Railroad Avenue Live-Works Reinvigorated
— by Mike Bowermaster — 9 July 2009 — 8 comments below »
While we still have yet to wake from the Safeway Station nightmare, it’s important to reaffirm that which the City is doing right.
The Railroad Avenue live-work units, the buildings that house our local Powder Keg, are designed to be mixed-use. Commercial/retail is on the ground floor, residential is in the upper floors, and the two end units are designed to be restaurants. These are the first mixed-use buildings on the waterfront and are an important harbinger of what’s to come. Railroad Avenue as well as Bayfront Boulevard are designed after many of the great mixed-use areas well loved in the Bay Area. Solano Avenue, Chestnut Street, the Rockridge District, and Berkeley 4th Street are our downtown’s inspiration for lively, vibrant destinations where amenities are in walking distance. This is in sharp contrast with car-centric bedroom communities, where one has to drive to get anywhere beyond residential. The strength in mixed-use shopping and dining areas is an important reason why adjacent home values remain significantly higher in these districts, compared to more typical suburban single-use neighborhoods. Ask any child living in suburbia who doesn’t yet have a license, or doesn’t yet have access to a car, and I’m sure they’d much rather have a hobby toy store or book/comics store in walking or biking distance.
Back to the topic at hand, 700 properties in the adjacent neighborhoods of Baywood, Promenade, and the historic homes were notified by mail of a recent city meeting where the City voiced its desire to correct the zoning on these live-work units. Currently the zoning is stifled and is why we have predominately real estate offices instead of amenities the neighborhood can really take advantage of. Our city manager spoke of the many prospective tenants who have inquired to open up shop here, but had to be turned away because of this hiccup in zoning. We could have already had any of these:
- A two chair barber
- An icecream parlor
- A bakery
- An ATM
- A children’s bookstore
- An upscale shoes and handbags store
This will all be fixed by opening up the zoning to a more realistic set of uses, and the City will present this at the next planning commission meeting. Until the rest of downtown and the transit station gets built out, there perhaps is yet the daytime foot traffic to support much change in tenants in these tiny (400-500 sq.ft.) live-work units. The important issue here is that we need to let the economy decide, not inappropriate zoning laws.
Sidebit of trivia: The realtor in the northern most unit, far right in the photo above, has just signed a 10-year lease with the landlord upstairs. The landlord doesn’t want a restaurant below them and the realtor knows this location will be a prime spot in the future. While this is understandable (and a free market), it’s unfortunate for anyone who desires another restaurant in these live-work units, for this unit and the Powder Keg are the only ones designed (with appropriate HVAC and size 1600 sq.ft.) to be restaurants. That being said, this realtor does get high marks for investing in the community’s future. Like us, he’s here to stay and cares about the long term viability of the area.
Mike,
It is my understanding the realtor also lives in Promenade.
Maybe so, does that changed anything?
Many people blame Victor Manrique for our not having a restaurant there, and I think this is unfair. He’s just renting a nice space that he was offered (and is a very nice guy, by the way). The blame falls squarely on the people who own that unit. They knew that this was designed to be a restaurant, but then bought it anyway and then thumbed their noses at the community by declaring that they would not lease it to any restaurant. The blame is squarely on them, but we don’t even know their names. I say let Victor off the hook for just taking an opportunity to get a nice office. If not him, it would have been some other non-restaurant tenant, because the owner says that he won’t live above a restaurant.
BTW, Viktor does not live in Promenade, but is a big waterfront booster. Helped with the waterfront initiative and with National Night Out.
Presumably the city still has the phone numbers to the barber, baker, ice cream maker, etc. I wonder if anyone is calling them up to tell them that a rezoning appears likely.
@Jeff Boore – Thanks for bringing this back on track. This article is not meant to attack any tenants, but is meant to explain this building’s intended uses as it was designed and constructed. The future business here will be a great benefit for the neighborhood.
There is one unit available for rent right now. How come no one is renting it? And by the way, SAKAMOTO has his office there for affordable housing. How’s that? Viktor Manrique is bringing good and quality homeowners to these foreclosed homes in Hercules. Why blame space him for renting that space. Besides its a 600 sq. foot space. That is too small for a restaurant. A kitchen will take up most of that space. Leave Viktor Manrique alone. He does so much for our community. There’s more fish to fry. And by the way, these units are PRIVATELY owned. They permitted these units to be rented out to whoever they want. IF YOU’RE THAT CONCERNED, then buy those units and rent those to whomever you want.
@John – I encourage you to reread the article, it’s intent wasn’t to criticize any of the tenants. I thinks it’s very valid and compelling information that the two end units (one is Viktor’s and the other is the Powder Keg) are designed to be food service spaces while the rest of the live-works are not.
That to me is interesting, the juicy morsels of life, if you will. Market realities sometimes have nothing to do with an architect’s original intent.
Viktor is a good neighbor, just like Spring Life Acupuncture (if we’re naming names)
http://www.springlifeacupuncture.com/
so let’s focus back on the exciting new uses we could have in the empty live-work units!