Berkeley City Council made the right decision Tuesday in choosing to defer a vote that could determine whether and where certain businesses can operate on Telegraph Avenue. Before the vote is taken, the city needs to do more to involve the area’s business owners in this important discussion, which could define Southside’s business atmosphere for years to come.
Though recent efforts show the council is doing a good job at trying to improve Telegraph’s atmosphere, simply altering the nature of the city’s quotas is not the right the solution to the problem — especially if local business owners and managers do not support the change. The city needs to work harder at being more inclusive and making these important stakeholders a bigger part of the process.
The council item, which was introduced at Tuesday’s meeting, proposes relaxing a quota that limits the amount of certain businesses — like restaurants and barber shops — that can operate in the Telegraph commercial area. If implemented, the proposal would relax the quota for the next three years.
Currently, the purpose of the quota is to prevent too many of the same type of business from moving in and creating an unhealthy amount of competition. The quota also ensures a wide variety of dining and shopping choices for students and yearlong residents who live in the area.
If the city decides to relax the quota, it must communicate with Telegraph’s existing mom-and-pop shops on the effect of the change on their businesses. Existing restaurants, such as Pappy’s Grill and Sports Bar and Gypsy’s Trattoria Italiana, expressed concerns at the council meeting that relaxing the quota would allow new restaurants to flood an already competitive environment.
The council also needs to ensure it solicits the input of local businesses and groups, such as the Telegraph Business Improvement District, on how to better improve the district through alternative solutions. This communication should extend beyond council meetings, where time to discuss the issue is often limited. The council should host open forum meetings to hear resident and business input.
The city is doing the right thing by making moves to improve the bleak atmosphere of Telegraph, which has seen rapid business turnover and is currently host to two vacant lots at the intersection of Telegraph and Haste Street, where any substantial rebuilding still seems far off.
The council’s consideration of the item is also in line with its long-debated Southside Plan, which was passed in September 2011 and aims to improve the area’s business environment through changes in zoning guidelines and the implementation of additional affordable housing. It is uplifting to see the city paying the necessary attention to Telegraph’s future, but zoning quotas are probably not the answer, and certainly not the only one.
Though the city has decided not to take action on the item for now, the plan’s introduction sets a precedent for a summer that could see improvements to make Telegraph more livable and safe for students, including the move to a 24/7 district and better lighting on the street.
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