A vibrant retail complex would add much to Castro Valley’s core shopping community as there are still many products and services that we have to go to other communities to purchase. it would generate tax revenue, provide employment opportunities and keep the dollars here. A park is a cute idea but will be for the most part a drag on the economy. For starters it would only be useable in good weather, there is the the cost of maintenance to consider, and it wouldn’t take long before for the homeless, graffiti taggers and vandals to turn it into a dump that Castro Valley residents will not want to take their children to. Don’t forget security, who will provide that and what would it cost. In a perfect world a park might be a nice idea, we need commerce, revenue, products and services In our community. Furthermore, we have a park at the Adobe, we do not need another one.
Dear Mr. Greensfelder: A Letter to Daughtrey’s Developer from a CV Resident Wanting Vibrancy, Community Input
- By : Christine Tengan
- Category : Economic Development, Featured Story
Developer David Greensfelder, who owns the Daughtrey building, will be giving a presentation “How Retail Site Selection Decisions Really Happen…the Inside Story,” at the EALI Economic Development Working Group meeting, tonight, May 7, 2015, at 6:30pm at the San Lorenzo Village Homes Association – 377 Paseo Grande, San Lorenzo.
Castro Valley resident Christine Tengan wrote this guest column, an open letter to Mr. Greensfelder.
Mr. Greensfelder, I was looking forward to meeting you at the April 20th MAC meeting as I had heard you would be presenting some new information regarding the Daughtrey’s department store site downtown. It was unfortunate that illness precluded your attendance. The county was able to update us that you have been negotiating lease terms with a “major retailer” and are also considering up to two restaurants for the front of the building facing Castro Valley Blvd.
Of course, as Castro Valley residents, we’re very pleased to see that development is finally on the horizon for this long-vacant site. As you’re likely aware, you’ve been charged with developing a piece of property that not only sits in the center of our small downtown, but has been at the center of hot debate for years as to its disposition. And you should know there still remains strong, ongoing public support to turn this site into a Town Square or other community facility so that Castro Valley can finally start to cultivate a vibrancy downtown that the recent Castro Valley Boulevard streetscape project alone could not provide. As such, development of the Daughtrey’s site is not just another project to the very diverse residents of Castro Valley…it is much more than that.
In your recent presentations, to cities like Capitola and Fremont, I’m glad to hear you support seeking input from the town and its residents (the City) in considering your projects. You state specifically: “Bottom Line: The more a site can be validated for retailer interest and for developer certainty, the greater the chance for success. Note to the City: HELP CREATE CERTAINTY.”
This certainly sounds like a winning formula! However, could it be that doing so is much easier to discuss in a PowerPoint presentation than to actually put into practice? I ask because you cite that a triad of stakeholders (developer, retailer and “the City”) must be taken into account if future retail is to succeed and yet you’ve completely ignored “the City”. Neither I, nor anyone to whom I spoken about the Daughtrey’s site, have received correspondence from your office asking for feedback as to what we would like to see in that vital location.
Perhaps, because Castro Valley is unincorporated, we don’t fit the bill of being “the City” in your scenario? Regardless of the reason, we want to HELP CREATE CERTAINTY for your vision at this important site but we’ve not yet been asked and your lease negotiations are already quite advanced are they not?
Additionally, you mention under “Tips for Planning for Future Retail” that “Cities Should Focus on Place Making To Attract Quality Retailers”. Could not agree more!
So should Castro Valley residents just trust that you’re negotiating with a retailer that will actually assist in our Place Making? The recent Streetscape project did much to improve the “look” of downtown but there is definitely still NO “there” there. This being the case, you likely won’t have the built-in pedestrian traffic you seek to make your proposed retail viable. We live here, and we want to shop local as much as possible. But we won’t do so if you’re not offering the right retailer(s) and there’s no vibrant “there” inviting us to spend lots more time downtown.
In another of your presentation slides, you seem to dismiss the idea that vibrancy can be created. Specifically, you ask: “Are our expectations about vibrant areas realistic? Should we be spending so much time regulating to try to achieve vibrant areas which are, in fact, outliers? The most vibrant areas are the most organic. Examples: Santa Cruz Ave (Los Gatos), SF retail streets, College Ave (Berkeley/Oakland), downtown Santa Cruz, State St (Santa Barbara), downtown Petaluma, Healdsburg, Sonoma Square.”
Do you really believe vibrancy just “happens” (organic)? Likely the folks of Livermore, Campbell and others whose downtown has been newly minted “vibrant” would strongly disagree with you. Granted, they did so before redevelopment programs all but disappeared. But that doesn’t mean, as a commercial developer, you should ignore the community’s very strong and very real desire for a downtown that draws them in, invites them to stay and doesn’t have to beg for their return. We’ll WANT to return because you’re offering us what we desire.
Also, you’ve likely looked at the demographics of Castro Valley and know its makeup has changed immensely over the last decade, and projections show that trend continuing. Those of us who’ve lived here for quite awhile enthusiastically embrace and celebrate the wonderful diversity that, in itself, is bringing a new vibrancy to our town. But you could do so much with the Daughtrey’s site, creating a project that could be the catalyst for real, long-lasting change in our downtown so that it becomes the magnet for civic life that that we all crave.
Mr. Greensfelder, the residents of Castro Valley are very eager to work with you to make sure that your project at the Daughtrey’s site is not only successful but is worthy of becoming the “Center of Downtown”. Castro Valley has been waiting a long time and we deserve the chance to have our voices heard.
