City of Merced Town Hall Goals & Priorities Survey

504 Total Responses 24:27 Average time to complete

1. Full Name - 471 Responses 2. Email address - 454 Responses 3. Phone Number – 428 Responses 4. Home Address – 426 Responses 5. Your City District

District 1 41

District 2 23

District 3 50

District 4 99

District 5 50

District 6 111

Outside City Limits 32

Not Sure 62

6. The Merced City Council develops Goals & Priorities annually to guide budget development. Please indicate for each of the City of Merced's current Goals & Priorities it's importance to you from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important"

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion Staffing Youth Programs City Beautification Local Streets Future Planning Economic Development Downtown Regional Transportation Sustainability Housing/Homelessness Community Wellness Agency Partnerships

7. City Staffing is tied directly to providing services to the community. Please indicate importance of fulfilling each service area staffing needs from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion Police Department Code Enforcement Fire Department Parks and Greenspace Maintenance Street Improvements & Lighting Refuse Collection Water & Sewer Services Building Permits & Construction Parks & Recreation Services Economic Development (business & industrial) Airport Services Planning Services (code updates, entitlements) Affordable Housing Public Art Applegate Zoo

8. Parks & Recreation provides services to youth and adults within Merced. Please rank the current services provided by order of importance to you.

Rank Options First choice Last choice 1. Family-friendly Events 2. Recreation Activities for children 5-12 3. Recreation Activities for children 13-15 4. Applegate Zoo 5. Recreation Activities for children 16-18 6. Recreation Activities for children 0-5 7. Sports Activities 8. Arts & Crafts 9. Recreation Activities for children 18+

9. Are there any additional Parks & Recreation services not listed above that you would like to see added? 126 Responses Your District Response District 1 A community center with more services for everyone of all ages Outside City Limits A local soccer team would be great in a city that loves soccer! Not Sure A splash pad in north merced District 5 A splash pad would be nice at Applegate Park. District 4 a water/splash park would be a popular attraction but must prevent it from becoming a homeless bathroom District 4 Add lights to the parks for night time District 4 Add, improve and maintain the city's bike paths. Tie in bike paths to a regional trail sysyem. District 3 Adult events for community engagement District 3 Adult Sport leagues. Not Sure All parks District 4 Amphitheater Renovation District 4 Apple gate zoo and walking trails are the biggest things important to me. I have no children. District 3 Beautification and upkeep of existing parks south of highway 99. District 4 Better park and bike path maintenance and safety. Not Sure Bike and walking trails; organized runs and walks; District 6 Bike path maintenance and expansion District 5 Boys and Girls club, Multi-Cultural Arts center Businesses that cater to youth activities; skating, ice rink, miniature golf, go carts, gymnastics, dance, bowling, obstacle District 4 courses, trampoline center, etc.. District 6 Children museum Not Sure City park maintenance and improvements are very important. City parks are very dirty and sometimes dangerous District 1 Clean and open public restrooms District 2 Clean, safe, accessible toilets. District 1 Community clean up events in parks. District 5 Community Events! Consideration to ensure quality of city contracted youth services. Ensuring that funding spent through contribution of the City is not unrestricted funding. If funding is unrestricted, partner agencies shall provide justification via data on impact of services and narrative of understanding of needs assessment. Goal is to make sure the City is using funds the District 6 best possible way for parks and recreation. District 3 Coordination of classes with Merced College, coordinating of volunteers Create a huge park in North Merced. Like that of a Central Park(New York), Grant Park(Chicago), Golden Gate Park (San District 2 Francisc). From the Hospital all the way to Bellevue, off of G street. District 4 Disc Golf park maintenance District 2 diverse community activities and celebration

Do Safe events co-sponsored by the Police department or sheriff's officer. Merced Holloweeen at downtown Merced, easter egg at one of the parks, etc. create public interaction via holiday events. If you get young children to participate in events that the city sets up they are more likely to have a vested interest in the growth and prosperity of the town while at the same time you are creating a safe and constructive space for them to enjoy holidays such as Halloween and Outside City Limits other events. District 4 Dog park

Drama Acting classes and shows. Bingo at park with pretty lights food and . Social groups for seniors and Disabled children fun at least 2week. Making pottery cooking games. Dance DJ fun on Fridays for kids to dance get trophys single or their own crew. Dance tap rock n roll classes and all at park. Fun on main st. Not Sure 🌟🌟 District 1 Easter egg hunt, 4th of July community and vendor event Not Sure Equestrian District 3 Expand the zoo with bigger enclosures District 5 Fahrens Park Not Sure Festivals

Financial Literacy and Financial Education is missing in our current educational system. I'd like to see classes/sessions for youth, about 'how to' start a business - What do I need to know about city permits? City fees? Zoning areas? What are potential obstacles that can stand in the way? I'd like to see classes about 401K's and other investment options. How to retire smart? What is the mindset our children should have about money? What are the questions our children District 1 should be asking themselves before they graduate from High School? District 6 Futsol courts in the public parks. District 2 Gang Prevention/ Teenage financial classes District 6 Handicap equipped playgrounds!!! Let everyone of all abilities enjoy their recreation spaces!

I would love to see small skate and scooter parks at a corner of each park in merced. Examples i’ve seen would be Elk Grove has a mini concrete pad with half pipes. This provides kids with more activity a safer environments. I think the District 6 mcnamara addition was awesome and would love to see more spread out over town even if they are smaller in size.

Improved bathrooms at parks, maybe add dedicated park bathroom staff. There's a theory that just having staff keeps bathrooms in better shape from tidiness to discouraging unwanted behaviors. Went up to this past Fall and the rest stops in CA were immaculate. Every one I stopped at had a couple guys standing by to sanitize, I'm sure due to covid. Not so in Oregon, no staff, bathrooms a mess. It's an expense for sure but if it could be done it would be amazing. District 4 Families would love it. Just MORE kid friendly things. And making parks feel safe, clean and FUN District 5 Keep the homeless camps out of the parks District 6 Loved the movies in the park and the potential for more music in the park District 3 Maintenance of Parks, trails, and on and off road biking lanes and paths. District 5 Many activities fall into the above mentioned categories. Merced Youth Council District 3 Music Events District 4 Mini golf, water slides District 4 Model Rocket Launch Events (Family and Community friendly) Model Rocket Launch Events (Fun for all ages, even seniors). Consider researching about the Tripoli Rocketry Association and the National Association of Rocketry. They launch hobby rockets big and small, from the beginner District 4 boy/girl scout and families, to the experienced senior. District 3 More events like a Mini family Carnaval More family camping at Lake Yosemite More Outdoor Recreation to create off season attraction for outdoor or enthusiasts who cannot reach Yosemite during Not Sure the winter months District 6 More selection during farmers market District 6 More things for kids to do more sport options more parks!! More water activities/splash pads throughout our community. Also, we need much more outdoor sporting activities District 6 organized through North Merced like soccer practice fields and facilities. District 6 N/A District 2 N/A Outside City Limits N/a District 4 NA District 6 NA District 3 New bike trail , with the appropriate amount of space in south Merced. Near the airport possibly? District 5 No Not Sure NO District 6 No District 1 No District 3 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 4 No District 6 No District 4 no Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure None None District 1 none that come to mind District 6 Not at this time. Open camping at the Lake. Make a RV area and some families that are visiting the hospital have a place they can take Not Sure their RV District 5 Open clean bathrooms in the parks. District 5 open up swimming pools , provide swimming class. District 4 Organized city hikes and biking events for varied ages. District 6 Outdoor Music Outdoor, non-electric workout space for all ages (https://calisthenics-parks.com/); outdoor eating space for food trucks District 4 (ie Spark Social SF http://sparksocialsf.com/) Park improvement. I know the playgrounds have been getting updated but what about the greenery? The rose garden District 1 at apple gate could be so much prettier. And the fountain should be restored. District 4 Park on gerard ave, by pioneer school that has been promised for 15 years Park upkeep and maintenance. We need new playground equipment and clean park. We need new types of parks and District 6 fun things for our kids to do! Performing Arts such as theater, dance, poetry. Not all kids do sports. Either provide programs to the city or help places like Playhouse Merced, dance studios, and the MAC to be able to provide such programs to more children. Not District 4 all children can afford these classes so let's find a way to help with that. Perhaps adding additional public parks to encourage our "tree city" beautification and public gatherings. Continuing finding agreements / volunteers to enlist the community in clean up of the parks, business areas, and other District 3 residential and public places that our large homeless community continues to inhabit and litter. Public tennis courts. Merced is severely lacking in this amenity. Merced college courts don't count and they have been District 6 shut down due to pandemic. There are so many youth and adults interested in tennis but really no outlet. Recreation center (Ex. See Camden Community Center https://www.sanjoseca.gov/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/26/2040) offering better/fun courses for all ages; such as, virtual fitness, learning language, learning to write fiction, and more. When safe, more District 6 courses in person. District 4 Recreation specifically for Senior Citizens and Disabled folks. District 5 Regional Skate Park District 2 Restore and maintain Historic Applegate Park please Not Sure restrooms at every park District 3 Rock climbing. Not Sure Safety at the parks and recreation area ie better lighting, no drug paraphernalia, no gang occurrences, no tagging. District 6 Senior Citizen focus too please. Our Seniors need programs and emotional and social well being support. District 4 Seniors neeed an exercise outlet too...perhaps a senior park...or improve one to include seniors... District 6 Splash Pad Study centers for youth that help with schooling and career services. Wellness programs that center around health and mental health. Youth and adult seminars that teach about budgeting, family planning, investing, and establishing good District 3 credit. District 4 Summer activities at neighborhood parks for children, especially teens. Not Sure Support for kids to attend ag education days, such as Farm2U Not Sure Swim lesson opportunities for kids and youth Tear down the old filthy restrooms in the parks. Put in port-a-potties with Han washing stavtions, hire local contractor District 4 to clean and service them then fired them if they do not do a good job. District 2 The movies in the park is definitely a program that should remain in regular business a lot of families really love that Not Sure they should be more school an more pranks around an make it cute an not only that what i think of merced District 5 Tree maintenance District 1 Water Park for kids District 1 Water park, Ice skating rink, Bowling Ally, and a community recreational athletics center. District 6 Water slide park, new bowling alley, indoor activities including laser tag Not Sure Waterpark. District 4 We need a brand new roller rink for kids. We need places and activities for kids that are available all the time instead of just scheduled events or classes. We need spaces and playgrounds that are shaded and can be used in the summer. The city should partner with projects like the Kids Discovery Station, a new children's museum in Merced, and organizations like UC Merced that can help District 2 provide entertainment and educational activities for children and families. Whole community events; like concert in the park (family friendly), wine strolls, community showcases of the above District 5 recreational groups.

District 6 Why are people 18+ considered children ? These are adults With the city growing why not have another youth center, family activities so we can spend our own money here in our District 4 own town. Bowling, update the skating rink, update the zoo District 4 Yes, opening a community center in North Merced. District 6 Yes, out door workout areas. San Fransisco has a few and it’s a really interesting concept. District 6 Yosemite lake Outside City Limits Yosemite Lake District 3 youth engagement programs that relate to culturally appropriate; empowerment. Youth outreach for underprivileged children and adolescents to keep them busy and off the streets. There are not enough programs for these kids, instead they end up in that horrific continuation school in wardrobe where they are violated by parole officers and end up in the prison system. That school is the pipeline to the prison systems and so many of Merced youth end up in prison. Check the data these are facts!

10. The City Council takes pride in the beautification of Merced. Please indicate the importance to you of improving each City of Merced area from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion City Parks Bike Paths Center Median Appearances Litter In General Public Art Sidewalks City Entryways Sub-Standard Property Abatement Neighborhood-specific Programs

11. The City Council uses the current Pavement Condition Survey to prioritize the reconstruction of roads throughout the City. In addition to regular maintenance, please rank the City of Merced areas in order of importance to you.

Rank Options First choice Last choice 1. Streetlights replacements/brig… 2. Safe Routes to Schools 3. Sidewalk repairs 4. Regular traffic/pedestrian safety 5. Connecting regional projects, i… 6. Parsons Avenue Overpass or R …

12. Are there any areas in the City of Merced not listed above that should be considered for prioritization for regular maintenance? 128 Responses Your City District Response District 4 . District 6 1. More 4 way stops in areas that don't have signs 2. pothole repairs District 3 16th and Ashby is critical to put stop lights District 1 16th st and hwy 59

A review of repairs to see if they are equitable across the city. North Merced residents call and make reports of issues therefore more updates/repairs are made. Does South Merced receive the same amount of repairs/updates to the District 4 roads in that area? Not Sure add more house an more stores District 3 All bridges and overpasses, roads straddling city limits.

All of the homeless encampments along the freeway. When people travel through Merced via Hwy 99 they think of District 1 Merced as a crap hole due to the homeless camps and trash left behind. All roads/side of road leading to UC Merced need to be maintained clean. Overgrown bushes and tall grass needs to District 4 be removed/cut. District 2 All the city parks and bike paths.

District 4 Alleyway roads, roads near and leading to schools (especially Cameron Ln. in District 4) , Parks in District 1 and 2 District 1 Baker Street under the Yosemite ave overpass. Outside City Limits Beachwood/ Franklin Area Beachwood/Franklin area needs roads fixed and needs sidewalk improvements throughout the area. Bike paths in this Outside City Limits area would be great. District 4 Bear Creek Road floods every year, that should be remedied ASAP Bearcreek bike path! It is a beautiful path to our city, yet we have overgrown brushes, trash and not safe with District 4 homelessness taking it over and allowed to camp out. Not Sure Bike paths and sidewalks District 4 Bike paths through our city District 3 Bike Paths--at the very least adding garbage cans so folks don't litter so often Outside City Limits City buildings like the police department Not Sure City Parking Lots District 6 City parks Clean up/removal of homeless and trash District 4 Cleaning homeless liter on regular weekly basis. Cleaning up the garbage the homeless make. More police presence downtown. It’s disturbing when you try to have dinner sitting outside in a downtown Outside City Limits and you are approached and yelled at by the homeless.

Complete G street to 4 lanes past the hospital. East on olive at intersection, widen and make turning lane(by arco) Make tuning lane longer on G st turning East on Olive. Widen V street north of 16th st intersection for turning 140 and V st intersection needs improvement. 13th st and R st needs improvement Make onramp to North 99 from G st Not Sure Widen Highway 99 threw Merced. Consistent REPAINTING The Lines to turn onto intersection. Example WEST on Yosemite to South on M street District 5 Has 2 lanes to turn, but no markings on the pavement.

District 5 Crosswalk on Childs and the theater parking lot by Golden Valley. Students have been hit by cars. District 3 Dan Ward. Needs repaired immediately

Dedicated bike paths and lowering street speed on McKee rd and Parsons Ave back to 35 mph. These Roads are Not Sure getting dangerous due to the 45 mph speed. The longer distance betwwen street lights allows speeding to occur. Not Sure Dog park District 5 Dog park District 4 Downtown area Downtown area still seems too dark for night time. Love the original light posts, but would like to know what else can District 3 be done to brighten up some spots, just for safety reasons. Downtown business streets and business entryways, plus alley ways throughout the residential neighborhoods that District 3 still have alleys. Not Sure Drainage improvement in areas where the streets regularly flood. District 5 East yosemite ave is terrible. Extend Cardella rd to highway 59 District 6 Extend R st to Cardella District 5 Freeway entrances and exits. General road repair, fill in potholes, and old roads in general. We have a beautiful city our roads should be projecting District 2 that. District 4 Get rid of the homeless District 4 Graffiti removal though out Merced HIGHEST PRIORITY: Union Pacific surface street grade separations; from SP Avenue to G Street (increased frequency of trains and increased volume of horns has created a health hazard for West Merced neighborhoods. Burlington Northern Santa Fe surface street grade separations from 59 to Glen Avenue

Urgent Priority: Sound walls and dense landscaping along CA 99 where highway is at surface with adjacent West Merced neighborhoods

1. West Main @ V Streets surfacing needs replacing 2. CA99 @West 140 is a nightmare; motorists using West Avenue to West 11th street to bypass 13th @ V Street intersection 3. One way West 13th Street between V Street and Q Streets results in Westbound traffic being dumped on West 11th Street between R and West Avenue District 2 4. Too many unsynchronized traffic signals District 5 HWY 59 from olive to buena vista should be widened District 3 It you put something in.. have a plan to maintain it over time. I.E. downtown improvements. It's already been brought to traffic, but the K St. & 21 St. intersection could at least use a cross-walk across 21st if they aren't going to put the stop signs back. It's a walking neighborhood however drivers speed through on 21st rarely District 4 regarding pedestrians. M st. The eucalyptus trees have made the roads there very bumpy and it does major wear and tear for people’s District 5 vehicles that travel it often/daily. It is one of the busiest streets in town so I assume that is a lot of people. M St. the potholes are ridiculous and the train tracks on M st need to be leveled or something because passing over District 5 them sounds like it could pop my tire at anytime. District 6 M street from 18th to the college,

District 1 Main roads from bear creek to Yosemite ave, R st and M st needs improvements badly in these areas Main Street is horrible!! As is the Mall area, and the dozens of empty, litter strewn, abandoned buildings and lots all District 4 over town. Major road with potholes. Make Yosemite Ave 2 lanes in each direction for the whole length of the road from Hwy 59 Not Sure to Lake Road. Not Sure Major roadways like Santa Fe, M Street, R street, G street, and Olive District 6 Many sidewalks that have been raised by tree roots that are a hazard to pedestrians. District 5 Meadows avenue Merced's South side needs a lot of attention. Road repair and replacement. A grocery store/shopping, walking paths District 1 and trails. HOMELESS!!!!!!!!!!! Merino Park is very dark at night and there is lots of kids who live in the area, some of the park lights work others District 6 don't. Maintenance on those would be great, and some of the lights that do work are very dim. District 1 Mission by Tyler st. District 3 Mistletoe abatement District 4 More bike/pedestrian paths. More law enforcement officers to enforce speed and traffic laws, assaults and robberies. Make parks and bike paths District 4 safe District 6 N/A District 2 N/A District 4 NA Outside City Limits na District 6 NA District 1 no District 6 No District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No Not Sure None Not sure if there will be a place for this later in the survey, so though the following is not strictly related to pavement maintenance, I will include it here: Bear Creek, Rahilly Park, and all bike paths, along with regular (weekly?) clearing/ cleaning of homeless camps in these areas. Trash from homeless camps accumulates on the paths and the stench of District 4 urine is often noticeable on bike path underpasses. District 3 Older streets of Merced like 9th street District 1 olive, yosemite, r, g, and m need to be regularly resurfaced District 4 Our roads are some of the worse in the state District 3 Over and under crossings at R and V street District 3 Please add more light poles!!! District 6 Public parks cleaned up more and safer to be around as of now it’s more of a home for the homeless. District 4 Put new coats of paint to ALL the street separators and STOP signs painted on the ground. District 4 Ragsdale. Very minimal street lights. District 2 Redesign of downtown parking and Main Street traffic management District 3 Removal of roadway blockage on coffee Ave. Between pioneer and campus parkway District 6 Repair many rough city streets District 6 Repave roads and replace potholes. Hire contractors that do good work District 6 Residential areas without sidewalks Road surfacing on Yosemite Ave between Mannsioett and White Dove. Make 59 from Santa Fe Dr/West Olive Ave to W 16th St a 4 lane road with a trafic light at 59 an W 16th st. and a District 4 highway on ramp. Santa fe and Glenn ave by Hoover Middle School needs a SAFE way for students to cross that railroad. The current District 1 method of using the dirty under steps isn't ideal. District 3 Sidewalks on 23rd street between M street and R street

Since R Street is a main thoroughfare up keep cleanliness and manicured shrubs/parkways, also the center where Ross District 5 and the landscape around the gas station on the corner of R and Olive always looks trashed!! District 2 South Merced District 3 Speed bumps in local communities and neighborhoods District 3 Speed bumps on 23rd St between Glen and G street. Right turn only on 23rd and G St. District 6 Street repair specifically Yosemite Ave at McKee District 3 Street repair. District 5 Street repairs District 5 street repairs District 6 Street repairs! District 1 street repairs. Not Sure Streets have degraded to a horrible level. What regular maintenance? District 2 Stretch Road Not Sure Survey should be conducted replace and repair the worst effected areas and go from there District 1 The Beachwood area The country roads: (in Southwest Merced) Mission Ave and Tyler Road are horrible. Pot holes everywhere. It's not safe to drive on these roads, and what makes it less safe, is that these roads are narrow, leaving little room for emergency situations. These roads connect parts of Southwest Merced to schools such as Farmdale Elementary, and Alicia Reyes. These are also regularly traveled roads for folks to get to HWY 59 going towards Los Banos, and to access Martin Luther King Jr. Way.

