Tracy Business Owners Feel Left Out Of New Downtown Boundaries
TRACY (CBS13) — Business owners in Tracy are feeling left out as city leaders expand the downtown district, but leave out two blocks of the city's main street.
East 10th Street has the signs promoting the City Center Association, but because it sits on the opposite side of Central Avenue, it's technically not a part of downtown.
Patti Blahnick needed to expand her business, 2nd Avenue Consignment.
"I'm really excited about the newer, larger space. There's a lot of versatility. And it's only two blocks away from where I used to be," she said.
But moving those two blocks on 10th Street put the store out of the Tracy City Center Association boundary. The group, which promotes businesses and hosts events, just expanded to include the north side, but left the east side out.
"The city used to host a lot of events down this street, but now they changed the location to the other side, so we don't get to participate anymore which is a bummer for us," said Desiree Bozek with Allure Salon & Spa.
Adding the area into the association falls on the property owners, not merchants, since they would be paying the self-imposed tax.
"Based on what we saw, on who we talked to, the interest level wasn't there, because it's a little bit more office use down that way, residential, and a church," said association president Dino Margaros.
Sofia Valenzuela with the Tracy Chamber of Commerce, says some residential zoning on East 10th Street presents some business challenges, but there's a growing economic interest.
"Dynamics are definitely different on the other side of tenth street and I think that stems from the history of how it's been for many years, but I know that's changing with several business owners wanting to venture into that side of Tenth Street," she said.
More importantly, customers are starting to walk across the street.
"I've always passed by here, but I never took the opportunity to stop until they moved here," said Kimberly Montenegro. "It's like an anchor store for this area, I think."