What is Urban City?

The increase of urban city, means that their are more shopping center, more business which attracts many people from other cities and it also helps the city as it get more taxes. As the Urban city develops it is usually very "together" crowed in which a person can just walk to the next store instead of driving 10 miles to get to store, which is use of fossil fuel and causes CO2 in the atmosphere.

Urban needs more Mixed-use development. Such as Office, Retail, and Housing or condo. Need public school near your house, without driving very far.

Most Urban cities had transportation. Such as subway, light rail, bus, and monorail. It's more easier than driving and wasting gas.

Example:
Oakland A's Ballpark Village
Capitol Avenue Downtown Fremont
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD)

Example Cities:
Boston
New York
San Jose
San Francisco
Oakland
Los Angeles

We want:
Urban
Better places to live, work, and play
Lifestyle with more walking, and less stress
Reduced traffic congestion and driving
Greatly reduced pollution and environmental destruction
Greatly reduced dependence on foreign oil
Reduce Global Warming

We don't want:
Suburban
Driving and spend more money on gas
Increase Global Warming
Stuck in traffic to go to work
Drive 10-20 miles to go shopping and Whole Food Market

Do Not Vote For Gus Morrison. We will stuck Suburban forever.

Applebee's Grand Opening

Applebee's will be opened on March 31, 2008. It is located at Pacific Commons in Fremont.

43349 Boscell Rd
Fremont, CA 94538

Fremont Update

Pick Up Stix is close at Pacific Commons in Fremont.

Water Park in Progress: Building, Lazy River, Lap Swimming/Recreation Pool, Tots Spray Pad, and Youth Pool is under construction. Water Slides has not been selected and it will be until this summer. General Manager will be selected next year and they will be a making website. There won't be any Parking Fees.

Capitol Avenue Downtown Fremont: The City is looking for a new development partner for the Capitol Avenue Project and hope to have someone on board within the next month or so. This Project is hoped to be completed in 3-5 years. At this time, it is not anticipated that sales tax will fund the Project.

Pacific Commons: Chef Nous Bakery is under construction and will be completed on Chinese New Year. Yogurt Swirl is under construction and will be completed around April or May. Asian Pearl is under construction. It will be completed in mid or late May and officially opened in June. Applebee's, Dickey's Barbecue pit, and The Prolific Oven is coming soon to Pacific Commons. Applebee's is under construction and the last phase of the Pacific Commons shopping center will completed by the end of 2008.

Centerville Unified site: Once again, it's back to the drawing board for developers of the Centerville Unified site, but it still works with Blake Hunt Ventures. City council was open to a mixed-use development, with some council members suggesting multiple-story structures. Councilwoman Bob Wieckowski suggested as many as five stories, Councilwoman Anu Natarajan agreed with Dinh that the project needed to be a catalyst for the district, Councilman Steve Cho said over the last eight years the city had reached this point in the planning stage several times, and it was frustrating that it keeps happening, Vice Mayor Bill Harrison said the area can be revitalized with mixed-use development, and suggested a project along the lines of Washington West, and Mayor Bob Wasserman favored the ideas of senior housing, and said he had no obligation to multi-story structures, just as long as the people wanted it. "Eight years or so ago we defined what we wanted on that site, and it never happened," he said. " According to city staffers, Blake Hunt Ventures and Field Paoli Architecture Inc. will return to the council at a future meeting with ideas gathered from the input received.

Parc Pacific GPA

Planning Commission

When: March 27, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm
Where: City Council Chambers
3300 Capitol Avenue

PARC PACIFIC GPA - Technology Court - (PLN2006-00166) - to consider a General Plan Amendment to change the land use designation from Light Industrial to Neighborhood Commercial and certification of an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for an 8.7-acre site in the Industrial Planning Area.

Project Planner - Kelly Diekmann, (510 0494-4540, kdiekmann@ci.fremont.ca.us

Recommended Action: Certify the EIR and deny the proposed GPA.

