Background

John Gordon and Janis Mitchell, owners of the former Wright's Garage have submitted a use permit application to the City of Berkeley to convert a non-conforming automobile facility to various retail uses and a full-service restaurant. This use permit would allow the developer flexibility in finding tenants for the 15,400 sq. ft space and to exceed several of the Elmwood quotas. (See the document 2629-2636 Ashby info [file size: 1.1MB] for a detailed description of the owners plans for the site.)

The Zoning Adjustments Board (ZAB) held a public hearing in January on this proposed project, but delayed a final decision to its meeting on Feb. 8. In the last several months, the owners presented the project to local merchants and neighborhood groups. More recently, the owners held an open house on Jan. 20th and three neighborhood organizations hosted an open meeting on Jan. 22th to discuss the project with the owners. In response to concerns raised by merchants and neighbors, the owners have made a number of changes to the proposed project. In particular, plans to include a bookstore were dropped and a list of additional conditions of approval were proposed (see the document Additional Conditions [file size: 0.05MB] for details).

The major unresolved concern is over the potential impact of the proposed 5,000 sq. ft full-service restaurant. Although the owners argue that many of the patrons will walk from the adjacent neighborhood and the traffic impacts will be small, some residents are concerned that a restaurant of this size will draw significant vehicle traffic and negatively impact local parking. The owners have proposed to include incentives in their leases to encourage tenant employees to use public transportation. In addition, the city is looking into ways to increase the public parking in the Elmwood Commercial district. One possible option is to expand the existing parking lot by purchase or lease of an adjacent parcel. A second option would be to contract use of the Huntmont parking garage at 2999 Regent in the evenings or on weekends.

Councilmember Wozniak's Position

For several reasons, I support the conversion of Wright's Garage from the non-conforming auto repair use to various retail uses and a full-service restaurant.

First, over the past few years, my office received numerous complaints from neighbors about noxious fumes emitted by the painting booths utilized by the auto repair shop. Although I believed that this was not an appropriate use in a residential neighborhood, neither the City, nor the regional government was able to halt these hazardous emissions. Fortunately, Gordon/Mitchell solved the problem by purchasing the building and not renewing the auto repair shop's lease.

Second, for several years, a number of the storefronts on the northwest corner of College & Ashby have been vacant and the building was in a state of decay. This blighted look made the Elmwood business district appear to be in decline. Today, the buildings are being seismically upgraded and restored by Gordon/Mitchell and look fabulous.

Third, although there is fear that additional customers will aggravate parking and traffic problems, I believe that we need these customers to ensure the vitality of the Elmwood Business District where many businesses are struggling. Customers drawn to the new restaurant and shops will also patronize existing shops, helping them succeed. To argue that more customers is "bad for business" seems to be counter intuitive.

The ZAB is scheduled to make a decision on this project on Thursday, March. 8. Please utilize KitchenDemocracy to let both the ZAB and me know your opinions on this project. I look forward to reading your thoughtful comments and assessing the level of community support for this project. I will take both into account in making my final decision.

Finally, whether or not the Elmwood Business District will prosper or decline, depends on how nearby residents vote with their dollars. Whether you support or oppose the proposed project, SHOP LOCAL!

Documents

• 2629-2636 Ashby info File size: 1.1MB
• Additional Conditions File size: 0.05MB

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