Also, the highway (99 N) exit ramp for R St, and V St. are very unsafe for pedestrians and cars that are walking/traveling on R St. Most cars exit off that ramp at high speeds when there is a green light. There are always pedestrians and homeless people walking back and forth on R St. as you come off of the exit ramp. Something has to be done to slow down cars coming off that exit ramp. Lets prevent another accident. There has been one too many.

Also, when will the city put a crosswalk for Golden Valley High School students who live across the street from GVHS on Child's Ave? GVHS has been there since 1996, and it's now 2021 - 25 years later, and still no crosswalk or cross guard. There are many students who walk across Child's Ave (from the GVHS parking lot - theatre side) and they do so with no crosswalk. It is unorganized and unsafe. Everyone is trying to get somewhere; parents are picking up kids and need to enter/exit school parking lot, while students are walking on foot trying to get home. There needs to be a crosswalk or a cross guard there (right where the parking lot is) to allow a safer transition from school to home, and District 1 from home to school. The intersection of K St and 21st street has a two-way stop sign. The intersection is often busy and not safe for pedestrians as it is frequented by foot traffic. Going back to a four-way stop sign intersection would be much safer, as District 3 it is is close proximity to an elementary school. The intersection on Vst. Something has to be done about the flow of traffic. That has to be the worst intersection in District 3 Merced. There is always accidents. My wife was just involved in a hit and run at that intersection. District 5 The not wide enough section on 59 and olive by the creek. District 1 The pot holes need to filled Not Sure The road on Childs Avenue from Towers to Campus Parkway is very narrow on one side a lot of pot holes District 6 The roads There are a lot of terrible roads, unfortunately many are part of the county. By the way, someone spelled litter wrong Not Sure in question 10. District 6 Traffic control District 4 Traffic enforcement on streets near schools, never see traffic enforcement anymore. Not Sure Trail expansion and maintenance, cleaning of bear creek District 5 Tree Trimming District 6 Trees-When we moved here many years ago Merced was a certified tree city USA District 3 V St. V street in south Merced has heavy traffic and the sidewalks aren't the safest nor the crosswalks for pedestrians and District 3 even some cars, specifically on 8th and V st.

We shouldn't have to rely on volunteers to keep up with that trash problem. If we are going to rely on volunteers, District 4 then, perhaps that can be better organized and make it more enjoyable with more recognition for efforts. Would love to see regular/weekly path maintenance reinstated. Blowing debris off the paths for safer biking and pet District 5 walking. All the tunnels and paths are in need presently. Yes crossing over railroad track make it smooth and wide for bike and wheelchairs. Not Sure Roof repairs help and fence plus plumbing for and especially seniors District 4 Yosemite Ave, McKee

Yosemite Avenue repaving between G and McKee; City Sewer Capacity; bicycle lanes. Also overgrown shrubs in City strips that encroach on sidewalks should be cut back and maintained to allow pedestrians to safely walk and see District 4 around them especially if bicycles continue to be allowed to use sidewalks instead of streets.

13. Planning for the future needs of the City is important to the City Council. Please rank these areas in order of importance to you.

Rank Options First choice Last choice 1. Additional Fire Stations (N and E Merced) 2. Sewer Master Plan to support growth 3. Upgraded Park Restrooms 4. New Police Station 5. Rebranding Merced Neighborhoods 6. Providing for Infill Development 7. Quiet Zones along the BNSF and UP railroads 8. Providing services to the areas just outside… 9. Updating the Public Facilities Fee Program… 10. Updating the Sign Code Ordinance

14. Are there any areas within the City not listed above that should be considered for future planning? 83 Responses Your City District Response District 6 2 lane areas of north G street by the Bellevue development. Cars drive way to fast for the road conditions. 4 way stop at Yosemite and San Augustine. Way too many close calls by drivers that do not stop at the stop sign. Please District 5 build a traffic light there. District 4 A community center in North Merced. A huge park in Merced, north of the Hospital all the way to Bellevue off of G Street. Like that of Central Park (New York), District 2 Grant Park (Chicago), Golden Gate Park (San Francisco) Not Sure Add sopping and in Northeast Merced Not Sure Allow new businesses. Stop being stunk in the old ways. anything that protect current public safety and protection should take high priority. master plan for sewer should also focus on current infrastructure maintenance. Plus where how are these new homes Not Sure getting water? District 1 Area behind Merced jr college. Between the college and cardella ave District 4 Area between Parsons/Bear Creek/Oregon Dr should be annexed Outside City Limits Area near Merced college/ UC Merced should have more dinning options and recreation. Outside City Limits Beachwood/ Franklin Area Before Merced approves any new housing developments, they need to insist and enforce that owners of dilapidated, abandoned, litter filled businesses, buildings and lots are taken care of. The fact that so many of these ares exist is deplorable and huge eyesore for our community. It certainly doesn't scream, "Welcome to Merced!" or that we take District 4 pride our community. District 6 Bike bike expansion Not Sure Bike paths Bike paths on street and not on pedestrian sidewalks; overgrown shrubs in City strips should be cut back for visibility District 4 along sidewalks, sidewalks should be wider; District 4 Bridge over bear creek at parsons av e District 5 Build fill in bike routes to better connect Merced to regional transit and schools. District 2 Businesses in South Merced Not Sure Cameras as a form of security. District 6 Cheaper permit fees District 6 Chick Fil a District 5 Chik Fil A and Weiner schnitzel Childs Ave between MLK and M street would be an ideal location for a large grocery store plaza to help with south District 3 Merced's fresh food accessibility issues. District 3 Cleaning up downtown District 3 Downtown Arts District Downtown beautification- a guide and service for picking appealing exterior paint for buildings. Offer a tax break to Not Sure businesses who partake. Find a designer to donate their time or for a fee to guide the businesses. District 6 Dunn and Paulson empty fields Fixing city paved streets; Addressing the stop sign chaos throughout downtown Merced residential streets to provide some consistency of traffic flow. District 3 Improving residential lighting in downtown areas. District 5 fixing roads Having citizens help plan for new business that residents would like to see. I think many residents are tired of duplicate Not Sure business like and Dollar Tree. People want new business not currently in the area. Not Sure Help seniors with roofs windows fence and plumbing. District 2 Historic preservation of original downtown structures, streets, and neighborhoods District 3 Homeless Communities District 6 I do not know all of these items. Please provide descriptions in future surveys. District 1 I'd like to see more 'clean energy' be used to power the city of Merced Inclusionary Housing. Housing in general to get more housing to buy and keep people from turning available houses into rental units. Making sure that areas have a mix of housing options and not clumping all of one kind of housing District 4 option in one area. It doesn’t make sense to improve our parks which include restrooms if vagrants, drug users, and criminal elements are District 6 in the parks deterring law abiding citizens of all ages from enjoying the areas. Keep school areas safe. To build a homeless shelter and Mental Health center so close to Stowell Elementary School is District 6 not very considerate of the students and families who live and learn in that area. Knowing projects include sustainability practices. Mandatory spay and neuter program with voucher system for low income pet owners (if the city can independently within the county). Improving walkability of downtown, making Main St more park like. Keep downtown inclusive. Improvements can run the risk of creating an exclusive feeling. Have areas District 4 with an eclectic aesthetic that invites everyone. District 6 Landscape the bare and often weed riddled street sides in M St. and Cardella area. Maintain and update current parks. Keep the homeless from camping in and destroying our parks and desecrating our District 4 city. making downtown only a walking street District 5 updating the mall More local public art spaces, expanded outdoor recreation and trail system Not Sure That connects to Yosemite Not Sure More Youth orientated centers. Most people do not know what any of this stuff means. How can we rate the importance of something without a better District 3 description? I have to google all this stuff... District 6 N/A Outside City Limits na District 6 NA Outside City Limits New development. The UC students are desperate for off-campus shopping and entertainment. District 6 New housing development District 1 no District 6 No District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 6 No District 4 no Not Sure None Not Sure North-south bike paths (off the normal streets) that connect to the many east-west routes along the creeks District 1 Plainsburg rd/ legrand overpass District 3 Please add entertainment in merced (resturants, sports bars, e.x.) Please continue to keep the dog parks well taken care of. Also, the bathrooms are never open out there. We need the Not Sure bathrooms. District 4 Please don’t EVER defund our police department District 6 Rebuild the mall District 4 SB 1383 Compliance, sustainability South Merced is a food desert and is in dire need of a supermarket where residents of District 2 can easily access it by District 3 walking a short distance or riding a bicycle. Perhaps free shuttles can help with transportation. Stop the sprawl! Turning Merced into another sprawling mess like Fresno and Modesto is not differentiating this community nor is it solving the air quality problem in the region. Focus on quality architectural infill; concrete and asphalt do not make for a livable region that bakes at 40C in the summer. Where is the Downtown Rail Terminal in the Future Planning vision? Other visionaries see Merced having Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), Amtrak San Joaquin and High Speed Rail trains intersecting and terminating here; why is this not being visualized? ...consult with Architect Bjark Ingels, Bjark Ingels Group. Think grand...think Union Station magnificent. This place wants to be the Gateway to Yosemite...partner with your State and Federal partners to re-connect Merced with Yosemite...massive tourism opportunity.

Merced Mall redevelopment-dismal landuse design. Look to concepts like Santa Clara Square as a solution for that District 2 property that will address the housing problem. District 4 There is a need for additional staff for Code Enforcers. These are all important topics. However, without a master plan for economic development of stable industry, all above Not Sure items are worthless Through incentives Down Town Main St. store fronts should not be vacant. Merced should be a shopping and tourist District 4 stop as the Gateway to Yosemite. District 3 Try to bring to the children’s hospital and revive to the downtown. District 4 Upgrading disc golf park as it is becoming more popular for disc golfers around the valley. Upgrading park restrooms is important but not until the homelessness issue is dealt with (who destroys the District 5 bathrooms). We cant put the cart in front of the horse. District 3 walkable paths to Mereced County with plenty of new trees planted We all want our community to look and be better, definitely hoping we stop stepping on our own tails, and put funds District 2 into the community now. District 4 what the heck is wrong with the current police station? It’s central, looks nice, and is already fairly large. District 2 What’s wrong with the police station in place right now? District 3 Working with schools to learn about needs for safe routes to school. You cannot provide alternate options to be prioritised without explaining what the options actually mean? E.g what District 6 does infill development mean to a lay person?

15. The City Council is committed to supporting the Economic Development of Merced. Please rank the below areas in order of importance to you.

Rank Options First choice Last choice 1. Small Business support 2. Commercial Development (retail, hotel, & rest…) 3. Merced Mall 4. Industrial development 5. Workforce training & development 6. Tourism and travel, i.e. Yosemite 7. Airport service expansion

16. What businesses would you like to see come to Merced? 373 Responses

Your City District Response 1. Galaxy Theater IMax (like Riverbank) 2. The Olive Garden 3. Ten Pin Fun Center 4. 5. Cracker District 6 Barrel A bowling alley

Buffalo Wild Wings

District 6 And a Chili’s

District 1 A newer roller rink or bowling alley. Family friendly entertainment. No more starbucks, tire stores or dollar stores. A nice restaurant... all we have is Branding Iron (they are great). No more Dollar type stores, Mexican Tai, Chinese District 4 restaurants, no more car washes, Affordable Eco-friendly grocery with the ability to bring refillable containers. District 3 TJMAXX, HomeGoods, Marshall’s, Trader Joe’s, Lululemon Not Sure Ag businesses District 6 Aldi, ChicFilA, a Children's Museum or similar

District 4 Amazon distribution site, civil engineering, medical school, medical supplies, bowling alley, clothing outlets Amazon warehouse, Kaiser hospital, Walmart warehouse, Restaurants BJ Brewery, Lazy dog restaurant, District 6 Roadhouse , Cheesecake Factory, FedX at castle base, Los Angeles port at Castle base District 5 Another GROCERY Store in North Merced. College students overload the RALEY’S shopping center District 1 Anything but tire shops, Starbucks, and dollar stores District 6 Anything that’s is not a tire shop or Starbucks. District 4 Apple, Amazon, pottery barn, Trader Joe’s District 6 Apple, chic-fila, District 4 Arby's, Whole Foods, Sprouts District 4 Art business District 2 At this point anything other than tire shops. Not Sure B.J.'S BREWHOUSE, APPLE STORE, VICTORIA'S SECRET, OLD NAVY. Bass pro shop John's incredible Boomers Texas road house District 1 District 4 Bass Pro Shops, Korean BBQ Best Buy, more department stores, restaurants with bar/restaurant atmosphere. District 6 Better places to eat. John incredible pizza, BJs Something Family Friendly District 4 Better restaurant options along with proper training for staffing. NO MORE fast food! Better restaurants, family recreation businesses, the Mall, technology stores, boutique small businesses, nurseries & District 4 sustainable or "green" companies. District 6 Better variety of restaurants and retail.

District 5 BJ Resturant, Mods Pizza, Trader Joe’s, dick sporting goods, Bass Pro Shop, Kirklands, Sams Club, Home Goods. District 4 BJ`s Restaurant, Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Old Navey, a tap room for Dust Bowl Brewing, any micro brew. BJ’s Brewhouse, Cheesecake Factory, Trader Joe’s, Bass Pro Shops, Boomers, Water Park, John’s Incredible Pizza, District 4 Outlets, Tahoe Joe’s District 5 BJ’s Restaurant, Olive Garden, Chili’s, , Victoria Secret, Nike store. BJ’s, BWW, Outback, Whole Foods, Chicfila, Olive Garden, PF Chengs, better grocery stores, more retail like Ulta, District 6 Homegoods, TJ Max, Kirklands, Macy’s District 4 BJs brew house , cabelas, Ruth’s Chris District 6 BJs brewery, Chili's, Texas RoadHouse BJs Restaurant & Brewhouse, Boomers Mini Golf/Go Carts, , Old Navy, Drive In Movie Theater, Macy's, Apple Store, Water Slides Dave & Busters, Dicks Sporting Goods, Texas Roadhouse,Trader Joe's, BevMo TJ Max, IKEA=good for college students, The PLANK like in Oakland Jack Square, Keiser Permanente. Please NO MORE Tireshops, car washes, dollar stores, coffee shops. We need nite life and entertainment options. Distribution centers to District 6 provide jobs wayfair/amazon etc. District 6 BJ's, Cheesecake Factory,

BJs, Tahoe Joes, Jamz 209(they wanted to build here but chose Los Banos due to some politics..sigh), Olive Garden, District 6 TJ Maxx, Burlington Coat Factory, Dicks Sporting Goods, Marshalls, BevMo, Safeway, Nob Hill, WinnCo, Boot Barn, District 6 Bjs, Trader Joe’s, chili’s, weinerschnitzel District 1 Boomers, funworks, funtopia, Johns incredible pizza, Chuck E. Cheese District 4 Boomers. Dave and busters. Arby's. . District 4 Bowling alley District 3 Bowling alley, community center, open market/mercado with family entertainment District 3 Bowling alleys, Johns incredible pizza, family entertainment places, things of that nature. Buffalo Wild Wings Dicks Sporting Goods District 1 Bowling Alley District 2 Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, , Macy’s

Buffalo wild wings, , benihana, cheesecake factory, chick-fil-a, ono hawaiian, , tommy's, KBBQ, mediterranean food, peruvian food

Trader joe's, whole foods, old navy, apple store, bowling alley, renovate the roller rink, renovate the trampoline place

Mental health facilities

Possibly too ambitious: District 6 Ikea, Dave and busters, concert venue/convention center, renovate/expand the zoo Not Sure Buffet style restaurants, Traders Joe, No more 99 cents stores. District 4 Businesses with jobs. Amazon, Chewy, Wineries. District 5 Cabelas sporting goods

Chic fi la, bring back Red Lobster 😁😁 Private Day care centers/ afterschool enrichment Fabric/ textiles/sewing machine industry Horse Riding academy Not Sure Baseball/softball/soccer/ skateboard park facility Not Sure Chic fil a habit Red Robin Not Sure Chic fil a, Arby's, Kaiser offices, scrubs n beyond, Torrid, Amazon liquidation site. Outside City Limits Chic Fil A, TJ Maxx, Hollister, American Eagle, BJ’s Brewery, Poke Bowl District 6 Chic fil’a District 6 Chic fil-a District 2 Chic filet,winch,Sams, Aldi

Chic-Fil-A Weinersteinsel Blaze Pizza Olive Garden Red Robin District 4 Sportsmen warehouse