PC Report

Total: 144,580 square feet
Retail: 79,580 square feet
General Office: 40,000 square feet
Medical office uses: 25,000 square feet

Concern:
One resident stated that traffic conditions are too bad along Auto Mall Parkway and he does
not support approval of the project.

The second major comment was from CalTrans asking foradditional information on mitigation requirements for facilities within their jurisdiction. No new information or impacts that were not addressed by the Draft EIR were discussed by respondents.

RECOMMENDATION:
1. Hold public hearing.
2. Find the EIR is adequate and recommend the City Council certify the EIR.
3. Recommend that the City Council deny General Plan Land Use Amendment change from Light
Industrial to Neighborhood Commercial as represented on Exhibit “B” and retain the site’s
current Light Industrial designation.

ALTERNATIVE RECOMMENDATION:
4. Hold public hearing.
5. Find the EIR is adequate and recommend the City Council certify the EIR.
6. Planning Commission identifies applicable legal, technological, social, economic, or other
benefits of the project that outweigh the unavoidable adverse environmental impacts as the basis
(findings) for adopting a Statement of Overriding Consideration.
7. Recommend that the City Council approve General Plan Land Use Amendment change from
Light Industrial to Neighborhood Commercial as represented on Exhibit “B”.

Rich Cities but not Fremont and Mayor

San Jose

Rich: 18th floor city hall, Santana Row, Eastridge Mall, Westfield Oakridge, and High-tech companies.

Poor: Spend too much money and poor

Milpitas

Rich: Nice city hall, High-Tech Companies and Great Mall

Hayward

Rich: Mall and nice city hall
____________________________________________________________________
Mayor

Gus Morrison: Anti-Development and Oppose A's
Bob Wasserman: Bring A's to Fremont, Bring Restaurants to Fremont, Support High Density, and make city to go Green
Steve Cho: Support A's, wants vacant office to be lease, Vote "NO" on Water Park, Wants A's to put on Ballot.

Gus Morrison did nothing about Fremont and how he improve Fremont. He have been working on Pacific Commons since August 27, 1996. Pacific Commons is not very successful. Theres no traffic and less people shop at Pacific Commons. Fremont is very poor and has finances trouble.

How did Downtown/Capitol Avenue redevelopment plan to be Funded? Sales Tax Revenue

How did city get Sales Tax Revenue? Oakland A's Ballpark Village and Bayside Marketplace. Mostly clothing stores will get Sales Tax Revenue.

Will Pacific Commons get successful and will people shop there? Yes, Oakland A's Ballpark Village will attract people to shop at Pacific Commons and Oakland A's Ballpark Village Retail.
Whoever live at the Ballpark Village don't have to drive other places to shop. People can just shop at Pacific Commons and Ballpark Village without driving. Hopefully they won't have to drive Bayside Marketplace and The Globe. Mayor Bob Wasserman said, " in the future we will have monorail from Bart to Bart and Ballpark Village to The Globe." " We meet with John Wynn and Lew Wolff about it before, but need to get Ballpark Village and The Globe to be built."

How we get Whole Food Market? Mostly Location Location Location. But some can be Oakland A's Ballpark Village and Ohlone College.

"Sales tax revenue is forcing the city to implement a selective hiring freeze and delay allocating $2 million toward the Downtown/Capitol Avenue redevelopment plan."

What if Gus Morrison is elected?: Your making wrong choice
Gus Morrison did not do anything about these thing. He is not very good mayor and doesn't know city that well. If he was elected, he will destroy Oakland A's Ballpark Village. How about future? I predict that in the future, we will have downtown in 50 years or we don't get downtown at all.

Remember that Oakland A's Ballpark Village will fund Downtown Fremont. Bob Wasserman is the one who brings A's to Fremont.

Update News: 3

Costs for grade separation jump

Fremont City Council approved two cost increases for the massive Washington Grade Separation project Tuesday, citing unexpected delays over multiple years and under-estimates of construction and management costs.

Last April, council authorized staff to execute a relocation agreement for $287,008 with a 15 percent contingency, for a total not to exceed $330,059.

