The West Oakland station is central to the BART system with direct train access to every BART station during peak. The site is an attractive location for both residents and businesses because of its proximity to San Francisco, downtown Oakland and easy access to East Bay cities via 80, 580 and 880 freeways. The West Oakland BART station is 7 minutes from the San Francisco Financial district, downtown Oakland is only a 3 minute ride and Walnut Creek is 26 minutes to the east. It meets the criteria for being designated as a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) which is generally defined as a mixed-use residential and commercial area designed to maximize access to public transportation and incorporates features to encourage transit ridership and other travel by bicycle, foot or car.