Chic-Fil-A Bass Pro Shop American Eagle Blaze Pizza Mod Pizza Ariat Boot Barn H&M Merced Outlet Center District 3 Texas Roadhouse District 5 Chick Fil A District 1 Chick fil a Not Sure Chick Fil A District 6 Chick Fil A District 4 chick fil a Not Sure Chick fil a District 6 Chick Fil a District 1 CHICK FIL A District 6 Chick fil a Not Sure Chick fil A Ono Hawaiian BBQ steak and shake Chick fil A Not Sure Ulta chick fil a , pink , victoria secret , happy burger , olive garden , build a bear , WE NEED MORE OPTIONS FOR TEENS TO District 4 GO OUT AND DO AFTER THE PANDEMIC. District 5 Chick fil a DDs burlington

Chick Fil A A second In-N-Out

Chick fil a Homegoods District 4 Chick Fil A, BJs, Texas Road House, PINK, PAC Sun, American Eagle, LIDS, District 3 Chick fil a, , spencers

Not Sure Chick Fil A, Entertainment businesses(fun things to do) Some nicer sit down resturaunts. Entertainment for kids. District 3 Chick fil a, indoor parks, BJ restaurant District 1 Chick fil a, new mall clothing stores, District 1 Chick fil A, Trader Joe's, Victoria secret, Bloomingdales, ikea District 2 Chick fil a, ulta beauty tj max Not Sure Chick fil a, Victoria secret, Texas Roadhouse, bjs Chick fil a, winco, Friday’s, pink, cranes District 6 Chick filet, Weinerschnitzel, Tesla District 3 Chick Fill-A Chick fle District 1 Chicken fil a District 3 Chick-fila Not Sure Chick-fil-A District 1 Chick-fil-A Not Sure Chick-fil-A District 6 Chick-fil-A Not Sure Chick-fil-A Not Sure Chick-Fil-a District 4 Chick-fil-A District 1 Chick-Fil-A and Factories to create more jobs. District 1 CHICK-FIL-A please

Chick-fil-a Chili’s District 6 District 3 Chick-fil-A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! District 6 Chick-fil-A, Wisconsin, Trader Joe's, a good steak house Chick-Fil-A, Arby's, L&L Hawaiian BBQ, , Home goods, Trader Joes, Daiso, Pop Shelf, A Bowling Alley, District 6 Something like John's incredible pizza or Boomers for the kids. District 2 Chick-fil-A, BJ’s Restaurant, Olive Garden, Red Robin, Cheesecake Factory, SAKURA CHAYA TEPPENYAKI!!!! District 6 Chick-Fil-A, BJs Brewhouse, Apple, Buffalo Wild Wings, Old Navy District 4 Chick-fil-A, Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas road house. Chick-Fil-A, Daiso, Ulta, Drive-In movie theaters, PC/Internet cafes, Arcades, Boba shops, Korean Barbeque Restaurant, District 1 Dunk-N-Donuts. District 4 Chick-Fila, Dicks sporting goods, Marshalls/TJ MAXX, Chick-fil-A, Dunkin’ Donuts, Olive Garden, Home Goods, , Chili’s, Habit, Buffalo Wild Wings, Victoria’s District 1 Secret Outside City Limits Chick-fil-A, Farmer Boys, Buffalo Wild Wings, Olive Garden, Indoor Waterpark, mini golf course Outside City Limits Chick-Fil-A, Farmers Boys District 5 Chick-fil-A, Forever 21 Chick-fil-a, H&M, Trader Joes, Homegoods, BJ Restaurant, Texas Roadhouse, Olive Garden, Party City, Cheesecake Not Sure Factory, Ulta, Sam's Club, Citibank, District 1 Chick-Fil-A, Habit, Weinerschnitzel District 5 Chickfil-A, Jimboys Tacos, Fry's Electronics, Scandia

Chick-Fil-A, Pieology or Medici Neapolitan Pizza, , a steak/burger/brewhouse, Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Old Navy, Nordstrom Rack, HomeGoods, a gift/stationary store, Macy's, a bowling alley, Dick's Sporting Goods, Chili's, a cookie District 6 back shop, the Container Store, a Made-in-Merced local Makers Market, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sephora, Habit Burger. District 5 Chick-fil-A, sportsman’s warehouse, farmer brothers District 4 Chick-fil-A, the habit burger, Trader Joe’s, beverages and more, Wiener schnitzel, whataburger, Best Buy, District 6 Chick-fil-A, The Habit, farmer boys, Dairy Queen, Korean BBQ, Poke restaurant, Macy’s, Yard House, District 1 Chick-fil-a, Trader Joes, Aldis, Sprouts, Whole Foods, Buffalo Wild Wings, REI, Jollibees District 5 Chick-fil-A, Victoria Secret, Winco, Home Goods, ChickfilA, Whole Foods, Old Navy, Olive Garden, Hotel in North Merced, Cheesecake Factory, and Kid Friendly District 4 businesses.

District 4 Chick-fil-A, Whole Food's, Trader Joe's, Dave & Buster's, Red Robin, Brazilian Muscle Bowl, Amazon Distribution Center. Chick-Fil-A, Yardhouse, and things for families and our youth(we desperately need it!) like bowling or arcades, activity District 3 and art centers. Not Sure Chick-fil-a,weinerscnizel Chick-fil-A. Logan's Roadhouse. Doghouse Grill. Crumbl. District 4 Great Wolf Lodge. Buffalo Wild Wings. District 4 Chik fil a Chik fil a District 6 Coffee bean District 1 Chik fil a , indoor go kart racing "mb2 racing" District 5 Chik Fil A and Weiner Schnitzel please.

District 4 Chik fil A District 4 Chik fil A! Habit, Trader Joe’s, chili’s, Red Robin, islands, bass pro shops, dicks sporting goods Chik Fil A, Bass Pro, Trader Joe’s, habit burger (went to Atwater instead??), brewery, chili’s, and bowling alley/family District 4 entertainment! Chik fil a, bowling alley, Dave and Busters, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Top Golf, Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Sprouts, District 6 Habit Burger, , Old Navy, Dicks Sporting Goods, IMAX theatre, Drive In District 3 Chik fil A, Buffalo Wild Wings District 1 Chik fil a, morphe, BJ restaurant, Red Robin, Olive Garden, Home town Buffet, Macy’s District 4 Chik fil-a, cattlemans, another in n out, District 4 Chik-Fil-A, 2nd InNOut, Old Navy, Ulta, bookstores, laser tag, District 6 Chik-fil-a, More Dutch Bros, Old Navy, Victorias Secret, less tire shops District 3 Childcare--we can't grow without more infant care and early education resources for employees District 6 Chili’s, the habit, Ono hawaian BBQ, Trader Joe’s, Olive garden Not Sure Chili’s, Home Goods District 3 Craker barrel, rain Forrest Cafe, johns incredible pizza

Daiso. I believe this business will do well in Merced as we are a diverse community. Daiso is a budget friendly store and quite popular in big cities located in Sacramento, Bay Area, and LA Area counties. Daiso will attract people of all age groups and social economic backgrounds. It may even attract customers from other cities such as Atwater, Winton, District 3 Turlock, Modesto, Fresno, Madera, Chowchilla, Los Banos, Gustine, etc. District 4 Dave & busters, Olive Garden, Pink, American Eagle, Torrid, Texas Roadhouse, Boomers, Waterpark Not Sure Dave and busters District 1 Dave and busters, red lobster, olive garden, chuck e cheese, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Olive Garden, Bass Pro Shop, Buffalo Wild Wings, Chili’s, more Bars downtown, Old Navy, Best Buy, iHop, Whole Foods, ono Hawaiian , Shake Shack, Trader Joe’s, Rally’s, Arby’s, Chick Fil-A, Office Depot, Dunkin Donuts, Krispy Kreme, Macy’s, Cinnabon, Apple, Bowling Alley, Kirkland, Farmer Brothers, Yogurt Mill, District 4 MicroCenter. Dave and Busters. Not Sure Dicks sporting goods and another in-n-our location. Diverse amount of restaurants (chain/more locally owned), businesses that provide entertainment for young Outside City Limits adult/college population as well as entertainment for all age groups. District 3 Downtown nightclub Dunkin’ Donuts, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Home Goods, Kirklands, Old Navy, BJ’s Brewhouse, Buffalo Wild Wings, Mr. Pickles, District 6 , World Market. District 4 Dustbowl; BJ's Brewhouse; 234 Bistro; Macys and other department stores; large industrial to create jobs. Entertainment: Bowling, TopGolf, IMAX theatre, drive in theatre, minor league team for baseball or soccer Food: Chik-Fil-A, BJ’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Raisin Cane’s, Cheesecake Factory, Retail: Calvin Klein, NikeFactory, Adidas, Puma, New Balance, Apple Store, Best Buy, Grocery Store: District 2 Vons, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts District 5 Everything that’s in Modesto or Fresno to people aren’t traveling out of town to shop District 5 Expand North Merced area to include new restaurants, District 4 Expanded restaurant/bar options District 3 Family business like Chucky Cheese. And clothing stores. District 3 Family friendly businesses like Rock n Jump District 5 Family fun businesses District 4 Family recreation

FOOD!!!! Variety of places to eat. We have two Applebee’s within 10min of eachother. That’s bogus. Red Robin, BJs, chick fil a, Dunkin’ Donuts, Cheesecake Factory.

NO MORE TIRE SHOPS OR CAR WASHES PLEASE FOR THR LOVE OF GOD

Also would LOVE a Trader Joe’s. Lots of people would love one. District 1 For Restaurants a Habit Grill and olive garden. District 6 Galaxy luxury movie theater, winco, johns incredible pizza, Boomers/Funworks Not Sure Good restaurants and friends/family entertainment. Not Sure grocery stores in south merced, healthier eating options Habit burger, Açai bowl place, pokey place, A nice night club, Korean barbecue place, Macy’s, Express, Apple Store, District 6 bowling alley, Benihana’s, BevMo, icicle, Express, urban outfitters, American eagle, District 4 Hawaiian BBQ, gym/workout places Hawaiin Food, Olive Garden, Victoria Secret, Red Lobster I, as well as many other people that I know, drive an hour to Fresno often just for Hawaiin food. I always see people comment "Hawaiin food" on any posts where they ask Merced what we need next. I love L&L Hawaiin BBQ, but any District 4 place would be great! Outside City Limits Higher end eateries District 4 Higher end shopping / restaurants. District 2 Hmong community and cultural center with a Hmong history museuem District 6 Home good stores, dining options, kids activity centers s/a Chuck e Cheese. Not Sure Home Goods, Trader Joe's, Kirklands, BevMo, Pottery Barn/Williams Sonoma (wishful thinking) How about an entertainment venue like a dance club for the kids....

making merced a business hub for fedex like businesses for distribution points...it makes no sense for packages to go District 4 from sacramento to stockton to tracy before it gets here... Outside City Limits How about working on keeping business in Merced. I do not care what businesses come to Merced specifically. If we had stable industry with above average incomes earned, the people of Merced would create a demand for better options of Retail Stores and Resturants. Its sad when Not Sure our best choice to buy clothing is a toss up between Target and Kohls. I think the south side of town (south of 99 between G to V) really should be the target for development, especially grocery stores. It would also be nice to see a few higher-end department stores in town, such as a small-scale (satellite?) Macy’s. I was excited about the mall renovation until I learned that one of the anchor stores is going to be a place that sells clothing for around $5.00. Please, please, please no more dollar stores. More variety for grocery District 4 shopping is also needed. I would like to see new fast food restaurants, as well as new retail stores. For example, I think Merced would benefit from a Chick-Fil-A or Rally’s. I think we could also use some more grocery stores around town. Most of them are on District 2 Olive ave.

I'd like to see many parts of Merced stay green and stay as farmland. We need to keep a healthy balance. Putting up buildings after buildings is not the answer. Buildings do not make a city more beautiful nor attractive. Clean air, upgraded and clean bathrooms for our parks, a diverse population, with a diverse employment force, and fixing up District 1 buildings, streets, and the infrastructure that already exists in Merced, is what will make our city enjoyable for all. District 4 I'd like to see Red Lobster and Hacienda 2. District 6 IKEA and Trader Joe’s Ikea, chick-fil-a, Ono Hawaiian, Super Walmart or Super Target, dd's Discounts, Marshall's, TJ Maxx, BJ's Brewhouse, Not Sure John's Incredible, Dave & Busters, Not Sure Information Technology District 2 Jersey mikes subs, Trader Joe's,

Korean BBQ restaurant, Chick fil a, Hot pot restaurant, Trader Joe's, art supply store like Blick, would be nice to have a District 6 grocery store that had produce that was solely farmer grown produce from the local farmers in Merced county.

Korean BBQ Chick-Fil-a Buffalo Wild Wings Sportsman Warehouse District 6 Dick’s Sporting Goods Larger department stores, i.e. macys District 3 Lazy Dogs, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dave & Busters District 6 Level Up Barcade, Trader Joe’s Look at Turlock and what they have done to turn it into a major shopping area. We have a corridor of exposure that District 5 must be utilized. District 5 Macy, Nordstrom, The Outback Restaurant, Victoria's Secret District 4 Macy’s District 1 Macy’s, Chick Fil a , Sprouts, Markets: Sprouts Farmer's Market (Supermarket), Ranch 99 (Asian Supermarket Chain); Food: 85C Bakery Cafe, , IHOP, Arby's; Other: Dave & Busters, Daiso, IKEA, Small independent businesses (local restaurants, local artisans, etc.) District 5 and eco-friendly/sustainable stores Merced need entertainment for kids like Chuck E. Cheese johns incredible pizza we need more variety of restaurants bj brewery Buffalo Wild Wings famous Dave’s Red Robin chick-fil-a Olive Garden also more retail stores old navy marshalls District 5 Kirkland’s

Merced needs to fill in the basics before wasting energy trying to get high-end names like Trader Joe's. Basically every business along the freeway in Turlock should have a home in Merced - Old Navy, Dick's Sporting Goods, Red Robin, Olive Garden, etc.. Bass Pro Shop would also be a fantastic magnet if we really can get one. I would also love to see the mall incorporate entertainment options like a bowling alley and have Buffalo Wild Wings (or another sports-bar type restaurant) take over the Hometown Buffet building. Ten Pin (also in Turlock) would do amazing if it was attached to the mall (or even went across R St and replaced the permanently-closed In-Shape). And of course, a Chick-Fil-A District 6 somewhere by the freeway would be huge. MOD Pizza or Pieology Pizza, a bakery that makes breads, roll, croissants, etc. A hotel near the hospital. Some gas stations north of Olive, but not another expensive Chevron Not Sure Safeway grocery store. District 6 Modern Animal, Torrid, Spencer's Gifts, Southwest airlines District 1 More activity for the youth Not Sure More art-related businesses District 6 More big buck stores and industrial. More businesses that cater to entertainment of children and families, restaurants, entertainment and recreation for District 2 youth More businesses, industry and anchor companies that will sustain economic growth and employ our people with good District 4 pay and benefits. District 5 More entertainment for the kids. Dave N Busters? District 4 More family entertainment

District 6 More food options. Retail stores like home goods, Ikea so I don't have to drive out of town to do everything More food places More family friendly places District 4 Kid activities District 4 More food variety- such as Greek food District 6 More grocery store options District 3 More grocery stores in S.Merced and BWF areas. More grocery stores workout center outside that is free to first come first serve like in Vince beach California for people that can’t afford the gym. Free bicycle fix service more programs for the youth more fast food that popular more car Not Sure shows etc. District 2 More healthy initiatives for marginalized groups have equitable access to fresh produce More independently owned and community supported merchants. I am weary of corporate dominated merchants District 6 especially in the dining sector More local businesses or if you must bring in chains, then please make it competitive. No more Starbucks! Perhaps bringing in Peet's Coffee. Larger restaurants too like Buffalo Wild Wings or a Bj's Restaurant. The habit would be a great investment too. Please bring some of these to south Merced, especially a large grocery store some where near Childs District 3 and Between MLK and V street. Not Sure More local restaurants District 6 More restaurants District 4 More restaurants District 4 More restaurants bad that atwater is half the size and has more options of large chains District 6 More restaurants less fast food like Red Robin etc. More restaurants that are not Mexican Food or chain restaurants. Restaurants that focus on a vibrant health. Would Not Sure also like to see a Safeway. District 6 More restaurants: Buffalo Wild Wings, BJs restaurants, Macy’s, sweet tomatoes, l&l hawaiian bbq Not Sure More retail/restaurants in southern Merced. Grocery stores also. Entertainment venues downtown District 6 More shopping, more restaurants like Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Red Robin District 6 More small businesses, habit burger, places that have healthy choices like flame broiler and chick fil a More small businesses, more local fun things to do, more places to eat District 3 More small businesses.

More small businesses.. entice them to come to Merced and start up shop. how can we get more people to take the risk and open a small business here? look at Turlock who has a thriving downtown with small business/boutiques (pre District 5 covid). Why is it so difficult for new stores to come to Merced? Permits expenses etc.. fill the empty store fronts first. More varied retail. Fewer fast food. An attempt to attract upscale restaurants and other retail in smaller developments District 4 that our population can viably support. District 6 NA District 1 New bowling alley, family attractions, different restaurants & shopping centers District 6 new restaurant, new retail stores Outside City Limits No No more Starbucks, dollar stores or tire shops. We need better restaurants like a Buffalo Wild Wings, Yardhouse,Bjs, Texas Roadhouse or Cheescake Factory. Not these fast food restaurants that we already have several of. To shop District 1 anywhere decent in the valley we have to go to Modesto or Fresno. District 5 no preference other than no more tire stores, dollar stores, mexican restaurants, and starbucks etc. District 4 Old Navy, Dave n Busters, District 6 Old navy, Olive Garden, Bjs Brewhouse, The Habit, chick-fil-a Olive Garden wienerschnitzel Chili’s chick fil a old navy Trader Joe’s John’s incredible pizza Chuck E. Cheese Dunkin’ District 5 Donuts papa John’s Dairy Queen Dave and busters District 2 Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Chick-fil-a, Olive Garden, convention center, Best Buy, BJ, District 1 Olive Garden, Red Robin, Red Lobster, Cabelas, Tandy Leather

Olive Garden, Wienerschnitzel, Chick Fil A, Dicks sporting goods, Woodstock’s Pizza (A UC City Staple), Baja Fresh, Old District 5 Navy, Apple Store, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin Donuts, Dave & Busters, Chuck E Cheese or John’s Incredible Pizza,

District 4 Olive Garden. Red lobster. Sams Club. Amusement park. Dairy queen. Dunkin doughnuts. Krispy kremes. Vons. District 6 ONO Hawaiian BBQ, Trader Joe’s, Pieology,

Not Sure Outlet Mall (with stores like Gap, Old Navy, Carter’s, Anne Klein, etc.), Jersey Mike’s, Winco, Trader Joe’s, Aldi. District 4 Pacsun, Urban Outfitters, Chikfila, Raising Canes, World Market, Dunkin Donuts, and Trader Joes Not Sure pink District 4 Pink, Victoria secrets, Hollister, Chick-fil-A, Dicks sports goods, Old Navy, Ulta, David busters, and Vans Please god, no more tire shops, dollar stores or generic fast food chains. Support the introduction of small boutiques, coffee shops, wine bars, breweries, restaurants, cafes! Regerenate main street. We're called the gateway to Yosemite yet noone wants to come here because there's nothing with culture or value ! Make us a great stop on the way to District 6 Yosemite! District 2 , Safeway, K1 Speed District 6 Popular retail and food that promotes family safe atmosphere. Raising Canes, A full size Sephora, Burlington Coat Factory, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods and anything other then tire District 5 shops and car washes. We have more then enough of those now. District 4 Red Robin, Chick Fil A, Bass Pro Shop, Dick's Sporting Goods, Apple Store, Marshall's, Papa John's Not Sure Red Robin. Old Navy. 5 below. Chik fil a. Trader joes. District 6 Restaurants Not Sure Restaurants, unique retail stores vs chains, less tire shops more character needed! Retail. Tj Maxx, bed bath and beyond, home goods, dunkin donuts, high end dining, wine bars, breweries. Amazon, District 3 electric car manufacturing, or a hydrogen fuel station. Safeway, Chick-fil-A, burlington, outlets, Vans, guitar center, old navy , trader joe's, nothing bundt cakes, buffalo wild District 3 wings Sit down family restaurants: Texas Roadhouse District 6 B.J’s etc... District 1 Sit-down casual-dining restaurant franchises.

