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Solano Avenue should be a thriving, pedestrian friendly commercial center for North Berkeley residents, complete with more sidewalk seating, street trees and a wide variety of shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Or so says a majority of over 1300 neighbors, business owners and patrons of the Avenue who envisioned Solano Avenue through a survey created by Berkeley District 5 City Councilmember Laurie Capitelli. 

Capitelli says he was overwhelmed at the response of the September survey, a clear signal that local residents are passionate about the Avenue and have a vision for its future. (The survey results and a brief analysis can be found at The Solano Survey (http://www.cityofberkeley.info/ContentDisplay.aspx?id=59108)  

Though almost all of the respondents (87%) agreed that walking on Solano Avenue is a pleasant experience, 70 % wanted to see more street trees and more sidewalk seating. Solano also needs a greater variety of retailers (66%), and evening entertainment should be encouraged if neighborhood impacts can be addressed (73%). Most respondents agreed that the district quota that limits the number of food service establishments should be removed. 

The survey was available on line between September 1 and October 11, 2010. Constituents from District 5 and 6 were invited to participate through Council e-mail newsletters, neighborhood organizations and volunteers at the Solano Stroll. Solano Ave. business owners were contacted by the Solano Avenue Association. Out of the over 1300 respondents, about half live within 8 blocks of Solano. Most were over 46 years old. Though 80% of respondents say they drive to Solano, over 70% say they walk to the Avenue, with just over 20% stating they bike or take the bus. Most respondents come to the Avenue to shop once a week or more. Over eighty per cent come to dine at least once a month. 

Many respondents noted the high vacancy on Solano. In the past few years, the Avenue district has suffered from the closing of several retail establishments that sold beauty supplies, books, children’s clothing, furniture, and shoes. Several empty storefronts remain. “The challenge in this retail climate is to find a niche that is not overshadowed by either big box stores or internet availability,” says Capitelli. “We have to provide goods and services that are not easily available elsewhere, that provide character to the district, packaged in an experience that makes folks feel part of a community.”  

The economic downturn along with recent frustrations with the City’s zoning regulations and how they are enforced inspired Capitelli to initiate the survey. It took almost three years of negotiations to permit the sidewalk seating at the bulb out in front of Peet’s coffee. A recent application for a thousand square foot ice cream store (approved 8 to 1 by the Zoning Board) required over $9000 in permit fees and months of process. “The impression is that you cannot do anything in Berkeley.” 

Councilmember Capitelli and his north Berkeley colleague, Councilmember Susan Wengraf who represents District 6, will be bringing a Berkeley Economic Recovery package to the City Council in early December. Proposals will include zoning changes, permit fee waivers, parking incentives – all designed to promote business creation and retention, while improving the pedestrian commercial corridors. 

“These small commercial districts are the life blood of our neighborhoods and part of the economic engine that drives our City,” says Capitelli. “Empty storefronts and neglected sidewalks are not tolerable. We have to act now.”