City Council Diary
By Matt Artz
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010 at 7:12 pm in Uncategorized.
If you can judge a city by the quality of the men’s room at City Hall, Fremont deserves the highest marks. I don’t know if they clean the place every Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., but stepping in there Tuesday evenings is literally a breath of fresh air, especially compared to the new Argus office in Centerville.
I can only imagine what our old men’s room at Paseo Padre and Stevenson is like with Marshak making the rounds. Speaking of Marshak, where is he? The only person at the press table right now is Ishan Shah.
Right now the council is honoring Sgt. Fred Bobbitt. I’ve always been curious about this guy, because he’s the star of the police reports that get sent out to media types like me. Maybe it’s the name, but it always seems like Sgt. Bobbitt is making the stop and the arrest. He seems like a mellow guy. He’s been with the city for 20 years now.
Marshak is in the building
There’s one public speaker today and he’s upset about NUMMI closing. Not much the guys on the dais can do about that.
Remember the East West Connector project which used to be Route 84, which is a new road from Mission Boulevard to Paseo Padre Parkway. The council is about to approve plans for some citizen oversight boards to guide that project to completion. There still isn’t enough money to actually build the thing and widen Decoto Road.
When this is done, it’s on to the General Plan. No Anu Natarajan tonight, which is a bummer because she lives for the general plan. Tonight is all about land use designations in the plan, which will guide Fremont development through 2030.
I wonder what Anu would think of the city’s draft proposal which places much of Centerville and Irvington under a Transit Oriented Development designation, which could allow for bigger and bulkier buildings along main thoroughfares of both districts.
Transit Oriented Development is the name of the game these days. If you want grant funding for your project it better be a dense development near some kind of bus or train terminal.
You could look at the city’s draft proposal in any number of ways. Maybe upzoning Centerville and Irvington will spur development, bring in more money and bring in more people to help retailers. Or you could say, Centerville and Irvington, which are less affluent, are getting stuck with the less desirable side of urbanization: parking shortages, overcrowding, big shadow-casting buildings, while the richer districts like Mission San Jose and Warm Springs go untouched.
Or you could say that it doesn’t really matter because in Centerville the train station only serves ACE and Capital Corridor and those lines don’t generate enough riders for a developer to want to build lots of tall apartment buildings nearby. And in Irvington the train station doesn’t even exist yet.
Anyway, here comes the report.
Councilmember Wieckowski asks if some of the zoning rules single family neighborhoods could be relaxed to make it easier to get some half and half in the morning.
Answer is unclear, which I assume means “no.” Some shopping centers that are struggling could be rebuilt as housing complexes with ground floor retail.
Here are some intersections where the city would be open to a mix of housing and retail:
Fremont Boulevard and Decoto Road
Blacow Road and Fremont Boulevard at the old Smart and Final
Thornton and Cabrillo at the Cabrillo Center.
Fremont has more open space categories than any city the consultant has worked it.
Irvington BART Station not envisioned as commuter station, meaning it won’t have a lot parking spaces, kind of like Rockridge in Oakland. That’s good news for cabbies. How will people get there and what will they do when they arrive?
We’re done here. Sorry I didn’t provide more detail. Maybe next week when the general plan is once again on the agenda.
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March 9th, 2010 at 8:10 pm
Transit oriented development. Rather than bringing the transit to where people live lets pack them in next to the transit that’s not built yet. I commented recently that the Irvington BART station will get funded to take care of the low, extra low, and extremely low income housing to be built there. And Central Park South will be individual townhomes, 22′ wide on a 38′ wide lot (8′ between each unit). Each townhome is 32′ high (three stories). They will run from Main St. in Irvington to Paseo Padre parallel to the UPRR line. Except for over the Hayward Fault, which runs diagonally right through the parcel. They plan to put the playground on it.
I do believe we’ve already seen the best of times.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:33 pm
VOR: I think it was the native cultures that saw the best of times.
March 9th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
Since posting links seems to have become the norm: http://bit.ly/dud7bl
just saying =]
March 10th, 2010 at 6:27 am
Ishan, read your website comments. Ironic that Fremont is not interested in participating with Google. When the first cable Internet provider @Home was looking for test cities Fremont was one of them as was Hartford, Conn. and a few others.
Guess times things have changed in city management. Sorry son, we’re busy polishing Lew’s shoes.
Interesting that the land use issue was scheduled for a council meeting when not all council members would be present. Coincidence or planned?
March 10th, 2010 at 10:01 am
The General Plan also would discourage parking and car oriented developments. This will be a disaster if we do not have a Light Rail System, on Fremont Blvd from Fremont Blvd and Automall to Fremont Blvd and Docoto Road with two spurs one for Bart, the other for Pacific Commons.
This will be more important or a higher priority to the residents of Fremont then the Irvington Bart Station.
