King & Lyons Moving Forward

Where it is: Northwest corner of Dixon Landing Road and
Interstate 880 in Fremont, near the Newby Island Compost 
Facility

What it was: Vacant land.

What's going on: Barbara Meerjans, a Fremont senior
planner, said landowner King & Lyons' original plan to
build a business park across about 45 acres has changed.
In September, the developers filed a proposal for a
490,000-square-foot retail project. "We are in the early
stages of beginning the environmental impact report for
this proposed development," she said.
The plan calls for extending Fremont Boulevard from where
it ends south of Lakeview Boulevard to Dixon Landing Road.
Meerjans said the developers already have approvals to grade
and develop the site, of which 100 acres was donated to
the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
to be restored as wetlands.When it is: The project will go to the Planning Commission
for consideration,likely in 2008.

Similar to: Pacific Commons.


 

Part 2, 3, and 4 Housing/Mixed-use, Recreation, and Fremont

1. Should the City of Fremont build more Mixed-use Development or more Multi-family homes?
More Mixed-use Development 63.6% 7
More Multi-family homes 36.4% 4
The winner is: More Mixed-use Development

2. What type of housing do you want in the City Of Fremont?
Condo 20.0% 2
Apartment 30.0% 3
Townhouse 60.0% 6
Multi-family 60.0% 6

The Winner is: Townhouse and Multi-family

1. What type of Park do you visit beside Fremont and California? Tell what you enjoys their park. Should they have in Fremont? Please describe their park and are they beautiful?

1. None. We only visit other areas to fish.
2. Coyote Hills Park. A natural Wild Life habitate with Foxes, Egrets, Swamp Hawkes. The City of Fremont is allowing development of the Coyote Hills Natural Area. The process has just started, there is still time to STOP IT. http://www.protectcoyotehills.org/vision.htm
3. state parks wilderness
4. none
5. Boston, they are clean, quiet, grass, no playground, clean lake, and go for walking. Band pavilions during 8-10 p.m. nighttime
6. Water Park
7. Newark's Aquatic Center, Not necessary but already in the works. dog park in North Fremont would be nice. We use the one in Union City - its well done.
8. Fremont has enough parks.

2. What are you Concern of Recreation in City Of Fremont? What kind of Recreation do you want in Fremont?
1. Don't use the recreation programs.
2. Please, no more ballparks that are rarely used. More passive parks, Naturalist parks
3. bike riding,hiking
4. it's lousy
5. Clean the Ducks poops, more light for night walk for Lake Elizabeth, and Water Park Expansion instead of 7 acres, but more acres 7 or more.
6. ball field

3. Should they build Water Park in Fremont? Not available

1. What should the City turn into?
Urban 41.7% 5
Suburban 33.3% 4
Small feel Town 25.0% 3
The winner is: Urban

Fremont Future Part 1 (Retail)

1. Do you want more retail in Fremont?
Yes, we need more Retail 50.0% 6
No Need 50.0% 6

The response is: Tie

2. What kind of Retail should the City of Fremont build?
Shopping Mall 44.4% 4
Mixed-use 66.7% 6
Shopping Center(Pacific Commons) 33.3% 3

The winner is: Mixed-use

3. Which one is most important in Fremont? (3 Most important, 2 important, 1 Not important)

Nordstrom 66.7% (8)
Bloomingdales 63.6% (7)
Mall 63.6% (7) Higher-end Retail 63.6% (7)
Cheap Store 2.7% (8)
Apparel 50.0% (6)

Everyone response: 1 Not important

4. What kind of store should they have in Fremont? (Banana Republic, Gap, American Eagle Outfitters, and etc). What type of department store should they have in Fremont? (Sears, Nordstrom, Bloomingdales, Macys, etc). List as many as you want.

