Reso 2001-021 RDA 2001-003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Attract retail tenants and services who have both neighborhood and City-wide appeal, with an aim toward "higher-end" uses. • Establish the Downtown as the community "gathering place" for dining and entertainment uses. • Continue to support the Downtown as a financial and banking center; work with the banking industry to identify creative re-use of vacant bank buildings. • Create financing mechanisms for special events Downtown so that the community perception of Downtown as a unique gathering place is solidified. a ~~ . -_, ~: ~ ~ ---. Downtown playa, c. 1930 • Introduce an urban design form to the Downtown that puts development proposals into a larger design context. This effort is in conjunction with the urban design guidelines. • Develop a list of priorities for short and long term physical improvements for the Downtown and where future funding (both public and private) is identified. Summary o f D owntown Plan Issue s As with many Bay Area Downtowns, San Leandro has evolved over the last half century from a .regional shopping Downtown for basic goods and services to a largely neighborhood commercial center, with little regional or even Citywide draw. Historic photographs show a vital Downtown in pre- ceding decades; pedestrians and retail activity abounded, and the use of the historic Plaza for community gathering was clearly evident. The introduction of competitive shopping centers and strip commercial development in the 1950's, 60's and 70's created a number of retail and ser- vice voids within Downtown San Leandro that have not been successfully re-marketed. Competition from shopping centers, particularly "box" retail and indoor shopping malls, have resulted in significant losses of traditional Downtown retail establishments such as department stores and specialty shops. Current and projected retail trends throughout the region strongly suggest that Downtown San Leandro cannot recapture many of the retail uses of times past. In addition to retail competition, which has precipitated a substantial „~ change of use, these have been some significant physical changes in the area that have negatively affected the pedestrian qualities and retail friendliness of Downtown. The dominance of the automobile has produced parking and traffic control demands; the increased use of East 14`'' as a major state con- trolled arterial has worked to bisect the Downtown area. Most importantly, the construction of the Washington Plaza project in the early 1980's trans- formed the Downtown area into an uncomfortable, and not entirely suc- page 8 October 2000 San Leandro Downtown Plan & Urban Design Guidelines