Small independent merchants who sell useful, quality products and services. Merchants who know their product and know what good customer service is. Want a Trader Joes here with all their plastic packaged product...not the only solution - provide Small Business Administration (SBA) coaching for merchants to create the Trader Joe's experience. Fast food chains do not build a health community. The merchants here do not know how to effectively brand themselves nor does their staff know their product...I do not shop here.

Curb appeal - Wall to wall concrete and asphalt creates a hostile user experience...Beige is not a color! Single color District 2 washing of a building does not create an architecturally stimulating experience. Not Sure Some kind of family entertainment. Bowling alley etc Somewhere to shop other than Family Dollar and Dollar Stores, please. Whole town misses shopping like Gottschalks provided. Trader Joe's, Home Goods, some clothing shopping that's between Helen & Louise (high end) and uniform/work District 3 clothing, Kohl's, & Pennys (low end). There's no middle ground in Merced. District 5 Specifically: Trader Joe’s!!!! District 4 Sports center that can host big events

Stop the chain stores we are importing from other places' suburbs. We need to nurture the small businesses and trades District 2 that will distinguish Merced from the surrounding towns. Distinctiveness is valuable. Stop wasting money on Merced Mall. Nobody is going to drive across the city to go to a mediocre mall. Chick-fil-a, wienershnitzel, Dairyqueen, Cool hand Luke's, Trader Joe's. Not Sure Bay area building owners have raised rent and made restaurants close.

Support for small business and specialty stores. We aren't big enough for Trader Joe type stores and we don't need any more chain restaurants. Bring in industrial development because they pay better wages and benefits unlike fast food District 6 and general unskilled labor type jobs. Lets get this town and county off welfare and into jobs that pay decent

Tech businesses like Google, Adobe, Ebay, etc..businesses offering good paying jobs. District 6 Also retail stores like Homegoods or TJMAXX, not another 99 cent or dollar store. Good movie theater like AMC. District 3 Tech companies of any kind. Distribution centers and manufacturing. A water park would be great. District 6 Texas Roadhouse, Chik’Fil-A, Habit The new business we need in the Merced Area are WHOLE FOODS,TRADER JOES, SPROUTS MARKET we need more District 2 organic store options. No more Starbucks coffee

There are an excessive amount of businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants where you just go out and spend money. We need more industrial jobs where both ordinary everyday citizens of Merced and Merced's college & District 4 university students can benefit from. More technological businesses like Bitwise Industries are also highly desired. Those that offer more than entry level low wage jobs. Winco, Trader Joe’s, Olive Garden, new roller rink, bowling alley, District 6 miniature golf, rock climbing and rappelling, pottery / stained glass studios and the like. Not Sure To Livingston theatre. Bowling. Senior space for crafts and fun and Disabled. District 6 Trade Joe's, chick fil a

Trader joe, John’s incredible pizza, bowling alley, improved or new skating rink, miniature golf, anything other thanStarbucks, dollar stores and tire shops. Keep our money within our city. I shouldn’t have to travel just to have variety of restaurants, family fun and shopping. Atwater and Turlock are building for the last few years, Merced is so far District 4 behind! The slew of Starbucks, tire shops and dollar store is not bringing new developments. District 4 trader joe’s District 6 Trader Joe’s District 6 Trader Joe’s District 6 Trader Joe’s District 6 Trader Joe’s District 4 Trader Joe’s District 1 Trader Joe’s Not Sure Trader Joe’s District 5 Trader Joe’s Trader Joe’s Bj’s Brewhouse Chick-fil-a District 1 Brewery Trader Joe’s Shake shack Whole Foods Sprouts Hawaiian bbq Poke establishment Tj maxx Not Sure Home goods District 5 Trader Joe’s and Chic-Fil-A Not Sure Trader Joe’s and chik fil a, better shopping and more small local business Not Sure Trader Joe’s or a food co-op store with a wide variety of selection, old navy, Firestone/ dog house grill, District 6 Trader Joe’s Whole Foods Safeway everything Turlock has. Less Starbucks tire shops and dollar stores trader joe’s raising canes District 5 chick fil a Not Sure Trader Joe’s!

Trader Joe’s!! We need organic resources. Poke bowl restaurant!! More family outings such as: - ice skating -drive in theaters District 5 -fun centers that include, golfing/putput, laser tag, arcades. Ect. Similarly to a johns incredible but more affordable.

TRADER JOE’s!!! We need low cost, healthy food options!!!!!! It needs to be located in the lower income areas of town District 3 (no further north than 27th st) so it’s within walking distance for the people in town who need it District 4 Trader Joe’s, A Bulk Store ( refill, zero waste store) District 5 Trader Joe’s, a variety of cultural restaurants, gastro pub type of restaurant Trader Joe’s, Best Buy (I understand it is slated, but we must ensure that happens), Sprouts (more diverse grocery store District 6 options), REI or Dick’s Sporting Goods (Big 5 is far too low end) District 4 Trader Joe’s, cheesecake factory, a poke restaurant, dim sum, hawaiian food, korean bbq, whole foods Not Sure Trader Joe’s, chick fil a District 5 Trader Joe’s, Chick-fil-a District 4 Trader Joe’s, Chick-Fil-A, BJ’s brewhouse, Whole Foods. More businesses and food options in general. Trader Joe’s, Chick-fil-A, Rubio’s, Yard House, Baja Fresh, Ike’s , Mr. Pickles, Olive Garden in the former Home Outside City Limits Town Buffet building. Home Goods and Bass Pro. District 4 Trader Joe’s, H&M, Jacks Urban Eats, BJ’s Trader Joe’s, health food stores and restaurants such as tender greens and urban plates.

Restaurants and bars like La Mo from Turlock and coffee shops. Area with outdoor seating and lighting. IMPORTANT: District 4 opportunities to go dancing (Latin, salsa, bachata, etch. District 6 Trader Joe’s, Home Goods, Ulta, World Market, IKEA, Outback, The Habit, Macy’s, H&M, TJMaxx, District 3 Trader Joe’s, Outback Steakhouse, pieology, Not Sure Trader Joe’s, REI, Peet’s, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, Macy’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods, clothing stores, shoe stores, larger chain restaurants, Ten Pen District 4 bowling, miniature golf District 1 Trader Joe’s, The Habit, Firestone Brewery, Philz Coffee, Best Buy, Cabela’s, Nordstrom Rack, Homegoods, District 5 Trader Joe’s, Tj Maxx, Homegoods, Cheesecake Factory, REI District 5 Trader Joe’s, tjmaxx, Sourdough Sandwich, Red Robin, Bowling Alley, Sprouts, bring back Cinema Cafe Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, or Sprouts District 5 Trader Joe’s, Winco, Sprouts, Chick Fil A District 6 Trader Joe’s. Chick fil’a, family restaurants District 6 Trader Joe’s. Red Robin. Chic-Fil-A. BJ’s Brewhouse. Dave & Busters. Old Navy. District 4 Trader Joe’s. Whole Foods. Macy’s. District 4 Trader Joes Not Sure Trader Joe's District 3 Trader Joe's District 4 Trader Joe's District 4 Trader Joe's Not Sure Trader Joes District 6 Trader Joe's District 3 Trader Joe's District 4 Trader Joe's Outside City Limits Trader Joes and/or Sprouts Farmers Market, Ulta Beauty Trader Joes Dick's Sporting Goods Banana Republic Yogurt Mill District 4 Jack's Urban Eats

Trader joes Ikea Bass pro shop Fish market and restaurant Whole foods Sprouts District 5 Outlet stores District 4 Trader Joe's!! Trader Joe's!!! It would also be really nice to have a permanent marketplace where local small farmers/ranchers, artisans, etc could market their products in a pop-up fashion. Not just a parking lot but an open space designed for District 4 shopping and visiting, eating and drinking (plaza type of space).

Trader Joe's!!!! (Most important) Whole Foods Joe and the Juice Macy's Eataly Locally Owned Fine Dining Restaurants District 6 Trader Joe's, Chick Fil-A, John's Incredible Pizza, Arby's, ULTA, Bevmo, more like Turlock, who's done it right. NO MORE District 4 CAR WASHES, TIRE SHOPS! Not Sure Trader Joe's, Olive Garden District 6 Trader Joe's, Total Wine or Bev Mo, Old Navy. District 6 Trader Joe's, Aldi's, BevMo!, Outback Steakhouse, Best Buy, Cheesecake Factory, Dave and Busters District 4 Trader Joes, another quality Grocery store, more full service restaurants Trader Joes, Butterfish, The Broilers, Sequoia Brewing Company, Chick-fil-A, more sushi restaurants, Toddler Play Zones, District 6 family fun centers, ULTA Not Sure Trader Joes, Dust Bowl Brewery/Restaurant, Whole Foods, Apple Store District 6 Trader Joes, Fun works, no more Starbucks, tires shops, dollar stores. Trader Joe's, Home Goods, Buffalo Wild Wings, Texas Roadhouse, Ono's Hawaiian BBQ, WinCo, Marshalls, family District 4 entertainment, more food options! District 4 Trader Joes, Home Goods, Macys, Gap, Old Navy, Olive Garden, Mimis

Trader Joes, Nordstrom Rack, Home Goods, Lemonade (restaurant), Chik Fil A, Two Costco's - current location and add one by Marketplace.. Broilers (based in Fresno), another Dutch Bro's, a Peet's Coffee, more food variety District 5 (Mediterranean, Poke, Seafood), reclining chair movie theater, bowling alley, drive in movies. District 3 Trader Joes, Old Navy, mid-priced restaurants such as Chilis, Olive Garden.

Trader Joe's, poke bowl/seafood restaurants, Chick-fil-a, Jollibee, all you can eat Korean BBQ, hawaiian bbq/hawaiian food, Raising Canes, vegan options, bonchon, dim sum restaurants, Best Buy, breweries, Happy Lemon, Somi Somi, Yard District 4 House, Cheesecake Factory, BJ's, peruvian food; asian bakeries like 85°, Whole Foods, Heirloom, Marshall's, Not Sure Trader JOES, REI, Drive In Theater, John’s incredible pizza, Greek food, mini golf.

Trader Joe's, Small businesses locally. City grants to help small businesses start-up! STOP ALLOWING STARBUCKS ( District 4 LARGE CORPS) TO USE OUR CITY FOR FREE!! WE DON'T NEED 4 STARBUCKS and 4 Dollar STORES IN OUR CITY!! District 3 Trader Joe's, Sprout, Retail stores

District 6 Trader Joe's, Sprouts, Chikfila, Old Navy, Old Spaghetti Factory, Pieology, Miguel Jr's, Safeway, Indoor play place. District 5 Trader Joes, Sprouts, Old Navy, Arby's, more locally owned restaurants District 3 Trader Joes, Whole Foods Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Dick's Sporting, Party City, Safeway, Entertainment for kids like miniature golf, bowling, District 6 paint ball, arcade, District 5 Trader Joe's. The Broilers restaurant (or any mediterranean food). Trader Joe's... No more dollar stores, tire stores or casual chain restaurants like Applebee's or Olive garden. Let's support strong local Not Sure restaurants instead of large national conglomerates District 6 Ulta express Trader Joe’s District 1 Victoria secret , chuck and cheese hometown buffet

Victoria's secret, Pink, Anne's pretzels, , Whole Foods, E85 station, Air soft field, Amazon store, Ikea, Chinese Gourmet, F.Y.E., Build a bear, Spencer's, Forever 21, ALDI, Cinnabon, Old Navy, Marshall's, Home goods, Torrid, District 5 Bass Pro Shop, Dick's sporting goods, Apple store, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dairy Queen, Bakery, District 6 Walmart SUPERCENTER, Winco

We have enough gas stations, car washing, dollar stores and Mexican restaurants. We need diversity in cuisines - bring Middle Eastern restaurants, Greek restaurants, Korean restaurants. New fast food chain like Jolibee. Upgrading merced Not Sure mall and bringing new brands like Uniqlo, Guess. Bring IMAX theatre. Indoor activities for children. We need more industry. We need jobs that pay well and need skilled labor. We need more doctors! We need medical professions and industry, maybe research and development companies. We are educating some great minds up at the District 4 UC, but there is nothing to keep them here after they graduate. We need some big companies to come in like an Amazon. We need more manufacturing jobs in this county. All there seems to be is service industry employment. Service jobs are important too, however, they do NOT pay a living wage and to be honest the service industry employees we have here in Merced are NOT customer service oriented like in District 5 other cities. We need to help our small businesses within our community before adding another box chain store. Invest funds into citizens who are trying, to run a business,help them get a aid and grants wherever whenever possible through the city District 2 ordinances. We need to support industrial business that will support adults. That offer wages and benefits that will help keep all your UC students in the area. Not Sure Chick filet / habit burger is great but are these career path driven companies?

Weinerschnitzel, Peet's Coffee, Texas Roadhouse, Trader Joe's, a bowling alley, laser tag, miniature golf, Hawaiin District 6 barbecue, Arby's, Bevmo, ideas, sports bar, Crumbl, Dickson Sports, Macy's, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy Who would want to do business in a town that will not work with them? Giving tax breaks would probably be a great District 6 Incentive for new small business to want to come here . District 3 Whole family entertainment District 6 Whole foods District 6 Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Bed Bath & Beyond, Chipotle, Chik-Fil-A, Nordstrom, Sephora, Apple, H&M, Amazon Books, Not Sure Crate & Barrel or Crate & Barrel Outlet. Maybe even an IKEA! District 4 Whole Foods, Trader Joes, nordstrom rack, breweries, anything that provides a night life to merced Whole Foods,Trader Joe’s,Sprouts Markets District 6 We need more restaurants District 5 Winco, clothes outlets, sporting goods, another steak house, wienerschnitzel. Retail District 6 Winco, islands restaurant Outside City Limits Winco, more restaurants

District 1 WinnCo on the South side. Walmart distribution center/Amazon distribution center. High speed rail maintenance yard. would love to have a Trader Joe's or Weinerschnitzel or a Whole Foods in Merced so don't have to travel to turlock or District 6 Modeso.

District 6 Would love to see more family oriented activities provided such as drive in movie theater, bowling alley, or outlets.

Yogurt Mill GAP Brandy Melville PacSun Urban Outfitters Disney Store Safeway California Pizza Party City Dicks Sporting Goods Nike Converse District 3 Adidas

17. Are there any areas not listed above that should be considered for future economic development? 102 Responses

Your City District Response District 4 A Sports Complex that will generate economic growth in our community.

A sports team, indoor soccer, baseball, hockey...something that would bring the community together in that kind of way. I don't know what's going on with the Mall but maybe it needs a whole new idea like a team venue as an anchor District 4 with shops around it, something different. District 4 A theater for when celebrates wanna hold a concert District 4 All need but south needs the most work District 4 All storefronts on main st District 5 Amazon Factory would bring major income to the area. District 5 Areas that are close to the UC should be prioritized for new businesses/restaurants. District 3 Attract more investors to increase jobs and increase tourism. District 2 Better parks and a convention center, Olive Garden

Boxing learning to drive learning to drive public works machine for future jobs for youth and anybody that is willing to Not Sure work. Not Sure Carnival Park rides for kid. Water shooting from ground. District 4 Castle AFB!!!!!!

Check out other city's Economic Development departments to see what they are doing, both before and during Covid District 6 epidemic; such as, San Jose, CA. can also learn from their mistakes.

Child’s and Canal should have a grocery store. The fact that there hasn’t been anything done to help put a grocery store there is disrespectful to South Mercedians. Smart & Final is not enough. An empty lot with so much potential. I’m District 2 rooting for you guys

Cleaner streets, lots, businesses, removal of homeless camps, and holding businesses and lot/land owners accountable District 4 for lot appearance.

Cleaning up downtown--there's not enough lighting; people live illegally in the allies; vandalism and theft is horrific; it's not safe; buildings are boarded up but you can hardly blame them because if they're not, their windows are broken. Great that there are some renovated structures, but the lack of security downtown and the phenomenal amount of foot traffic at all hours of the day, makes it a really crappy place to have a business, reside, or own an investment District 3 property. District 6 Computer science technology, medical training (RN) programs District 6 Corner of Gst and Bellevue

Covid 19 has crushed the small business. The City needs to take a major lead in assistance for these current and future District 5 business in every way they can.

Developing the corner of Yosemite Ave and G St. into entertainment and dining for the UC students. Some type of wholesome activity like a rec center that offers ping pong, pool, rock climbing and trampolines. Also some type of night Outside City Limits life with adult beverages and dancing. District 5 Downtown District 6 Downtown adding a nightclub

Downtown desperately needs to be rehabilitated. There are so many run-down buildings in the downtown area that District 4 can be revamped and made attractive for businesses. District 3 Downtown Merced District 3 Downtown revitalization with an active association. (Visalia, Clovis, Kingsburg, Exeter) District 5 downtown shops Not Sure Expansion of parks and rec to connect trail system to Yosemite that will promote eco tourism District 3 Extend silicon valley industries to Merced District 6 Fire department

Food trucks are becoming popular especially with drive-thru lines being so long due to covid, they are a small District 4 business that require specialized developement For future economic development, I'd like to see Merced create spaces where local artists feel that they can thrive. Where they don't have to move out of Merced to show-off and display their work and talents. I think Merced under-utilizes local talents. I'd like to see Merced use more clean energy, improve air quality, and protect natural habitats. I'd also like to see Merced expand opportunities for growth in the Sciences. Perhaps use local talents to bring in, or build a professional and powerful telescope - right here in our city, that can be used by everyone and anyone in the community, to observe stars and the night sky. Maybe local leaders and professionals can get NASA to bring some of their programs here, to help evoke interests and develop the minds of our youth. We must plant the seed now. District 1 When considering our economic future, we must always always, put our youth at the forefront. District 3 Fun Activities like bowling, laser tag, pizza parlors, and skating.

