Smart Downtown Development

By Christine Wozniak

Belmont is on the verge of finally developing our downtown into a remarkable area to gather, play, shop, dine, and enjoy the arts.

With the development of the new City Hall, the renovation of the Manor House, and the exciting new plans to develop Firehouse Square, Belmont Station, and Village Square, we are finally coming into our own as a city with a downtown. It will take some time, but our Planning Department has already made great strides in studying the options, while developers are stepping up to create great new buildings and businesses in our downtown. These business will join the thriving new and old shops and services that make our city a great place to shop.

As a Planning Commissioner, I have had the opportunity to learn more about commercial, institutional, and residential development and remodeling. I've pored over site plans; ruled on CDPs, DDPs, and CUPs; and heard the concerns of both developers and surrounding residents and business owners. As a Council member, I believe in moving ahead as quickly as possible, while keeping our community values and needs of the residents in mind. We need smart and thoughtful development downtown, on a human scale. We need quality businesses and services that will draw residents and customers from surrounding communities into our downtown. We need mixed-use development along our transit corridor to support use and development of mass transit.

Here are some projects that have been recently approved and opened or are under development:

• Firehouse Square: Plans to develop the old Firehouse Square area and integrate it with the existing Village Square (Safeway, Peet's, Starbucks, etc.) downtown.

• El Camino and O'Neill mixed-use development: beautiful Mediterranean style condos on top, restaurant and shops below, with underground parking. Under development, adjacent to Firehouse Square.

• Shalizaar Restaurant - premium Persian dining experience.

Christine Wozniak's Business Goals for Belmont

1. Work with the Belmont Chamber to help it broaden its mission, modernize, and truly serve the needs of the Belmont Business community.

2. Use my extensive experience on the Planning Commission dealing with commercial and residential development to drive smart downtown development. Ensure that specific guidelines are created for developers so that they can move easily and quickly through the development process. Clear the way so that City Staff can work quickly and effectively with developers to realize the great plans we have in store for downtown. The revenue that smart downtown development will bring can fund parks, roads, other infrastructure and help us improve our quality of life.

3. Work with existing businesses to help them improve their bottom line and better serve the residents of Belmont by establishing a clearer communication link between the business owners, the city, and residents. Use the "Facade improvement program" currently under consideration to support makeovers and updates of existing facades.

4. Use my decades of experience as a manager, project manager, and writer with major high-tech companies, and the lessons of just-in-time development, to move the Business-to-Belmont relationship into the future.

5. Develop programs (including amendments to the Business License) to support high-tech consultants and home-based businesses in Belmont. Leveraging our vast resource of entrepreneurs in Belmont is another way to drive Business in Belmont into the future.

6. Launch a business incubator (perhaps in partnership with local high-tech corporations) that supports the startup of innovative tech businesses in Belmont.

7. Attract retail and restaurants that serve our youth. This might range from Video and Computer Game stores, Skateboarding shops, more sports and bike shops, youth-oriented clothing stores, cafes, soda shops, candy stores, book stores, and other "kid-attractive" storefronts. Kids in Belmont have a lot of cash, and many of them would spend it here if we had the right retail. Survey kids and get them to participate in the process.

8. Attract businesses that serve the University population: bookstores, cabarets, wine bars, clothing stores, jewelry and accessory shops are some ideas. How? By getting NDNU students to draw up a list then developing a co-op University/city economics project where the students identify and contact businesses (economic development internships).

9. Carefully develop our east-of-101 Shoreview place area (NOT the Sports Complex) to include a combination of higher-end hotels, office space, restaurants, and retail. Hotel occupancy taxes can be big revenue generators. This area would also be perfect for an In-and-Out to complement the Sports Complex to the south.

10. Get residents to Buy in Belmont!