Annual Report 2005
Economic
Budget Limits Net Transformations
Proposals for Grocery Store at Downtown under Review
Military Hub Still Vital
Players | Revitalization on North Fremont
Sustaining a
healthy economy is vital to the quality of life our residents have come to
depend on. And that means maintaining a balance between community and
visitor needs. The City is always looking for new and creative ways to
support local businesses and commercial property owners while providing
services and programs more cost-effectively.
Budget Limits Net
Transformations
We’ve experienced many changes over the last
several years in Monterey, as we’ve dealt with budget challenges while
continuing to provide critical services to the community. With your input
and participation, we pared back our work program, re-organized the City
structure, prioritized workloads and re-evaluated fees for services, where
necessary.
Automation, in some cases, has made us more efficient – more
services are accessible via the Internet, and some offices have made greater
use of voice processing. We’ve seen noticeable differences in the delivery
of some services, which were noted in the community survey this spring.
Unfortunately, investment has been reduced for the short term in the
maintenance of some facilities, including parks, buildings and streets. |
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While these changes have netted cost-savings and ensured that we
continue forward with a balanced budget, we also have accepted longer
response times, higher fees and, in some places, lower standards.
We appreciate that the community has remained supportive through
the transformation, and we ask for your continued patience and understanding
as we deal with any bumps that might be ahead.
We are focused in our efforts to be a more efficient and effective
organization, and we will look for opportunities to streamline work
processes even more. Participate by attending public meetings for next
fiscal year or by sending in your thoughts and ideas anytime.
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 Proposals for Grocery Store at
Downtown Gateway Under Review
The lease on the City-owned property at 570 Munras Ave. is up for renewal,
and the opportunities presented for the downtown site, home to Safeway for
many years, have sparked broad community interest.
The City has looked to keep a grocery store downtown, as it serves
a large segment of
the community. As a result, we have sought to attract appropriate
development projects.
Two proposals were submitted for consideration: one from Safeway, Inc., to
build a brand-new single grocery store, and another from developer Foothill
Partners to remodel the existing building and bring in Trader Joe’s grocery
store with adjoining retail tenants.
UPDATE: In early November 2005, the City Council suspended
talks with Safeway when
we could not reach agreement on lease terms. Unresolved issues include
agreement on a reasonable rent for the site and control of the site if the
tenant chooses to discontinue operations there.
The Council has directed staff to begin discussions with Foothill
Partners.
Stay tuned for updates in the media and online at
www.monterey.org.
Military Hubs Still Vital
Players
Dealing with military affairs has kept us on
our toes this year.
Many in the community have worked persistently to ensure that our
Peninsula military neighbors remained here through the base closure and
realignment process that was completed in early fall. These include the
Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center, Naval Postgraduate
School, Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center as well as other
Department of Defense commands.
Fortunately, we were successful in our efforts as these entities
represent important economic engines and are major anchors to the “higher
education and research” leg of our regional economy. The core services and
programs embedded in these institutions, including languages, international
studies, science and technology, have no peer in the world, and these
organizations play strategic roles in our national and homeland security.
As part of our labors, the City and Fort Ord Reuse Authority also
leveraged a $350,000 federal grant for advance planning work in case one of
our commands had been ordered closed. The grant would have given us a
significant head start in our reuse planning; even now, the work the grant
funded will have enduring value.
In the months ahead, we will continue to further solidify the relationships
among the Department of Defense organizations, other higher education and
research activities in our region and the community.
This is one of those great opportunities that will benefit our
country and our community.
 Revitalization on North Fremont
Rolls in With Color, Dynamic Activities
It’s happening along North Fremont Street,
thanks to collaborative efforts between the City and the area’s business
improvement district. We continue to work closely with the North Fremont
Business District to stimulate economic activity in the commercial area
while balancing the needs of the surrounding residential neighborhoods and
the Monterey County Fairgrounds.
Event banners on the street lights
now dress up the area while promoting fairground
events such as the Monterey Jazz Festival. And Monterey on Ice, sponsored by
the business district, brings ice skating to the fairgrounds between
Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day.
In addition, Cypress Center, a retail shopping complex, welcomes
new business ventures to the corner of North Fremont and Casanova Avenue.
This project, once a vacant lot, now shines as a commercial anchor.
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