City officially breaks ground on separation

City officially breaks ground on separation

by Wes Bowers

Article Launched: 05/10/2007 01:31:37 PM PDT

Click photo to enlarge

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Braving the cold and the wind, City of Fremont officials did more than just put shovels into dirt last Thursday at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Washington Grade Separation Project on Washington Boulevard near Osgood Road. City Manager Fred Diaz said the largest public works project in the city's history commenced, though it almost never got off the ground. "There really was a moment we thought this project wouldn't happen," he said. "Nine months ago we only had $80 million for the project, and we thought Ôwhere are we going to come up with the money for this?' And we did (come up with the money), with a lot of heart, dedication and tenacity." The transit project, estimated to cost $111 million, includes building an overpass at Washington Boulevard between Bruce Drive and Roberts Avenue, and an underpass at Paseo Padre Parkway between Shadow Brooke Common Road and Hancock Drive. The project's goal is to separate vehicle and pedestrian traffic from railroad traffic and crossings. In addition to an overpass and underpass, the project will also relocate nearly 1.5 miles of active Union Pacific railroad tracks eastward. Planned Bay Area Rapid Transit tracks in the Warm Springs District will also run southward toward Milpitas and San Jose. Jim Pierson, Fremont Transportation and Operations director, said the current Union Pacific tracks, which run down Osgood Road, will hopefully become BART tracks. The project is expected to take three years to complete, spanning 11 stages of construction. Of the $111 million, $68 million was obtained through grants from Alameda County Transportation Authority, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Union Pacific Railroad, and Alameda County Congestion Management Authority, among several others. The remaining $43 million was put up by the city. "For the City of Fremont, to put in more than $40 million of their own money through redevelopment agency funds and other funding sources, is really amazing," Alameda County Supervisor Scott Haggerty said. "This will not only benefit Fremont, but the entire region. Grade separations are increasingly becoming necessary to link Alameda County with Silicon Valley." Tom Blalock, Fremont's representative on the BART Board of Directors, said BART staff is working "feverishly" to get a Warm Springs station together. "The number of folks we'll have at the (existing) Fremont BART when we extend will drop from about 16,000 to 12,000 people a day, which will be great," he said. "And Washington Hospital will breathe a sigh of relief as parking pressure will be gone." Mayor Bob Wasserman said while last Thursday was an exciting day for the city, there is still a long way to go. "This project will not occur over night," he said. "Over the next three years, community members will see many changes unfold as construction activities begin, so we ask for your patience and understanding."

New specialty boutique shopping not as part 1 in Pacific Commons.
I will start posting photo and Detail Near the Future. Late may-early June

Here's what I knew:

1) Taiwanese Food Talk
2) Kinder's Mets Deli BBQ
3) La View Vietnamese Restaurant
4) Baby Hugs
5) Family Dentistry
6) Asian Pearl
7)Beauty(Do not Know)
8) Kaenyama Sushi and Teppanyaki Restaurant
9) Shanghi( Do not know)
10) Hot Pot( name not know)
11) Cheesecake or bakery shop(Do not know)
12)Lease
13)Lease
14)
15)
When I don't know,it means I don't know the names or it is Finally. Name of the Store should post soon.

Property Description:
This Project is part of 80 Acres Pacific Commons Power Center.
This Existing Center is over 95% leased.
52,000 sq.ft. Divisible from 1400sq.ft. to 18,000 sq.ft.

Location Description:
Excellent access from Freeways, 880, 680 and 84; Via Dumbarton Bridge

Description has not know Yet. Photo will release Soon.

Comming Post:

1) Pacific Park Box middle of (June-July)

2) Description of the BallPark Village( update News)

3) Description, Design of the A's(June)

4) The Globe ( June-July)

5) New specialty boutique shopping in Pacific Commons( Late May or June)

6) New Retail and future Planning Comming Soon to New Post(May-June)

A's sign Fremont land deal

Chron's Patrick Hoge reports:

The owners of the Oakland A's announced today that they have signed a contract to buy 168 acres for a proposed ballpark development in Fremont.

Lew Wolff, the team's managing partner, said the deal will allow him quickly to submit an application to the city for a roughly 32,000-seat stadium, surrounded by housing and high-end commercial development.

