Downtown: (Updated September 3, 2004)

Much improvement has occurred with our downtown during the last 15 years, but significant issues remain to make the downtown a vital commercial and social center of our community, and to return it to its historical place in Monterey. Other issues exist with the Lighthouse Avenue Business Association and community, and with the North Fremont community, and I will deal with them separately.

I have been the Planning Commission representative to the Old Monterey Business Association since 1997, where I have served on the Board of Directors with former Council Members Don Edgren and the late Ruth Vreeland, and presently with Chuck Della Sala and Dick Vreeland. That service has given me a unique understanding of the issues facing the Downtown.

A decision vital to the future of Downtown is currently pending before the City Council. The Safeway parcel (which includes the parking lot next to the downtown Safeway) on Munras is owned by the City and has been occupied by Safeway on a ground lease for the past 25 or thirty years. I am informed that the City purchased the lot in the 1970's with money (about $250,000) received for downtown parking adjustments derived from development at Pacific and Franklin. That ground lease is about to expire, and the City has an opportunity to reconsider the use of that parcel, both to increase revenue and to enhance the Downtown.

I served on a study committee earlier this year which reviewed several proposals for renewal of this property. The proposal which I favored would have: (1) added at least a second floor to the Safeway building for residential (mixed) use; (2) built a two story parking structure over the existing surface parking lot, with a second story entrance from Hartnell; (3) constructed a two story retail/residential building on the street (opposite Simineau Plaza) to screen the parking lot from the street; and (4) allowed consideration of a compatible tie-in to mixed use development on the Exxon site across the street, which is owned by the City and also has an expiring ground lease in a couple of years.

Such a development could be at little capital cost to the City (probably financing the parking structure from parking revenue bonds), although it would be several years before rental income from the property would be realized (but compare the deferral program recently enacted for the Cannery Row Hotel). The plan would provide the parking at the south end of Alvarado which the downtown merchants have needed and requested for many years, and would be a vital addition to the downtown. It would serve as an exciting entrance to the downtown, while at the same time provide for more affordable downtown housing. Finally, it would allow for the retention of a downtown grocery store at the same site, which I think is important to our City and the downtown.

An alternate proposal was offered by Safeway - in effect to increase the footprint of the one-story building by some 20%, so that it could open a Super Store. No other changes to the site, but Safeway offered a significant inducement to the City - an offer to begin paying increased rent immediately in the amount of $12,500 per month, and throughout the construction period.

The study committee was disbanded without a formal vote, and it is my understanding that the City has been pursuing negotiations with Safeway exclusively ever since, on this latter proposal. These proposals have never been adequately discussed in public, and indeed the OMBA was not even aware of the negotiations until its July Board meeting when I brought it up.

I think it is unwise and short-sighted to renew the ground lease for essentially the same use when a one-time opportunity exists to make a major improvement to the Downtown. It is pound foolish to lock up this site for another 30 years just to enhance present revenue. I am confidant that the economy and revenue loss to the State will improve in the next several years. But we will be stuck with this lease for a long, long time after our financial difficulty has passed.

Hopefully, the City Council will not make any binding commitments to Safeway before the November election, and until the public and the downtown business community have had a full and fair opportunity to review the plans and comment.

If I am elected, I will do my best to see that this site is redeveloped in accordance with the best interests of Monterey. We need more parking (that's what we bought the property for), and we need workforce housing. This is an excellent opportunity to provide both, while at the same time enhancing the beauty of the entrance to downtown.

Other challenges face downtown, but there are great opportunities. With possible additional parking at the south end of Alvarado, the city will have some flexibility to experiment with proposed "sidewalk cafe" activities at times. Such a use could create excitement for residents and visitors alike, but we should proceed carefully as alcohol is in use, and we don't want to detract from the primarily retail character of the downtown during the day. But added excitement will attract investment and new upscale business to the downtown.

After years trying to find a way to preserve the State Theater, the City has recently been blessed by a private benefactor who has entered into a purchase agreement for the historic Theater. His intention is to restore it to its former glory, with use both for movies and live performance. The City should do everything possible to facilitate the restoration, on fast track if possible.

When completed, the State Theater will be the centerpiece of the downtown - a strong attraction to residents and visitors alike. We should prepare for some revitalization of the downtown to capitalize on the energy that this historical attraction will provide. Ways to attract new retail businesses to the downtown should be explored, with planning to expand the core downtown onto Calle Principal and Washington. Interesting ideas have been floated in recent years - like a Little Sicily - in that area. Perhaps the impetus of the State theater will cause renewed interest in expanding the core area of Alvarado, and the city must be prepared to assist in a carefully planned expansion. This would tie in nicely with mixed-use expansion into the commercially zoned East Downtown area bordered by the lake.