Get clear on what this place is to be...what is the brand? Gateway to Yosemite - absolutely! Target hospitality, arts and research as the economic catalysts-not fast food joints and tire shops. Bring in more of the arts: designate a region downtown for artistic trades: metal work, glass work design, leather goods, clothing design...think Allied Arts Guild, Menlo Park. The University of California is a gift from the gods for this town, much like Castle Air Force Base once was. People are leaving the Bay Area in droves to find a quieter place to be and live...look to Davis and San Luis Obispo as your models. Mindfully scrutinize the new developments coming in...some of these apartment and housing projects District 2 look more like Daly City than Santa Barbara. District 3 Get rid of payday lenders please

High Speed Rail. Voters passed the bill TWICE!! We have the 4th largest economy of the world, a single state, yet we District 1 don’t have a transportation system that demonstrates that.

District 4 Hire economic developers that can get things done with supportive City staff thay can attract business. District 2 Hmong community and cultural center with a Hmong history museuem Not Sure Increasing jobs for the community and resources to encourage education.

It would be amazing to have a small Google or Apple campus. Not as large as what they have in Silicon Valley, but something that would be beneficial to both the companies and the city. Bitwise is already building a campus downtown- Not Sure more of that please! Not Sure Jobs to sustain our UC and JC Merced students. District 1 Lake Yosemite area should be utilized as water fun park District 4 Less tire shops and Starbucks. MORE VARIETY! District 4 Live entertainment/theater arts

District 4 Local engineering company, local road management and construction co. To keep jobs in merced District 5 Main street District 6 Mental Health Services!!!!!!!

Merced is on the path to becoming a university city since UC Merced is here. Developing businesses that support District 2 students would be very valuable. Perhaps consultations with university cities like Davis and others would be helpful. Merced should look back in their history books of industry that has had an interest that we have kicked to the curb. We have a population of hard working nice people.... not necessarily Hight Tech. Stable, year round employment will Not Sure again, create a demand for retail business that we do not have. District 5 Mission Ave , large retail development would be great similar to River park or Turlock. District 4 Mission Campus Parkway District 3 More entertainment for the city. District 1 More Ev charging stations. Downtown and the Mall are great areas for EV chargers. District 6 More family entertainment options. Bowling alley, laser tag, etc. Not Sure More help with small business start ups and education District 4 More schools District 2 N/a District 6 NA

District 6 Need more support in Agriculture programs training . Like with FFA program at the high school . District 6 New restaurants is very important for the economy of Merced District 1 no District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 6 No

Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 3 No more car washes and tire stores. District 4 NO more dollar stores! Not Sure None District 1 Not sure

Not sure if its considered economic development but the city should consider upgrading the public library. Have more options available for the public to interact like how San Francisco library does; have job resume building skills classes, computer classes, writing classes, have a larger section in the art and Theater section, with more plays, scripts, music District 6 , etc, there's not much currently the Merced Library offers in that department. District 3 Offer more walking spaces without bikes District 5 Olive and hwy 59

Olive ave- Sante fe and 59. widen 59 between 16th and olive ave Not Sure Fix the intersection on 16th and 59. Make a turning lane. District 4 Outdoor venues for food trucks, entertainment and outdoor venues, District 2 Parsons cross town 4 lane road to cross the creek and railroad tracks District 5 Please build a health food store in Merced! District 6 Please consider activities for all ages. Reduce taxes on businesses to attract new businesses. You can not open a new business if the costs are so high. Maybe District 4 have reduced rental costs on city-owned buildings that are empty. District 6 Retail area near Raley’s across the street. District 4 Retailers/occupants in abandoned downtown buildings. District 6 Retailning skilled labor in conjunction with UC MERCED

shops that cater to and attract Yosemite tourists near Amtrak, as campaigns in SF, LA or other big markets to show case Not Sure Merced as a convenient and fun gateway to YNP.

Side of the roads full of litter and trash, on olive or just randomly throughout town might be great to expand the RESTORE downtown group into all of merced group or officiate something to take care of this problem. It looks bad and District 2 makes us all look bad. District 2 South Merced

South Merced! The real south Merced area, such as south of the 99 from Home Depot down to the Flea Market, District 3 especially the area around Child's Ave near Alicia Reyes Elementary. District 6 Speed Rail to San Fran, Sacramento, LA, San Jose. District 5 Tennis Courts District 2 The downtown area, in my opinion, is important to grow

The old Albertson's on the corner of G and Olive still being empty is devastating for the corner of a major intersection. Also, the development at G and Yosemite is sorely needed. The Raley's shopping center is painfully overcrowded at all District 6 hours of the day.

Tradespeople are difficult to find and hire in Merced. We should be encouraging the trades, perhaps with a partnership District 2 with Merced College. District 5 Update Downtown area!! District 4 Victoria’s Secret District 4 We are probably the most under-developed UC town in california. We need to fix that. District 3 We don't have great food in town Not Sure We have enough car washes, tire stores, and dollar stores. Please stop.

We need a greater range of commercial and entertainment selection. Too many people currently (forced to) shop out of town or online. Dollar stores, Walmart’s, Target’s are all very well, but people with medium and higher incomes take District 4 their money out of town!

We need more gas stations in the north and northwest areas of Merced, Or even stores. They're far from the nearest District 4 gas stations. (Bellevue, Via Moraga area).

District 2 We need to improve Farmers Market, bring more vendors and advertise the Farmers Market more.

We want to be a “college friendly” town. If our UCM and MJC students are happy and can afford to be here, many more District 6 will come. We benefit. District 1 West of childs over pass

Yes, make it easier for local businesses to grow and international retails and chains to start open branches in Merced. Not Sure Make Merced start up friendly and encourage big tech companies to move to Merced.

18. Considerable effort has been made by the City Council to support Downtown development and activities. Please indicate the importance to you of improving each Downtown development and activities from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion Store front/empty space development Adding Housing More public meeting space Parking solutions Stronger Police presence Holding more/better coordinated events

19. Are there any Downtown development and activities not listed above that should be? 123 Responses Your City District Response 1. Downtown will be great if you foster a positive partnership allowing small business the freedom and opportunities to open. 2. you can’t control private property rental fees, but fees to land owners can be addressed to help offset costs to fill vacant buildings. Not Sure 3. taxes, permits are a barrier to overcome when establishing a business. consider looking at those. District 4 A Parking Garage and more businesses. I would also include entertainment and restaurants. Outside City Limits A place for young adults to socialize, dancing, music, etc. Art galleries, bakery, pub, dog boutique. District 3 An association, events, and a large convention center or meeting space. District 3 Annual events [Jazz Festivals, Wine Tastings, Food Festivals, CCBR] anything to make it less attractive to homeless; more police presence, encourage catholic charities to give away food at District 4 a different location, etc District 2 Art Hop should be back! District 4 Art Hop should make a comeback. Provide them funding instead of being against it. District 5 Artist Zone District 4 Arts festivals/ murals/ etc. District 3 Arts, statuary, large containers for plantings for overall beautification. District 4 As a 27 year old, I am definitely looking for more social events to be a part of. Not Sure Beautification project! Offer tax break and design service for business that utilize it. District 6 Better farmers market with more local vendors District 2 Bob Hart Square redesign and expansion to accommodate events for our growing community. District 3 Bowling Bring back Thursday evenings downtown where there were vendors and the street was blocked off! I remember District 6 attending as a child and looked forward to it every week! District 6 Bring the art hop back Bringing back the farmers market that used to happen on Thursday evenings and have it on Fridays. Also, maybe having District 6 the restaurants get together downtown to showcase their food etc. Not Sure Cheaper housing more housing easier housing for people that don’t have credit but have jobs. District 6 Cheaper permit fees District 4 chowder competition annually, getting all restaurants to compete for bragging rights... Cleaning up the alleys--there are so many folks living/working illegally. Adding lighting in the alleys and parking lots. Security cameras--the amount of vandalism done to downtown businesses (occupied and vacant) is a regular issue with no resolution. Makes folks do not wish to occupy commercial space downtown. There is presently no visible police force. What happened to foot patrols and bike patrols? It's a curse to own a downtown rental. They're impossible to manage or own as the break-ins are seemingly uncontrollabe--or at least not easily managed by the police and District 3 definitely not by residents. District 5 Consider ANGLE PARKING also called diagonal parking for downtown gives more available parking.

Consider types and placement of businesses/organizations allowed to open. Organizations which attract and service homeless are important but should not be in downtown area for obvious reasons. Work to open atleast one large District 6 center in downtown area that houses many businesses like a small mall for interesting boutiques. Consistently in how downtown storefronts appear - accountability for maintenance around storefronts, buildings and District 4 regular maintenance of trashcans, lighting and Sidewalks Creating a safe/ entertaining space that pulls in UCM students, resolving homeless situation, making west Main more District 2 appealing. Dealing with the homeless problem would help a lot. When I worked downtown, people would some a urinate on our District 6 windows, even knowing we were right there watching them. Downtown feels dirty. Dedicated space for the Merced Certified Farmers Market... or upgrade and maintain the parking lot and surrounding Not Sure landscape areas in the 16th & Canal Parking lot. District 4 Develop policies that attract more customers and businesses.

Do not allow homeless to just set up tents on city sidewalks. It was so bad when I drove through downtown Sacramento Not Sure last weekend. I couldn't believe how many tents were on the sidewalk between and in front of closed businesses. Not Sure Don't focus just on downtown and base the city off of it. It proves that your stuck in the old ways. Downtown is often occupied by homeless individuals, free meals and public shower/bathroom stations should be District 3 considered as most businesses do not allow public bathroom usage to the homeless. District 1 EV chargers Not Sure Events that encourage engagement when new businesses open, like El Capitan, etc.

Expansion of outdoor dining onto Main Street, allowing for Farmers Markets/cultural events Merced previously had District 4 year ago on weeknights. Family friendly events/music concerts where Main Street can be closed to traffic. District 4 Farmers market Foot traffic is vital for many downtown business, sanitation and clean walk ways should be paramount to attract District 4 potential customers to the area Fun family events and activities like ART HOP; Would like some pedestrian-friendly areas, and entertainment like live District 5 music (Example: Santana Row in San Jose) District 4 Get rid of homeless District 3 Handicapped Parking District 3 Have the small Markets stands back. District 5 having a reason to go downtown Holding events that center on music and food can't go wrong. Chilli cook-off cops vs. fire. Jazz and breakfast buffet in the summer time at Bob Hart Square. Food trucks with a dance competition. Another idea is kind of like a "shark tank" concept with local business entrepreneurs as judges, not an event, but a process to help people who want to start a District 4 small business get feedback and possibly financial advice or support. Let the master gardeners do planters. District 4 Holding large developers accountable by making them pay their fair share of taxes. District 1 HOMELESS PROBLEM!!!!!!!!!!!! District 4 Homeless/grafitti, District 2 I have no clue Not Sure I like the diagonal parking idea. I think a model for downtown development is San Luis Obispo. Look at them and do what they are doing. Not need to District 5 reinvent the wheel. Not Sure I would like to see more police walking the neighborhoods. District 4 If people do not feel safe they will not go downtown - I know I don't! if you add housing downtown, it’s need to be affordable for the average resident of merced who makes 40k per year. District 3 downtown does NOT need to gentrified by adding expensive housing If you could collaborate between local building owners and local artists, you could paint walls downtown to attract tourism. Look at LA as an example--people go to specific parts of town to take pictures for Instagram, Facebook, etc. District 5 This is such a CHEAP way to drive business to the area. Why are we not doing this?!

Incentivizing building owners to improve their buildings that are old/run-down and attract businesses to those District 4 buildings. Downtown merced is currently not an attractive place to be nor is it an area to be proud of. Not Sure Just more events Keep the streets and sidewalks clean and safe. Police presence should be noticeable. Trash clean up should be daily. Parking is a problem. I took my 86 year old mother to the book store at 11am on Tuesday February 9. We had to park District 6 behind the building and walk around. Trash everywhere! District 6 Let outside money come in and push local money out . That’s how I feel about down town . District 4 Making downtown Merced more pedestrian friendly. Limiting vehicle traffic through MLK to M on 17th

Making downtown nicer in general. The surrounding area is so ghetto looking. And Main Street reflects that Mental/medical help for the homeless in downtown. Law enforcement dealing with prostitution (arresting customers Not Sure and providing social services to sex workers) Merced will be a metropolitan area by 2070-2100. Start planning for long term, not just for your term. UC Merced will she’ll shift Bay Area peopl away and bring them here as more companies will be built and brought here. Be sure to allow skyrises and huge parking garages in downtown area. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. I’m rooting for you District 2 guys More advertising of small and new businesses downtown in the mail. District 4 I would also like to see the return of Cinema Cafe. I really enjoyed Cinema Cafe and their staff. District 2 More attractions and family activities District 5 more downtown festivals that encourage diversity and inclusivity and maybe with Merced centered focus. District 4 More family friendly events during week. Farmers market. District 4 More family-oriented businesses/events Outside City Limits More local events/activities District 6 More night life More places for people to go dancing after covid is over, like a salsa place that also is a restaurant during the day, perhaps more bars and eatery's to attract more of the UC and Merced college students to hang out on the weekends. District 6 Maybe consider putting a local brewery in downtown, definitely more community events would be great in the future. District 6 More police presence. Not Sure More spaces and opportunities for vendor events District 3 More spaces like Bob Hart Square for events Not Sure Musical and dance activities for community participation. District 3 night markets and less liquor stores District 1 no District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 6 No District 1 Not only police presence but actual law and order. District 6 Not that I can think of at the moment. People don't feel safe downtown so they don't go. I love the proposed idea of expanding Bob Heart Square, but if it is overtaken by homeless individuals it wont matter how nice it is no one will go. More people have to feel safe going District 5 downtown to turn the tides and fill it with families/people and fun. Performance spaces that can be rented out for all kinds of performances. Merced Theater is too expensive, so that, District 4 basically leaves the MAC. We need more. District 4 Please refer to previous submission because suggestions may fall in multiple categories possibly making downtown closed to traffic so businesses can expand onto the street and get more business bringing more people to the farmers market District 5 small business vendor fair? Not Sure Public Art Not Sure Public space green micro gardens/parks on down town rooftops. District 1 Quarterly vendor fairs and live music in bob hart square District 3 Remove “blight-generating” businesses and organizations. District 4 remove the homeless population who wander/sleep downtown

Rennovating the downtown housing area to bring in more home owners and to reestablish our downtown area. Transition our downtown houses into a newer/upgraded development, creating a change in environment. This is a sacred area for Mercedians. We should buy, remodel and sell houses to clean up the downtown area and make it a desired location in Merced. These homes are beautiful and sacred, but are being rundown by rentals and overall bringing down the value of our downtown area. This should be the future priority of Merced. This transition will make District 4 our downtown one of the best in the country. District 4 Repair/replace buildings that are substandard and those that continue to have asbestos. Require commercial property owners to clean up their Properties! Especially when vacant. Put In place beautification District 4 requirements- like no orange and pink painted buildings allowed! District 1 Safety in the parking lots of downtown. District 6 Safety. I refuse to shop or eat downtown because it does not feel safe. Not Sure Solution for homeless in downtown merced District 3 Sports Bar String Main Street trees with lights year round. Brighten up the street and create ambiance. University in Palo Alto, B Street San Mateo, San Pedro Square San Jose, North Beach SF. It would be great for the city and folks would feel safer District 4 walking around. District 6 Support and attract local business to come to Downtown to make it look nice and presentable. District 4 Tax penalties for owners of vacant buildings to encourage leases The city should consider closing down Main Street for traffic and giving incentives to restaurants and other District 2 entertainment focused businesses to open there. Not Sure The ones already added The sidewalks and front porch of all businesses in downtown Merced need a deep cleaning from G St. all the way to R St. The sidewalks just seem so dirty. I would like to see the City of Merced consider all of 'Main St.' as part of "Downtown.' When I walk through downtown on Main St. I feel like the city only focuses on the 'middle' part of downtown (the area between M St. and Martin Luther King Jr. Way) and that shouldn't be the case; it should be all of District 1 Main St. from G St. to R St. The whole downtown area. The boarded up buildings a disgrace and eyesore There are some businesses that don’t seem to fit into the downtown direction things seem to be going. How are those District 3 businesses going to be shepherded, supported during this development project? Trash receptacles down town should be replaced with entry only shoot type (bear proof) to stop homeless from District 4 dumpster diving and urinating while other people are trying to dine outside. User interface and User experience. Shift from car centric to pedestrian centric. Redefine the core area...right now it is way too linear and vague. There are too many automotive services and asphalt destroying the pedestrian experience.

Despite the newly renovated buildings, there is no there, there. Union Pacific destroys the street experience. There is absolutely zero curb appeal...windows do not open to the street to create visual appeal, interest or sense of vibrancy. There is no interface that brings the neighborhoods south of CA 99 to Downtown. Adding parallel parking is not a solution; how do more cars on the street on a hot baking day add to the user experience? This district needs a Landscape Architect! Tie the historic Courthouse, Southern Pacific Train Station, hotels and theaters together. The corner of Canal Street and 18th Street is the only intersection of visual interest...bars on display windows does nothing to entice me to stop here. The Robinson Building, Shaffer Building and the Old Central Hotel (Canal & Main) need to be celebrated!

Design the Rail Terminal to be the strategic anchor that one day will bring people into the downtown...focus beyond a welcome sign...focus on an experience (this can be a magnificent structure that integrates gardens, library, outdoor theater, hotel, workspaces, healthcare services and the arts). Again, reach out to Bjark Ingels, Architect.

Design Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Way, Yosemite Parkway and 16th Street to be a grand boulevards leading into the District 2 Downtown area. District 6 Vagrants and trash has to be addressed more than it has been in the past. District 6 Venue for concerts and plays We could bring back the Farmers Market on Main Street on Thursday evenings with street vendors and fun activities District 3 like face painting :)!

We don't go downtown at night because you never know when gang activity will spill over from those neighborhoods. District 6 Its ridiculous how much crime occurs in the 18th and MLK area. Not to mention everyone shuts down at 5 or 6 pm District 6 We need more fun and safe events for families to enjoy. We need more mental health support. District 3 We need not only housing, but affordable housing. When we first moved to Merced there were fun activities downtown on Saturday such as Grub Gulch days and the Thursday night farmers markets. When our children were small it seemed like we were downtown for fun activities all the time. Now it is a very scary place to visit as it is plagued with homeless folks. I am uncomfortable bringing my District 6 grandchildren downtown in its current state.

