ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Both personally and on behalf of the Urban Land Institute, the panel members and staff would like to express their appreciation to Mayor Todd McFarren and members of the

Watsonville City Council; President Tony Campos and the members of the Chamber of Commerce; and Chairman Len West and members of the Downtown Recovery Committee for the opportunity to work on this significant assignment.

The panel particularly acknowledges the aid of Greg Rydquist, sponsor facilitator, for his untiring assistance prior to and during the assignment and to his employer, Pacific Gas & Electric, for their extensive technical support.

Although it is difficult to acknowledge all of the individuals who have helped us in this assignment we would like to give special thanks to: John Radin, City Manager; Maureen Owens, Planning Director: Charlene Shaffer, Executive Director, Chamber of Commerce, and Fawn McLaughlin for her special assistance in preparing the comprehensive briefing book.

We also would like to extend a special thanks to our dinner hosts for their gracious hospitality.

Finally, the panel thanks the over 70 business leaders,

community leaders, government officials and Watsonville citizens who provided the panel with a broad cross section of perspectives on the various issues and concerns of the community. We hope that

this report will be useful to the community as it develops and implements plans for the future.

FOREWORD

Jim Rouse, a leading developer and creator of the festival market place, said" the only legitimate purpose of the City is to provide for the life and growth of its people". Much earlier, Aristotle said " the purpose of the City is to make man happy and safe".

Watsonville is a rich agricultural community famous for strawberries, apples, cut flowers and a rich ethnic diversity. Over 60% of its population is Hispanic, with half of this Latino population concentrated in two census tracts in the downtown area. Watsonville's downtown, like other downtowns in both large and small communities has suffered a steady economic decline of retail sales. The October 17, 1989 earthquake aggravated this situation by requiring immediate emergency disaster relief to sustain the basic fabric of the community. Only now is the community able to take action to rebuild. The earthquake destroyed 850 dwelling units, 100 commercial and industrial buildings resulting in the demolition of 16 buildings and over 35 million dollars in damage. Over 1400 people were recorded as unemployed immediately following the earthquake. The total impact on downtown businesses, surrounding lower income housing stock and the fiscal impact on the city (through loss of sales tax and property tax revenue) is severe. Pre-earthquake recognition of the need for economic development to revitalize downtown took on a new importance

following the earthquake. The recovery and rebuilding on the cleared sites is a critical current need.

The City of Watsonville a community of over 30,000 people, just 100 miles south of San Francisco, responded to the tragic event with a broad based community effort. То ensure a rapid reconstruction and long term revitalization of the downtown, the community created a public/private partnership to guide the rebuilding; the Downtown Recovery Committee. The Downtown Recovery Committee was created by the City Council who appointed the members of the Economic Development Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, as well as members of the City Council and staff, downtown property owners, business owners and other civic and non-profit groups.

The Downtown Recovery Committee, having been commissioned to guide the recovery effort asked the Urban Land Institute to assemble an advisory panel to help plan the reconstruction and revitalization of the downtown study area. A seven member panel composed of developers, planners and design professionals and real estate economists, conducted an on-site analysis which included a comprehensive visual inspection of downtown and the surrounding areas, interviews and discussions with community and business leaders and interested citizens, and made a public presentation of their findings on Friday, March 23, 1990, to the community and the media. This is the final report of the panel's findings and

The Urban Land Institute is a non-profit, independent research and educational organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. Members include developers, architects, city planners, financial institutions, planning and renewal agencies and others interested in land use. The ULI Panel Advisory Service uses the Institute's members experience to address important issues of land use and development. Members volunteered their time spending a week with the community to recommend courses of action. Since the program began in 1947, close to 200 assignments have been completed. ULI and the panel members hope this report will provide Watsonville with a vision for its downtown and the guidance necessary to implement that vision. The success of this effort will only be measured by the City establishing priorities, working together, and making it happen!