Politics & Government
Another Blow for Downtown Business
First it's the tough economy, then all that construction along Castro Valley Boulevard ... and now there's uncertainty about the relief effort that was intended to offset those blows.
A was thrust unexpectedly into limbo, dealing yet another blow to local businesses now worried about whether they'll make it to Christmas.
A California Supreme Court action involving a redevelopment lawsuit means Alameda County can't move forward with a proposed advertising campaign called "Shop the Boulevard" that was supposed to breathe new life into struggling Castro Valley Boulevard businesses.
“It’s difficult because we were on the verge of operating again and now we’re on hold,” said Alameda County Redevelopment Agency Assistant Director of Economic Development Bill Lambert.
Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Click for background on the reasons for the redevelopment project. Downdown merchants were losing up to 50 percent of their business due to .
Click , and to see some of Castro Valley Patch's efforts to help the merchants. Patch profiled boulevard businesses, posted navigation tips during the worst of the construction and encouraged people to take to shop downtown.
Find out what's happening in Castro Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Click to see how the county adapted Phase 2 construction plans to allow better access to the downtown merchants. Click to learn more about residents' input on the final outcome. Click here to see what Patch blogger Ken Martin thinks residents can do to help.
No new contracts until court decision
“We can’t enter into any new contracts or obligations until the Supreme Court makes a decision,” Lambert said. “We can continue to negotiate and plan but we can’t go to the Board of Supervisors for approval or anything like that, yet.”
He said he may learn more this week and that he's looking into other ways to fund the proposed $75,000 campaign.
A judge last week granted a stay in a lawsuit fighting the state's effort to shut down redevelopment. The League of California cities and the California Redevelopment Association filed the lawsuit, challenging the constitutionality of two bills: one that completely shuts down all redevelopment agencies and another that would allow them to exist if municipalities paid the right price.
The legal stasis buys time for cities until the court makes its final decision on or before Jan. 15. But that's too late for Castro Valley's campaign to make a difference in all-important holiday sales.
Limbo follows an abysmal sales year
The campaign was intended to boost business during holiday shopping after an abysmal 2011 in which some merchants saw sales drop as much as 30 percent to 50 percent.
A group of residents, business owners and county officials have been working for months to begin the new “Shop the Boulevard” campaign.
The goal was to help the town’s commercial district, which had been hit hard by the economic downturn and poorly planned construction.
'Buy it on the Boulevard' Set the Tone
Their slogan, “Buy it on the Boulevard” set the tone for what was to be a run of print and Web advertising, a website, and “Boulevard Bucks” to give customers discounts at participating stores.
But because the Supreme Court has now put a hold on “entering into or modifying new contracts,” the $75,000 in redevelopment funding that would have paid for the campaign cannot be approved until further notice.
