4

Gathering Places and Open Spaces

Station Square

Charrette participants felt that the BART

station needed a grand civic space as the

focus for the new community. Drawing

inspiration from local public spaces, Station

Square will become the hub of activity for

the new development.

For most participants in this plan-

ning process, the idea of a central

public space at the heart of the

project was extremely compelling. Like

many traditional train stations, the

station within the Pleasant Hill BART

Station Community Plan will face an

adjacent public square.

Coined “Station Square” during the

charrette, this carefully-proportioned

civic space will become the center of

activity within the transit village. It will

terminate both the North-South Retail

Street and the east-west residential Park

Station Square is designed to provide many uses and serve many functions for people –

catching a bus, getting on the BART train, shopping at a local store, heading to work in a

nearby office, dining in an outside café, or just strolling through the neighborhood.

Block. To help create an active, com-

munity-oriented space, buses will be

routed around the square, allowing

convenient transfers to and from

BART and providing easy connections

to the Iron Horse Trail and adjacent

neighborhoods.

Ground floor retail and civic uses

will face the square, with residences

and offices on upper floors. Generous

sidewalks will accommodate outdoor

dining and provide a pleasant place to

walk.

“The BART presentations last night were

fascinating. It is clear that you all (the

design team) have invested a tremendous

amount of effort, talent, and expense into

the process, and the results were impres-

sive indeed . . . You have been able to put

together an effective process which has

allowed a great opportunity for public

input on design, codes and overall project

scope. Great job!”

F. RUSSEL MECHEM, II

Charette participant

The BART StationTakes on a CivicPresenceDuring the Charrette, it became

apparent that the BART Station itself

could play a vital role as symbolic

anchor for the new community at the

Pleasant Hill BART Station. Because

of the Station’s central function and

location, façade upgrades were drawn

to help integrate it with the architec-

tural character of the buildings pro-

posed around Station Square.

Initial concepts from the

Charrette helped participants begin

to visualize the Station façade

improvements. Subsequent study of

the existing facilities suggested

additional options that were primarily

focused on the integration of the

existing columns and structural ele-

ments with the proposed new façade.

Several options were developed.

The principle shape of the station

is similar in all options. The major

difference is how the façade is

resolved at the base. The original

Charrette façade has one long sloping

arch, with a tower at its center. Other

options resolve the underside of the

Station either with a colonnade or

with smaller arches.