The new stores are not yet open, and a large housing complex is incomplete, but the city of Emeryville has opened up the new configuration of Shellmound Street near the Public Market. It now loops past the Market through what had been the parking lot, and incorporates bright green parking-protected bike lanes that rise to sidewalk level and loop behind the new bus stops.
The bus stops now have shelter and benches and a wide place to wait for the bus, instead of the former configuration which left bus riders standing almost in the street. The new GoBike station next to the Public Market, conveniently located next to the new southbound bike lane on the same side of Shellmound as the Market, is seeing a lot of use.
Other newness: wayfinding for pedestrians and bicyclists, deep bioswales to collect rainwater, and a few clearly marked parking spots inset into the plantings, leaving the rest of the street free of parked cars. The parking lot is now on the other side of Shellmound, with clearly marked pedestrian crossings. Those who choose to drive and park transform into pedestrians as they approach the Market, adding to the overall feel of a much calmer, people-oriented space.
Overall, the changes bring a dramatic difference in feel to Shellmound; what had been a vehicle through-way now has a walkable, pedestrian-oriented scale.
