The San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) is leading implementation of the San Pablo Avenue Green Stormwater Spine Project (Project). The demonstration Project will implement green infrastructure such as permeable walkway surfaces, bioretention, and flow-through planters at select sites along San Pablo Avenue within El Cerrito, as well as, Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, Richmond, and San Pablo. This project builds off a similar partnership between the City and SFEP to complete the San Pablo Avenue Rain Gardens Project in 2010. Beginning in 2012, City staff worked with SFEP to evaluate potential locations for the Project within El Cerrito.

Potential project locations were evaluated based on the amount of runoff that could be treated as well as the relative simplicity of construction given the availability of existing storm drain infrastructure and minimal conflicting improvements. The selected location in El Cerrito is on the east side of San Pablo Avenue just south of Moeser Lane (10500 Block of San Pablo Avenue). The design of the green infrastructure improvements meets the City’s multi-modal mobility, economic development, and urban greening goals and implements a pilot section of the adopted San Pablo Avenue Complete Streets Plan. The design is aimed to improve the attractiveness of the area for both pedestrians and nearby businesses, as well as, provide accessibility, minimize on-street parking loss, and accommodate a separated bikeway.

SFEP completed the bid process and issued Notices of Award to Ghilotti Bros, Inc. of San Rafael in 2016. The construction started at the Oakland and Richmond sites began in late 2016. Construction in El Cerrito pending resolution of utility conflicts.