In an effort to build consensus between the City, the land owner and a Developer who had the property under option, Urban Community Partners recommend an internal workshop or Charrette format be used to evaluate development opportunities consistent with the Central Hercules Plan. As an incentive to the prospective developer, the City agreed to hold three separate public meetings with the Planning Commission and City Council in order to obtain feedback and conceptual plan approval for the project. This allowed the developer to gain more certainty of the project approvals prior to financial commitments. Urban Design Associates from Pittsburgh, PA was hired to help facilitate the Charrette and act as the Master Planner.
After an intensive
public charrette process held over a two year period, the City of Hercules
adopted the Central Hercules Plan which regulates the development of several
key parcels in the City. Envisioned as a new city center or downtown for
Hercules, the Central Hercules plan lays out a mixed use, urban district
quite distinct from the other more suburban neighborhoods that dominate
the City of Hercules. However, due to the uniqueness of the regulating
plan, implementation was proving to be difficult.
Due to the complexities of planning a mixed use
project, the City engaged Urban Community Partners to facilitate the planning
and analysis of the Central Hercules Plan and more specifically, the Remediation
Financial Incorporated (RFI) site. The site is within the City's Redevelopment
Area and calls for a higher density mix of housing, town center/main street
retail and job opportunities. The charge for Urban Community Partners
was to ensure that the City's goals and expectations were achieved and
that the intent of the Central Hercules Plan was implemented.