Really? It sounds different from what the Argus's Chris De Benedetti reported earlier today:

There is no new information regarding the land transaction, a Cisco spokeswoman said. ProLogis spokesman Arthur Hodges declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Wolff has been meeting with Fremont staff members as often as twice a month since December to discuss the project. The A's are scheduled to meet again with city staff members May 17, Fremont officials said.

As to when the A's might submit a development application or a formal plan, that step is "probably a few months away," Wolff said.

Alrighty then. Here's the obligatory map if you want to familiarize yourself. The A's are buying both the yellow and green sections.

This is a pretty big move. Not "done deal" definitive, but rather "planting their stake in the ground" serious. That stake has to be worth around $200 million. Correction: According to the press release and Barry Witt's report, the A's have amassed 226 acres. Land value is around $500 million. Just posted on the Arugs website:BREAKING: A's close land deal for new stadium

Just posted on the Arugs website: BREAKING: A's close land deal for new stadium

Economic Impact Report now available

The big takeaway from Wolff's progress report tonight was that the Economic Impact Report for the project is now available. I've only barely scanned through it so far and here are some key points:

• Ballpark is still 30-34,000 seats, cost = $450 million
  
• The 2,900 housing units will be spread over 120 acres, for a density of 24 units per acre. There would be a mix of brownstone-type units and higher density development adjacent to the ballpark, cost = $1.1 billion
  
• 550,000 square feet of "high quality mixed-use/retail," the majority of which would be in a "lifestyle center" (a.k.a. outdoor mall); the remainder would be "entertainment retail in a 'Main Street' environment activated by the residential neighborhood and the ballpark. Cost = $198 million
  
• High-end boutique hotel with only 100 rooms, cost = $30 million
• Total project cost would be $1.8 billion
  
• Total economic impact (using multipliers) would be $3.2 billion
  

Next I'll quote verbatim from the report from its summary of economic impacts:

• The direct economic impact on Alameda County will be approximately $109 million per year from the operations of the Athletics franchise, the operations of concessions within the ballpark, the net new retail spending captured by the Baseball Village retail, and the net new spending captured in the county from the new households in the Ballpark Village.
• Including the indirect and induced “multiplier” effects, the Ballpark Village will generate over $191 million per year in total economic output for Alameda County, and create approximately $50 million each year in personal earnings, which in turn supports approximately 1,762 incremental jobs within Alameda County.
• The net present value over the next 30 years of the total expansion in economic output of Alameda County will be between $700 million and $2 billion, depending upon the discount rate used, as a result of implementing the Ballpark Village proposal.
• Construction of the Ballpark Village is estimated to cost approximately $1.8 billion in today’s dollars. Over the several years it will take to build and absorb the project, over 13,000 full-time equivalent annual jobs will be created, along with almost $600 million in earnings for those workers. Alameda County will experience a one-time economic expansion during the construction period of almost $3.2 billion.
• For the Fremont Unified School District, over $10 million in development fees will be collected from the project.
• For the City of Fremont, over $3.6 million per year will be generated after build out in General Fund revenues. While the costs of providing General Fund municipal services cannot be estimated until a formal development application is submitted, these General Fund revenues will be unrestricted in their use for offsetting costs. Additional revenues will be generated for the City in the form of fees and charges to offset non-general fund services provided, and by the Special Services tax levied within the Pacific Commons development area.
• The Fremont Redevelopment Agency, upon project build out, will be collecting over $15 million per year in today’s dollars in the form of property tax increments and set-aside funds for low- and moderate-income housing.

I need to read more before I post any significant analysis. A couple of notes however:

• Tax increment is mentioned, though not as a method to pay for the project; rather it's used as positive economic impact for the city and county (the usual skepticism applies).
• Additional tax revenue sources are identified, though not the gross receipts tax I found earlier.
  

The report is 60 pages long and is chock full of tables. Enjoy.

