Do you have any other comments about Upper Solano Avenue? # Response Date Response Text 1 Sep 12, 2010 8:39 PM Need wider sidewalks for outdoor seating and street trees Definitely change the restaurant permit limit issue. It makes restaurants less competitive; if you have a permit, you stay because new ones can't come in and compete. It discourages staying current 2 Sep 12, 2010 9:04 PM and investment in older restaurants, and once the restaurant business get lazy, then the whole street loses it's competitive edge. Look at Oakland. They are doing something right. Please don't let the NIMBYs and "Party of No" stop 3 Sep 12, 2010 11:06 PM improvements! 4 Sep 13, 2010 12:28 AM Signal at The Alameda should be made pedestrian safer. Upper Solano has INSUFFICIENT PARKING. That's what keeps 5 Sep 13, 2010 3:27 AM me away. I only go there as often as I do to go to La Farine bakery on Sunday mornings. It's a bit staid. I drive to Oakland to go to dinner on Telegraph (e.g. Pizzaiola, Dona Tomas) or Piedmont Ave (e.g. Dopo) rather than 6 Sep 14, 2010 3:17 AM going to Solano. Needs more cafes with outdoor seating. Needs more life in the evening. Could use a place like Oakland's Bakesale Betty's to draw traffic. I would like to see a variety of businesses on Solano that would provide local shopping for residents. An increase in the number of restaurants would not accomplish this goal. Those of us who suffer 7 Sep 15, 2010 12:39 AM from the parking woes of residents close to Solano would like to see more places that would provide neighbors with services and some necessities rather than the plethora of gift and expensive clothing fronts. It would be nice to see more retail shops, cafes, trees. Currently I go to Solano and most often frequent the same 3 establishments. 8 Sep 15, 2010 4:02 AM That said, I wouldn't want to see development that the immediate neighborhood was opposed to, their wants are a priority to me. 9 Sep 16, 2010 4:06 PM Make it a "great street:" more pedestrian friendly! 10 Sep 18, 2010 12:37 AM Increase parking 11 Sep 18, 2010 2:22 PM Needs sidewlk steam cleaning ! More trash continers More restaurants please. It's silly to spend so much time trying to get diversity of stores there, more restaurants is better than vacant 12 Sep 18, 2010 6:03 PM storefronts. I recommend increasing parking (structure or off-street lot?) also. That will reduce parking impacts on side streets. It's nice as-is, so let's be careful with changing it. (And thanks for 13 Sep 18, 2010 7:02 PM the survey!) Upper Solano has so much potential. It needs a full-service cafe, with coffee, lunch, seating, brunch, etc.... (Local 123 on San Pablo 14 Sep 19, 2010 12:37 AM at University is a great example of this kind of community- oriented, appealing cafe. More variety in shops would be welcome as well. I wish we could recreate some of the vitality that College Do you have any other comments about Upper Solano Avenue? # Response Date Response Text Ave. in Rockridge and Elmwood has achieved recently. I think that better streetscape planning, less vacancy, more gathering-type restaurants and spaces would be a huge asset to the North Berkeley/Albany community, and would really help build a sense of neighborhood. 15 Sep 19, 2010 3:23 AM needs another good cafe—not chain like Peets or Starbucks 16 Sep 19, 2010 5:12 AM More variety, possilby locally made wares I would love to see more lively restaurants. I would like to see a more Temescal feeling to Upper Solano - why can't all of the great 17 Sep 19, 2010 8:13 PM restaurants that are opening in north Oakland and downtown Oakland be opening on Upper Solano? I don't like taking my money to Oakland to eat with my family but I do! 18 Sep 20, 2010 10:29 PM Open up free trade Adding trees, making the sidewalks wider and encouraging more interesting shop, art galleries, kid friendly spaces, etc would be 19 Sep 21, 2010 6:28 PM great. Solano is a pretty neat street, but it has the potential to really thrive with some encouragement and investment. It might be pie in the sky, but it really is an unfeasibly wide street 20 Sep 22, 2010 4:47 PM at the upper end. Would be wonderful to put in a green median. Berkeley lacks practical, pleasant stores to buy necessities like men's and women's underwear and children's shoes. The Albany part of Solano has more functional and pleasant businesses that I 21 Sep 22, 2010 8:08 PM frequent - and with FREE parking! We go to the movie theater, the community center for kids classes, the post office, Fonda for drinks, the Ivy Room, the Hotsy Totsy, TayTah Cafe for ice cream. Parking costs should be slightly INCREASED -- the available 22 Sep 23, 2010 8:33 PM spots are almost always full, meaning there's not enough turnover. 