District 6 Why are so many shop front still abandoned?Please introduce small shops, cafes, bakeries, wine bars, breweries. Why does ot have to be limited to Downtown? We have many pockets of population around the city that could all use Not Sure a lot more love.

Would love if the city could work with the shops that are holding downtown back (the hospice, medical supply store, etc.) to help them relocate somewhere more appropriate. I would also love to see a food truck park developed on the empty lot that burned down across from El Capitan. It seems like an easy solution for that location that could be a huge District 6 cultural boost to downtown and drive more foot traffic. I think it would be good for all business downtown. District 4 Yes, the homeless trashing downtown. District 3 You should have a section that is walk only, no cars.

20. Connecting Merced to other areas of California through Regional Transportation is a City Council priority. Please rank the below options in order of importance to you.

Rank Options First choice Last choice 1. Campus Parkway – Merced Loop System 2. Amtrak Service 3. High Speed Rail 4. The Bus & Catraks bus route/stop coordination 5. Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) Train 6. Connection to Yosemite via YARTS

21. Are there any additional ways to connect the City of Merced not listed above that should be? 59 Responses

Your City District Response District 3 A monorail to UC Merced from downtown. Not Sure Add more bike trails. District 3 air castle free pass for locals District 3 Airport District 2 Airport bus services to Fresno or Sacramento or Bay Area; Megabus or Bolt bus system As Merced grows, the City should really prioritize pedestrian-focused development, with neighborhoods that are a District 4 walkable distance to shopping. Not Sure Bart and light rail would be nice to have. District 3 Bike Routes! Cleaning up our bike paths--lighting, garbage, clear signage... Not Sure Bike trails District 4 Car pool and van pool coordination to employers in smaller cities District 5 Castle Airport Connect K-12 students and their parents to school throughout the day for free, many kids miss school because of District 6 transportation before/after health appointments. District 4 electric scooters and bikes like big cities District 4 Flights to Northern & Focus on improving existing systems like capitalizing on Amtrak, improving existing bus services etc. We don’t want to Not Sure wait until the high speed train gets here. Free public transportation provided to individuals with disabilities regardless of health insurance for doctors District 3 appointments. District 2 Get the State to fix Highway 59 from 99 to Buena Vista

High Speed Rail is essential to an American growth. figured it out and they’re processing way faster than we are now. Keep blaming democrats and have farmers understand this should be a patriotic thing to do. Please help bring the District 2 High Speed Rail that way the rest of the country will do it. And modifying the airport name was a great idea!

High Speed Rail is the only way we will get more people here that can contribute to our economy. We have one of the District 4 lowest cost of living areas. We don't provide enough jobs, yet, to not have the High Speed Rail. Outside City Limits If we could have an Altamont Expressway, it would do wonders to connect us to the bay.

improve the current freeway access and exits that exist in Merced and the business' in those locations, the MLK District 4 entrance/exit intersection is a horrid mess, the business 99 entrance/exit are in need of renovation,

It is a long trip to get into the city from UC Merced. There should be a much quicker method of getting there.

UC Merced has a lab space near Castle Air Museum called the UC Merced Castle Facilities. The only public method of getting there from the University is through a small school shuttle van that does not operate on weekends. Many of our projects are held there on weekends starting from 10 a.m., 2:30 p.m., (and 7pm on Fridays)., so having a method of District 4 getting there on the weekends would be greatly beneficial. Merced to Atwater shopping center day trips Merced to Murphys or Columbia day trips Merced to Gilroy shopping Not Sure Merced to SJN Cemetery visitation trips District 4 More bike paths that are integrated into regional transit. District 2 More bus stops for individuals that may not have a traditional method of transportation District 6 More flight selection District 1 More frequent buses to Atwater/Winton area. District 3 More Uber services, later buses, bike routes. District 1 no District 6 No District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 6 No Outside City Limits No high speed rail.. waste of tax payers money

No one rides amtrak why would they ride high wooed rail. How fiscally solvent are the current options now. if those are hemorrhaging money makes no sense to throw money at Not Sure a dying horse. District 4 No. Not Sure None planned bicycle routes through town and connecting other cities. Showcase our recreational bike riding areas in the District 4 local county as well as our local commuter paths District 3 Safe bicycle trails District 5 student discount to the yarts bus District 1 Taxi and ride share areas specific to high traffic areas of Merced The bus system should be expanded and improved. We have a small city which is on its way to becoming a university District 2 city we need more frequent and expanded bus routes. The destinations available at the Merced Airport should be expanded. Being able to fly to two destinations is not District 4 enough. The only one that pertains to my family and I would guess most residents is the Campus loop and even that only UC people really have a need for it. That and people coming to the UC wont have to go through less desirable areas of town to get to campus. Forget the ACE train. Develop jobs here so people don't need to go to the bay to earn decent District 6 money. HSR if ever finished will be an obsolete embarrassment. There should be some direct bus transportation between UCM, MC, and downtown. If CatTracks doesn't do it, why District 2 can't The Bus do it? District 4 These are all high priorities!

Try catching a bus from neighborhoods to connect with an Amtrak train; it is not convenient or realistic. Nothing about the Amtrak Station provides a hospitable "Gateway to Yosemite" user experience for domestic or world travelers passing through Merced to Yosemite. It is poorly landscaped, dreary apartments greet waiting passengers, gang graffiti on signs make it threatening and there is no cafe or safe appearing retail around for "guests" waiting for their train. Merced is announced by crew as a smoking stop...not the Gateway to Yosemite - quite an embarrassment for District 2 commuters detraining. District 6 Waist of money . Should be cashing in on yosimitie and ag tourism. District 4 We could use revamping airport services arriving and departing to and from Merced.

We really need signs at bus stops. I am from the Bay Area, where almost everyone takes the bus. I came out here, and you can't even tell where a bus stop is unless you look it up. There's almost no one on the bus, and I assume it's because it's too complicated. I would take the bus 4 times a day in the bay area. Here, I have only done it 3 times total in 2 years. I would rather walk. Same with multiple other people here that I know from the bay area. We may not be able to afford benches, but signs would really make a difference. If more people took the bus, we could make a lot more money for the city as well. Not everyone has a phone to be able to look up routes. What if someone's phone is dead? They'd be District 4 lost. What about air travel that has destinations that make sense and/or connicting flight availability. We have Castle Air Field just sitting idle. It could be a great place for an airline to assist with coming and going from Merced. Sacramento Not Sure and LAX???? Las Vegas was great for connecting flights District 3 Who gives a f about the rail? Widen 59 between 16th and olive. 59 being split is a problem. Re routing should be thought about. Not Sure Make it easier to go from 99 to North Merced with multiple options.

District 3 Widen Hwy 59 between 16th and Bellevue.

22. Adhering to the best practices for a sustainable community is a priority of the City Council. Please indicate the importance to you of improving a sustainable community from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion Broadband/Wi-Fi access Water Conservation Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) Flood Prevention Climate Action Plan

23. Are there any ways the City of Merced can make improvement towards increasing a sustainable community not listed above that should be? 71 Responses

Your City District Response Actually make the environment and climate change a priority. Find ways to cut down on waste as a whole. And District 2 Implement them District 2 Anything we can do to make solar panels less ugly--especially on M Street. Outside City Limits Better ways in keeping the city clean would be great Campaign to encourage residents to bag their garbage properly before going into cans. This seems to be the source of a District 3 lot of litter. District 6 Community farm/garden? Create strong regional economy and people of Merced would not have to travel (pollute, unnecessary traffic) to obtain Not Sure things that they want that are not local. Not Sure Decrease the homeless destruction of city property District 4 Development of a compost program for residents Discourage excessive plastic and styrofoam use. Too many plastic bags leaving stores. Styrofoam is rampant as a take out carrier. Most responsible cities in California have been successful in having their merchants transition to paper bags and containers. Plastic is everywhere in this town...gutters, trees, streets, creeks, alleys...

Awareness, do people know where their plastic bags go? Do they understand the watersheds in this region are connected to San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean?

Excessive traffic speed and noise (high frequency sound systems and modified muffler systems), train noise, highway noise do nothing to sustain the quality of health in this community. Stress due to noise correlation on Downtown and West Merced residents will most likely bear this out.

For a small town, this place has a serious traffic flow problem which impacts clean air sustainability. Too many unsynchronized traffic lights. Excessive fast traffic on neighborhood streets (West 11th @ W Streets) impacts the sustainability of safe and quiet neighborhoods; it also negatively impacts the sustainability of property values. One way streets on V Street (south to Childs), R Street (north from Childs to Olive), Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (south to Childs) and G Street (north rom Childs to Olive) may improve traffic flow by eliminating left turns across lanes in the Old Town region (Bear Creek to Childs Avenue).

Sustain air quality and ambient summer temperatures by reducing excessive concrete and asphalt and replacing with drought tolerant plantings and trees. The $5m Olive Avenue and CA59 project is a highly visible example of how concrete and asphalt does nothing to add to the sustainability of air quality...trees were cut down and replaced with concrete just to build out a longer NB 59 left turn lane, for cars to queue up in so they can further queue up waiting for District 2 the Burlington Northern Santa Fe trains to clear the "at grade' crossing. Education on dumping in our local waterways- especially to apartments that back up to creeks. Apartment property District 5 owners and management need to let tenants know they have free and low cost options. District 3 Encourage proper recycling by placing signs explaining/emphasizing how to recycle into green, blue, and grey bins. Not Sure Encourage recycling and aid in ways to reduce liter in our communities and water. Expand Lake Yosemite to hold triple the water. Make it a destination spot. Summer water park, hiking paths, horse District 6 trails, gravel rides, kayak SUP and more. District 3 Financial incentives to purchase solar panels. Not Sure Free pick of up of garbage and huge items so we can clean up Merced and free dump for items that can’t afford. District 3 Green Waste; recycling options for those that live in the county; composting Not Sure Help Hold recycling events, encourage limiting electrical usage during peak usage times.

Any new construction should meet sustainable building requirements and any large industrial project should be mandated to provide at least 30 of energy usage by sustainable means ie solar/wind.

Not Sure Greenification of rooftops District 5 Holding community events, encouraging and showing or telling citizens how they can make a difference District 4 I feel we need to address protecting ag land in whatever we do. I'd like to see more organic local farms right here in our city. Small farmers and local residents can certainly grow their own organic produce. Ensuring small farmers and local residents that they can thrive and make a living right here in Merced, will certainly sustain the economic growth of our city. Also, seeing more small farms around the city, helps our children make the connection that food grows from the ground and from trees, not from super markets.

I'd like to see Merced continue to support the recycling program and encourage residents to recycle, thus reducing District 1 landfill waste. If the city truly believes in conserving water then they should only bill you for what you use instead of having a minimum usage like other cities have. If you have a minimum usage charge then there's NO incentive to conserve District 5 because you're paying for that water anyway so you might as well use it. District 5 Implement Cameras at ALL Intersections. District 4 Improve mixed used development, provide access to groceries in south merced Improve the water capacity at the lake and add a RV area. Build the jail next to the railroad by M st 4 stories high. Easier water treatment, center location, close to courts and less transportation from Sandy Mush. Not Sure I know this is County topics but the City is impacted. District 4 Incentives for minimizing carbon footprint. District 6 Increase items that can be recycled. Many cities recycle almost everything, we seem to be more limited. Inquire into programs such as Google Fiber; Introduce and invest in businesses that offer bulk buying and bringing your District 5 own containers (ex/ foods, soaps, etc.); More trees for natural shade John Kerry recently said the US could stop polluting tomorrow and the world wouldn't notice. in regards to climate change. California could drop off the map and the world wouldn't notice in regards to climate change; we emit less than 0.1% of greenhouse gasses. Innovation such as fraci'ng has already led to lower emissions and technology will District 6 continue to improve using private sector funds so stop wasting taxpayer money on climate change "solutions" District 5 Maybe having a composting option District 3 Messaging about how to help your community. District 3 more affordable housing and create programs for friendly/inviting communities District 4 More solar panels Not Sure More Solar. The solar installations at the high schools was a fantastic implementation. Need more of that. Mosquitoes will just be getting worse or at least it's gotten worse the last few years. We have day-biters now, invasive varieties carrying disease. How about a community management program that outfits community neighborhood volunteers with lure traps or whatever would address throughout the Spring, Summer and Fall. Lure traps don't have to include toxic pesticides so a fairly safe thing to put into the hands of volunteers. We ought to do something more within District 4 the city limits to curb these pests if possible. Municipal Fiber! AT&T would like to advertise to the nation they provide fiber internet to so many cities in America, to include Merced. The reality is they only serve less than 10% of the cities neighborhoods. The issue with any other service provider in merced is their limited upload capacity. Xfinity may provide competitive download speeds but their upload speeds are a mere fraction of that. What does this mean? It is unappealing to any potential bay area entrepreneurs. Providing municipal broadband drastically increases upload speeds which in turn allows professionals to upload their work from home. Website builders, video content creators, photographers, voice artists, musicians. Municipal Fiber will entice the younger professionals who seek respite for the high cost of living bay area. Don’t let corporate companies hold service opportunities hostage in Merced. You can clearly see AT&T’s half-ass attempt to roll out fiber here. You can be sure they made those neighborhoods pay for it in mello roos. Please consider Municipal District 1 Fiber. Need for a more responsive and effective response from city agencies. One has the feeling of not knowing if city District 6 government is capable of addressing issues that are brought to the attention of the government agencies. District 1 No District 1 no District 6 No District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No Not Sure No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No Not Sure None District 4 None at this time. District 3 Optimal waste management practices District 3 Partner with schools (when open) for recycling, conservation, gardens & gardening Plant more trees, and care for the trees we have. Many trees died during last drought when city stopped watering them. Trees are sometimes planted then taken out only a few years later when roadways are widened or medians are Not Sure changed. Readily available, encouraged, incentives for recycling!!!! Business incentives for recycling, renewal and reuse. Active recruitment of green and sustainable companies coming to and operating within Merced. A City owned recycling District 4 center!!! District 4 Recycling District 2 Recycling and composting system recycling District 5 solar recycling District 5 using more sustainable products in restaurants in town remove the Cap and Town Wi_Fi downtown. The signal is weak. The system was built at a time when cellphone companies only offered charging customers "by the minute" plans and no local hot spots were available, but now most business' downtown offer their customers a better Wi-Fi option, and cell phone companies offer unlimited everything District 4 (roaming, internet, texts, calls, etc), The antenna is also unsightly ugly. District 4 Re-routing money from the police department to sustainability campaigns. District 6 Smart Street Poles, Community Gardens, More Solar Powered Buildings Not Sure Solar farms. Houses built with solar capabilities installed. Outside City Limits Solar, monitoring the city sprinklers timers not to waste water during rainy season. Low-flow sprinkler heads. Stop creating homes with grass, turf is the way to go. Save the water for parks& agriculture. Grass is a waste of water District 2 when it comes to residential properties. Just saying. Not Sure Support of local ag - include agriculture in any branding of the city. The City of Merced can take note from Monterey County and provide designated recycle, landfill, and compost bins District 3 throughout the city to reduce pollution in the city. Apartment complexes should also provide recycle bins to residents. District 3 Upgrades to Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants. Urban greening focusing on Community Gardens, especially in south Merced to aid with the fresh food accessibility District 3 issue. Water table and reservoir impacts is something to consider with growth. We need to work with legislation that to have more growth, we need water storage. Not Sure We need Landscaping that fosters water conservation, and education about the state and our water crisis. District 2 We need to raise the profile and information about recycling in the city. District 4 wifi is a big issue now that students are in school, maybe something that can help with connections District 4 With the shut down of the schools, it is very important that Merced improves wifi issues.

24. The City Council annually plans for the development of Affordable Housing and partners to provides services to better serve those individuals experiencing homelessness within the City of Merced. Please indicate the importance to you the current projects from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion Childs Ave. & B St. Project (119 units) Gateway Terrace II Project (50 units) Single-Family/Tri-Plex Opportunities First-time Home Buyer Education Program SB 2 Implementation Plan Renter Advocacy Program Regional Homeless Planning

25. Are there any areas housing and homelessness projects not listed above that should be? 79 Responses

Your City District Response 1. putting a roof over ones head is a must. 2. providing clean clothes and mental health and drug treatment must be made available in any program. 3. advocacy and follow up to ensure they are progressing forward Education, money management but even if we get them a roof a job, you still can’t afford to live on your own with the cost of living. Offer group housing, like dorms. 3. Trash and Blood\fecal waste is a concern with cleaning these camps up, how can we address it now to help the tax payer burden. Not Sure should we offer dumpsters and needle collection? District 4 Adopting an inclusionary zoning policy District 3 Affordable housing for renters, inclusive zoning, rental assistance.

Again, inclusionary housing and making sure housing projects and options are spread equitably around the city and no District 4 all lumped into one district. Not Sure Below market Rate housing percentages in all new multi family housing construction Better solutions for student housing so they aren't taking up valuable housing stock and preventing land lord price gouging. While a a collective of students can afford high rent, most Merced residents cannot. Merced has become a commuter city with little quality employment opportunities. Residents have to commute to the bay area to afford rents/mortgages. This sadly has given rise (pun intended merced city on the rise) to all the Tireshops/car washes/coffee shops etc. Quality high paying jobs keep people in the community = putting their money to work on improving their District 6 community bettering Quality of life. District 5 Cleanup efforts and enforcement of the "no camping" ordinance within city limits. District 4 Collecting liter. District 5 Condominiums projects would be a great addition to homes and apartments Controlling new build developments from manipulating housing market. New build developments dont even use local lenders, local agents, local title companies, local construction workers and others. Why isnt City of Merced implementing a rule where new builders have to use local workers. City of Merced is still one of the most affordable District 2 cities in California and it is being exploited by big companies such as Stonefield and Lennar. Not Sure Do not allow encampments anywhere within city limits. Clean them up promptly. District 4 Do not know some of the above. And what is SB 2. District 5 Drug and alcohol intervention programs District 2 Encouragement of ADAs was a thing for a while and then died. Many Merced properties are suitable. District 4 Enforcement of anti-panhandling, camping, trash heaps, refusal to use homeless centers, Mental Health Enforcement. District 6 Family Location Plan Get people jobs and off of welfare. I estimated that the per unit cost for the Childs Ave complex to come out to $350,000 per unit. That is more than a house in Merced. Waste of money to build these and then to pay the rent in District 6 perpetuity. Get people working and make welfare embarrassing again District 5 Get the homeless problem under control. Homeless advocacy is non-existent in Merced. A drop-in shower facility would help build the self-esteem lacking in many of the homeless, also being presentable would lessen the prejudice the Homeless deal with daily. A locker facility for the homeless's belongings would rid the burden of moving belongings from one place to the next and decrease the random stuff tossed to the ground. The relationship between the homeless, no matter gender, race, or mental health status, is met with indifference and hostility. The neglect of Merced's homeless population with mental illness is pathetic at best. I have interacted with many in my area, and I know one thing for sure, "You can build it, but District 5 they won't come inside." District 6 Homes that are a safe environment for single parents raising small children I am not sure where these are all located but the homeless planning is of interest to me as well as the projects that District 4 create affordable housing. I’d like to a high quality and affordable grocery planned for these areas.