The contract was originally estimated at $4,201,764, and it was believed at the time that work on the project would begin within six months. It was also estimated that work would take 34 months to complete, for a total contract duration of 40 months. The city approved a $4.6-million increase for S & C Engineers Tuesday, making it an $8.8-million contract.

The contract was originally estimated at $4,201,764, and it was believed at the time that work on the project would begin within six months. It was also estimated that work would take 34 months to complete, for a total contract duration of 40 months. The city approved a $4.6-million increase for S & C Engineers Tuesday, making it an $8.8-million contract.

The overall construction cost estimate at the beginning of the major project was $33.5 million.

As a result, S & C's contract duration increased from a 40-month total to 73 months, and total construction costs doubled Ð to $66.7 million.
____________________________________________________________________

Mayor asks managers to explore charter city feasibility

Mayor Bob Wasserman asked the city manager and city attorney to probe the feasibility of becoming a charter city during Tuesday's Fremont City Council meeting.

The city last proposed becoming a charter city in 1997, a plan later rejected by voters.

"In the last few months it's come up again," Wasserman said Tuesday. "I'm curious to see now if there's anything different than there was 10 years ago."

A charter city can provide for any form of government. A charter city is also not bound by California state laws or election codes, meaning a charter city can hold elections when it sees fit and operate under its own rules and procedures.

In 1998, Fremont voters rejected Measure P, which would have allowed the city to oversee the operations of its administrative departments including compensation, tenure and retirement of school board members.

Councilman Steve Cho was supportive of Wasserman's request, as long as the city did not undertake a study to begin the charter process.

"We went out 10 or 11 years ago, spent a lot of time and money to look at the feasibility of being a charter city, and it didn't pass with the voters," Cho said. "I think we should take the charter from 10 years ago as a basis, and look at what's changed in the last 10 years."

Fremont City Manager Fred Diaz said he would present a feasibility report to the council in May.
____________________________________________________________________

Council mulls contribution for orchestra

Fremont City Council Tuesday debated granting $15,000 to the Fremont Symphony Orchestra, and was concerned that other groups may come forward asking for money the city contends it does not have.

Treadway wrote that fund-raising events, considered the primary sources for the symphony, have fallen short of meeting the budget for two years.

As a result, the board has taken out loans from local banks, borrowing up to the symphony's endowment of $45,000

This fundraiser will be aimed at paying back bank loans already taken out, and returning to fiscal solvency.

Treadway said that instead of a May 10 Pops Concert, the symphony will hold a "Save Our Symphony" fundraiser.

He noted in the letter that the $15,000 requested from the city would be a one-time grant, used to help the symphony meet current financial obligations and keep a minimum staff in place during a restructuring period.

Vice Mayor Bill Harrison suggested the city give the symphony the money in the form of a loan rather than a grant.

Councilman Bob Wieckowski said he did not believe additional groups would come forward if it were explained that this funding would be a one-time donation for a group that had been in Fremont for more than 40 years.

Last June, the council approved a one-time donation to the Fourth of July parade in the amount of $15,000.

At that time, Councilman Steve Cho argued that because the parade was once a city-run event, the city should be able to help out with funding.

Mayor Wasserman said he liked the idea of loaning the symphony the money. He added other event organizers or representatives could try to convince the council that their own events are special as well.

City Manager Diaz is expected to return to a future council meeting with funding options.

Ex-mayor announces candidacy

Former five-term Mayor Gus Morrison shook up the mayoral race Wednesday, announcing that he once again will seek Fremont's top job.

Morrison's candidacy, which comes four years after term limits forced him from office, potentially turns November's election into a referendum on the Oakland A's proposed ballpark-village development.

Morrison has been the most vocal critic of the $1.8 billion plan that would bring a baseball stadium, retail shops and up to 3,100 new homes to 226 acres next to the Pacific Commons Shopping Center.

The two other announced candidates, current Mayor Bob Wasserman and Councilmember Steve Cho, both support the plan.

The A's proposal will be a major issue, Morrison said, but it won't be the sole focus of his campaign.

