August 2006

The Bernal Property Specific Plan process was conducted in two phases. The Phase I Plan was adopted by the City Council in August 2000. It focused primarily on the 198-acre "private" development portion of the total 516-acre Bernal Property.

Phase II covers the remaining 318 acres of the Bernal Property that were publicly dedicated by the Phase I developer.

The Preliminary Draft Phase II Specific Plan was developed by the Bernal Property Task Force in May 2002. The City Council conducted six public workshops in 2003 and then choose to sponsor a national design competition for the Phase II Specific Plan area prior to completing its informal input on the Preliminary Draft Plan. MD Fotheringham, Landscape Architects (MDF) was ultimately chosen as the winning design competition firm by the Council in August 2004, and a City contract was soon after awarded to MDF to provide professional design assistance for updating the Preliminary Draft Plan. City staff and consultants then merged the MDF design competition concept with the Preliminary Draft Plan. An environmental impact report (EIR) was also prepared.

The updated Draft Phase II Specific Plan and EIR were approved by the City Council on May 16, 2006. The land use component of the Phase II Specific Plan is subject to ratification by a vote of the citizens, potentially in November 2006.

The vision for the Phase II Plan Area is that it become an open space/park-like setting within which public and quasi-public uses and facilities are to be carefully integrated. The unifying landscape character is to be one of a "sustainable" open space arboretum. The underlying land use within which all future development is to be integrated consists of open space. The open space area is to feature a coordinated system of linkages including planted woodlands and meadows, restored and recreated channels, lakes and ponds, vegetated storm-water detention basins, other wetlands, trails, public art, and protected view corridors.

Within this stetting, a variety of public and quasi-public uses and facilities may be considered for development. Potentially permitted uses within the Phase II Plan Area are listed below.

Potential Land Uses

1. Agricultural club
2. Agriculture
3. Child care
4. Community vegetable garden
5. Cultural arts facilities
   a. Art classrooms
   b. Art gallery
   c. Rehearsal space
   d. Theater (800-seat indoor facility for the performing arts)
6. Educational facilities
7. Environmental education center
8. Fire station
9. Native American history reflective area
10. Open space
11. Park and recreation uses (including lighted sports fields and amphitheater)
12. Park-and-ride commuter parking lot
13. Public utilities and improvements
14. Trails
15. Youth/community center

Due to the extensive traffic circulation improvements that were constructrd in conjunction with Phase I development, a relatively limited extent of roads, and other infrastructure will be necessary to accommodate Phase II development. Phase II transportation improvements include a new collector street connecting Pleasanton Avenue at Bernal Avenue south to Valley Avenue, traffic roundabouts and pedestrian safety medians, bus stops, trails and staging areas, and a potential park-and-ride commuter parking lot.

Links to related documents are listed below:

• Draft Environmental Impact Report for the Bernal Property Phase II Specific Plan and the Bernal Community Park Master Plan, January 2006 (pdf)
  
  
• Final Environmental Impact Report - Responses to Comments, April 2006 (pdf)
  
  
  
• Bernal Property Phase II Specific Plan(pdf)
  
  
• Bernal Community Park Master Plan(pdf)