I do not know what SB 2 is Not Sure I would like to know the State's plans on homeless are. District 6 I ticked very important to all because homelessnes here is no joke, but please explain what they are. If your sick of the homeless rate find a tiny home or create a homeless village or just a place for them to feel safe. Covid District 2 19 rocked them tooo... THEY ARE HUMAN AND THEY Deserve some courtesy.

I'm not familiar with the first two listed. We need to find a way to help those needing housing, but not at the peril of the property owner. I see too many trashed houses by tenants who don't care and who face no repercussions for their District 3 damages.

INCLUSIONARY ZONING needs to be a priority. Making sure that developers actually make units that are affordable for District 4 people who live below the poverty line. District 6 Inclusionary Zoning, more housing for very low and low income residents Not Sure Increase in Mental health and Substance abuse services.

Innovative options such as tiny home villages, and additional resources (another homeless shelter, adequate staffing District 5 and activities/programs at said shelters) It is important to consider programs for the homeless that allows for them to keep their pets. As I understand it many of them remain on the street rather than surrender their animals. Additionally they need to be required to attend a constructive program during the day that teaches them social responsibilities as well as budgeting and basic life skills, District 6 but provided with safe and clean places to reside in during the night. Accountability is tantamount. District 2 It should be illegal to camp on public streets Just the big mental health/addiction crisis of our modern times. Offerings of peer-to-peer counseling training in the city could lead to the formation of an army of knowledgeable helpers. There are so many people that would be great at this, it's like an untapped resource. This type of counseling can establish a sense of belonging within communities. Belonging District 4 is a powerful antidote. District 5 KEEP THEIR AREAS CLEAN. PROVIDE TRASH CAN/PICKUP AND PORTABLE TOILETS. District 4 Landlord assistance District 6 Look into programs that offer homeless work for pay; such as, area clean up, etc. District 3 Make sure the homeless from Sac and SF feel unwelcome and move alone down the 99? Mental Health and drug dependency Facilities and Services...the people on the streets are mentally ill and/or drug dependent and need to be taken off the streets so they can ultimately learn how to help themselves.

SB Implementation Plan is meaningless without a definition...what is this?

District 2 YouTube "The Fight for the Soul of " to fully understand the need to properly house people. District 6 Mental health is a bigger issue. We need more mental health support. Not Sure Merced Rescue Mission. We should look into giving residents precedence over homes in Merced and limit investors. More coordination between the city and UC Merced should be made. Students need more housing options, renting single family homes is not the answer. Having multiple students as renters in a residential neighborhood is not the ideal. District 4 Affordable apartments close to UC Merced need to be developed. More ways to feed the homeless and maybe look at creating living areas where they can camp/live that provide trash Not Sure services and restrooms. District 5 Need more low income housing District 2 Need multiple and ethnicly diverse organizations to provide these services and resources District 1 No District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 6 No District 1 no District 4 No. Not Sure None District 5 not many options were brought up to solve the homeless issue District 6 Obviously our homeless population is increasing, hopefully more housing opportunities for them will help. Please approve more apartments there are only going to be more UC students and they need housing and more District 5 importantly Mercedians need it too. They UC takes away and is raising rent prices District 3 Please clean up the homeless areas. These people need housing and all the trash is an eye sore! District 5 Presenting this to Merced College and University of Merced STUDENTS. District 4 Providing housing is important but providing means to reduce and increase homelessness in Merced is vital. Rehabilitation and mental health programs and treatment are a much needed service to homeless individuals. As well District 3 as childcare provided for families looking for employment opportunities.

Safe ground temporary encampment with trash cans, portable restrooms & hand washing area. Limit number & ensure District 3 there’s a caseworker or housing manager. Not Sure Small units on home lots (granny units); mini home sites

staff that reflects the population as well as service; yes, more affordable housing to be built to meet the demand of our District 3 poor communities. Stop accepting them into our community from larger cities District 1 The emotional and mental well-being of the homeless is equally important to finding a solution to their housing needs. The homeless don't use the resources we have now. A homeless camp might help. They need to be held accountable Not Sure and guided to be civil residents. The issue of homelessness is destroying Merced. In some areas it looks like a dump. We have to do better! It’s getting District 1 worse by the day.

The projects that are planned now will not provide enough housing for Merced’s homeless, especially when one considers Merced County and not just the city. I’m not sure what the S2 Implementation Plan is, but if it is a plan that integrates homeless services (especially comprehensive mental health programs) along with housing options, then we District 4 definitely need such a plan. Really, without a solution to homelessness, Merced will continue to deteriorate. There needs to be a better plan overall to help the homeless get them jobs and a place to stay. The homelessness in Merced is out of control. Merced you are not doing a good job and quite frankly you have failed in this area! Do better for the homeless and for poverty within the community,and stop using the UC as your only priority. You want to build expressways to the UC so that the students and their families dont view the the true impact of the homeless in the center of Merced. Stop being hypocrites and acting like Merced is beautiful when there is a cancer that needs to be fixed within the communities. The poverty rate and joblessness contributes to the crime. There should be some plan to deal with the homeless issue; where are they from, what mental illness issues/drug issues District 4 stand in the way of helping these people. District 3 Tiny homes for homeless Too many homeless setting up camp throughout the city. We need to allocate a certain area for them to be able to do that or come up with a plan to have temporary housing for them while they get back on their feet. We also need to make other counties accountable for dumping their homeless citizens on us. There is a big demand for houses on bigger lots in Merced, think McSwain in Atwater. Please bring developers who will District 4 build houses on at least half an acre lots, there are many people in Merced who are willing to pay the extra costs! District 6 Vagrancy has to be addressed.

We are sick of how disgusting this problem makes our city. Offer resources for people who are willing/wanting District 5 opportunities. Find a way to kick out the others. We need more affordable housing for the section 8 program. Pretty much all places that accept are slumlords and children grow up in non desirable areas. I know that the program gets a bad reputation but that does not mean District 4 everyone abuses the system. Theres alot of hard working families that need the help.

We need to keep the homeless off/away from the bike path around Bear Creek. This is one of our central locations of our town. Families and kids walk around there. There needs to be a more proactive plan to keep our bike path and District 4 creek clean. Not Sure What is affordable housing going to do for the homeles people? Not Sure Yes all over Merced to help low in come family’s without credit but who have jobs

26. Community Wellness is an area that the City Council has recently taken an interest in. Below are three areas of focus, please indicate with a yes or no if you agree with these areas of focus.

Rank Options Yes No 16th Street/Motel Drive issues Neighborhood Watch development Expanded Citizen’s Police Academy

27. The City partners regularly with other public and private agencies to support or enhance services available to its residents. Please indicate the importance to you the current partnerships from "Not At All Important" to "Very Important".

Not At All Important Somewhat Important Important Fairly Important Very Important No Opinion County of Merced: Navigation Center County of Merced: Homeless Court County of Merced: Drug Prevention County of Merced: Public Health County of Merced: Job Training County of Merced: Youth Programs UC Merced: Internships UC Merced: Job Training Merced: Job Training Merced: Career Development Schools: Youth Programs Schools: Joint-use Recreational Space

28. Please feel free to include additional partners you’d like the City to pursue in the next .

42 Responses

Your City District Response District 3 A City of Merced x Merced Youth Council collaboration! District 4 Active Neighborhood Watch programs. Not Sure Amazon, Tesla, and Apple. District 2 Better/More hospitals please. District 5 Big brother/Big Sister program District 5 Building Healthy Communities, Young Leaders Institute, 99 Rootz Centro La Familia from Fresno would be an amazing partnership to help address several issues that our most vulnerable District 3 residents face. City should be partnering with schools for more than joint use recreational spaces. How about for District 3 internships/mentorships w high school students? District 3 Elderly programs for SEA communities I would change out the School Youth Programs to the Sheriff's office, Merced Police Department, and or city of Merced Youth programs. The school youth programs and internships only cripple the youth that participates in them. I have seen much better developed and adjusted adults come out of programs ran by the sheriff's office, and the Police Outside City Limits department than any programs ever ran by a school. Not Sure Inmate clean up crew. District 6 Job training Just a concern that too many homeless programs will attract more to Merced. Rather focus on helping citizens avoid District 6 becoming homeless, gang prevention, etc. District 3 Local media highlighting positive occurances within Merced. District 4 MCOE Arts development to help bring more arts related programs to our youth District 6 Mental Health Support!!!!!!!!!! Merced city schools used to have an adult education program. I used that often when I had employees who needed District 6 brush up on basic skills such as grammar and spelling. District 3 Merced College, Youth Council, community based organizations

Merced Youth Soccer Association, the biggest non-profit organization in which serves the most people in the county. District 2 They help families maintain health lifestyles and shift kids away from potential harm. Just saying District 1 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 4 No. District 1 None District 6 None Not Sure None District 1 Non-Profit agencies that work directly with neighborhoods and residents, to support their needs. Not sure what Schools: Joint-use Recreational space means, but I would like it to mean opening the high school Not Sure swimming pools for lap swimming, limiting hours for "recreation/fun" use. District 4 Ok District 6 Our schools and colleges already offer pathways to job training. Police programs for anybody that interested in law enforcement like forensics aviation etc. mechanics programs for Not Sure people that wanna work for public works construction for public works etc.

Programs provided to youths and adults on how to navigate their way in school on various ways to study in subjects. As District 3 people transition to higher education, some may not know how to be engaged in certain subjects. District 2 Racial ethnic equity and social justice, high quality cultural and linguistic services

San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority California High Speed Rail There is a Rail link on the City website however, it is never updated. This is going to be a huge economic boast for this community, the public needs to be able to engage with it in an informed manner.

Merced County does not appear to be cooperative Business Partner with the City of Merced. The County Administration building is poorly landscaped and downright dull. The Merced County Fairgrounds is completely out of date and adds nothing to the landscape...they need to contribute to the vibrancy and potential economic vitality of the county seat by looking more like an agricultural conference center. The adjacent property looks like a left over concentration camp. The north face of the historic Courthouse needs cleaning and painting...not too impressive for District 2 Amtrak passengers. District 5 TAKE CARE OF OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT District 4 Tech companies, green and sustainable companies, wildlife refuge partnerships District 2 The City does well at establishing community partnerships. District 6 The city should engage with local sports league to improve the quality of local fields and facilities.

District 4 The terms used in this portion are so vague and ambiguous that it's difficult to answer any of these objectively. District 3 Union Labor Trades. Apprenticeship programs.

Without the health of the public, nothing else will matter. Years ago, Merced identified the severe lack of health professionals and access to those professionals and yet absolutely nothing has been done to address this issue with District 5 sincerity. The word to new residents is, "You don't want to get sick here because it's likely you'll die? Youth job training.. I work in HR and kids have zero life skills on taxes . W2, benefits, 401k. bring back what the public sector is not teaching our kids. ic merced is great but what about the JC. push vocational training to get those who aren’t the higher educated opportunities for career change. Not Sure The local job climate doesn’t support these UC graduates, but it does for Jc students

29. How did you hear of our Virtual Town Hall?

Social Media 374

Newspaper 1

Radio 3

Special Insert with Utility Bill 19

Other 29

30. Are there any additional areas that you’d like to bring to the City Council’s attention? 124 Responses Your City District Response

****Street repair is greatly needed on 27th street in front of Catholic Church. There are large chunks of asphalt that District 4 breaks off the road which leaves big potholes and asphalt clumps that are dangerous to maneuver around.

*True diversity in Police Department. *Anonymous Code Enforcement Link. *community contests...Best Xmas display, best landscaped improvement, etc fostering keeping front yards maintained. *campaign to stop graffiti and tagging. Such as a Billboard stating the cost for graffiti clean up in one year and what City programs the $ could have been used for. Get citizens to understand how it affects them and perhaps more will report. District 6 Anonymous reporting line. Thanks for listening. District 2 16th street between T and V A better survey that allows people to fill in concerns, or Address the fiscal aspects of any of these things listed. You're District 4 just looking for an easy tabulation survey. District 4 A place where car enthusiasts can meet up and enjoy, take pride in their achievements.

All entrances to merced look like hell. 99 is horrible not only to drive but it look like a slum. Its embarrassing to invite people to visit because no matter where the enter its a bad impression with the looks but also homeless hanging District 5 around. My out of town family think we live in a horrible place and beg us to move away All these ideas are for nothing if we can't talk some sense into the MCSD board and get the schools back open. The District 6 negative effects of these school closures will be felt for years to come. All you criminal politicians want is votes . Three things you need to focus on before anything else . 1 Safe streets from criminal activity’s 2 best education you can provide for our youth . Not just the standard for California. We need to be above standard . 3 smooth roads . If you can’t do all three of these basic needs to our community you need to resign District 6 and let someone who can in . Thank you and good luck District 6 Allow police dept to conduct trainings for outside agencies to create revenue for the city Not Sure As a resident of merced county for 30 years now. What we really need is more jobs. District 3 Better support from the Police station District 3 Caring for trees in our neighborhoods District 6 Cheaper Permit fees City and County should work together to have better and bigger facilities and volunteer opportunities for the Animal Shelter, as well as a catch-and-release program for feral cats and rescues for homeless dogs to help reduce District 4 overpopulation in our town/county.

City employee wages are an area of great concern. I have been working for Merced PD for 16 years and haven’t had a Outside City Limits take home raise in 13 years. City of Merced needs to value their employees and show them they are appreciated. District 2 Community garden ? COVID recovery. There are/will be many things the city needs to address once the pandemic has subsided. I have been disappointed that Covid is not an ongoing agenda item for the council’s meetings. We should be addressing present Not Sure concerns and planning for future restoration. District 5 Create an Incentive or City Tax Break for 3 years for additional Merced Police APPLICATIONS. Do maintenance on the sidewalks in and around District 1. The sidewalks are being lifted by the tree roots growing underneath them making it a dangerous tripping hazard.

Fix the road on Cameron Ln. in District 4. Cameron Ln.'s road is old and beat up. The faculty of Ada Givens Elementary School are using Cameron Ln. as their parking lot. It is a small road, and they drive very fast on it making it dangerous for residents to leave the street.

Clean up the playground and seating areas in the park next to the Flea Market. The Flea Market is a busy place on Saturdays, and with it brings trash on the floor and attracts a lot of kids to the playground and families to the seating areas.

Bring a nice grocery business near the residential homes being built near Farmdale Elementary School. It is always a long drive into the city from this area just to buy a few things. Please DO NOT bring another Dollar store or liquor store.

Move the homeless away from the train tracks alongside The Bus station.

Also, I am not sure if this rumor is true, but please do not build a homeless shelter on Cone Ave. (the area of Cone between Los Banos HWY and G St.). This area, and the areas around it, already has an old and dirty atmosphere, and having a shelter here would just make it worse for the residents. (That being said, please make this area less old and dirty looking by helping restore the businesses on streets nearby) We actually already have a homeless shelter nearby. We do not want our parks (or any parks in merced for that matter) flooded with the homeless. If you plan to build a new shelter, build it on the nicer side of merced such as around the area of District 6 and make a large outdoor area just for them.

District 4

Economic development and bringing businesses to Merced is the #1 way to improve our city! Some people have said Mr. Quintero is not doing enough to bring in business. We need a citizen advisory committee to help bring in more businesses! Or citizen ACTION committee to help our economic development folks to WIN businesses to come to Merced. The tax revenue, jobs, and beautification alone will have a huge, INSTANT impact on all Merced citizens. If we don’t control homeless, we will scare businesses away. Why not house them at all the abandoned buildings at castle with the state money? Rather than spend tens of millions s on new housing for them? Housing must be enforced otherwise that housing will just turn into dingy crack houses and make things worse.

District 4 Business development and larger police force will greatly help. Enforce your laws, codes or stop making new laws or codes you have no intentions of enforcing. Traffic enforcement is District 4 non existent. This city is not pretty, much better in the 70s and 80s District 4 Everything mentioned in this survey is bringing the right topics to light. Figure out the homeless issue PLEASE. This city is a disgrace. It has changed since i moved here in 1995. Fire Department is essential to the City’s safety, and needs to be funded at least to the average of the compensation Outside City Limits study, which shows they are behind in funding by 16% First, THANK YOU for this innovative outreach strategy. Hopefully, all the agencies the city currently partners with will reach out to residents and engage them in completing this survey.

Differentiate Merced. Quiet the streets, make this place more pedestrian and aesthetic; trees keep getting cut down and not replaced (start replacing the Modesto Ash with Sycamore or other drought tolerant shade providers). Pay attention to Bear Creek, Black Rascal Creek...they are gems in an urban area...develop them as regional parks.

Elevate the Gateway to Yosemite brand, it is strong and visually memorable...the only place one see's this logo is on garbage cans and garbage trucks. That is very sad. The current arrow signage around town is meaningless. Reinforce the Gateway to Yosemite brand by branding the neighborhoods; Tenaya, Tioga, Ahwahnee, Sierra, Sequoia, Wawona...designate 16th Street as Yosemite Parkway to transition to Yosemite Parkway; massively improve the landscaping of Yosemite Parkway with median plantings, granite boulders and architecturally significant signage....it is tragically seedy. Likewise through a collaboration with Merced County, build up Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Way to be an impressively landscaped and economically vibrant gateway, that truly honors this significant leader. Finally, designate 11th Street as Cesar Chavez Promenade (beautifully landscaped bicycle and pedestrian corridor and light traffic lane from B Street to West Avenue) to recognize another significant leader.

Be creative, generate a vibrant buzz and don't forget to tell and celebrate your story as City Staff...the public needs to District 2 understand what you do. Best regards. District 6 Fix the streets District 3 Focus on all áreas of Merced not just the north

For developing future areas, Yosemite Parkway is our Gateway to Yosemite. This is the one street that millions of people see when they come to Merced to get to Yosemite. These people are from all over the world. Don't we want to leave a good taste in their mouth when they see our town. This street is a very poor description of what Merced is about. I was born and raised in Merced. I love Merced. Also, we could be profiting enormously if people come to stay in Merced, rather than just drive right through and stay/shop in Mariposa or other areas closer to Yosemite. We need to redevelop that area and we will profit greatly because of it. We need to create Hotels, nice restaurants (not just fast District 4 food), businesses, schools, malls, nice gas stations, ect. District 1 Gateway Plaza!!!! District 4 Graffiti removal throughout Merced. District 2 Help make highway 99 3 lanes! Especially on the overpasses. I’m rooting for you guys Outside City Limits Highways, beachwood/Franklin area, biking paths District 5 Homeless and substance abuse issues needs to be resolved or at least have a plan to tackle it slowly.

