Downtown Precise Plan
Overview
The Downtown Precise Plan (DPP) is the City of Orinda’s most recent effort in revising its downtown development standards and establishing mixed-use and residential design standards for the Theatre and Village districts.
Downtowns are a cultural icon for many communities. The intent behind the 2020 Council-directed planning effort for Orinda’s downtown—the DPP—is to ensure that new investment supports and maintains what the community values. The DPP identifies and establishes a downtown vision that will be implemented through future development, and coordinate a series of subsystems such as land use, parking, and urban design to meet overall development goals and objectives.
As an adopted statement of policy in the form of text, maps, and graphics, the DPP will guide public and private actions that affect the future. Ultimately, the DPP provides decision makers with the information they need to make informed decisions affecting the long-range social, economic, and physical growth of Orinda’s downtown.
Plan Elements
Introduction
An overview of the DPP, its scope and structure, process, and future DPP-related programming.
San Pablo Creek
The history of San Pablo creek restoration efforts and a guidebook for future restoration efforts. The intent is for future restoration efforts to result in a publicly-accessible natural amenity that connects areas of downtown with nearby trails and enhances downtown’s charm.
Existing Conditions
A snapshot of the community profile and economy; major land-use and features; adopted policies, regulations and plans; downtown characteristics and property conditions; circulation; and natural features and infrastructure.
Utilities, Services, & Infrastructure
An overview of existing conditions and the potential impacts upon utilities, services, and infrastructure. A discussion of the PG&E transmission lines that run through downtown.
Vision and Guiding Principles
The envisioned form that the future downtown area will take, a series of principles to guide the city’s efforts toward specific outcomes, and supporting goals and policies.
Appendices
Draft Objective Design Standards, ConnectOrinda Plan, San Pablo Creek Memo, Economic Development Feasibility Memo, and Downtown Redevelopment Potential Memo. View all Appendices here.
Adopted Downtown Precise Plan
The Downtown Precise Plan was adopted by the City Council on January 31, 2023. View the DPP Appendices by clicking here.
2020 Survey Results
An online survey was conducted in May 2020 to obtain the public’s feedback on downtown Orinda. A series of 13 open-ended, rating scale, and demographic questions were asked in the survey. 728 responses were received with 97% of the respondents indicating they live in Orinda. Survey questions included:
On a scale of 1 to 100, how satisfied are you with downtown Orinda?
What are three things you like most about Orinda’s Downtown?
What are three things you like least about Orinda’s Downtown?
Name a building or address that you think would fit well in downtown Orinda.
What is your personal vision for the future of downtown Orinda?
2022 Survey Results
An online survey was conducted in April 2022 to obtain feedback on resident satisfaction with downtown Orinda. 493 responses were received and 32.9% of respondents indicated they are dissatisfied with the existing overall experience of downtown Orinda. Questions included:
What activities do you do in Downtown Orinda?
How satisfied are you with the general retail options, café and restaurant options, grocery options, and public spaces of Downtown Orinda?
How satisfied are you with the way Downtown Orinda looks?
What qualities do you like and dislike most about Downtown Orinda?