Community Spotlight: Four UrbanMain Programs in California
Photos courtesy of City of Bellflower, City of Fremont, Black Cultural Zone, and The Unity Council (left to right).
California’s UrbanMain Communities Prioritize Place-Keeping through Capacity-building & Infill Development Projects
CAMS Quarterly | Winter 2022
By: Alicia Gallo, Marketing & Communications Consultant
When we called on California’s UrbanMain communities to share their latest developments, we weren’t quite sure what the dispatches from the field would reveal. The responses brought forth a treasure trove of innovative initiatives, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities, and profoundly place- and people-based projects. Although diverse in size and scope, each community’s work is distinctly reflective of its commitment to preserving its legacy residents and businesses, and realizing its visions for the future.
City of Fremont, CA Continues Momentum in Developing New Downtown from Ground-Up
A diverse crowd of people explore and enjoy the plaza at the grand opening of Fremont’s Downtown Event Center in October 2021. Photo credit: City of Fremont.
It’s not very often that communities get to build a new downtown from the ground-up, especially in a place like the San Francisco Bay Area. But that’s exactly what’s happening in Fremont, California. Located in a central, 110-acre area with a concentrated “retail spine” linking two major shopping centers and within walking distance of a regional BART station, Downtown Fremont is the culmination of years of planning and tens of millions of public investments.
Today, Downtown Fremont is on the rise, with its first mixed-use project completed and two more under construction, along with a new 6-story office headquarters for Fremont Bank. The development activity is now creating opportunities for new small business additions, including several prominent local restaurants and an independent bookstore. To cap things off, in October 2021, the City of Fremont celebrated the opening of its Downtown Event Center, which includes an urban plaza for outdoor gatherings and concerts. While there is much work to be done, the progress speaks to the momentum that is gathering in Downtown Fremont.
Contact: Donovan Lazaro, Economic Development Manager, City of Fremont, www.fremont.gov
Pilot Park Activation Sparks Permanent Place-Keeping for Black Art, Culture & Economic Energy in East Oakland
Left: Two Black women, dressed in vibrant African clothing, raise their smiling faces towards the sky as they dance on the grassy lawn of the Akoma Outdoor Market, accompanied by a drummer and vendor booths in the background. Right: A tall Black gentleman wearing a white hat and a young Black girl wearing a checkered dress skate hand-in-hand at the Umoja Outdoor Skating Rink on a bright sunny day. Photo credit: Black Cultural Zone.
The Black Cultural Zone (BCZ)–in partnership with residents, community leaders, and the City of Oakland–recently scored big wins towards the development of a permanent arts, culture, and economic hub at Liberation Park. The 1.2 acre publicly-owned lot is located in the heart of East Oakland, bordered by busy thoroughfares, a struggling shopping center, schools, and neighborhoods. The community and BCZ identified Liberation Park as a keystone asset with transformative multi-use potential.
Activation of the previously vacant and underutilized park began in September 2020 with the launch of the weekly Akoma Outdoor Market, which prioritizes serving the wellness needs of residents and creating opportunities for local farm producers, restaurants/food trucks, and artists/makers. Monthly film screening and performing arts events accompany the market, continuing the area’s legacy of Black culture and entrepreneurship. On Juneteenth 2021, activities at the park expanded to include the Umoja Outdoor Skating Rink. Weather permitting, the rink operates weekly, welcoming skaters of all ages, skill levels, and backgrounds. In October 2021, BCZ’s vision of a “thriving local community that has groceries, clothes, and food from and for the people who live in the same community” moved one step closer to reality with the approval of development plans that seek to bring affordable housing and commercial retail space to the park.
BCZ is also among five community-based organizations recently chosen to receive funding to support BIPOC-led real estate acquisition. This award will be used to help develop BCZ’s first ground-up community arts “Hub” at Liberation Park, which will help ensure that spaces are owned and activated by local artists, cultural leaders, and community-based organizations – a critical component to preserving the neighborhood’s unique identity and safeguarding it from the negative effects of gentrification.
