Mobile Workshops

The mobile workshops available as part of Rail~Volution 2008 offer participants a first-hand look at the Bay Area’s unique communities that emphasize the role of transit and bicycling, effective design, public/private partnerships and innovations in sustainability.  Conference attendees are limited to two mobile workshops per person and includes additional fees. Pre-registration is strongly recommended. Some last-minute cancellations occur, so there may be extra mobile workshop opportunities available on site. Pre-register now via web, fax, or mail (see registration page or brochure).

Please check your mobile workshop choices to make sure you don’t miss key workshops and other conference activities – some overlap! 

1  Dublin Transit Center/Castro Valley BART           
Monday, October 27   8:00 am–12:30 pm
Take the BART train to the terminus of the Dublin-Pleasanton Line in the East Bay community of Dublin and see first-hand how a public/private partnership can create a successful suburban transit station area with high-density housing units, an office campus area, a hotel and retail uses. For the Castro Valley segment of the mobile workshop, see the first joint development project built on BART land by the Bridge Housing Corporation. In Castro Valley, tour a 96-unit affordable housing development, the recently renovated Strobridge House, and a BART command center police facility.  Cost: $35

2  Fruitvale Village/Hayward BART
Monday, October 27   8:00 am–12:30 pm
Take BART to the award-winning Fruitvale Village at the Fruitvale BART station and see how more than 20 public and private partners created an internationally-recognized model for transit-oriented development. The village encompasses a Head Start center, a Clinica de la Rasa medical facility, California’s first Spanish-oriented public library, a senior center, retail space, bike station and residential units. Later, board BART and visit the Hayward BART station and tour the award-winning Hayward City Hall. Finish with a walking tour of downtown Hayward and see nearly 900 residential units built within a strong pedestrian-transit context.  Cost: $35

3  San Mateo County TOD – Heavy Rail
Monday, October 27   8:00 am–1:00 pm
This scenic mobile workshop will showcase transit-oriented development at three new stations. Ride BART to Millbrae and tour the station area that features a vibrant pedestrian-oriented mixed-use district. Also hear what the city, BART and Samtrans (County Transit) plan for a surface parking lot. Next visit the South San Francisco BART station where TOD development blurs the property boundaries to create an attractive mixed-use district. Finish with a visit to the Colma Station and a TOD of high-density affordable housing with a retail component and the beginning of an additional affordable housing development adjacent to the station.  Cost: $35

4  East Bay Bike Tour: Comparing Present and Past         
Monday, October 27   8:00 am–1:00 pm
Join us on a bicycle tour showcasing the latest improvements and plans for three BART stations in the East Bay. Starting at El Cerrito Del Norte BART, workshop participants will hear about the San Pablo Avenue planning process and check out Baxter Creek Park along a greenway. From there, head to El Cerrito Plaza with a quick stop to see streetscape improvements and coming development. The third stop is an historic transit neighborhood, followed by a ride along the route used for the East Bay Interurban Electric trains. The final stop will be the Ashby BART station.  Cost: $40

5  Embarcadero & Market/Octavia – Former Freeway Neighborhoods
Monday, October 27   9:00 am–12:30 pm
This tour studies how two neighborhoods emerged from the shadows of elevated freeways that were demolished. Begin the tour along the Embarcadero and see the Ferry Plaza, historic F-Market streetcar line, and rejuvenated Ferry Building (new home to the famous farmer’s market). Ride the Muni to Van Ness and Market and walk to Hayes Valley, which underwent a renaissance when the double-decker Central Freeway was razed.  Discuss the ground-breaking Market/Octavia Better Neighborhoods Plan and view the award-winning Octavia Boulevard.  Cost: $35

6  East Bay/San Pablo Avenue Rapid Bus
Monday, October 27   9:00 am–12:30 pm
This mobile workshop illustrates the ongoing evolution of a transit corridor in the Bay Area. View the in-progress transformation of San Pablo Avenue from a traffic-choked state highway lined with auto body shops and liquor stores to a vibrant mixed-use corridor. Ride BART and the AC Transit’s Rapid bus to see how TOD has sprung up in several East Bay communities. Stop along the way and see how new housing, new retail, new transit, and streetscape improvements have worked together to humanize this busy arterial.  Cost: $35

