Downtown Plan Design Charrette: Opening Presentation
Join us for the first event of our multi-day Downtown Plan Design Charrette!
The City of San Rafael is hosting a multi-day design workshop (known as a “Charrette”) from Wednesday, May 8th to Saturday, May 11th to develop an updated master plan for Downtown San Rafael.
The opening presentation will be held at at Jackson Café in the Whistlestop building, next to the SMART station and across the street from the Northwest corner of Bettini Transit Center. It will include a formal presentation by the design team followed by a discussion envisioning the future of Downtown San Rafael. The workshop will be conducted using a hands-on format and is open to all. Pizza and salad will be served!
Check out the Charrette page for a schedule of all Charrette events between May 8 and May 11.
Charrette FAQ
What is a Charrette?
Charette (“cart” in French) is a term often used to describe the final, intense work effort expended by art and architecture students to meet a project deadline. The Downtown San Rafael Charrette is a multiple-day public design workshop that will bring together community members, decision makers, and stakeholders to work with a team led by Opticos Design, the City’s Downtown Plan consultant. Results of the Charrette inform the development of an master plan for Downtown San Rafael. All community members are welcome to attend and share ideas at any and all events throughout the course of the Charette! Feedback will be incorporated through a series of ‘feedback loops’ or meetings over the course of the Charrette.
What is the outcome of a Charrette?
The Charrette will result in several options for further consideration including site plans, framework diagrams and 3D renderings addressing land use and built form, program mixes, transportation and parking concepts as well as preliminary discussion of economic impacts and community benefits. The Charrette will conclude with a public meeting summarizing the results on on Saturday, May 11 from 10AM to 12PM!
What happens after the Charrette?
The community will have the opportunity to look at the Charrette plan options online and post comments on the project website. After the Charrette, the Opticos team will be working on further developing the plan options, and evaluating their performance measured against the project’s guiding principles, design objectives and feasibility indicators. Opticos will use feedback from this website to refine their work on the Downtown Precise Plan.