Contact: Carolyn Johnson, CEO, Black Cultural Zone, blackculturalzone.org
A Parking Lot and Vacant Parcel Give Rise to a Dynamic Development in Downtown Bellflower
Seven men in white hard hats stand in front of construction equipment and joyfully use shovels to ceremoniously break ground for the Edgeway development in Downtown Bellflower. Photo credit: City of Bellflower.
In early December 2021, officials from the City of Bellflower and the Serrano Development Group donned hard hats and wielded shovels to ceremoniously welcome a new dynamic, mixed-use development to Downtown Bellflower. Construction of the Edgeway Downtown Bellflower is now underway and is expected to bring 91 generously sized one- and two-bedroom units, recreational and wellness amenities for residents, and 14,000 square feet of commercial space by the end of 2023.
“We are thrilled to develop this project in the City of Bellflower,” said Serrano Principal Jason Tolleson. “The Edgeway is a transformative development that will bring housing and entertainment to a walkable downtown district with close proximity to future public transit. The City of Bellflower has done an excellent job of bringing new retail and restaurants to their downtown district, and we look forward to further contributing to the success of Downtown Bellflower.”
Edgeway Downtown Bellflower is expected to bring more pedestrian and cultural activity to this historic urban commercial district. In addition to retail, restaurant, and entertainment ventures occupying the commercial spaces, Edgeway will also create a welcoming atmosphere for residents and visitors through a new exterior public plaza, wayfinding signage, and vibrant public art.
Contact: Jim DellaLonga, Director of Economic Development, City of Bellflower, www.bellflower.org
Bridging the Digital Divide and Building Dream Homes in East Oakland’s Fruitvale Village
Left: Chris Iglesias, The Unity Council (left) and Smitha Seshadri, BRIDGE Housing (right) smile as they participate in the ceremonial groundbreaking of Casa Sueños. Right: Small business advisors meet with entrepreneurs at an open air technical assistance clinic in Oakland’s Fruitvale Village neighborhood, hosted by The Unity Council with support from the Comcast Rose Grant. Photo credit: The Unity Council.
The Unity Council in East Oakland’s Fruitvale Village neighborhood wrapped up an eventful 2021 with back-to-back initiatives designed to invest in community connectivity.
In September, the organization launched Onward Oakland: Adelante Oakland, a new program designed to help local small businesses develop innovative business models, with a focus on pivoting to digital marketing and e-commerce. According to Mayra Chavez, Small Business Service Manager, this program is greatly needed as over “60% of the businesses that are part of the Fruitvale Business Improvement District did not have any online presence when the pandemic started and even less have an e-commerce to sell their products or goods.” The initiative’s first effort, Adelante Fruitvale: Adelante Comericante (Forward Fruitvale, Forward Merchant), focuses on teaching business owners how to use social media accounts to promote their business. The initial cohort of 10 businesses includes Bakery El Sol, Nena’s Hair Studio, and Los Cocos Salvadoran Restaurant.
Also in September, housing advocates, community members, and local leaders gathered for a joyful celebration: the groundbreaking of Casa Sueños, a 181-unit affordable housing development. Situated just steps away from the Fruitvale BART Station, Casa Sueños is the third stage of a community-oriented mixed-use, mixed income development project that began in the early 2000s. Originally planned as a market-rate housing project, The Unity Council, in partnership with BRIDGE Housing, modified the development to respond to the urgent affordable housing needs of Oakland’s working families. When completed, Casa Sueños will provide over 130 apartments, as well as 46 units for individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. The 7500 square feet of affordable commercial space will house a local nonprofit organization, providing further stability to the neighborhood, its residents, small businesses, and community-based groups.
Contact: Mayra Chavez, Small Business Service Manager, The Unity Council, unitycouncil.org
This article was originally published by UrbanMain on the Main Street Blog. It has been republished here with permission.