El Camino Real Advocates Awarded for Improving Peninsula's Main Street

Contributed by Will Reisman:

The Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI) is recognizing more than a dozen projects and plans that set the stage for improvements to the El Camino Real corridor. These initiatives, undertaken over the last three years, reflect GBI’s vision for El Camino. 

The honorees were chosen because they best reflected the core goals set forth by the Grand Boulevard coalition, which include promoting pedestrian-oriented environments, creating high-quality urban design, and developing a balanced, multimodal corridor along El Camino Real.

The following nearby projects were given awards:

San Bruno - San Bruno Transit Corridors Plan Visionary plan
San Mateo County - North Fair Oaks Community Plan Visionary plan
South San Francisco - El Camino Real Plan Amendments Visionary plan
Palo Alto - El Camino Real/Stanford Ave Streetscape Improvements Public project
Millbrae - Belamor Private project
Palo Alto - Tree House Apartments Private project
Palo Alto - 101 Lytton Private project
Redwood City - Cedar Street Apartments Private project
Redwood City - The Lane on the Boulevard Private project
San Mateo - Peninsula Station Private project
South San Francisco - 636 El Camino Mid-Peninsula Housing Private project 

For a full list and further details of the projects honored by the GBI, visit www.grandboulevard.net. The Grand Boulevard Task Force announced the award-winners at its meeting on Sept. 25.

The GBI includes cities, government agencies and community leaders in San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. 

The San Mateo County Transit District staffs the Grand Boulevard Initiative with support from co-sponsors the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County, Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and San Mateo Economic Development Association. 

The GBI was formed in 2006 to help coordinate improvement efforts along the 43-mile stretch of El Camino Real in the Peninsula, although there are no binding resolutions set forth by the group.

Ultimately, the GBI seeks to transform El Camino Real into a boulevard that will stand as a highlight of civic collaboration, successfully fulfilling its role as the Peninsula’s most important arterial, while bringing pride and unity to San Mateo and Santa Clara counties.