Location maps and Boundary Selection

Work In Progress, 1/7/07

1. HBP - Hacienda Business Park, Pleasanton.  http://www.hacienda.org/ 

• Census Tract 450722 map (from http://factfinder.census.gov/):  hbp_tract450722.pdf.  This census tract covers about 20% more land than would normally be considered HBP, stretching too far to the East. 

2. SSF - South San Francisco's biotech park to the East of Hwy 101

• Census Tract 602300 map: SSF_tract6023.pdf.  For SSF, Tract 6023 is a good fit, but 33% is West of Highway 101, and should not be included. This West of 101 area has light industrial / warehouse, sprinkled with housing.  Census blocks 6001.3046 and 6001.3047 have tall office buildings in Brisbane that should be included, however, including Tract 6001 would not be helpful, as there is lots of light industrial / warehouse that would be included.  An advanced transit circulator system serving the SSF office park would also probably serve the north end of San Francisco airport, Tract 6043.   

3. SRP - Stanford Research Park, Palo Alto

• Census Tract 511703 map: SRP_tract511703.pdf.  Tract 5117.03 covers most of SRP employment.  There is a bit of office employment north of El Camino that is clipped. 5117.03 also covers a wide expanse of hilly residential area West of Highway 280 in Los Altos Hills.  This area includes Foothill College employment. 5115 covers some office to the North of Page Mill, but also brings in a lot of California Avenue, so was not included.  Thus, 5117.03 by itself understates SRP tech worker employment.  

4. Bish - Bishop's Ranch, San Ramon

• Census Tract 345108 map: bish_tract345108.pdf.  Tract 3451.08 is "standard Bishops." Tract 3451.09 to the south includes Chevron and other office buildings, and makes sense to include. This tract has offices and residential.  Tract 3451.05 was left out, but are multi-story office complexes (casting long shadows in the aerial photography) that are very close by. There appears to be significant retail in this tract, part of the reason it was left out.

• Office park and shuttle bus map: http://www.bishopranch.com/transportation/br_transit_map.pdf  

5. Emery - Emeryville: A dense one square mile edge city with more than 1MM square feet of retail and significant residential

• Census Tract 425100 map: emery_tract4251.pdf.   Tract 4251 is a good fit.  It includes Emeryville to the West of San Pablo Avenue, cutting off the residential to the East of San Pablo Ave.  Included in this tract are many retail jobs, as Emeryville has extensive retail with regional draw.  The tract includes Emeryville South of Ashby Avenue, a good point to stop on the top.  This tract is served by Emery-Go-Round.

6. Stan - Stanford: encompasses the University, the regional Stanford Shopping Center, Stanford Hospital, and downtown Palo Alto.  

• Census Tract map: stan_tract511604.pdf.  The '99 VTA Commute Service Study only included Stanford, but, now, VTA's preference is to include Palo Alto's downtown employment. This makes sense as there is good connectivity to Caltrain on both the West and East sides. In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• Tracts 511604 and 511605 encompass Stanford.  Tract 511300 encompasses downtown Palo Alto, and also includes many single family home neighborhoods without jobs.

7. Shore - Shoreline Business Park, Mountain View.  Includes Google campus

• Census Tract map: shoreline_tract504601.pdf.  
  • VTA's boundary preference is to also include nearby employment on Palo Alto's Embarcadero Road, by the Palo Alto Airport. It's hard to imagine a transit circulator system servicing the main area of employment and the nearby area, as these areas are served by differing Caltrain stations.  In addition, a protect wetlands area will prohibit office growth that could truly connect these areas into a single area.  Census agrees with VTA's boundary, as Census Tract 504601 includes both.  504601 also includes a small portion of the Moffet Field area, but only the residential portion by Orion Park, where there are no jobs. It can be argued that the Census Tract should follow the very extreme transportation split caused by Stevens Creek, as no roads cross the creek. 
  • VTA's boundary preference is to include portions of the two Tracts southwest of Highway 101, 510801 (Sun's old campus that is being turned into housing) and 509304. Tract 509304 doesn't have many office workers, it contains light industrial.  Thus, this tract was left OUT.  As of 2006, 510801 does not have many office workers anymore.  In addition, 510801 connects to a different Caltrain station than the main Shoreline employment area.  Thus, this tract was also left OUT.    

8. Moffet - Moffet Field, Mountain View

• Census Tract map: moffet_tract504602.pdf. Tract 504700 is a good fit.  Census has completely failed us by creating a misshapen Tract 504602.  This tract includes crucial employment carrying East to Carribean Drive, but then it extends all the way to I880, including relatively new office that has no connection with Moffett. This tract is a disappointingly large amalgam of disparate locations.  With reservations, Tract 504602 WAS included.  

9. Whisman - Employment near Central Expressway in Mountain View.  

• Census Tract map: whisman_tract509102.pdf.  VTA's boundary preference covers 4 Tracts, with 3 Tracts leaking outside of the VTA boundary.  509108 is too large, but we bring in primarily residential at the North, with a bit of light industrial.  509109 is too large, bringing in extra residential.  509102 is a good fit.   509000 has jobs on the North portion, but is mostly residential, so, it was left it OUT.  In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

10. GreatAm - Great America employment Area, Santa Clara

• Census Tract map: greatam_tract505001.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• VTA boundary preference covers 4 tracts, with 1 leaking outside of the VTA shape.  Tract 504802 is too large, encompassing extra residential to the South, and one additional parcel of office. Tracts 505001, 504901, and 505007 provide a good fit.  504901 contributes very few workers, so could easily be discarded (but was not).  

11. nFirst - North First street employment Area, San Jose

• Census Tract map: nFirst_tract505005.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• VTA boundary preference covers 2 tracts.  Tract 505005 is a good fit.  Tract 505006 is far too big, and leaks into the San Jose Airport major employment center.

12. 237680 - Employment southwest of the 237/680 interchange, including the Great Mall, Milpitas

• Census Tract map: 237680_tract504504.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• Tract 504504 is just a bit too large, encompassing extra residential by I880. This tract includes the Milpitas Great Mall, so this major employment center includes a significant retail worker population.  Tract 504505 is just a bit too large, encompassing extra residential by I880.  Tract 504310 is a good, but not perfect, fit. 

13. oakmead - Employment near Central Expressway in Sunnyvale  

• Census Tract map: oakmead_tract505202.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• Tract 505202 is just a bit too large, picking up some extra residential and jobs by the San Jose Airport.  Tract 508704 is about 33% too large, encompassing extra development to the West.  

14. SJC - Employment southwest of San Jose Airport

• Census Tract map: SJC_tract505100.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green:

• Tract 505006 is already included in the nFirst employment center, is not included.  Tract 505100 provides a good fit.  

15. Cup - Cupertino - includes Apple Computer Campus

• Census Tract map: cup_tract508101.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• Tract 507806 is twice desired size.  Tract 508101 is about 20% too large.  Tract 508102 provides a good fit.  Tract 508001 is about 60% too large.  Tract 507701 is too large. 

16. IBM - IBM Santa Teresa employment center, southeast San Jose

• Census Tract map: ibm_tract512032.pdf
• In the following GIF, VTA's business park boundary is colored red, and the associated Census Tracts are shown green: 

• Tracts 512033 and 512032 cover an area roughly twice the size of VTA's preferred boundary.  

17. Walnut - downtown Walnut Creek

• Census Tract map: walnut_tract3390.pdf.  Tract 3390 covers the concentration of employment well.