LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – After years of construction, the extremely upscale Brant condo development is finally open in Lafayette.
Along with it comes exciting places like the new Western Flyer Brewing (more on that soon!) and the permanent home of Hollie’s Homegrown.
But locals may have spotted something else on the new property: a sign with a big arrow that says “Public Passage.”
What’s this? It turns out that the City worked with the developers of the project to add this little public element to the new development.
As a member of the public, you can walk through it any time you like. And it leads to something very cool.
According to project materials submitted to the City of Lafayette, the passage — described as a “public mews” — was specifically designed to connect Mt. Diablo Boulevard and the retail spaces at The Brant with the public trail behind the building, which is managed by EBMUD.
Those same materials say the development also includes a continuation of a public trail connection toward the Lafayette BART station.
In other words, this is not just a decorative walkway for residents. It was planned as a real public route to pull people from Mount Diablo to the trail behind the Brant.
And officials have been hard at work making that trail into something beautiful. I was told by local business owners that the city and county have required each developer building housing in Lafayette to improve and landscape their section of this little trail.
The result is a “secret” public space behind Lafayette’s new condo developments, complete with lovely garden areas, benches, and a paved hiking trail that goes from Risa Road to downtown.
And there’s another cool secret back here, too.
Bay Area mosaic artist Aileen Barr created handmade tile mosaic panels for planter boxes lining the walkway, along with a mosaic tile design for the stairway that leads from the walkway up to the public trail behind the property.
The city said the designs were inspired by the hills and trails behind the building, along with natural imagery including leaves, grasses, and brant birds — the species that gave the development its name.
I stopped by to take the photos you see here. But you can stroll through the Public Passage any time you’d like, enjoy the mosaics, and then take a stroll behind downtown on the ever-expanding trail.
Or grab a snack downtown and head back to one of the the little known, impeccably landscaped benches behind the Brant for a little quiet time and a nosh.
