Union City, California
General Plan Update
Economic Opportunities
July 15, 1999 Community Workshop
On July 15, 1999 the Planning Commission
hosted the second of four community workshops scheduled to update the Union
City General Plan. The workshop provided an occasion for participants to
review and discuss economic development opportunities for Union City.
Workshop Objectives:
- Review Union City's market position and opportunities
- Review the status of opportunity sites
- Review fiscal issues and opportunities
- Discuss preliminary economic development objectives
Agenda:
- Introduction
- Welcome
- Planning Process Overview
- Workshop Agenda
-
- Economic Issues and Opportunities
- Market Opportunities
- Fiscal Issues
- Opportunity Sites
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- Planning Teams
- Exercise #1: Union City's Competitive Advantages
- Exercise #2: Economic Challenges
- Exercise #3: Preliminary Objectives
- Teams Report Back
-
Summary and Next Steps
Planning Teams:
- The participants became members of four planning teams that discussed
and summarized their responses to three questions. They had to list Union
Cities top three economic advantages, challenges and objectives. Participants
felt Union City's location on the edge of Silicon valley and its transit
access were its primary advantages. Top challenges included conflicts between
current land uses (residential, commercial and industrial) and the perception
of Union City as a business address. Overall objectives included to build
the economic development strategy on a solid foundation of economic and
community values while pursuing good proactive planning practices.
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- Individual team summaries follow.
Team #1
- Advantages
- Location
- Affordable Housing
- Land use
- Union Landing
-
- Challenges
- Public perception
- Housing costs for Seniors
- School
- Combine use of land-zoning/location and
- small parcels not together
- Small town mentality
- Permit process
-
- Objectives
- 1) More shopping opportunities & services
- Solid economic base
- 2) Strong family values (religions, etc.)
- Control of gangs or anti-social behavior
- 3) Pro-active planning (unique bus. to draw people)
- (controlled)
Team #2
- Advantages
- *1. Location-111
- 2. Accessibility
- 3. Climate
- 4. Prime land
- *5. School districts
- 6. Diversity
- 7. Housing
- 8. Public amenities
- 9. All American City (prestige)
- *10. Safety
- 11. Public transportation
- 12. Union Landing
-
- Challenges
- *1. Traffic
- 2. Lack of leadership
- 3. Politics
- *4. Enhancement blighted areas
- *5. Lack of recreation/amenities
- 6. Competition from other cities
- 7. School overcrowding
- 8. Lack of upper-scale restaurants
- 9. Not well known city
- 10. Careful development of last vacant lands
- 11. Rezone warehouses to light industrial
-
- Advantages
- *1. Location-111
- 2. Accessibility
- 3. Climate
- 4. Prime land
- *5. School districts
- 6. Diversity
- 7. Housing
- 8. Public amenities
- 9. All American City (prestige)
- *10. Safety
- 11. Public transportation
- 12. Union Landing
-
- Top Objectives
- 1. Economic objectives
- 2. Balance between residential and commercial (recreation)
- *3. Technical education
- *4. Proper development of vacant lands
- 5. Protect the hills
- 6. Be business friendly
- 7. Business incentives
Team #3
- Advantages
- *1. Strategic location in East Bay
- 2. Proximity to Silicon Valley
- 3. Transportation hub
- 4. Ranking as All-American City
-
- Challenges
- 1. Negative perceptions
- 2. Perception of lack of major institutional development
- 3. Neighboring business competition
- *4. No city center
- *5. Land use conflicts
- 6. Providing services
-
- Objectives
- *1. Rail hub
- 2. Service oriented businesses
- 3. Viable mix of city services
- *4. Utilize open land east of BART for industrial uses
- *5. Revitalize older section of town
- 6. Balance land uses
- 7. Strong retail sales base
Team #4
- Advantages
- *1. Small area to serve with large area to draw from
- *2. Available land
- 3. Good housing
- *4. Freeway access-transportation
- 5. Younger city
- 6. Location
-
- Challenges
- 1. To provide prime locations for business
- 2. Auto parts stores
- 3. Good mix of businesses that residents need
- *4. TRUCK PARKING
- *5. Wise land use
- 6. Controlled growth
- 7. Fireworks sales
- *8. Affordable housing
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- Objectives
- 1. Drawing consumers from outside Union City
- 2. Affordable housing
- 3. Good planning Res/Bus
- 4. Protect our environment. FIREWORKS.
- *5. Truck stop