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, Oakland/San Leandro Subcommittee - 2 - April 13, 1998 kirport Area Improvements: The Mayors of Oakland, San Leandro, and Alameda, elected officials, and key staff from the City of Oakland, City of San Leandro, Port of Oakland, and Alameda County Transit Authority met in December 1997 and affirmed their respective support and commitment to an airport area improvement effort. The parties reviewed each of the projects already planned for the area. While there is major public investment planned in roadway construction and airport expansion projects, they are currently not coordinated at all. The parties agreed that there is a great opportunity to create a strong identity for the East Bay at this gateway. They exchanged ideas, and agreed to work together to incorporate a unified design theme into existing and future expansion plans and roadway projects. Staff of the City of Oakland, the Port of Oakland, and the City of San Leandro have begun working together on a Memorandum of Understanding for this design collaboration. A joint technical committee is being formed to hire a design specialist to oversee the development and implementation of this coordinated airport area improvement project. Jobs: The creation and retention of well -paying jobs is clearly a regional issue that benefits from collaboration. In the case of Oakland and San Leandro, Oakland has many residents looking for work, while San Leandro has more jobs than working -age residents. To bridge this gap, Oakland's Employment Services Division and the San Leandro Chamber of Commerce have met several times, and have begun to bring together potential appropriately -skilled workers in Oakland with San Leandro's employers. Among the next steps are a jobs fair (focusing on the industrial district south of the airport), and the )ossibility of the cities using their websites and other media to improve access to job openings. Commercial Revitalization: As a starting point for developing joint comprehensive commercial revitalization programs, the cities teamed together to conduct a business walk along the MacArthur Boulevard commercial corridor in December 1997. The input gathered during the business walk will be combined with other staff and community input to identify and prioritize projects for the commercial area. The Cities are jointly preparing a commercial revitalization program that will include a business attraction program and a repositioning strategy for Foothill Square. The Cities are also exploring joint programs to address security, improve access to City services, and target code enforcement efforts. Staff is also exploring the idea of establishing a new Redevelopment Study Area in the MacArthur corridor. Efforts are also underway to revitalize Durant Square, the anchor retail facility on East 14th Street, and the owner has proposed rezoning the site from manufacturing use to commercial and residential use. Staff from Oakland and San Leandro have agreed on a joint process for soliciting community input. The first joint community meeting was held February 2, 1998. Staff has also begun a series of meetings with the owner of Durant Square to facilitate the approval process for rezoning, as well as to expedite discussions with developers regarding specific development proposals. Neighborhood Appearance: Since the adoption of the Joint Revitalization Plan, the Cities of Oakland and San Leandro have taken significant steps toward bringing neighborhoods in the vicinity of the Oakland/San Leandro city limit line together to work on issues of common concern. In December 1997, a 156