Item 7.3, September 23, 2003 SUBJECT: WEST SAN CARLOS STREET/BASCOM AVENUE

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that the City Council and Redevelopment Agency accept the report on the West San Carlos Street/Bascom Avenue Economic Development Strategy BACKGROUND The West San Carlos/Bascom Avenue Economic Strategic Plan was a high priority for the West San Carlos Business Association and the Burbank/Del Monte Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC). Through a Community Advisory Committee appointed by the Council District Office, the community came together to craft a plan that would lead to new retail, housing, and development opportunities for improving the commercial areas of West San Carlos Street and Bascom Avenue. The committee consisted of representatives from the West San Carlos Business Association, the Burbank/Del Monte NAC, Buena Vista, Sherman Oaks and Shasta Hanchett neighborhood associations, and property and business owners. A team of consultants was selected by members from the West San Carlos Neighborhood Business Association and the Burbank/Del Monte NAC to develop the Strategy. The team was led by EDAW, an urban design firm, and included the following sub-consultants; Strategic Economics (Development Feasibility), Fehr and Peers (Traffic), and Jeff Eichenfield and Associates (Business Organization). A series of workshops was held over an eight-month period. Two three-day workshops were held in October and November 2003. Strategies resulted in recommendations to encourage and increase housing opportunities, development standards to encourage pedestrian-oriented residential and mixed-use development, appropriate interface, open space-parks and plazas, streetscape and pedestrian improvements, business strategies, transit systems, neighborhood-serving retail opportunities, and alternatives on preserving the unique character of the area. Augmenting the meetings and workshops, a series of stakeholder interviews and meetings were held which added to the consultant team’s understanding of the issues. All of these factors were input to the creation of the

enclosed West San Carlos Street/Bascom Avenue Economic Development Strategy, which was approved by the Committee on May 19, 2003, and then recommended by the Committee for forwarding to the City Council and Redevelopment Agency for acceptance. ANALYSIS The Economic Development Strategy study area geographically covers all the West San Carlos Neighborhood Business District Project Area, the commercial and industrial portion of the Burbank/Del Monte Strong Neighborhood Initiative area and the unincorporated Bascom Avenue commercial area. For purposes of the Strategy, the area was segmented into three sub areas each with a unique set of issues and challenges: the Del Monte area has industrial uses and large parcels; the Mid Corridor area consists of strip malls and shallow lots; the Burbank area has smaller, buildings that front onto the street. In addition to these sub-areas, the Strategy seeks to create specific “nodes” that include both housing and retail opportunities. These nodes have been identified in locations where there are sufficient under-utilized parcels to support new residential development that can foster retail activities. The plan has five major objectives that frame the strategies that will encourage reinvestment in the West San Carlos/Bascom Area. The major objectives are:

1. Neighborhood Business District Management and Marketing efforts 2. Attract variety of new businesses for various types of retail 3. Stimulate investment and reinvestment 4. Create neighborhood and people places 5. Establish visual coherence

The report contains approximately 100 recommendations on improving the business climate, encouraging new development, streamlining the development process, strengthening the West San Carlos Business Association, and beautifying the environment. The following are some of the more prominent recommendations that are summarized: 1. Neighborhood Business District Management and Marketing efforts:

Commercial revitalization is most successful when public and private entities are involved. The plan calls for strengthening the Business Association to support and assist in the City’s revitalization efforts. One of the most important activities is the marketing and promotion of the district. A district must gear its promotional campaign to take advantage of its unique character.

Recommended Actions

• Develop a strategic plan that documents the association’s broad, long-

range goals and strategies for achieving these goals. • Organize the following business clusters into individual subcommittees

for the purpose of joint marketing, networking and delivering targeted member benefits: motorcycle businesses, restaurants, antiques, used car lots, shopping centers, youth category.

• Encourage adjacent businesses to share parking and connect rear parking lots.

• Complete the construction of the monument signs at the West San Carlos Shopping Center.

2. Attract New Businesses of Various Types:

Attracting appropriate new retail types will be a major factor in adding greater coherence to the commercial character of the street and its individual sub-areas. Residents identified the need to have more neighborhood serving retail and the business owners called out for more retail that complements existing businesses. A critical mass of stores within each business cluster will benefit all businesses by creating a stronger draw. Current residents will benefit from a broader complement of well-run stores and services.

Recommended Actions

• Working with Real Estate Brokers, target businesses that fit in with the

overall identity of each “node.” • Recruit a mix of local and chain retailers. • Assign a SJRA staff member to retail recruitment effort. • Build marketable mixed use space:

• Ground floor retail should only be built adjacent to an existing retail concentration.

• Minimum ground floor retail space should be at least 5,000 square feet.

• Maintain a minimum depth of 40 feet. • Encourage housing or offices on upper floors of mixed-use

development. • In Del Monte sub-area, require any new retail space to face West

San Carlos Street. Right now, no commercial is proposed on the Del Monte site.

• In Bascom sub-area, work to attract youth-oriented businesses and a café with curbside appeal.

