Washington Boulevard

The Future in the Making

We are also focusing on planning for Washington Boulevard at the same time as the General Plan. Recent improvements that widened the street allow truck traffic to move more efficiently and reduce traffic backups. Now, we need to plan future land uses that will improve and maintain the street’s economic vitality.

We are considering many options, including allowing a broader range of commercial uses, facilitating mixed-use (commercial and residential) development, repurposing alleys, and re-evaluating parking standards.

Green Zones Working Group

The plans for Atlantic Boulevard and Washington Boulevard are based on work by the Commerce Green Zones Working Group. The Working Group convened in 2011 to address concerns raised by the City’s Environmental Justice Advisory Task Force about how close hazardous sources are to sensitive land uses such as homes, schools, and churches. The group worked for over a year and delivered a set of recommendations (Green Zones Working Group Recommendations Report) to the City Council that included changing land uses and strategies to attract new business that will contribute to the City’s economic development and improved quality of life.

All work on the General Plan Update will build on the Green Zones Working Group recommendations. The entire Commerce community will have opportunities to contribute their ideas as part of the planning process.