Photo above: El Cerrito Plaza BART station, its parking lots and the Plaza shopping center seen from Albany Hill, July 2018. Pi.1415926535, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
At El Cerrito Plaza BART, the surface parking lots are becoming 743 apartments in six buildings, and the first one, an all-affordable building at 515 Richmond Street, has been under construction since November 2025 with completion targeted for spring 2027. Along San Pablo Avenue, the city’s project list shows one more building under construction, six projects it labels entitled, and five it labels proposed.
Here’s each one, where it stands, and how to check anything near a home you’re looking at.
What is being built at El Cerrito Plaza BART?
Housing, a plaza and a garage for BART riders, in six buildings. The city’s project page describes it this way (City of El Cerrito, Transit-Oriented Development at El Cerrito Plaza BART Station page, checked September 24, 2026):
- 743 apartments in six buildings on what are now BART’s surface parking lots, with 47% of all units rented below market.
- About 22,000 square feet of public open space, including a plaza of about half an acre along Fairmount Avenue.
- 2,100 square feet of commercial space.
- Room for a 20,000 square foot public library next to the plaza, if the city can identify funding.
- A garage with 145 spaces for BART riders, plus 266 spaces for residents. BART’s own page says about 260 resident spaces.
The developers are Related California and Holliday Development. The BART Board picked that team, along with Satellite Affordable Housing Associates, on November 19, 2020 (same city page; BART, El Cerrito Plaza TOD page, checked September 24, 2026).
When will the first building be done?
The city says spring 2027. Phase I is at 515 Richmond Street: six stories, all affordable, with 30 one-bedroom, 19 two-bedroom and 20 three-bedroom apartments at 30% to 60% of area median income. Related California started construction in November 2025, and the city says the waitlist will open in early 2027 (City of El Cerrito, TOD page, checked September 24, 2026).
The sources don’t agree on the count. BART says 70 apartments, and so does the grant section lower on the city’s own TOD page. BART held the groundbreaking event on March 5, 2026 and says construction will take about two years from the November 2025 start (BART news release, “First phase of Transit-Oriented Development underway at El Cerrito Plaza Station,” March 2026). We show both figures as published. Check the city and BART pages for the final count and date.
When will the rest of the Plaza project be built?
Nobody has a date. The city expects six phases over about four years, and it says future phases, both market rate and below market, will move ahead as funding is secured (City of El Cerrito, TOD page, checked September 24, 2026). Treat the later buildings as planned, not scheduled.
Here’s how it got this far:
| Date | Step |
|---|---|
| November 19, 2020 | BART Board selects the development team |
| April 3, 2023 | City approves the first building (Parcel A South) |
| July 3, 2024 | City issues ministerial approval of the full master plan |
| August 22, 2024 | California Strategic Growth Council awards $39 million for affordable housing and transportation |
| November 2025 | Construction starts at 515 Richmond Street |
(City of El Cerrito, TOD page, checked September 24, 2026.)
What happens to parking at El Cerrito Plaza BART?
The lots go away in stages, and the plan replaces them with 145 garage spaces for riders. BART says the City of El Cerrito is working on a parking management plan that would let BART riders pay to park on nearby streets (BART, El Cerrito Plaza TOD page, checked September 24, 2026). Today BART lists daily parking at the station for $3.40 and single or multi-day reserved parking for $6 a day (BART, El Cerrito Plaza station page, checked September 24, 2026).
If you’d count on parking at Plaza for your commute, check the station page for current notices before you buy.
What is being built along San Pablo Avenue?
A lot of apartments, spread along the length of the avenue. The city’s New Development page sorts every major project into four labels: Under Construction, Entitled, Proposed and Completed. The city says entitled and under construction projects have been approved by the Planning Commission and/or Design Review Board, and proposed projects still face public hearings and may change. The labels below are the city’s own (City of El Cerrito, New Development page and individual project pages, checked September 24, 2026).
Under construction
- 11690 San Pablo Avenue (Elora). A five-story building by BRIDGE Housing near El Cerrito del Norte BART. The city’s project page gives two counts: 69 below market apartments in its project overview, and 68 affordable units in its housing voucher note. The same page says construction would be completed in spring 2026, and its waitlist notice set a lottery for April 13, 2026. The city’s main list still shows it as under construction. We haven’t seen an official update that settles either point. Its market-rate sister building next door at 11600 San Pablo, with 156 apartments, is listed as completed in fall 2022.
- 515 Richmond Street. Phase I of the Plaza BART project, covered above.
Entitled (the city lists the El Cerrito Plaza BART master plan here too)
- 11645 San Pablo Avenue. A five-story, 124-room Hampton Inn, approved by the Design Review Board on May 1, 2019.
- 11795 San Pablo Avenue. Six stories, 130 apartments, approved October 2, 2019.
- 10919 San Pablo Avenue. Five stories, 90 apartments, approved in 2019.
- 10290 San Pablo Avenue (The Civic). Five stories, 50 apartments and 4 live-work units, approved in early 2020.
- 6115 Potrero Avenue and 11335-41 San Pablo Avenue. Five stories, 63 apartments and ground-floor space that includes a brewery and a restaurant, approved in 2022.
- 1755 Eastshore Boulevard. Six stories, 315 apartments, approved by the Design Review Board on February 7, 2024. It sits on Eastshore Boulevard along I-80, not on San Pablo Avenue, but the city lists it with the others.
Look at those approval dates. Some are more than five years old. An approval means a project is allowed, not that anyone has started building it. Call the Planning Division at 510-215-4330 if you need to know where one stands today.
Proposed
- 11965 San Pablo Avenue. An eight-story affordable building with 154 apartments on the north edge of town next to the Richmond Greenway, filed in June 2025 under the state’s streamlined SB 35 process.