7  Downtown Berkeley/Richmond
Monday, October 27   9:00 am–1:00 pm
Ride BART to the downtown Richmond station, where BART meets Amtrak at a new intermodal station, and then tour the Citywalk TOD. The next stop is the downtown Berkeley BART station, where a walking tour highlights some of downtown’s notable mixed-use development, historical buildings and an innovative stacked parking area. Also hear how the city is considering whether to “daylight” Strawberry Creek, which runs below the street. Lunch will be provided in downtown Berkeley, followed by a tour of the mixed-used Artech Building.  Cost: $35

8  San Francisco Bike Tour
Monday, October 27   9:00 am–12:30 pm (shorter tour)
or until 2:00 pm (longer tour)
Famous for its steep hills, San Francisco is one of the best major bicycling cities in the U.S.  Bicyclists now outnumber cars at peak times on downtown’s historic “main street.”  For this mobile workshop, there are two options – a shorter tour and a longer tour. The shorter option (fewer than 10 miles) will focus on the new neighborhoods near demolished Embarcadero and Central freeways, along with the mural- and culture-rich Mission District.  The longer option (about 20 miles) will view restored wetlands at Crissy Field, the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. Bicycles and lunch are provided.  The pace will be appropriate for all cyclists, but the longer ride will include moderate hills.  Cost: $35

9  Larkspur Landing
Monday, October 27   9:00 am–1:00 pm
Take a brisk and scenic ride that Bay Area commuters have been taking for more than a century – hop on a ferry!  This tour departs from the historic San Francisco Ferry Building across the street from the hotel and connects to Larkspur Landing in Marin County, an emerging multi-modal hub. Take a short walk to site of the terminal station for the proposed SMART commuter rail service, which would run 70 miles north with an adjacent bicycle and pedestrian path. Finish with a short walk to the historic CalPark tunnel.  Cost: $35

10  Mission Bay/T-Third Light Rail Line
Monday, October 27   12:00 pm–4:00 pm
This dynamic mobile workshop showcases a major new light-rail transit project along the entire eastern bay shore of San Francisco. Pass the vibrant South of Market neighborhood and PacBell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. Also visit the Caltrain depot and get a look at construction of the new Mission Bay urban neighborhood. Along the route, workshop participants will see Muni’s Metro East facility under construction and the Central Waterfront Plan area. Tours of the historic Bayview neighborhood, where light rail once again meets Caltrain, and the future subway alignment to Union Square and Chinatown round out the workshop.  Cost: $35

11  Mission District/Glen Park
Monday, October 27   1:00 pm–4:00 pm
This tour studies two neighborhoods developing around BART stations – the predominantly Latino Mission District and the bucolic Glen Park village. Ride BART with city and BART staff and see the distinctive art and plaza landscaping around the BART station, making it a gateway to this fast-changing, dense neighborhood.  Ride BART to nearby Glen Park, where the new Better Neighborhood Plan envisions creek restoration and TOD in the shadow of a rare, pastoral San Francisco canyon. Finish with a tour of the charming Glen Park village.  Cost: $35

12  Oakland HOPE VI TOD
Monday, October 27   1:00 pm–4:00 pm
Visit the city of Oakland’s future home to two Hope VI (the $5 billion innovative urban redevelopment and public housing program) transit-oriented developments that will serve as catalysts to market-rate developments at two BART stations. One development, adjacent to the West Oakland BART station, will produce a diverse range of housing types. Residents will have access to a child care facility, community centers and neighborhood retail. The second development, located near the Coliseum BART station, will transform a 22-acre site in East Oakland into housing, community services and an athletic field.  Cost: $35

13  Pleasant Hill BART Transit Village and Contra Costa Centre
Monday, October 27   1:00 pm–4:30 pm
Travel on the Pittsburg/Bay Point BART line to the Pleasant Hill BART station, where the nearby Pleasant Hill Transit Village is under construction. Hear how, when completed, the village will include 550 residential units, 35,000 square feet of retail space, 270,000 square feet of office space, and a 20,000-square-foot conference center that came together under a unique public/public/private partnership. Also tour the adjacent 140-acre Contra Costa Centre, recently selected by the California State Auto Association as the site for its corporate headquarters.  Cost: $35

