concord, and things are hoppin’.
A couple hundred people lounge in Todos Santos Plaza listening to a blues band, coupled with the sounds of children laughing in the playground. Food Trucks from Off-the-Grid line Salvio Street, while patrons of local restaurants – including the new Hop Grenade taproom — pack outdoor seating areas.
The Tuesday Night Blues series has become a trendy event in July, second only to the wildly popular Thursday Night Music and Market series, which draws thousands to the area around the plaza, and it’s no secret why.
“The quality of the entertainment, coupled with the restaurants and businesses, make downtown Concord a great place to be,” says John Montagh, the city’s Economic Development and Housing Manager.
And if the city has its way, this will be the norm for decades to come. The city council last month adopted the Downtown Specific Plan, which will direct growth and development in the blocks in and around the historic plaza. The plan envisions a district as bustling, transit-oriented, urban space serving as both a magnet of activity for the city, as well as a more regional commuter hub for central Contra Costa County.
It has a good start, Montagh says, if only because the plaza anchors the downtown, and much of the city’s events and activities are held there. And not only do Concord residents flock to downtown, it’s pulling fans from neighboring communities as well.
“We come every Thursday night,” says Walnut Creek resident Sandi Hollander. “We love just hanging out in the plaza with friends, listening to music. It’s become ‘the thing’ to do during the summer.”
Vibrant downtown
But it’s not just in the summer months that Todos Santos Plaza hosts activities.
“Downtown Concord has become more vibrant than ever,” says Concord planning commissioner Carlyn Obringer. She attributes that to a number of things. “There is practically always something going on, from the Winter Brews Festival in January, to the AAUW-Concord Art and Wine (and Beer!) Walk the day before Mother’s Day, to the summer Music and Market events, to the Tree Lighting Ceremony in December. Downtown Concord has become an attractive place to be, year round.”
She says that “with more people living downtown moving here from other parts of the Bay Area, the demand for interesting, specialty places to eat and drink is growing.” She points to the  success of La Sen Bistro, Naan-n-Curry, Ravioli’s, E.J. Phair Concord Alehouse, The Pig & The Pickle, The Hop Grenade and Sweet Tart. “The addition of patios to many of the business fronts has also made dining and drinking downtown a more exciting and inviting experience,” she says.
And it’s not just for people seeking a good time after work. Montagh says he has seen an uptick in the number of inquiries from businesses and developers eager to move downtown.
Both Obringer and Montagh are quick to point out that the new specific plan doesn’t just encompass the streets surrounding Todos Santos, but stretches down Salvio Street to the back side of the Park and Shop center, north to Mt. Diablo High School, and south to include the downtown BART station.
Housing anchors plan
The revitalization plan adopted by the city council in June culminates 18 months of staff and community meetings, said Senior Planner Joan Ryan. “It’s a tool to jumpstart development, improve transit, and increase business and housing.”
The plan calls for “leading with rooftops,” a phrase that means that the multi-family housing created will drive other development. The city envisions 3,120 new apartments, 96 townhomes and 250 live-work lofts, with a mix of affordability.
It will be supported by “alternative” transportation methods, which means BART and new bike and pedestrian walkways that will connect to the transit station, Todos Santos Plaza, the Park and Shop Center and Ellis Lake Park.
“There will be wider sidewalks for pedestrians and more bike paths,” Ryan told the council.
The vision also calls for a mix of retail, business and office space, often occupying the lower floors of the mixed-use housing.
The plan, which was supported by the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, is designated as a Priority Development Area, one of just a handful in the Bay Area, and will be eligible to receive federal and state grants, Montagh says.
The downtown plan was eagerly embraced by council members. “I never thought I’d see this day 40 years ago, when we were just starting to plan for the downtown,” says council member Dan Helix, who served on the city council back in the 1970s. “It’s better by far than I ever imagined.”
Vice-mayor Ron Leone, who served as chair of the Downtown Steering Committee, says he is pleased that there is finally a vision for parts of the city that are underdeveloped and under-utilized. “This doesn’t end haphazardly,” he says. Obringer says that as a resident and a planning commissioner, the one thing she is disappointed in about the plan is that it doesn’t include all of the Park and Shop center, but concedes that it would have been difficult for the steering committee to include so many business owners in the process.
“With that said, I think that the plan includes a good compromise of connecting the Todos Santos area with the back side of Park and Shop, by activating Salvio Street,” she says.
Now the city will seek to get grants and find funding to start the long-term development process, which will stretch to the year 2030.
But already, if the vibrant summer of 2014 is any indication, downtown Concord is on its way.
For more information on the Downtown Specific Plan, visit the website at www.ci.concord.ca.us/downtownplan/.