Downtown development tops list of candidates’ challenges

Haydon, Shuey and Smith battle it out for two city council seats.
The three candidates vying for two Clayton City Council positions may seem as different as the trails along Mt. Diablo, but they all seem to have one goal in common: keeping Clayton’s small-town appeal while figuring out ways to ensure economic vitality for years to come.
Incumbent Dave Shuey, civic volunteer and former planning commissioner Keith Haydon and Clayton Trails and Landscaper Committee member Alyse Smith all say that boosting the city’s revenue and enhancing the quality of life are paramount—and challenging.
“The economy has been and remains the largest challenge facing us in the next four years,” says 12-year councilman Shuey. “We weathered the recession better than 98 percent of California cities due to strategic long- and short-term planning. We must continue to be vigilant at retaining a balanced budget while maintaining services, including police, maintenance and city staff. “
Haydon, a longtime city volunteer, agrees. “The primary challenge facing Clayton will be to balance retention of the “small-town” quality of life that attracted most of us to Clayton, with the need to provide necessary services and encourage reasonable growth that would stimulate our local economy and add value to our community,” he says. “This is increasingly more difficult with shrinking revenues and expanding expenses that put a constant strain on our budget and services.”
Smith says that her first challenge, if elected, is securing a developer for the city-owned Main Street parcel “that can provide a boost in revenue to our budget, ties in with our General Plan, and enhance our community’s overall enjoyment and downtown experience.”
She says she would also like to tackle “creating a sustainable water portfolio that would save money to replenish into the City General Fund without cutting services or curbside appeal,” and finally says she wants to use her event planning experience “to enhance and stimulate more events within Clayton.”
Bringing business to Clayton
All three candidates say that the city should encourage new businesses to locate to Clayton and existing businesses to expand in accordance with the Town Center Specific Plan, to help generate more sales tax revenue.
“Strides are being made in this direction with the downtown bocce courts which bring people downtown to create demand for more businesses,” says Shuey. “In the 12 years I have been on the council we have seen CVS become a wonderful anchor tenant and we have seen our downtown restaurants flourish. These are helped by events such as the farmers market and music in the park which bring folks downtown.”
Haydon, as a former planning commissioner, has also worked with generating development. “A city can encourage new and expanded development in their downtown area by making the planning and approval process for a new business more efficient and user friendly,” he says. And as a leader in the movement to build the Ipsen Family Bocce Courts, he says that the city should “leverage the success” of (the bocce park) to promote existing downtown businesses and attract prospective businesses. “The addition of this Park has energized our downtown, attracting many local residents into the Clayton downtown area during the afternoon and evenings, which should help promote potential future downtown development, such as the city’s property across Main Street from the Bocce Park,” he says.
Smith says the city must create “experiences,” not buildings, in order for entrepreneurs and small boutique businesses to invest in the town as their next home for business.
“We must make our city attractive to these potential new business owners, and improve our marketing. As an artist I have contributed to the gentrification of several urban cities which benefitted through creative innovation and the fostering of public art venues,” she says.
Marsh Creek Road development
One other area that the candidates will deal with, if elected, includes the potential residential or commercial development on Marsh Creek Road east of town.
City representatives have met with residents and developers who have shown an interest in developing properties on the outskirts of town. According to Shuey, many of these plans have run into significant state water and planning mandates which make it difficult in a down economy.
Shuey would like to see “measured growth that is fully planned and thought out to minimize infrastructure impact such as services and traffic.”
Haydon sees Clayton as primarily a “bedroom community,” with limited commercial development along its primary traffic arteries with a focus is on retail business instead of commercial office buildings.
“My 16 years on the planning commission has only reinforced this. The recent residential developments on Marsh Creek Road reinforce the ‘bedroom community’ theme of Clayton and should be encouraged.” He says the potential exists for Clayton to exercise its “Sphere of Influence” control to annex area east of town as well, but the related obligations to annex such property —  i.e. the provisioning city services — and value to Clayton “would need to be closely examined before such action should be seriously considered.”
Smith says she has “an open mind” on this matter. “It would benefit the agri-tourism of the Marsh Creek area if we could promote more interest and local fair trade to the existing farms and ranches,” she says.
Affordable housing downtown
Affordable housing is also an issue faced by the council, and all three candidates have specific ideas on how it should be implemented, with an emphasis on putting it downtown.
“Affordable housing is also mandated by the state and it does not necessarily mean Section 8 housing,” Shuey says. “To bring affordable housing downtown will stimulate the economy and encourage more businesses.  What must be done is to ensure any new housing is properly planned to ensure safety, follow our planning mandates and ensure a continuation of our small town charm.”
Haydon agrees. “The City of Clayton has an obligation to encourage the incorporation of affordable housing units into residential development being proposed, to meet the City’s Housing Element commitments. Placing such housing in or near our downtown area would probably be one of the best locations for such development, placing these residents near our downtown facilities, such as restaurants, retail shops, our local park and library and alternate transit opportunities like bus connections.”
Smith says she doesn’t have a conflict with the proposed affordable housing development “as long as it adheres to the planning and construction principles that are mandated in the various building elements of these homes. For example it is required that these dwellings are built using energy efficient appliances. I would like to see the creation of local jobs and job training to foster economic opportunities for Clayton residents.”
All three candidates have spent time volunteering for city events and projects. The fiery Shuey was a leader in the movement to create the Clayton Valley Charter High School, while Haydon has served two terms as president of the Clayton Community and Business Association, and served on the bocce courts advisory committee. Smith has served two terms on the Clayton Trails and Landscape Committee.
While incumbent Shuey is running for another term on the city council, the second open position is that of retiring mayor Hank Stratford, who chose not to run for reelection.