14 Downtown Oakland BART Stations (19th Street and City Center)
Monday, October 27 1:00 pm–5:00 pm
Take BART to Oakland to witness the transformation around two downtown Oakland BART stations, resulting in 2,000 new residential units (and more to come), upscale restaurants, art galleries and eclectic retail shops. This walking tour will take you through significant preservation projects and five high-density mixed-use and residential developments. Oakland’s vision of bringing 10,000 residents to its urban core districts is well on its way! This tour will feature public and private sector leaders who are working together to reshape Oakland’s downtown for the 21st century. Cost: $35

15 San Mateo County TOD – Commuter Rail
Tuesday, October 28 1:00 pm–6:00 pm
This mobile workshop focuses on how peninsula towns that were established because of access to rail are being redeveloped. Begin by boarding BART and heading south to Millbrae Intermodal Station, where a proposed TOD would serve as a prime hub for transit connection among multiple agencies. Next, the tour will proceed on Caltrain to the Hillsdale Station where participants will walk/ride through the pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use redevelopment of the Bay Meadows racetrack, and then on to Redwood City. Ride Caltrain’s highly successful Baby Bullet back to San Francisco.  Cost: $35

16 Market Street – F-Line Historic Streetcars along San Francisco’s Transit Spine
Wednesday, October 29 9:00 am–1:00 pm
All aboard the Muni Metro to Castro Street, then ride the F-line trolley down Market Street, San Francisco’s main transit artery. See how San Francisco’s workhouse transit line – with its tourist appeal – offers a scenic alternative to a light-rail transit subway. From the city’s famous Castro District, you’ll pass the construction site of a new surface boulevard that replaces the quake-damaged Central Freeway. At the foot of Market Street lies the Embarcadero, and a new light rail line – served by historic, vintage streetcars – leads to Fisherman’s Wharf. Cost: $35

17 Trails to Rails: Tour of Bike Facilities along Caltrain
Wednesday, October 29 12:00 pm–5:00 pm
Start this bike tour with a visit to Warm Planet Bikes in San Francisco, an innovative partnership that enhances access options for Caltrain riders by providing valet bicycle parking services. See how technology is advancing the accessibility of Caltrain stations for bicycles by using electronic lockers and Bikestation facilities. Learn about Caltrain’s Bicycle Master Plan and see the present and future of biking to Caltrain. The bicycling pace will be comfortable for all ability levels. Participants with or without bicycles are welcome on this tour. Cost: $35

18 Monterey County Rail Vision: on the Beautiful Central Coast
Thursday, October 30 7:30 am–6:00 pm
Join us for an all-day adventure to the Central Coast area of Monterey County. Begin the day with a Muni ride to Caltrain tocatch the Baby Bullet to San Jose, where a charter bus will take the group to Monterey. Learn about the area’s vision for rail and rapid bus access, plans to convert an historic express rail line into a commuter route, and the growing campus of the California State University Monterey Bay. Enjoy a tour of a new environmentally sustainable shopping area, and end the day with a walk along the famous coastal trail. Cost: $50 (lunch not included)

19 Capital Corridor/Sacramento
Thursday, October 30 8:30 am–6:45 pm
Capitol Corridor will play host to an excursion in Sacramento (via bus and train) with the Railyards Redevelopment as a focal point, along with the Sacramento Rail Museum and Old Sacramento. Join city of Sacramento officials and other partners to learn about this exciting redevelopment project in downtown (240 acres in the urban core). The workshop includes a range of development types – including commercial, historical, museum/attractions, and residential. This unique project is a must-see for anyone who wants to see one of this area’s most cutting-edge redevelopments. Cost: $35 (lunch included)

20 Downtown San Jose
Thursday, October 30 10:15–am-6:00 pm
Learn about the dramatic, transit-oriented revitalization of downtown San Jose. The tour begins with a ride on the Caltrain rail line to San Jose, where participants will walk in the downtown area to see new mid-rise residential buildings, entertainment facilities and a river park trail. Learn about the planning process that has guided downtown’s development, including the roles played by the city of San Jose, San Jose development Agency and local developers. Box lunches will be provided on the train to San Jose. Cost: $35