Traffic off of Del Monte and circulation around the downtown garages are problems which I will address in the traffic section of this website. But the downtown merchants are justifiably concerned about the lack of an inviting entrance to the Downtown. I would move quickly to enact traffic plans for this area, but current plans do not address what I will call the "entrance" issue. While I favor the pedestrian bridge across Del Monte to the Wharf, we need to rethink the extent to which current plans "wall off" and hide the downtown. We should look carefully at installing retail space into the bottom floor of one or both garages (like the Cannery Row Garage) to entice visitors away from the tunnel, toward use of the trolley, and toward a pedestrian exploration of Alvarado.

If more people come downtown, more investment will occur, and more upscale retail will appear. It gets people out of their cars east of the Tunnel, a major goal of our circulation program. The very successful Tuesday Market has helped immeasurably in bringing people downtown, although some downtown merchants question whether it truly enhances business. We need to build on the momentum of the Market to create a downtown that our residents want to visit regularly. A synergy will result, returning the downtown to its historic role in Monterey, as the center of City life. Clearly, we don't want the downtown to become just a place for nightlife.

Lastly, I would like to see representatives from the immediately surrounding neighborhoods participate in the Old Monterey Business Association. As we expand our focus and vision of the downtown outward from Alvarado, the concerns and support of the neighbors are required.

I believe that we have accomplished great things in the past few years downtown. But we can do much more. If elected to City Council, I will work hard to realize a vision that returns the downtown to its historic place as the center of city life for residents and visitors alike. A place where more residents live, and are encouraged to stroll around to shop and dine.

OTHER COMMERCIAL CHALLENGES
Other distinct commercial business areas deserve no less attention from the City, but present their own character and unique problems.

Del Monte Center is a local and regional shopping center with aggressive and competent management. We will all hold our breath while the theater complex comes on line, to see whether the traffic impact will be as predicted.

Cannery Row has been an ongoing successful planning effort by the City and the private property owners, with three major approved projects on the board. The private owners involved with those projects have much work to do to realize their plans, but the City must move ahead with mitigations for this intensified use - primarily regarding traffic. Those projects were approved before the Presidio was closed for security reasons. The circulation/traffic patterns and plans to address the needs of all residents and uses west of the tunnel require a top priority from the City Council, and prompt attention.

The City is to be congratulated for finally completing the plans for the Cannery Row Historic District, and now must move forward with any remaining implementation.

Fisherman's Wharf. I am least familiar with the Wharf as we seldom see issues from the Wharf before the Planning Commission. Completion of the Catellus plan will enhance the Wharf, but further efforts to make the wharf more accessible to residents should be considered. There has been some success with reduced parking cost to residents, and that program should be further explored. Lastly, we must not forget that the City has not been able to set aside funds for capital maintenance and repair during the austere budget years we have had since 2001. That is a bill that could become due on short notice, and we must improve our preparedness.

Lighthouse Avenue. The problems in the Lighthouse corridor are primarily related to traffic and circulation. My thoughts and suggestions on these issues are covered in my section on traffic.

However, I believe that part of the solution is to make this area a more pedestrian friendly area, which will get local residents and Cannery Row visitors out of their cars to experience this unique community. This corridor has a unique look and feel, different from downtown. The City can enhance this with creation of off-street parking on a non-essential side street, and by expanding the attraction and use of Scholze Park. This park is less used than it should be and could be made more attractive by opening it up from Lighthouse, without impinging on the Senior Center. One idea would be to expand the sidewalk into the Park, with benches and occasional entertainment, making an attractive gathering place for residents and shoppers.

These ideas are worthy of discussion. It will take imagination and energy to restore confidence and investment to the Lighthouse business community.

North Fremont. This important commercial area has become a seemingly intractable planning problem for the City. Surrounded by charming neighborhoods, the street itself has never evolved from when it was the original Highway 1 entrance into Monterey. It was built out before the City exercised strong land use controls and design guidelines.

It does not have the look and feel of Monterey, and residents complain that it is difficult to tell where Monterey starts and Seaside ends. I think most would agree that it is not an aesthetic asset of Monterey.

The General Plan Update Committee has proposed modest mixed-use on Fremont, but the neighborhoods are vociferous in their opposition to any residential or apartment use along Fremont. I've never quite understood why, as mixed-use would improve appearance, block no one's views, and undoubtedly improve livability and safety along the street. But I don't see anything changing until the neighborhoods work in a positive way to propose and develop solutions with the City and the private property owners.