University of California Transportation Center

Over the past forty years, El Sobrante, California, has changed from a small rural center in the midst of grazing land to a mostly-developed residential suburb. Both San Pablo Dam Road (the main roadway through El Sobrante) and the commercial district stretching along that roadway also have changed. San Pablo Dam Road now serves as a regional arterial as well as El Sobrante’s “Main Street.” The commercial district has attracted new customers from the growing population, but faces new competition from shopping centers and super-stores located off nearby freeway interchanges.

Current planning efforts for El Sobrante aim to balance local and regional traffic needs with the needs of the commercial district for economic revitalization. This study was designed to support those planning efforts. Information was assembled on the district’s development history and an inventory of its current land uses and building stock was carried out. The design and operation of San Pablo Avenue was reviewed, and an inventory of parking was carried out. Overall urban design quality was assessed, considering architectural qualities of the buildings, diversity of uses, building-street relationships, and landscape quality. Assessments of activity in the district and its popular image were carried out by a means of a merchant survey, a shopper survey, and a resident survey. Finally, preliminary suggestions on alternative ways to improve the district were developed.