Building A Viable Downtown

By Eric L Reed

Development of Belmont's downtown has lagged behind expectations. Employing an Economic Development Advisory Committee or a full-time Economic Development Director will change that. We can't afford to fix roads and provide high quality services without a strong, revenue-generating downtown.

A robust downtown will generate much needed revenue for the city.

It's time to get going on this; the current passive approach is not working.

Developing a Viable Downtown:

As a Planning Commissioner, I:

ˇ Worked on new downtown zoning laws that will make it easier for businesses to prosper in Belmont.

ˇ I have supported local business' efforts to grow (e.g. Shalizaar, Mossant Café, etc).

ˇ I supported a mixed-use development on the Ross Lighting site.

As a City Councilmember, I will:

ˇ Form an Economic Development Committee made up of local business leaders, citizens, City staff and Councilmembers. This committee will be tasked with generating action-oriented proposals to help build a downtown. A model already exists for this type of action-oriented committee+ the Green Advisory Committee.

ˇ Push for waiving of permit fees for local businesses wanting to expand and non-local businesses wanting to relocate to Belmont.

ˇ Push for the creation of commercial design guidelines similar to the residential design guidelines being drafted by the Planning Commission now.