Homeless camps by the 99 on-ramp adjacent to Yosemite Parkway and Childs Avenues. Also, by Fahrens Park. It’s hard Outside City Limits to improve the city’s credibility and reputation when that’s what tourists see en route to Yosemite or the Gold country. Homeless encampments along bear creek from McKee to 16th and Hwy 59 and also along the BNSF/Santa Fe RR ROW through town. As well as night time pedestrian travel via foot or bicycle it is very dangerous and it should be required to District 4 have lights and or reflective materials attached. District 1 Homelessness, Crime, and Drugs are the top issues Merced needs to work on. I am extremely disappointed that City Council decided not to paint a Black Lives Matter mural downtown. This city needs to do more to support historically marginalized communities. Also, we absolutely should not increase police District 3 funding. Not Sure I appreciate the information and opportunity to participate in Townhall via surveys and TV

I grew up in Merced, have chosen to stay in Merced my entire life. It is a great town, just needs a little push to brighten it up a bit. Between vagrants/homless/punks, it really is difficult to keep a stong opinion of the city. We do not have enough Police staff, why do we need a new Police station? We just need more Police People. Businesses will come if a demand is created. We need severl stable low-tech industries with above average income levels. This will create a Not Sure demand for mid-scale to up-scale retail interest. I live across from Elmer Murchie Park located on the block of Bancroft and Arrowood. There are two lit basketball hoops. These hoops remain lit all evening and individuals use the court at all hours of the late night and early morning hours. This is greatly disturbing our sleep. Along with the noise from the bouncing basketballs, there seems to be an affinity for most late night and early morning visitors to play loud music from their cars.

The easiest first step could be to post park hours and shut off lights to basketball court after 10pm in accordance with noise ordinances. Also, the surface could be repaved with a sound absorbing material.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments. Not Sure

I sincerely wish a true effort would be put into making downtown safe. It's really not. It's scary to walk during the day. It's terrifying at night. The alleys are not only dirty, but so much illegal activity occurs there. Meaningful police presence has started and stopped numerous times and no long term solution has ever materialized. The newly remodeled buildings are beautiful, but they are a very small part of downtown. Residential and commercial spaces are not safe. Security cameras? More police presence? Truly cleaning up the area--not just smacking fines on property owners, but opening gates and seeing what's happening behind them, is critical. Arrest criminals. Move homeless elsewhere. Give our downtown a chance. I LOVE working downtown for the proximity to City Hall, banks, post office, but I hate the consequences. There's no point in replacing broken glass because it just happens repeatedly and no serious police action is taken. There is so much potential to make downtown a wonderful place to live and work. Currently, I see no District 3 true effort at making that a reality. I think there should be a focus on Merced's disc golf course since it is neglected by the city and the disc golf community District 4 has to take care of it themselves. I think we need to focus more on what the community needs for our families and youth. They need safe spaces and places to grow if we want things to get better here! It’s not all about the money from tourists. Focus on the people who District 3 are HERE now. I would love to see a TNR program I know the SPCA has such a program, but I feel Merced needs another one with as many strays & unwanted animals I see on the street-maybe more Animal control officers-more hours for the officers District 3 animals run free 24/7 not 8am to 4pm I’m concerned about the size and road proximity of the complex under construction at East Yosemite Ave and Lake Rd. It is going to be a traffic nightmare from the start and a ghetto within a few years. Money spoke. Residents were District 4 ignored. In order to encourage our citizens to shop locally, we must bring desired businesses and opportunities to our District 4 community. It would be nice to have a Disc Golf Course added to the new South side park. This is a sport gaining in popularity and is very popular in college towns. It will also bring tournaments to Merced which will bring in revenue. the course will pay District 1 for it self.

Ive been in Merced 6 years. The city could be beautiful and safe but the gangs and homeless and general lack of resident responsibility and pride keep that from happening. People toss their trash and have no respect for common areas. Lets work to bring the pride level back and I think civic engagment like wht the mayor is doing right now is a District 6 good start. So more advertising of city clean ups and lets get schools and youth groups involved Just be better, think about the citizen in EVERY district. I want better for us all here..and I want our environment to be District 2 something that I can be proud of. Just know many residents from Mariposa travel to Merced/Atwater for shopping needs. We might not be residents of Not Sure Merced but we help alot with the businesses we visit. District 5 Just overall cleanliness... District 3 Keep up the good fight. It will be worth it, current and future Mercedian's appreciate it. District 6 Keeping existing bike trails safe-such as bear creek. District 3 Keeping public safety fully funded District 6 Kids need to back to school! Homeless population is out of control Not Sure Let's all focus on kindness, and respect for others, as we improve our city! Looking into more job training/vocational schools to bring here so the people can get some sort of trade to start working. Four year schools are not for everyone. More people would start a career if we had more options here in District 4 town.

Make Main St. a destination by filling every storefront. Trash receptacles are scavenged by homeless. Replacing them District 4 with "bear proof" shoot in, one way, receptacles would solve this problem and beautify as well. Merced needs business growth. We can’t understand how Turlock & Atwater have added so many great businesses & District 6 restaurants & Merced has not! District 6 Mercy (Cormorant Dr) people park, smoke, burnout, race, run the stop sign, and dump their litter. District 6 More city police Department personnel District 6 More cleaning up of homeless encampments with long term housing solutions More funding for Fire. More Fire Stations in the north/east. More restaurants that are sit down. Being able to fill in the space on Yosemite and G with restaurants. Bring a Safeway District 6 or another grocery store. Motel on 16th street, Franklin/Beachwood Area, Bike Paths, Homelessness, Litter all throughout the City and overall the Outside City Limits whole city needs improvement. Need more police patrolling neighborhoods across Merced at all times. We almost never see police in Ragsdale and District 4 wish we saw more! District 1 no District 1 No District 6 No District 6 No Outside City Limits No District 6 No District 5 No District 6 No District 1 Not at this time District 1 Not enough marked crosswalks or stop signs along G or MLK, south of 15th Street.

now where in any of these questions do you address the homeless Animal problem. The Merced SPCA has a local TNR program that is endorsed universally. TNR means TRAP NEUTER RETURN. The city needs to recognize the severity of this problem especially with homeless and wild cats. Killing them is not the answer. You will never solve the problem that way. Spay and neuter is the solution. A TNR Program can led to over a 70% decline in animal control cat intake therefore saving Merced thousands and thousands of dollars. If you can't look at this problem from a moral District 5 responsibility stance, then please at least look at it as a Financial one. District 6 OPEN THE SCHOOLS, THESE KIDS NEEDS TO GO BACK TO SCHOOL! This should be our priority! Our city's trees. Is there a way to make sure that residents water city trees? Or, could the city water the trees that are neglected. I've seen some lovely young trees wither away when all they needed was regular watering. Calling it in is a District 4 cumbersome way to get it done.

District 6 Please be considerate of the communities you plan to build in and please provide more mental health support! District 5 Please bring a Chik fil a or a Weiner schnitzel to the corner of Yosemite and G District 3 Please do not put a new park off beachwood! That park will get graffitied so fast!

Please do something to fix the homeless problem in Merced. There are way too many people wondering the streets who have drug problems and mental issues. People don't go downtown because of this. Also, give us places to shop for clothes, furniture, antiques, so we don't have to leave town to do this. Please put more effort in to making the hwy 99 off-ramp areas more inviting for travelers. If I'm a traveler and I take one of our off-ramps, I'm probably not going to District 4 want to stop and stay for very long, in fact I might just skip it and go on to the next town. District 5 Please help reduce train horns in city limits. Please make our kids and youth your priority. Let’s invest in their (our) future.

Please adapt programs that have data to support that they work. And consider the unique demographics of our region.

Make programs and activities accessible to all regardless of income, language or background.

Please use more than one means to outreach and get the word out. No everyone has social media. Consider tv programming, mailing flyers, word of mouth, billboards... us partnerships with school districts, public health, county District 4 programs, etc. Not Sure Put a chik-fil-a!! Retention...need to focus on compensating our employees so we quite losing them to other agencies. This is costing us time and money as a City. We need to somehow create a longevity incentive so our employees are more willing to work here for 30, 35, or 40 years. We need to stop losing our highly trained employees to other organizations which leaves us District 6 footing the bill to train another candidate.

District 6 Signs on Olive that lead to UC or MJC need to be redone. Also, trash accumulation around city needs attention.

small businesses are struggling at a time like this both downtown, in their homes, and at the farmers market. i think District 5 bringing more attention to them and allowing them a time for people to support them would help them a lot

District 3 staffing and police officers that reflect population; create a police accountability team; services in HMONG.

Stop being stuck in your old ways. Yes, we don't want to be a Small San Jose and continue to be a farm town. Turlock and Atwater have proven that it's still possible. Cities across the world were build off of the railroad, then highways. We need that revenue. Nobody is going to drive 15 minutes fighting threw traffic to go to baskin to Robbins while their traveling on 99. People come from around the world to go to Yosemite and the exit to Merced (140), their greeted by homeless and drive threw a not pleasant view of what they think is Merced. Not Sure Think about making Belleview a "Express way" or small highway that circles the city Stop project room key. This has brought in a new element. Have you not noticed increased shootings, heroin overdoses, prostitution and child trafficking directly tied to the influx caused by project room key. Wake up it is ruining our town and endangering our children. Wake up. There are dozens of people who have been btought to our town by this Outside City Limits project. Wake up.

Students walk along Childs Ave. to Golden Valley High School year after year in the dirt near a recently increased speed District 1 limit area. We need sidewalks. I’ve been here over 10years and they still walk too close to traffic for comfort.

Support to businesses that are near neighborhoods, like Family Dollar and Joey's Recycling on Yosemite Parkway, to help with issues that arise from the clientele, such as sleeping in vehicles/loitering/camping out on the properties and creating litter/graffiti that the businesses have to deal with. These businesses also have vehicle entryways from E 21st street, which causes gridlock and weekly car accidents. There should either be medians to prevent cross-traffic turning or have the entries completely blocked off so that access can District 1 only be from Yosemite Parkway. District 3 Supporting Non profit arts organizations Survey did not ask questions regarding healthcare. Would like more health care (Kaiser and/or Sutter) and we need more providers in the area for all types of health (physical & mental). We also need affordable grocery stores in the District 5 areas that are considered food deserts (South Merced).

The amount of money that goes into the police is ridiculous. That money could be better spent on any number of District 4 projects to improve our city as the police do not make me or many others feel any safer or better served. The dog park. The side for the big dogs needs to be reseeded. I realize that donations made this park happen but the District 5 city accepted it and has to take responsibility and put out the money to take care of if. The harsh chemicals that are used in the water. I own a new home with new pipes and it is clear that there are way too Not Sure many harsh chemicals in the water. The trash throughout the city is horrible. The garbage collectors need to step it up. They should be picking up trash District 3 around the clock. The waste drop off at Yosemite Ave and Hwy 59 is a great idea, but the hours are a joke. It will get very little use by Not Sure most citizen unless you make the hours more available for working people.

There are an excessive amount of businesses such as grocery stores and restaurants where you just go out and spend money. We need more industrial jobs where both ordinary everyday citizens of Merced and Merced's college & university students can benefit from. More technological businesses like Bitwise Industries are also highly desired. Instead of adding more restaurants and grocery stores, focus on restoring the old ones that have been here for so long and are forgotten or unnocticed. Namely the ones near the Flea Market and the ones near the underpass of highway 99 on E13th St.

Please fix our road on Cameron Ln. It is very old and worn out. Also, Cameron Ln.'s road is never cleaned by the cleaning truck machines that pass by through the city. Have it come here just as often as other streets. At the end of Cameron Ln. is Ada Given's Elementary School. Many of their faculty use our small narrow road as their parking lot, and drive up and down the road dangerously quick. Tell them to please use a different road and their own parking lot that is within District 4 the school property.

There are so many empty medical offices. There's the old urgent cares, Mercy medical by Applegate and old mental District 1 health office. We should reopen them to serve our community. Especially our homeless community. Not Sure There is always the issue of gangs and the problems in south Merced. Not Sure they should be more police watching an be on there on time an also the frier trucks This is in response to question 27. Please add to the list 16th street. How are those motels allowed to run and be open in the state they are in with the heinous acts that happen there. One has been red tagged for months. This is a main thorough way into Merced from Hwy 99. This should be a top issue as it is one of the main locations outsiders see of District 5 Merced. This survey was not culturally or linguistically appropriate for many of community members. How can the city improve this survey so that the city can receive feedback and create goals that reflect the diverse community needs and not the select privilege? How can you improve to take more thoughtful approaches to ensure each community is heard? This survey was also not in 4th-grade reading level or lower, how can the city improve that? How can the city ensure there is an info icon to help community members understand what certain words mean?

Can the city filter and focus on addressing the basic need questions of the community first in Townhall meetings so that the important topics get discussed? Despite what a Townhall meeting is supposed to be or look like.

COVID outreach to the Southeast Asian community has been not effective, we need the city to do a better job with providing targeted and tailored approaches to support vulnerable communities like ours, the vaccination rollout has failed our Southeast Asian community, how can you make improvements to the process?

Disaggregated data for the Southeast Asian community Hmong, Lao, Mien, Punjabi is needed from all public agencies and schools that serve Southeast Asians. We do not want to be lumped up in the Asian category anymore as that ignores the greater issue of smaller ethnic minorities like us that go invisible. The model minority myth that "Asians" are smart and wealthy does not represent our community. Merced signed a contract in 1973 to welcome Southeast Asian immigrant refugees saying they will take care of us, where is the commitment, how well is Merced upholding this contract for over 48 years now?

We need the city to honor Hmong, Mien, Lao, and Southeast Asian community members. We need you to build a better relationship with our community. How will you attempt to learn the ways of our diverse Southeast Asian community so that you can create a bridge to move Merced forward? You can not move Merced forward by not acknowledging our presence and our contribution to the U.S. during the Secret War when American CIA soldiers recruited Southeast Asians to save American soldiers. For every 1 American life saved we lost at least 25 Southeast Asian community members.

We need the city to build more grocery stores in South Merced. It's been decades and still nothing. How will you resolve the food desert in this area this year, not next year or a few years from now?

We need the city to ensure health care is accessible -- how will you address South Merced residents who can not easily access the hospital? It known fact that Northern Merced is saturated with health services. Even the COVID vaccine rollout was much higher in those areas. How can the city ensure the equity of our community?

City staff or employees who respond to Townhall comments on FB Lives need to conduct themselves professionally. How can you ensure you select staff that is open-minded, trained, informed, culturally and linguistically sensitive to District 2 community members who are asking questions? District 5 Trash, Trash, and More Trash! Not Sure Updates on the Merced Gateway Marketplace project and the married mall project

District 2 We are desperate for an anti-littering campaign and strong litter abatement measures. We need easier ways to contact police etc. I used Facebook messenger to contact the Merced police to only be told to Not Sure call. We have these technologies but not using them. District 3 We need fun activities in Merced for kids, teenagers, and adults

We need to crack down on housing costs as far as buying and renting. The prices are getting ridiculous since the uc was District 4 built. It seems the only way to afford housing is to roommate with someone...which the uc students do.

We need to focus on getting social service support to those who need it. affordable groceries, housing, etc. also, I have lots of ideas about solving the healthcare problem in town, specifically sexual and reproductive health. we have an insanely high teen pregnancy and sti rate that is being addressed, but there’s more we can do. i give consent to be District 3 contacted about this issue because i am a public health professional who can help.

We need to improve roads. Yosemite Ave. is a main road and in awful condition along with Mckee. Main St. starting District 6 from G is a disaster. Hopefully what is happening with the Tioga, Mainzer, and El Cap. will spread. District 2 We need to make our city into families-friendly and student friendly environments. What is the possibility of a commitment from the City of Merced to the geographic area between ‘T’ Street to ‘G’ Street and from '16th’ Street to ‘23rd’ Street. Where we will commit to ensure free quality education opportunities and a nutritious diet to every child 0-5 within this area. The Smart and Strong Campaign is looking to unite families, schools, businesses, and the community around this issue. We cannot ensure a successful future without investing in our District 3 youngest citizens today. Without a nutritious daily diet, children cannot learn. Yes I would like to be involved in law enforcement more careers opportunity’s like community liaisons positions for Not Sure people that wanna be involved and have a great Career. District 6 Yes more police officers needed for Merced , safety safety safety in Merced

Yes, I live near the Weaver Union School District in the Dwight Amy Park community. This park needs to be upgraded and expanded. The swings especially are rusty and do not swing correctly. Please, please, change out the swings and put in new ones. Adding more swings would also benefit the children who live in this area and who has to 'wait' their turn just get on a swing. There are only two swings; it's not enough to keep children happy at this park.

Also, this park has a red ant problem. Over the last 5 years, I have noticed a significant increase in the number of red ants. We can no longer sit on the grass, nor have picnics here. We can no longer sit along the outer edge of the playground area because we will quickly get bitten by them. Please do something about this red ant problem.

I value equity, transparency, integrity, and trust. I wish to live and raise my children in a city where equity is a top priority for our local leaders whether we elect them, or they are appointed. No matter the issue, no matter the direction of economic growth, no matter which election year it is, no matter who is mayor, no matter who is president, no matter what is on their personal agendas, I ask the City of Merced to keep in mind, and use the (4) acts above when making decisions on behalf of residents. I ask the City of Merced and it's leaders to too disburse and utilize funds fairly District 1 and equitably, to be inclusive, rather than exclusive, and to act in ways that reflect their moral conscious. Thank you.

Yes, this form is very very long. There should be an option to do a shorter version for residents who don't have so much Not Sure time on their hands. Or a way for them to select the areas they want to vote on at the beginning of the survey.

Yes. Housing in the City of Merced has skyrocketed in the past 5 years. With a minimum wage job, it is nearly impossible to afford housing (mostly rentals) without having roommates or multiple jobs to support oneself or family. Gentrification has become a huge problem Downtown as it once was an affordable area to live. While beautification, economic development, and attractions to Downtown are important, it pushes out the families and individuals who have occupied this area for years. Rent is a socioeconomic problem and rent controlled propositions have failed to pass. High rental prices leads to homelessness, especially during the pandemic as most realty management properties District 3 increase rent regardless of the crisis that is ongoing. District 3 You are all doing a great job so far, much appreciated. You've done a thorough survey and thank you for your attention to issues and problems in Merced and your concern District 3 with the residents' opinions.