3. Stimulate Investments and Reinvestment

Within the two-mile length of the Plan Area, various sites have the highest potential for redevelopment either through reuse or intensification. While the designation of opportunity sites is broad, it certainly is not the only indicator for predicting change. It gives a general idea of where new construction may occur.

Establish “nodes. These “nodes” have the potential to reflect areas where new development on underutilized properties has the opportunity to bring about major change in use and character, creating more pedestrian-friendly and vibrant streetscapes. The “nodes” have the potential to create neighborhood and people places that encourage strolling, wider sidewalks, plazas, open space connections, and improved lighting. The development would provide more accessible choices such as walking, bicycles, bus rapid transit, trolley, and light rail.

Recommended Actions

• Require master builders of very large projects to subcontract to different

architects or developers in order to create a variety of building styles. • Require new development to provide new streets to define smaller block

sizes. • Amend the general plan to allow a higher total number of residential units

in the Del Monte area. • Conduct rezoning of selected opportunity site parcels to Planned

Development or Commercial Pedestrian zoning. • Consistent with the Housing Opportunities Study (HOS 3), conduct a

General Plan designation change to Transit Corridor Residential for selected opportunity sites.

• Encourage and promote the use of shared parking between adjacent and appropriate uses.

• Area West of Lincoln Avenue, maintain current parking standards: • Allow further reductions in parking requirements in the Plan Area if

Transportation Demand Management Plans demonstrate the feasibility. • Consider granting lowered parking ratios of 10 % below the

requirement after Bus Rapid Transit or Light Rail Service is implemented along West San Carlos St.

• Step down scale of new development next to existing residential areas.

4. Create neighborhood and people places The Strategy recommends that new development should be designed and sited

to create a more pedestrian-friendly streetscape. Developers should be encouraged to consult early with the Planning Department regarding site planning and building design. Buildings should be located at or close to sidewalks. Modest setbacks should be allowed to provide public plazas at the sidewalk and to create a wider sidewalk width. Buildings should not be set back behind parking areas. Building design should be outward-oriented with front entrances facing a street or other public space in order to provide activity and a relationship to public space.

Recommended Actions

• Encourage developers to consult early with Planning Department staff regarding site planning and building design

• Require that new buildings be pedestrian-friendly and street-oriented, with little or minimal setbacks and have prominent entries and windows at the street rather than blank front facades, and place parking at the rear of parcels.

• Encourage new development along West San Carlos to provide plazas with resting space, shade, and where appropriate, outdoor seating tied to adjacent retail uses.

• Channel in-lieu open space fees to create neighborhood park spaces throughout the surrounding neighborhoods.

• Encourage Bus Rapid Transit along West San Carlos Street instead of Light Rail Transit.

• Work to create a community park between Auzerais Avenue and Home Street connecting bike routes and pedestrian trails along Los Gatos Creek.

• Work with VTA to construct a Light Rail Train station near Sunol Street or West San Carlos Street in the first phase of the Vasona LRT construction.

5. Establish visual coherence: West San Carlos and Bascom Avenue are visually interesting because they

represent a range of architectural styles from the 20th Century. Business owners and residents voiced an appreciation for these styles. The goal of the Plan is to maintain the unique character and ensure that new development compliments the unique and eclectic character of existing buildings.

Recommended Actions • Ensure Bascom Avenue Median (a County Project) is completed. • Encourage new development to use existing styles as a reference point for

architectural interpretation. • Conduct a historic survey. • Hold a design competition to design a Western Gateway. • Construct bulbouts and remove excessive curb cuts and driveways. • Require new development to provide a minimum 10-foot setback.

PUBLIC OUTREACH The Community Advisory Committee held ten meetings between September 2002 and May 3003 to review the plan and make recommendations. The CAC was composed of members from the West San Carlos Neighborhood Business Association, the Burbank/Del Monte NAC, the Buena Vista Neighborhood Association, Sherman Oaks Neighborhood Association and Shasta Hanchett Neighborhood Association. The CAC approved the West San Carlos/Bascom Avenue Economic Strategy on May 19, 2003. Separate meetings were held with the Burbank/Del Monte NAC on July 24, 2003 and with the West San Carlos Neighborhood Business Association on August 12, 2003. COORDINATION This report has been coordinated with the following Departments within the City of San Jose: Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement; Parks, Recreation, and Neighborhood Services; Public Works, Transportation; the Office of Economic Development, and the Agency’s General Counsel. It has been coordinated with the following County of Santa Clara activities: the Office of Supervisor Beall, Office of the District Attorney, and Roads & Airports Department. In addition, draft copies of the Strategy were distributed to all of the above for their input. FISCAL IMPACT Funding for the development of the Economic Strategy was included in the Redevelopment Agency’s Adopted Budget FY 2002-03 Neighborhood Business District Implementation and Opportunity Sites project line.

CEQA Exempt // ss // SUSAN F. SHICK Executive Director Encl. (Available at the Agency’s offices)