What do you think?
March 10th, 2010 at 11:57 am
From what I understand the density of Fremont is not sufficient to support light rail. I disagree.
This is a textbook case of the chicken and the egg. Which comes first?
Do we build out Fremont so traffic comes to a halt, eliminate parking, then think about an alternative transportation system? How about putting that in place first and then building along the main line and spurs? That would be called planned development. About 60 cities in the U.S. are doing it already.
http://www.lightrailnow.org/success2.htm
March 10th, 2010 at 12:05 pm
“What do you think?”
Bill, I think you finally wrote something of value.
March 10th, 2010 at 12:34 pm
Rapid bus is another option, costs much less than light rail.
March 10th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
Bruce #8,
There are a lot of pro’s and con’s between Light Rail and Buses.
Once the Light Rail is operating, businesses will crop up along the route because they know the route will not be changed.
A.C. Transit is always changing routes or eliminating service, that is kind of hard to do when you have fixed rails.
The San Jose VTA is a pleasure to take and you always know where it is at.
they have adjusted there schedules to deal with there budget problems. All transits are hurting in the state since they took away all the transit money
March 10th, 2010 at 5:43 pm
“Ishan, read your website comments.”
Which comments are you referring to VOR?
March 10th, 2010 at 11:10 pm
Ishan, did the council say why they wouldn’t participate in the RFI process from Google? What is wrong with this town, really!
March 11th, 2010 at 1:43 am
FG: In a word, FRED.
March 11th, 2010 at 6:11 am
Ishan – The URL you posted in No. 3.
http://bit.ly/dud7bl
March 11th, 2010 at 7:07 am
Nationwide free Wi-Fi?
http://www.switched.com/2010/03/10/fcc-considering-free-wi-fi-as-part-of-national-plan/
March 11th, 2010 at 7:45 am
Most cities in the Bay Area use “citizen advisory” committees to up date their General Plans. Here’s an example:
http://www.marinscope.com/articles/2010/03/10/twin_cities_times/news/doc4b98116548a33192162148.txt
In fact, I don’t know of ANY other city in the Bay Area that doesn’t do it that way! Do you?
Of course, this is “FREDMONT.”
March 11th, 2010 at 8:18 am
One of the most important reasons for having a citizens general plan advisory committee (aka:GPAC) aside from public “buy-in” is that the consultants, staff and policy makers (aka:Council) find out things that they didn’t know about – from the public! What a concept!!
March 11th, 2010 at 8:19 am
FB: I hear what you say, but take a look at rapid bus (or BRT as it is called)… people load and unload at elevated platforms, so no stair climbing. No cash, tickets bought at a kiosk. Main issue is finding routes that can take a dedicated bus lane, though even that is not mandatory. This is working in several big cities and the set up time is much shorter than light rail. I’d argue that the platforms serve some of the same purpose as a light rail station in terms of fixed infrastructure.
There is a good page on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bus_rapid_transit
March 11th, 2010 at 8:23 am
Which reminds me of the old saying that there are basically three kinds of knowledge: what you know, what you don’t know, and what you don’t know that you don’t know!
There certainly seems to be a lot of the third kind in FREDMONT!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:14 am
As you said FB….rather timely given your comments of yesterday.
AC Transit service changes to take effect soon
03/11/2010 12:00:00 AM PST
FREMONT — Major changes are in store for AC Transit riders starting March 28 as the bus agency rolls out new routes and schedules aimed at reducing costs.
In central and southern Alameda County, more than a dozen bus lines will be discontinued and replaced — mostly with shorter routes, several of which will run less frequently.
http://www.insidebayarea.com/search/ci_14648824
March 11th, 2010 at 11:56 am
San Jose light rail (VTA) has fixed rail and it works beautifully. They are cutting route frequency, like Bart.
San Jose would be a good place to check out Light Rail system.
I do not mean to infer that buses should be eliminated, but Light Rail should be the back bone, spine that the buses feed into, simiar to Bart, VTA
Fixed Rail Routes cannot be eliminated.
In the last ten years AC transit has change routes several times. I have no idea what the routes are now, or will be after the cuts.
March 11th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Anon101 Says: Most cities in the Bay Area use “citizen advisory” committees to up date their General Plans. Here’s an example:
http://www.marinscope.com/articles/2010/03/10/twin_cities_times/news/doc4b98116548a33192162148.txt
In fact, I don’t know of ANY other city in the Bay Area that doesn’t do it that way! Do you?
Of course, this is “FREDMONT.”
I opposed of having “citizen advisory” committees to up date our General Plans. How will you fell if “citizen advisory” committees controling our city what Fremont should look like by 2030 instead of what majority of residents wants. One of them could said Fremont
should build more suburban development such as 1-2 story building or one of them said Fremont should build high rise building such as 30-60 story building. This is unacceptable and bad idea Anon101!!!