1. More high end like Banana Republic
2. birkenstock
3. more independent retailers of all sorts.
4. None that I can think of right now
5. Whole Foods
6. outfitters Kmart
7. big and tall
8. Any Retail from the mall any upscale retail.
9. Nordstrom, Banana Republic, American Eagle, PacSun
10. WHOLE FOODS

City faces budget shortfall

With its finances teetering back into the red, city officials are implementing several measures to keep its budget balanced.

Slowing property and sales tax revenue is forcing the city to implement a selective hiring freeze, delay allocating $2 million toward the Downtown/Capitol Avenue redevelopment plan and institute accounting changes to keep money in its general fund.

Without the cost-saving measures, officials said, the city would have faced a budget shortfall this fiscal year and the loss of its entire $11.2 million rainy day reserve fund by the end of next fiscal year.

Despite the budget crunch, Fremont's finances still are in much better shape than during the dot-com bust when it eliminated more than 200 positions and cut a fifth of its budget, officials said.

The city has no plans to reinstitute rotating fire station brownouts, and already has filled 10 vacant firefighter positions and seven police officer positions. "I don't see any dramatic (service) changes," City Manager Fred Diaz said.

Police Chief Craig Steckler said he has been asked to trim his budget by

1 percent this year, which could force him not to fill police officer positions that become vacant.

Whether the city has to initiate more cuts could depend on the state, which, facing its own $14 billion shortfall, could choose to hold on to sales tax revenue usually passed along to cities.

The city's next budget update, which could include additional

cost-saving measures, is scheduled for February.

This year marks Fremont's second consecutive December budget surprise.

Last year, one month after voters rejected a utility tax ballot measure, city leaders announced an unexpected

$6 million windfall that was used in part to boost police and fire department staffing.

This year's news that revenue is lower than expected comes six months after the city approved new contracts with all its unions, including 6 percent pay raises this year and next year for police officers and firefighters.

Diaz said he has no regrets about employee raises, which accounted for $1.9 million in new expenditures this fiscal year.

"(The city) entered into (negotiations) with the best information we had at that time," he said.

Diaz attributed mistakes in recent budget forecasts to a "volatile" marketplace. "I've never seen an economy so hard to predict," he said.

Property and sales tax revenue increased last year, but not at the rate city officials had projected. Slumping revenue growth at the end of the last fiscal year left the city with $2.4 million less than anticipated, according to a city report.

Property tax revenue, which constitutes about one-third of city revenue, was slowed by fewer home sales, stagnant home prices and increased property tax delinquencies, officials said.

Much of the sales tax reductions were related to the slumping housing market, Fremont Finance Director Harriet Commons said. Sales tax revenue was down for appliances, home furnishings and construction supplies, she said.

If revenue had continued to slump without the cost-saving measures, she added, Fremont's operating budget deficit would have been $11.4 million this fiscal year and $6.7 million next year.

Several of the budget-balancing measures are accounting changes. The city is postponing the transfer of $2.8 million from its general fund to its risk management fund and is delaying the allocation of $2.3 million for retiree medical benefits, a major unfunded liability.

The delay in funding $2 million toward the Capitol Avenue development won't prevent the city and the developer from moving ahead with facets of the project, Diaz said.

City Council members were not sounding alarm bells about the budget crunch at a Tuesday workshop. "This is manageable," Mayor Bob Wasserman said comparing it to the dot-com bust. "And the right steps are being taken to match it."

New Restaurant Open Soon and Coming Soon

Open Soon

370 Dessert will open January 1, 2008. Pacific Commons
Carino’s Italian Grill will open Monday, December 10, 2007
9 a.m. Pacific Commons

Coming Soon
Asian Pearl (Under Construction)Chinese Food, Dim Sum, and
Seafood Restaurant. Pacific Commons
French Bakery (No Construction)Unknown. 
Pacific Commons
Cyclo Cafe (Under Construction)Coffee, Snack, and Juice Bar. 
The Globe, Saigon Village, next to East West Bank
Federico's Cafe & Bistro (Under Construction) Unknown.
Downtown Fremont, next to Baskin Robbin