He said the city has become too focused on generating sales tax revenue at the expense of quality of life for residents, and not proactive enough in dealing with crime and continued population growth.

He also criticized the council's handling of a stalled redevelopment project in Centerville and Measure L, the failed 2006 utility tax measure that Morrison said had poisonedfuture tax-increase efforts when the city announced a surprise budget surplus one month after voters rejected the tax.

"I'm just not happy, so I'm going to raise the issues on things I'm not happy about, and see if it strikes a chord," Morrison said.

He backed Wasserman in 2004, and his candidacy complicates

what appeared to be a straightforward path to re-election for the mayor.

Wasserman already has secured endorsements from Fremont's political establishment and has raised more than $25,000 for the campaign.

Also, Wasserman, a centrist Democrat, could have expected strong support from liberal voters in a two-person race against Cho, the council's lone Republican.

Now, the mayor faces a challenge on the left from Morrison, who previously has depended on strong support from left-leaning Democrats and a challenge on the right from Cho, who also is expected to fare well among Chinese-Americans, Fremont's largest ethnic group.

Councilmember Bob Wieckowski, a long-standing Morrison supporter who also is up for re-election, said Morrison's entry into the race won't cause him to withdraw his endorsement of Wasserman. It will, however, keep him from actively campaigning for Wasserman, as he would have done had Cho been his only opponent.

"All I would be doing is hurting myself," he said of stumping hard for Wasserman.

Wasserman wouldn't say much about Morrison's candidacy, but said he was concerned that the A's development plans now will dominate the November election.

"I don't think we need that," he said. "Things have been going very well."

Morrison, 72, spent nearly a quarter-century on the council, including five terms as mayor. He was barred from seeking re-election in 2004 because of a city term-limits rule enacted in 1996 that prohibits lawmakers from serving more than eight consecutive years in the same seat.

California: An economic micro-climate +Predict Little Economic Growth In U.S For First Half Of 2008

We've been hearing a lot about a possible recession, but a new report from UCLA says we can still avoid a recession, even though housing, jobs, and consumer spending are all off.

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/business&id=6013
992

or Link
______________________________________________________________________
A panel of economists predicted Monday that there will be little U.S. economic growth in the first half of 2008. However, a pick up in growth was predicted for the second half of the year.

National Association for Business Economics also provided its first prediction for 2009. The organization projected that GDP will grow 2.9% over the course of the year.

For 2008, however, growth was predicted to be extremely slow, though a recession will likely be averted.

“U.S. economic growth is expected to slow to a crawl in the first half of 2008," said Ellen Hughes-Cromwick, NABE president and chief economist at Ford Motor Company.

She went on to say, "while a slight majority of our panel of forecasters expects the economy to avoid a recession in 2008, growth is expected to average just ¾% before accelerating in the second half in response to fiscal and monetary stimulus.”

Survey: Warm Springs Retail (multiple answers) + Wam Springs

BART On-Call Community Relations Team answer my questions:

1) Is Warm Springs Bart Station are going to happened?
Yes, pending full funding for the Warm Springs project the
Warm Springs BART Station will be constructed by 2013.

2) Yes, the project has received $2 million from the Alameda
County Congestion Management Authority.

3) The project team is working with the City of Fremont to
restart the Warm Springs Station area specific planning process.
The planning process will examine various development scenarios
in the one-half mile radius around the planned station.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
Warm Springs Bart Station Area Survey: Retail
This is multiple answers

What kind of shopping center do you want to have in Warm Spring
Bart Area near Warm Springs Bart Station?

(Example)
Lifestyle center
Shopping Center
Regional malls Yes
Enclosed retail structures Yes
Open-air retail complexes
One-stories shopping center
Two-stories shopping center Yes
Pacific Commons or Fremont Hub
Apparel Yes
Movies Theater Yes
Department Store Yes
Big-box store
Simon Property
General Growth
Westfield Yes
None

The Result will be posted next month.

