Originally, El Camino Real linked the Spanish Missions from San Diego to Sonoma. Now, cities from Daly City to San Jose want to make the road a "Grand Boulevard" that models transit oriented development (TOD). A collaboration of cities, counties, and local agencies created the Grand
Boulevard Initiative in 2008 to improve the performance, safety, and aesthetics of El Camino Real.
The Grand Boulevard Initiative provides a framework that guides the development process. There are several sketches of what zones may look like, along with some projects that have been completed. The completed projects showcase restored historical buildings and new mixed use buildings flanking pedestrian friendly neighborhoods. Planners hope the entire corridor will evolve from a long stretch of asphalt to a string of small centerpieces of urban communities.
In the current phase of the initiative, the boulevard coalition posted a google map of the corridor online (http://grandboulevard.net) and oversaw the adoption of the guiding principles by nineteen cities. As public agencies formalize agreements and finalize development plans, the transformation will slowly emerge.
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