Fremont council reviews downtown vitality plan, asks how to activate 13 city-owned acres

City staff on Tuesday presented a downtown economic vitality strategy that aims to leverage city‑owned parcels, expand events and simplify permitting to spur retail and visitation while the market for new development remains slow.

The presentation, introduced by the mayor as Item 6A, framed downtown as the city’s emerging central business district and outlined five strategy pillars: fostering investment in the built environment, activation through events and placemaking, building coalitions and partnerships, attracting retail and marketing, and enhancing the public realm.

Why it matters: Staff said public investment and land use planning over the last decade enabled hundreds of millions of dollars in private development but that a post‑pandemic slowdown and financing challenges have left several entitled projects unbuilt. Officials said the city controls about 13 acres — roughly 25% of Capitol Avenue frontage — giving the city leverage to catalyze development but also responsibility to steward vacant lots and the public realm.

What staff told the council - A staff presenter said completion of the Locale project and a 2021 downtown event center helped catalyze private investment; four mixed‑use projects created 17 new ground‑floor retail spaces, 16 of which are leased, with one corner space still vacant. - Community development staff summarized the development pipeline as including six fully approved projects with about 925 entitled housing units and roughly 64,000 square feet of commercial space that are ready to proceed when financing improves. - Event‑center staff reported hosting more than 43 public events this year, forecast nearly 300 rentals by fiscal year end and estimated more than 75,000 attendees contributed to growing downtown visitation. - Staff highlighted operational challenges — vacant lots, encampments and owners not reinvesting in properties — and noted legal limits created by the state density bonus law, which allows developers to request waivers that can eliminate required ground‑floor commercial in exchange for affordability incentives.

Council questions and exchanges Council members asked for updates on specific projects and levers the city could use to preserve commercial frontages. On the Fremont Hub, staff said the property received entitlements in 2023 but the owner/operator (Kimco) is not advancing construction now because of market conditions and leasing complexities; staff said Kimco is prioritizing getting the Gateway Plaza project to a buildable finance package first.

Several council members pressed staff on incentives the city could offer to make ground‑floor commercial financially viable, including additional development capacity, fee adjustments or targeted impact‑fee structures for projects that include commercial space. Staff responded that many tools are incentive‑based because the state density bonus law limits the city’s ability to require concessions that would undermine bonus eligibility.

Ideas for short‑term activation and longer‑term strategy Councilors and the mayor urged a mix of short‑term activation and longer‑term planning. Suggestions included piloting a downtown farmers market, wrapping vacant lots with art or informational graphics, using temporary food‑truck activations and fast‑tracking approvals for restaurants and entertainment operators. The mayor proposed considering whether some city functions might be relocated to consolidate staff and better activate downtown parcels, including issuing an RFP for a master developer to coordinate a phased plan for city‑owned sites.

Public comments and community voice During oral communications and the item’s public comment period, volunteers with BAPS Charities described upcoming walkathons and outreach, a historic‑resources liaison urged preservation planning, a former cafe operator asked the council to carefully vet lease qualifications for a downtown train‑station food service location, and speakers encouraged a downtown identity that reflects Fremont’s diversity rather than copying other Bay Area destinations.

What was not decided The council did not take a formal vote on the downtown strategy. Staff will return with more detailed materials and follow‑up information requested by councilors, including an enlarged map of entitled projects, potential incentive scenarios and feasibility details for events or farmers‑market options.

Votes at a glance - Consent calendar: motion to approve the consent calendar was moved by Council Member Kimberlin, seconded by Council Member Liu; result recorded as 6 ayes, 1 absent.

Sources and numbers cited in the presentation Staff cited the following figures during the presentation: 17 ground‑floor retail spaces (16 leased), about 925 entitled housing units in the downtown pipeline, roughly 64,000 square feet of commercial frontage in the entitled pipeline and more than 750,000 pedestrian visits to downtown over the past 12 months (staff described growth of about 30% year‑over‑year). Cost estimates for projects were not provided and were described as not available.