23 Sep 23, 2010 8:43 PM wish it was like College at Elmwood! I would encourage any business that makes the street lively, safe, a place to be neighborly...so sidewalk seating is great, later hours 24 Sep 23, 2010 8:47 PM (such as the bookstore, restaurants) is good, ice cream is good. Maybe limit chain stores, but No limit on restaurants - that's silly! invite food in, keep big boxes out. Increase bus service and BART 25 Sep 23, 2010 8:48 PM shuttle to Solano. Wea alqways take out of towners to Solaho for a pleasant 26 Sep 23, 2010 8:48 PM afternoon or evening stroll College Ave has become much more desirable. Solano could be 27 Sep 23, 2010 8:49 PM the same with creative development, and it would RAISE real estate values. Berkeley has very little to offer professional women in larger sizes. I have to leave Berkeley to shop for any of my clothing. That's 28 Sep 23, 2010 8:49 PM really ridiculous. Why does Berkel;y send shoppers to malls out of town? 29 Sep 23, 2010 8:55 PM Definitely more WiFi and casual hangout spaces. It also looks a bit Do you have any other comments about Upper Solano Avenue? # Response Date Response Text tired. Needs moderninzing/sprucing up. 30 Sep 23, 2010 8:55 PM Remove all the restrictive zoning and open it up to new business It deperately neede revitaliztion. Nothing crazy, just a bit more 31 Sep 23, 2010 8:59 PM vibe and options. Could benefit from widening of the sidewalks creating more seating and indoor outdoor flow for cafes etc. Portland has alot of 32 Sep 23, 2010 9:01 PM this going on in many of their neighborhoods and it seems to work great. I'd like to see more retail devoted to recurring and normal consumer needs (e.g., stationery/supplies, household 33 Sep 23, 2010 9:24 PM consumabales) rather than high-ticket occasional items (e.g., carpets, furniture). This is probably a function of rents, I realize. it would be good to have the crosswalk warning signs replaced 34 Sep 23, 2010 9:28 PM when they're knocked over. Also Everything closes too early. We need more restaurants, and cafes, 35 Sep 23, 2010 9:29 PM outdoor seating and night time activity 36 Sep 23, 2010 9:33 PM Fewer rug stores & beauty supply shops! Parking fees ar outrageous and I'm sure discourage business. 37 Sep 23, 2010 9:34 PM people drive to el ceritto plaza and park for free! Everything closes too early. The target demographic seems to get 38 Sep 23, 2010 9:35 PM older, richer, and blander every year. (this box should be bigger) From 1999 to 2002, I lived on Solano 39 Sep 23, 2010 9:45 PM at Ensenada. It seemed like the shops really didn't cater to locals. After 9:00 (8 on Sundays,) it was like a ghost town. Make it a better place to shop, walk, and hang out for an hour or 40 Sep 23, 2010 9:46 PM two 1. Agressively crack down on pandhandling and loitering. 2. Let people run their businesses as they see fit without government 41 Sep 23, 2010 9:48 PM intervention. 3. Provide more parking opportunities, not less (less agressive meter maids and fewer parking meters). Restaurant permits should be granted to the business, and not the 42 Sep 23, 2010 9:51 PM location. I think that as long as there is a good and balanced mix of the 43 Sep 23, 2010 9:59 PM kinds of restaurants present, the quota can be relaxed. In today's economy, with today's outlook -- the original zoning idea (emphasis on local services) makes sense. Its rents that are the 44 Sep 23, 2010 10:00 PM main problem and "more restaurants" will either have neutral or negative effect on that. Parking is always a problem. I enjoy boutique shopping & would 45 Sep 23, 2010 10:00 PM like to stop to eat, but will not pump the meter. 46 Sep 23, 2010 10:02 PM No parking will be harder to find if addtitional restaurants/businesses 47 Sep 23, 2010 10:04 PM are added, but it will likely be worth it.