Downtown Development

Belmont is on the verge of finally developing our downtown into a remarkable area to gather, play, shop, dine, and enjoy the arts. Several small projects are in the planning, design, and development stages. We are in the midst of an exciting era for Belmont.

Pictured below is a thriving Belmont business--the Beli Deli.

 

With the development of the new City Hall, the renovation of the Manor House, and the exciting new plans to develop Firehouse Square, Belmont Station, and Village Square, we are finally coming into our own as a city with a downtown. It will take some time, but our Planning Department has already made great strides in studying the options, while developers are stepping up to create great new buildings and businesses in our downtown. These business will join the thriving new and old shops and services that make our city a great place to shop.

As a Planning Commissioner, I learned a great deal about commercial, institutional, and residential development and remodeling. I pored over site plans; ruled on CDPs, DDPs, and CUPs; and heard the concerns of both developers and surrounding residents and business owners.

As a Council member, I believe in moving ahead as quickly as possible, while keeping our community values and needs of the residents in mind. We need smart and thoughtful development downtown, on a human scale. We need quality businesses and services that will draw residents and customers from surrounding communities into our downtown. We need mixed-use development along our transit corridor to support use and development of mass transit.

Here are a few projects that have been recently approved and opened or are under development:

• Corner of El Camino and O'Neill mixed-use development: beautiful Mediterranean style condos on top, restaurant and shops below, with underground parking. This is part of theFirehouse Square area. Over time, this project will be integrated with plans to develop the area comprising the old Firehouse area and integrate it with the existing Village Square (Safeway, Peet's, Starbucks, etc.) downtown.
• Shalizaar Restaurant - premium Persian dining experience.

In addition, the Chamber of Commerce is running a Facade Improvement program sponsored by the city, designed to assist Belmont Businesses in updating and refreshing their facades. Exciting things are on the horizon.