Reso 2001-021 RDA 2001-003 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Demographic, Regional, and Market Changes There are three key changes occuring today that affect the City's ability to re-market Downtown San Leandro: • In sharp contrast to only a few years ago, national and regional retailers have shown renewed interest in locating within Downtown areas, particularly those exhibiting the architectural diversity and a sense of history to the community that San Leandro embraces. • Downtown markets have shifted from a regional and city-wide draw for traditional retail goods and services to highly specialized retail and service needs. Neighborhood operations, such as grocery and pharmaceutical sales, have been an integral part of Downtown San Leandro's retail base. Eating and drinking, with an emphasis on sit- down restaurants, and entertainment and the introduction of house- hold furnishings have become an integral part of revitalized Down- towns in the Bay Area. • There are clear indications that Downtown San Leandro demo- .' graphics are rapidly changing. Residential real estate sales within the surrounding neighborhoods, and new school enrollment statistics strongly suggest that homeownership within the Downtown market area is shifting toward new families with young children. All of these factors will work in favor of higher end retail recruitment to Down- . town San Leandro. Past Doavnto~vn Revitalisation Efforts Over the last two decades, there have been a number of efforts to rein- vigorate Downtown to regain its economic and community vitality. The Plaza 1 and Plaza 2 Redevelopment project areas were created under State of California Redevelopment Law in 1960 and 1967, respectively. The Plaza 1 consists of the main shopping center (the Washington Plaza); the Plaza 2 Redevelopment area contains the area surrounding Downtown, incorporat- ing the Long's Drugs at E.14``' and Davis, and the Gateway and Placer Title office buildings. A third project area, the Joint Revitalization Area extends along E. 14th Street and takes in the southern portion of the study area. it is important to note that the joint area incorporates a much larger area and does not necessarily focus its attentions and resources on the immediate Downtown Area. A project area map of the Plaza 1 and Plaza 2 redevelop- went areas and the Joint Revitalization Area follows. As the City's first redevelopment area, the "Plaza 1 Redevelopment Project" - originally called the "Downtown Plaza Redevelopment Area" - ~" was intended to deal with problems typical to downtowns experiencing de- cline, such as economic deterioration, building obsolescence, and a shortage of public parking. Efforts to revitalize the Plaza 1 Redevelopment Project area primarily included the reconfiguration and development of Washington Plaza into. a shopping center style business district. This project, which was completed in San Leandro Downtown Plan & Uxban Design Guidelines October 2000 page 11