Downtown Richmond, Richmond, California facts for kids
Downtown Richmond is the historic center of Richmond, California. It's an important area roughly located between 6th Street on the west, 23rd Street on the east, Barrett Avenue on the north, and Macdonald Avenue on the south.
Years ago, this area was home to large department stores like J.C. Penney and Macy's. But then, in the 1970s, the Hilltop Mall was built, and many of these stores moved there.
Today, the city is working to make Downtown Richmond lively again. They've built the Richmond Shopping Center, which has a big supermarket. Also, the Richmond Transit Village, also called Metro Walk, has been built. The Richmond BART and Amtrak station has been updated, and there's a new bus center for AC Transit and Golden Gate Transit buses. Many jobs in the area come from the Kaiser Permanente hospital and a Social Security Administration office.
Metro Walk: Homes Near Transit
Metro Walk is a special community in downtown Richmond. It's called a "transit village" because it's built right next to public transportation. This makes it easy for people to get around without always needing a car.
The first part of Metro Walk was built on what used to be an empty lot and parking area next to the Richmond BART and Amtrak train station. This first phase includes 132 homes on about eight acres of land.
Homes and What They Offer
The homes at Metro Walk are designed as "cluster homes," which means they are grouped together. They range in size from about 1,395 to 1,615 square feet. When they first went on sale in 2004, they started around $300,000.
There were three main types of homes built in the first phase:
- Bungalows: Smaller, cozy homes.
- Villas: Slightly larger homes.
- Career Homes: These are unique because they have a space on the ground floor that can be used for a small business or as a live/work area. The city even provided a business license for these homes.
Making Downtown Better
Metro Walk is a big project that aims to improve downtown Richmond. It includes single-family houses instead of just apartments. It was built on land that used to be a parking lot and an empty space near the Richmond BART and Amtrak station.
This project was led by the Richmond Redevelopment Agency, working with many other groups like the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and BART. The plan for Metro Walk included:
- Multi-level row houses, some with business spaces.
- Areas for shops and businesses.
- A planned parking garage.
- Parks and a green pathway that connects the station to the downtown area. This path helps people easily reach places like the Social Security Administration building and Kaiser Hospital.
The project also improved the entrance to the train station. The old entrance was a bit hidden, but now it has modern escalators and good lighting. There's even a police substation to help people feel safer.
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