March 11th, 2010 at 10:43 pm
You are kidding, right General Plan? Otherwise, please, disregard anything that i’ve said.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:44 pm
GP: the WHOLE reason that you would want a GPAC is to do EXACTLY what you say you want: “majority of residents wants.”
March 12th, 2010 at 7:16 am
“San Jose light rail (VTA) has fixed rail and it works beautifully.”
Bill, a few points:
*Light rail travels at up to 4x the driving time equivalent.
*A ride from Alum Rock to Sunnyvale takes 2 hours (35-40 min drive).
*A ride from Blossom Valley to downtown takes an hour (20-30 min drive).
*I lived in SJ, and residents despise the service. It is grossly underutilized because of the inherent inefficiency.
*VTA has lost federal funding in the past because of poor management.
*VTA is constantly running a deficit. I can’t think of one year, boom or bust when VTA covered their operating costs.
*Most cars serve as refuges for homeless.
Light Rail is a patch for short distance travel, a la up and down Fremont Blvd, and one or two spurs as you suggested earlier. But to describe VTA as a beautifully run transit agency is as off mark as one can get.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:31 am
I don’t care how many billions we spend on lightrail. I’m not parking my SUV to cross this city and I don’t think most of you would either.
March 12th, 2010 at 9:15 am
Electric-car start-up aims to keep NUMMI open with zero-emission vehicles
By HANS GREIMEL, AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Electric car hopeful Aurica Motors LLC is floating a plan to keep open a California joint venture between Toyota and General Motors by building zero emission vehicles there.
Aurica has been negotiating the plan with New United Motor Manufacturing Inc. for the past three months, Aurica General Manager Matt Pitagora said in a phone interview late Wednesday.
(One small hitch. They need about $1 billion in capital to start up)
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100311/CARNEWS/100319970#ixzz0hz1zTjFJ
March 12th, 2010 at 9:33 am
VOR, it will be a good attempt to utilize the plant, as well to get the jobs for NUMMI employees. Since the 21st Century is that of Green Tech, we have to make Fremont ” Green Valley “. Cong John Garamandi, Cong Pete Stark, Bill Lockyer and the other Legislators should help Aurica Motors to get the necessary funding.
http://www.YourAmericanVoice.com
March 12th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
Fazlur: the big question in my mind is…will the current NUMMI employees accept being non union employees or big a reduction in hourly wages. Great idea to try and help them but they will also need to help themselves
March 12th, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Tom, let them have conversation , break the ice, then negotiate what will be structure of the wages initially and future wages ratio to the profits.As time passes it will be unionised, I think some thing is better tha nothing. There is a pride in being employed and working than staying at home.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:26 pm
The photo from VOR’s link reminded me of that scene from “Gung Ho” where Michael Keaton drives the car off the line and the front axle rolls out from under the car.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:27 pm
I want the A’s but the city should explore this too. Hard to beliv I agree with Fazlur. So I’m probably wrong.
March 12th, 2010 at 8:59 pm
What an interesting contrast -
M. Artz takes time and page real-estate (above) to describe the wonderful condition of the restrooms at Fremont City Haul as part of his review of the recent city council meeting – I guess he again earns the “funny guy” award for local coverage – meanwhile the guy across town that Artz took the time to point out as late to the show, has this to say –
“…nodding at the right time and giving gratuitous compliments to staff is not enough. When a job is well done, the best tribute is close examination of the work and brief, meaningful critical comment. Vacuous remarks from one end of the dais and utter confusion from the other end are unacceptable. If something needs to be said, it is best to say it clearly and succinctly; if not, save us all the
embarrassment of listening to drivel. The General Plan is a reflection of who we are; let’s make sure it represents our best efforts.”
Isn’t it interesting the differences in perspective ? ?
. . . . .and values reflected in these comments ?!?!
. . . . and how two different individuals with the same opportunity CHOOSE to use the resource and opportunity they have at their disposal to describe the identical event ???
These sharp contrasts have NOTHING to do with workload or the relative profit needs of the respective authors or their employers – - – I’m guessing that both work hard and both are for-profit institutions . . . . so, what’s the difference ???
You can read this contrasting perspective in full here – - –
http://www.tricityvoice.com/articlefiledisplay.php?issue=2010-03-10&file=Editiorial Who are we.txt
March 12th, 2010 at 9:08 pm
Sorry but the link I’ve provided in post #32 is not functioning . . .
The URL naming conventions TCV uses continue to create problems – - – you can work around this if you cut the full text of my link and paste it into the URL field of your browser – - – same result.
March 15th, 2010 at 6:23 am
Had to add my $0.02 about light rail in Fremont.
http://www.bacon2010.com/blog/?p=112