Town Hall Meeting: What Did You Take Away?

Retail, and the reasons why it likely won’t land on some of Hercules’ vacant properties around town, seem to dominate Thursday’s Town Hall meeting discussion.

The meeting attracted dozens of residents who shared concerns and asked questions that focused on retail but included property sales, the State Controller’s and a desire for more open communication from the city and council. It included a panel of three real estate professionals– Todd Vitzthum and Don Lebuhn, who were in charge of marketing Parcel C and Victoria Crescent, and David Greensfelder, who is a developer and teacher at University of California Berkeley's Haas Business School. The entire city council and the city manager also sat on the panel facing attendees.

City officials called the meeting mainly to talk about two city-owned properties – Parcel C and Victoria Crescent – that are being sold to residential developers.

Residents expressed fears at recent city council meetings that the rising level of planned residential units will phase out hopes for more Hercules retail and obscure the city’s vision plan.

“Is there any potential for retail beyond (the properties currently being marketed)?” resident Hector Rubio asked the panel. Vitzthum and Lebuhn said that most commercial or retail developers who considered building in Hercules were interested in the more visible and centrally-located spots — like the Market Hall lot, which sits along the city’s busiest streets, right off the freeway. Retail developers generally not interested in Victoria Crescent, and they were even least interested in Parcel C due to location, said Vitzthum and Lebuhn.

“I want to see that the waterfront development goes through because it is the future of Hercules (but) the city cannot afford to go bankrupt,” said resident Chris Kelley. Kelley was joined by residents Phil Simmons and Toni Leance in her concerns over the waterfront's future.

“I wish that we could hold onto the parcels for a long time, until the right developer comes along, but that’s not realistic,” she said.

“If we go bankrupt, it won’t be us selling the properties, it will be the court,” said City Manager Steve Duran.

What Hercules issues are most important to you? What did you take away from Thursday's meeting?

*Correction: When first published, this story said the town hall meeting focused on Parcel C and Sycamore Crossing. The meeting, in fact, was to discuss Parcel C and Victoria Crescent.