Council Approves Downtown Community Plan, Rezoning of 110 Acres of Land

Capitol Avenue may one day be the backbone of downtown Fremont.

That’s the plan city leaders have in mind as part of transforming central Fremont into a sustainable, urban community.

Councilmembers unanimously voted Tuesday to adopt the city’s Downtown Community Plan, and rezone 110 acres of land that is mostly occupied by office and commercial buildings near City Chambers.

The council’s move is part of the first steps in a years-long process to convert central downtown into a place where people can work, live and play, according to city leaders.

“The idea is to creat the heart of the city,” said Community Development Director Jeff Schwob.

In a presentation made at Tuesday’s regular council meeting, consultants with the HOK firm announced that goals for establishing a more urban central downtown are to:

• Create a social heart for the city
• Encourage economic development
• Create an identifiable civic center and public realm
• Leverage the BART station for transit-oriented development
• Initiate a sustainable model neighborhood

The plan is to reconfigure 5.2 million square feet of the area between Paseo Padre Parkway and Fremont Boulevard and bordered by Mowry Avenue and Walnut Avenue that would eventually feature offices, homes, urban parks and retail shops.

Currently, the area is occupied by developments that total 1.25 million square feet that feature:

• 500,000 square feet of commercial and retail space
• 150,000 square feet of city offices
• 500,000 square feet of office space and
• 10,000 square feet of residential space

The most drastic change, however, within the plan is the proposal build out Capitol Avenue all the way through to Fremont Boulevard, instead of having it stop at State Street.

Councilmembers reacted positively to the plans.

“This sets the foundation for us to move forward,” Councilman Dominic Dutra said.

Councilwoman Suzanne Chan added, “It shows Fremont is on the cutting edge. … We’ll have something we’re proud of.”

The next steps city officials are taking to advance the plans is to look at funding grants and determine whether other city assets can be sold to generate funds, said Schwob.

He added the first development project could be the construction of the Hastings mixed-use project or the initial building out of Capitol Avenue.

For more information about the Downtown Community Plan, click here to visit the city website.

What do you think of the plans to develop central downtown? Share your thoughts in our comment section below.

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