Kid in the Village Poses Turn-of-the-Century Problem

What began as a Recreation & Parks Special Meeting within minutes became an evening of emotional speeches, incensed lectures and recollections of times past by Fair Oaks Village merchants. The initial intention of the Wednesday, October 5 Parks and Recreation meeting was to highlight a special downtown development project proposed by Ladd Austere, the new owner of the building that houses the Fair Oaks Chamber of Commerce on the northwest corner of Park Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.

Austere proposed purchasing a ten foot strip of Plaza Park to facilitate parking for his new commercial venture, which will house two retail shops at either end of what Austere calls his "Bistro." The piece of the park that Austere proposed to purchase is owned by the Fair Oaks Recreation and Parks District, and under current SPA ordinances, the Parks Board could have sold the 18 proposed parking spaces to the new kid in the village-had the public attending the meeting expressed their agreement of the sale. The public majority, comprised mostly of Fair Oaks Village merchants, in no uncertain terms expressed their displeasure of the proposal, and the board quickly voted to turning down Austere's proposal to purchase the ten foot strip of park land.

Still, frantic discussion continued even after the board voted against any changes to the park. The reason that some merchants are still upset, and will be upset for some time, is the way Austere presented his new project proposal. The meeting began with a focus on the building that Austere purchased, and his intention to put in the retail spaces and a coffee shop. The original proposal asked for, in addition to 18 new parking spaces along Park Avenue, an entire relandscaping of Plaza Park, including the removal of the war memorial built and paid for by the Fair Oaks Rotary Club.

Other merchants, however, understood that there were bigger things at stake, such as the future of their businesses, and the future of the Village as a whole. Some cried foul, claiming that putting in another coffee shop would create unfair competition in the Village, and that by openly coming in as a direct competitor to the coffee shops and eateries already established in downtown Fair Oaks, Austere was going against his opening comment about coming into town to conduct neighborly business dealings. Fair or not, it was made clear by Gary Orr, the landscape architect, that Austere planned to "challenge" village merchants into renovating their buildings to attract more business to the downtown area. Orr seemed unaffected by suggestions that many village shops could ill afford the extensive renovations proposed by Austere-renovations that involve changing the Village to make it look more like Fourth Street in downtown Berkeley.

Orr concluded his part of the after-meeting discussion with an indirect threat. "You have a non-conforming business," he told one Village coffee shop owner. "The county already told us this. We went down there and they told us that this is a non-forming use." Orr finished by stating that the County was just inches away from coming into the Village to enforce the ordinance. Some merchants do fear that Austere's project would be the end of their businesses-most of which are family owned and operated, and which have been in the Village for many years. Most merchants at the meeting were shocked to discover that the "new kid on the block" had already approached the County, and had already researched ways to "eliminate its competition" even before publicly divulging the name of the new business.

More than one hundred people attended the meeting, and as they left rumors began to circulate about who was responsible for allowing developers to come into the Village and tear it apart to suit their own purposes. One merchant in particular, Machel Shields, part owner of the yet-to-open Bob's Doghouse, was particularly flabbergasted. She and her business partner have been unable to open their doors because of delays by misinformation provided to them by the County Planning department. Other merchants expressed suspicion that it seemed odd for the county to be the cause of the delay in the opening of Bob's Doghouse, but that someone with deep pockets could stroll into the Village and, without a building design or a business name, could propose tearing apart a Fair Oaks icon, while trying to dictate what businesses would be allowed to survive in the Village.

Most merchants agreed that something needs to be done to increase business in the Village. A handful of those merchants welcome Austere and his proposal with open arms, claiming that merchants need to "accept new businesses and new ideas with open minds." Most merchants in the Village, however, are getting a strong lesson in financial politics.

But while everyone tries to decide who is to blame for the new commotion in the Village, whether it's the developers, the county, or the merchants themselves, one thing is for certain: Ladd Austere is coming to downtown Fair Oaks, and he's coming on the back of controversy.