El Cerrito Plaza station
{{Short description|Rapid transit station in El Cerrito, California, US}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}
{{Infobox station
| name = El Cerrito Plaza
| style = BART
| symbol = yes
| symbol_location = bart
| image = El Cerrito Plaza BART Station platform.jpg
| image_caption = Platforms at El Cerrito Plaza station in 2017
| address = 6699 Fairmount Avenue
| borough = El Cerrito, California
| coordinates = {{coord|37.902694|-122.298968|region:US_type:railwaystation|display=inline,title}}
| owned = Bay Area Rapid Transit
| line = BART R-Line
| structure = Elevated
| platform = 2 side platforms
| tracks = 2
| connections = {{bus icon}} AC Transit: 71, 72, 72M, 79, 80, 667, 668, 675, 684, G
{{bus icon}} Bear Transit: RFS
| parking = 761 spaces
| bicycle = 30 lockers
| accessible = Yes
| passengers = {{BART ridership|El Cerrito Plaza}}
| pass_year = {{BART ridership|date}}
| code = {{BART code|PLZA}}
| opened = January 29, 1973{{BART History}}
| services = {{Adjacent stations|system=BART
|line1=Orange|left1=North Berkeley|right1=El Cerrito del Norte
|line2=Red|left2=North Berkeley|right2=El Cerrito del Norte
}}
| mapframe = yes
| mapframe-zoom = 14
}}
El Cerrito Plaza station is a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station in El Cerrito, California, located adjacent to the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center. It primarily serves southern El Cerrito, northern Albany, and Kensington, along with nearby portions of Berkeley and Richmond. Nearly identical in form to El Cerrito del Norte station, El Cerrito Plaza station has two side platforms serving the line's two elevated tracks, with a fare lobby underneath. The Ohlone Greenway runs through the station area. The station is served by the Orange and Red lines.
History
The BART Board approved the name "El Cerrito Plaza" in December 1965.{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/oakland-tribune/144328970/ |title=Names Approved for 38 Rapid Transit Stations Around Bay |newspaper=Oakland Tribune |date=December 10, 1965 |page=10 |via=Newspapers.com}} The station opened on January 29, 1973. As with El Cerrito del Norte station, the escalator walls feature tile mosaics by Alfonso Pardiñas.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.eichlernetwork.com/article/how-bart-got-art |title=How BART got ART |publisher=Eichler Network |first=Dave |last=Weinstein |magazine=CA-Modern |page=6}} UC Berkeley music professor Jorge Liderman committed suicide at the station on February 3, 2008.{{cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Composer-Liderman-dies-in-apparent-suicide-3227981.php |title=Composer Liderman dies in apparent suicide |date=February 4, 2008 |first=Joshua |last=Kosman |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle}} Conceptual plans for modernization of the two El Cerrito stations were released in December 2013.{{cite book |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/El%20Cerrito%20BART%20Stations%20Modernization%20Study%20-%20FINAL.pdf |title=El Cerrito Plaza and Del Norte Stations Modernization Concept Plans - Final Report |date=December 13, 2013 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} Thirteen BART stations, including El Cerrito Plaza, did not originally have faregates for passengers using the elevator. In 2020, BART started a project to add faregates to elevators at these stations. Two new faregates at El Cerrito Plaza installed in May 2022.{{Cite web |title=New Fare Gates & Station Hardening |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904224616/https://www.bart.gov/about/projects/fare-gate |archive-date=September 4, 2023 |date=July 2023}}
In 2018, BART and the city of El Cerrito signed a memorandum of understanding to begin planning for transit-oriented development to replace surface parking lots at the station.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-04/2018%20BART-City%20MOU%20Fully%20Executed.pdf |title=Memorandum of Understanding |date=February 28, 2018 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} A developer was chosen in November 2020. A total of six buildings with about 750 residential units are planned.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/about/business/tod/el-cerrito-plaza |title=El Cerrito Plaza TOD |date=April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240513220706/https://www.bart.gov/about/business/tod/el-cerrito-plaza |archive-date=May 13, 2024 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} Per BART policy to limit parking replacement at urban stations, BART parking will be reduced from 761 spaces to 145 spaces.{{cite web |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/August%2014%20Station%20Open%20House%20Boards_0.pdf |title=El Cerrito Plaza Transit-Oriented Development |date=August 14, 2019 |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}}{{cite book |url=https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/2024-03/2024%20BART%20TOD%20Work%20Plan%20Update_Public%20Draft.pdf |page=7 |date=March 2024 |title=BART Transit-Oriented Development Program Work Plan: 2024 Update |publisher=San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District}} The first building was approved by the city in 2023. {{As of|December 2024}}, construction of the buildings is expected to begin in 2025, with all completed within 4 years.{{Cite web |title=Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) AT EL CERRITO PLAZA BART Station {{!}} El Cerrito, CA - Official Website |url=https://www.el-cerrito.org/1381/Transit-Oriented-Development-TOD |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=www.el-cerrito.org}}
Bus connections
File:AC Transit buses at El Cerrito Plaza station, July 2018.JPG
Busways on both sides of the station serve a number of AC Transit bus routes:{{cite web |url=http://www.actransit.org/wp-content/uploads/HSP_ECP-stops.pdf |title=Transit Stops: El Cerrito Plaza Station |publisher=Metropolitan Transportation Commission |date=March 29, 2017}}
The busways are also used by the Bear Transit RFS route. Several other AC Transit routes — including rapid route 72R, Transbay routes L and LC, and All Nighter route 800 — run on San Pablo Avenue {{convert|0.25|miles}} to the west.
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References
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External links
{{commons category-inline}}
- [http://www.bart.gov/stations/plza/index.aspx BART - El Cerrito Plaza]
- [https://www.bart.gov/about/business/tod/el-cerrito-plaza BART – El Cerrito Plaza TOD]
{{Bay Area Rapid Transit|state=collapsed}}
Category:Bay Area Rapid Transit stations in Contra Costa County, California
Category:Stations on the Orange Line (BART)
Category:Stations on the Red Line (BART)
Category:El Cerrito, California
Category:Railway stations in the United States opened in 1973
Category:Bus stations in Contra Costa County, California
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