- 10167 San Pablo Avenue. Seven stories, 78 apartments.
- 921 Kearney Street. Six stories, 60 apartments. The project pages for this one and 10167 San Pablo still say the Planning Commission “will consider” them at a July 1, 2026 special meeting. That date has passed, and the pages don’t show a result, so we can’t tell you the outcome.
- 10192 San Pablo Avenue. Four stories, 44 apartments, application pending since January 2023.
- 6501 Fairmount Avenue. Three stories, 16 townhomes and a small commercial space. The city’s main list shows it as proposed, but its own project page says the Planning Commission approved it on August 19, 2026. We show both because the city’s pages disagree.
Why is so much going up along San Pablo Avenue?
Because city and state rules point new homes there. The city’s San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan, adopted in 2014 and updated in 2022, sets a form-based code that aims mixed-use apartments at the avenue and the areas near both BART stations (City of El Cerrito, San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan page, checked September 24, 2026). A 2018 state law, AB 2923, set zoning standards for BART-owned land near stations in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties (City of El Cerrito, TOD page).
The state also gave El Cerrito a housing target of 1,391 new homes for 2023 to 2031, and the state housing department certified the city’s plan for meeting it on August 22, 2023 (City of El Cerrito, 2023-2031 Housing Element page, checked September 24, 2026).
What does this mean if I’m buying or selling near San Pablo Avenue?
It means you should look up what’s planned on the block before you decide. We won’t predict what any of this does to home prices. Nobody can know that ahead of time. What you can know today:
- What’s approved next door. Open the city’s project page for any address near the home and read the building height and unit count.
- What construction looks like. A five to eight story building takes time, and that means trucks and noise while it goes up. Walk the block on a weekday morning.
- Where parking is headed. The 10167 San Pablo proposal lists 24 parking spaces for 78 apartments. The city notes that a state law, AB 2097, bars minimum parking requirements within half a mile of transit like the Plaza station (City of El Cerrito, 10167 San Pablo Avenue project page, checked September 24, 2026).
If you’re selling, a buyer’s agent may ask about these same projects. Having the city links ready makes that conversation easy.
How do I keep up with these projects?
Bookmark three pages. The city’s New Development page (elcerrito.gov/198) lists every project by status, the city’s TOD page (elcerrito.gov/1381) tracks Plaza BART, and BART’s El Cerrito Plaza TOD page has construction updates and a sign-up for news. The city’s Design Review Board and Planning Commission pages let you sign up for agenda notices too.
Questions people also ask
How many apartments are being built at El Cerrito Plaza BART?
743 apartments in six buildings, with 47% rented below market, per the City of El Cerrito’s TOD page checked September 24, 2026. The first building at 515 Richmond Street started construction in November 2025 and is targeted for spring 2027. The city’s page calls it 69 affordable apartments in one section and 70 in another, and BART says 70. Later buildings will follow as funding is secured.
Will El Cerrito Plaza BART still have parking?
Yes, but less of it in one place. The project includes a new garage with 145 spaces for BART riders, and BART says the city is working on a plan to let riders pay to park on nearby streets, per BART’s El Cerrito Plaza TOD page checked September 24, 2026. Check bart.gov for current parking notices at the station.
Is El Cerrito getting a new library at the Plaza BART site?
Maybe. The plan saves room for a 20,000 square foot public library next to the new plaza on Fairmount Avenue, but only if the city can identify funding, per the City of El Cerrito’s TOD page checked September 24, 2026. There is no construction date for a library. Watch the city’s library page for updates.
What is being built at 11690 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito?
Elora, a five-story affordable building by BRIDGE Housing near El Cerrito del Norte BART. The city’s project page lists 69 below market apartments in one place and 68 in another, says construction would finish in spring 2026, and set a waitlist lottery for April 13, 2026. As of September 24, 2026, the city’s main list still shows it as under construction.
Your next step
Found a home near San Pablo Avenue or Plaza BART? Send us the address. We’ll pull every approved and proposed project within a few blocks, with the city links, so you can see the whole picture before you write an offer. Talk to an El Cerrito agent on our team or call (510) 949-5525.
More on El Cerrito: Living in El Cerrito, CA · El Cerrito market update · Search El Cerrito homes · What’s my home worth?
By Bill Davis, DRE #01880656, The Davis Team at eXp Realty, El Cerrito, CA. Updated September 24, 2026.
Sources
- City of El Cerrito, Transit-Oriented Development at El Cerrito Plaza BART Station: elcerrito.gov/1381 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of El Cerrito, New Development (Major Projects) and individual project pages for 11690 San Pablo Avenue, 11645 San Pablo Avenue, 11795 San Pablo Avenue, 10919 San Pablo Avenue, 10290 San Pablo Avenue, 6115 Potrero Avenue and 11335-41 San Pablo Avenue, 1755 Eastshore Boulevard, 11965 San Pablo Avenue, 10167 San Pablo Avenue, 921 Kearney Street, 10192 San Pablo Avenue and 6501 Fairmount Avenue: elcerrito.gov/198 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of El Cerrito, San Pablo Avenue Specific Plan: elcerrito.gov/396 (checked September 24, 2026)
- City of El Cerrito, 2023-2031 Housing Element: elcerrito.gov/1596 (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART, El Cerrito Plaza Transit-Oriented Development: bart.gov/about/business/tod/el-cerrito-plaza (checked September 24, 2026)
- BART news release, “First phase of Transit-Oriented Development underway at El Cerrito Plaza Station,” March 2026: bart.gov/news/articles/2026/news20260306-0
- BART, El Cerrito Plaza station page: bart.gov/stations/plza (checked September 24, 2026)