Also at the economic forum, Ben Bierman, of solar panel maker Solyndra, said his company has had to delay plans to build a $1 billion factory in Fremont because access to capital is too tight. He doesn’t see that changing for several months.

Ohlone President Gari Browning was also at the economic forum. She said the college was expectinga $2.2 million mid-year cut from the state. Since the college has already but it’s budget in place, it will be difficult to make the cuts, she said.

In better news, she said enrollment for the fall semester was up 9 percent, although the increase in enrollment comes at a time when money is getting tighter.

As for the Frontage Property, she said the real estate market’s troubles would likely impact what ever happens with it, but the board won’t discuss it until after the election. Sorry, I know that’s vague.

One recommendation from the city’s recent retail study is to encourage “Asian-oriented retail,” considering the predominance and growth of the Asian population in town.

The report noted that Warm Springs, which happens to have an Asian-themed shopping center, is the only one of Fremont’s historic shopping districts that isn’t under-performing. Another Asian-themed shopping center, with a Marina Foods, is going nearby in the old Navlet’s space.

So you’d think the city, always trolling for sales tax revenue, would be open to Asian-themed centers all over town, but that isn’t always the case. With the Globe project, for instance, the city wanted the development to have more of an international flavor, rather than solely an Asian one.

The developers have now asked to put a hotel in the planned Europa Village. Maybe it’ll have a Trappist bar inside.

One thing that every candidate for Fremont City Council seems to agree on is that the key to paying for better services, like more cops, is more economic development. Only Bob Wieckowski is bold enough to defend 2006’s failed Utility Tax.

But can any city really expect economic growth when the economy is tanking and credit is tight? I asked Steven Cohen, economist for the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy in Palo Alto, about whether Fremont could generate the kind of economic growth that could pay for new cops.

“Nothing in the way of what are loosely called economic development policies are going to help any cities’ budget in the next year or two or three,” he said.

Fremont is well-positioned to eventually attract companies, but it will face competition, he added.

“The idea that one city such as Fremont would dominate is (questionable). But even if they were successful, it’s not going to solve the budget problems facing them this year, next year or in 2010.”

I talked to a developer with the Globe project, and got his take on why Fremont’s Epcot Center has been so slow in taking shape. He painted a prettier picture, saying new shops should be in place early next year.

He also talked about his application with the city to allow for a 200-room hotel on the site, which is right across the street from the Newark Marriott.

This development’s track record hasn’t been the best so far, so let’s not get excited, but I’m guessing Fremont would be pumped to have a new hotel that could siphon off some of those hotel tax revenues that go to Newark via the Hilton.

 UPDATE: I spoke to someone who  says he is going to open a restaurant at the The Globe in two weeks sometime this year. And a frozen yogurt vender says her shop  should open in December.

I’m going to try to do another update on The Globe development today. If you remember, The Globe is supposed to be Fremont’s Epcot Center at Stevenson Boulevard and I-880. 

But things have not gone well. I drove through it this morning. It’s still empty, except for the bank. Looks more like a place to deposit a corpse than a check.

Who needs Whole Foods? I’ll take $2 Corn Flakes any day. We recently got a Smart & Final extra at Walnut Avenue and Paseo Padre Parkway. I think it actually opened last month, but I’m getting cheaper by the day. (Thanks to Mindfully Hurtfull Sarcasm blog, which first mentioned the opening.

I haven’t heard anything about Fremont landing one of those Tesco Fresh & Easy stores that have sprouted up in the Bay Area. The LA Times reported last week that the Brittish retailer had a tough first year.

((UPDATE)) Just heard that Tesco is looking at opening a Fresh & Easy at Mowry near I-880. Also, The Smart & Final at Blacow and Fremont is no more.

I got scooped on this. It’s not the big department store; it’s the big department store’s discount chain.

It’s coming to Creekside Landing, which I think is that planned shopping center way on the south end of town off I-880.

Anyway, for the full story check out the East Bay Business Times.

UPDATE: Creekside landing is indeed the development formerly known as Bayside Marketplace. It’s going to be at the southern boundary of Fremont at Dixon Landing Road, west of I-880. Council approval of the 25-acre project is expected for early next year.

The Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal just posted this profile/interview with Fremont’s Economic Development Director Daren Fields.

Little did I know that Daren and I have a couple of connections. One, we both live in Berkeley. And two, his business hero, Robert Moses, pushed through a highway project that displaced my mother’s family when my mom was a girl growing up in the Bronx.

My mom’s family moved to a bigger apartment, so the Cross Bronx Expressway wasn’t too big a deal for them. But, Moses also wanted to build a parking lot in Central Park and a highway through Greenwich Village, which would have been a very big deal. Let’s just say he wasn’t much for public transit.

We ran a story today that CVS is buying Longs Drug Stores for $2.9 billion.  Longs is the best. Those 24-hour super Longs have everything anyone could ever need.  Of course, Hallers here in Fremont also rocks the party that rocks the party.

But CVS stores back east are totally blah. Too bad.