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Now for a few observations about the progress report:

• The $500K paid last month was reimbursement for process work
  
• The best method for owning the stadium has not yet been determined, whether public, private, or a mix
  
• Traffic and environmental impact reports are meant to show that the project would have the same or fewer impacts than the currently planned use (office park)
• Janet Gawthorpe (sp?) was the last of two speakers and expressed her concern about environmental impacts, urging the council to make sure the project had a full, complete, transparent, open review. To that end, Mayor Wasserman replied that the project would indeed have such a review.
• Council were mostly positive, mostly champing at the bit - especially Anu Natarajan and Bill Harrison, who by trade is a CPA.
  

Ballpark Village Progress Report - Tuesday, 5/8

From the Fremont City Clerk's office (I used bold for emphasis):

Subject: Ballpark Village Project Progress Report

TO: ALL INTERESTED PARTIES

FROM: CITY OF FREMONT

SUBJECT: BALLPARK VILLAGE PROJECT PROGRESS REPORT

This is to advise you that an agenda item has been scheduled for the regular City Council meeting of Tuesday, May 8, 2007, to hear a progress report from Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff on the Ballpark Village Project. The City Council meeting begins at 7:00 p.m.

The meeting will be held in the City Council Chambers located at 3300 Capitol Avenue, Building A, Fremont, California.

If you have any questions regarding this agenda item, please contact Economic Development Director Daren Fields at (510) 284-4020 or at dfields@ci.fremont.ca.us.

Sincerely,

Dawn G. Abrahamson
City Clerk

Office of the City Clerk

See y'all there. For those of you who won't be there, check out the webcast.

Fremont Auto mall 2006-2007

2006 Openings:Magnussen Lexus of Fremont - Fremont, CA

• Over 7 Acres of New Auto Dealership
• State of the Art Pedestrian/Customer Friendly facilities
• Located in Fremont's Famous Auto Mall
• Currently Open for Business
• Incorporates "Green" (Environmental) ConstructionJaguar, Land- Rover, Volvo

No Photo:
Superior Nissan
2007 Openings:Toyota Dealership - Fremont, CA

• 6.5 Acres Auto Dealership Expansion and New Showroom
• Project Completion Summer 2007
• Located centrally in Fremont's Famous Auto Mall
• Incorporates "Green" (Environmental) Construction

We are very excited about our Auto Mall Expansion.

A's file something with Fremont,

On Wednesday, the A's rather quietly filed " 'an application to negotiate a development agreement,' Fremont Economic Development Director Daren Fields said." What Fremont mayor Bob Wasserman terms "a double, not a home run" is more like sacrifice bunt made to move a runner into scoring position. So far this season, the A's have had only one player who has shown the ability to lay that bunt down। But I digress।

The A's also dropped off $500K with the application. It falls short of what I've been looking for (the application, not the money), but it's a start. The abrupt nature and timing of the application makes me wonder if there is something to my thought that the San Jose and Fremont development plans are somehow tied. There are plenty of factors in the Fremont deal alone that need to be addressed. An externality like San Jose would severely complicate matters. I'd like to think that the Fremont deal is completely standalone, but maybe it isn't and Wolff is scrambling in light of the recent news in San Jose.

The filing is not the land-use development application for which city officials have been waiting to start the environmental review process। Instead, it is "an application to negotiate a development agreement,"

Wolff said he would file a land-use development application "in the next couple of months."

City officials now say they expect one to be submitted in the next month or so.

Plans for the new stadium and ballpark village, adjacent to the Pacific Commons shopping center and west of Interstate 880, call for a large mixed-use development similar to that of San Jose's Santana Row.

It would feature nearly 3,000 homes and up to 500,000 square feet of commercial space that would include restaurants, shops and a hotel adjacent to the ballpark.

The stadium would seat

32,000 people and cost as much as $500 million, according to A's officials। In addition to the Cisco parcel, companies affiliated with Wolff have purchased or plan to purchase about 70acres of nearby land.

Fremont's subsequent planning review process would take about one year to complete, starting with a draft environmental impact report, city officials said। The public will have a chance to comment on the report and give input at community outreach meetings, Mayor Bob Wasserman said.

"Maybe we'll put it in the capital of Fremont," Wasserman joked, referring to Newark Mayor Dave Smith's recent tongue-in-cheek description of Fremont's neighboring city.