Tuesday, March 25, 2008

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.

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”.

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