State of the City + Fremont named 'greenest' cities

Chamber hosts State of the City 2008 on Monday, March 31

The Fremont Chamber of Commerce is pleased to present the State of the City 2008 on Monday, March 31 10 from noon to 2:00 p.m. at the Fremont Marriott Hotel. Mayor Bob Wasserman will discuss our City’s economic development and large scale projects, recap the budget and fiscal state of the city, report progress on the General Plan, and address other important issues facing our city.

The State of the City event will also serve as the Chamber’s annual meeting where we will install our officers and directors as well as offer a salute to Chamber volunteers for their work and dedication.

Registration for the event begins at 11:30 a.m. and lunch is included. Tickets are $40 for Chamber members and $60 for non-members. Tickets are expected to sell quickly, so purchase them in advance by calling the Chamber office at (510) 795-2244 or visiting www.fremontbusiness.com.

Sponsorship opportunities are available at $700 for table sponsorship and $1,200 for event sponsorships. Sponsorship packages include various forms of recognition at the event and in advertising for the event.

For more details, contact Nina Moore at (510) 795-2244 x107 or nmoore@fremontbusiness.com.

Visit the Chamber's calendar page to get weather info, print driving directions and register online.

For more information:
Visit Fremont Chamber
Email: nmoore@fremontbusiness.com

___________________________________________________________________________

Who's the greenest of them all? If a new national survey is any indication, it's the Bay Area.

San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley made the top 10 of a national survey by Popular Science magazine rating the country's 50 most environmentally friendly cities. Concord and Fremont made the top 50 (numbers 43 and 44, respectively), as did 13 California cities — enough to turn other states green with envy.

The survey combined data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Geographic Society's Green Guide, which collected survey data and government statistics for American cities with more than 100,000 people in categories including air quality, electricity use and transportation habits.

Portland, Ore., grabbed the top spot, while San Francisco ranked

No. 2.

California dominated the survey, with 13 cities on the list. New York came in second, with four cities on the list.

"I'm not surprised," said Sean Randolph, chief executive of the San Francisco-based Bay Area Council Economic Institute. "California has always been more environmentally attuned than other states, and the Bay Area has always been the most environmentally attuned region in the state.

"It's brought a lot of money into the Bay Area," Randolph said. "The Bay Area attracted about a billion dollars last year for research in alternative energy technology."

As examples, Randolph pointed to a $500 million grant from BP Oil for developing biofuels given to University of California, $125 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to UC Berkeley and other entities. Venture capital money invested in "green" technology is another example, he said. Berkeley, as well as a

"The Bay Area's cities scored high largely because our investments in public transit enable more of us to get around without driving, creating far less unhealthy pollution," said Emily Rusch, an advocate with California Public Interest Research Group.

On a 1-to-10 scale, San Francisco, Oakland and Berkeley each scored 8 or more for widespread public transportation and air quality. AC Transit's fleet of three hydrogen buses took the spotlight in an accompanying case study of how green cities got that way.

"This designation reflects Oakland's commitment to be a sustainable model city," Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said. "Through the tremendous dedication and efforts of community partners and city government working together, we are advancing efforts to curb global climate change and oil dependence, reach our zero-waste goal, and become a leader in 'green' jobs creation."

The survey gave points to cities for the number of buildings certified by the U.S. Green Building Council, as well as their recycling programs. Cities also scored points for getting their electricity from renewable sources such as wind, solar, biomass and hydroelectric power, as well as for offering incentives for residents to invest in their own power sources, such as solar roofs.

California has a head start in this area, having passed legislation in 2004 and 2006 aimed at creating one million solar roofs in the state by 2018. Also, utilities such as PG&E are under a mandate to get 20 percent of their power from renewable sources by 2010. And Assembly Bill 32, passed in 2006, aims to slash state greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020.

Like Randolph, Adam Gottlieb of the California Energy Commission wasn't surprised by the news.

"Popular Science has acknowledged what we've known all along," Gottlieb said. "We're (California) bold, we're daring, we're innovative. Let's tell Portland to watch its back, because we're gaining on it."