Downtown Fremont Is on the Rise
Fremont is full of personality and culture, but our newly established Downtown District is our shining star.
Recently recognized as a Main Street America Affiliate program, our Downtown District serves as a one-stop-shop for community gatherings, great eats, and celebrating major milestones. A 110-acre area that is full of local retailers and easy to access via bike, Fremont BART station, or by foot, Downtown and City Center areas will soon offer the potential for thousands of mixed-use projects, including housing and offices. In 2021 alone, 250 jobs were created in the area, and seven new businesses dubbed the Downtown District home.
So, what makes this revitalized Downtown District so unique?
Not only was it built from the ground-up, but it captures the essence of Fremont — this district is a thriving area to live, work, and play. It’s distinctly reflective of the City’s commitment to preserving our legacy residents and businesses and realizing our visions for the future.
Building a Strong Foundation for Local Retailers and Small Businesses
While our Downtown Event Center helps bring a certain level of excitement to the area, our Downtown District would not be the vibrant epicenter it is today without our diverse range of local retailers. In fact, we like to call the retailers that join us on Capitol Avenue our Downtown Fremont “retail spine,” as they each bring a unique specialty to the area.
From Fremont’s first locally owned bookshop, Banter Bookshop, to RawASF, a plant-based vegan café, our local retailers thrive in this busy community environment where over 15,000 residents and 50,000 employees are located within just a one-mile radius.
Our Downtown District is a beacon of hope for those who have dreamed of one day opening their own business and for those hoping for a fresh start. After local favorite Din Ding Dumpling lost its original building in a fire, the family-owned restaurant relocated to Downtown to continue building the American dream.
Here are just a few of our local businesses that have found their home in our Downtown District:
DOWNTOWN BUSINESS DIRECTORY
| Food | Service | Retail |
|---|---|---|
| Ding Ding Dumplings | Aura Skin N Beauty | Banter Bookshop |
| Nick the Greek | Deka Lash | |
| RawASF | Fremont Bank | |
| SLIVER Pizzeria | ||
| Pho Lan Noodles House | ||
| Papasan Rolls and Bowls | ||
| Il Porcino |
Introducing the Downtown Event Center & Plaza
Sitting at the corner of Capitol Avenue and State Avenue, the Downtown Event Center celebrated its grand opening in October 2021 and now serves as a hub for all community gatherings and events from local conferences to community meetings and receptions. Its large plaza doubles as an outdoor venue for gatherings and concerts. Although we wouldn’t go as far as to say we will host the next Coachella, our outdoor plaza offers plenty of space for community events and activities to host food trucks, makers fairs, markets, sports, and more.
Additionally, both spaces are available to rent — making them the ideal spot to host celebrations and special events of all kinds. As a bonus, the Downtown Event Center is also the City’s first all-electric building, so you can eagerly host your event in a space that is sustainable and burns zero fossil fuels.
"Downtown is the perfect location for my business because we’re so close to the Downtown Event Center and other local stores and restaurants — people can pop in to peruse our selection after attending an event, running errands, or getting together with their family. The area provides the opportunity to build community and experiences for all to enjoy. I feel so fortunate to be part of this emerging and dynamic part of Fremont.”
— Amy Davis, Banter Bookshop
Rendering of Fremont Bank Headquarters
Meeting Community Needs & Growing Our Robust Economy
The area is not just full of our local mom and pops. Bringing additional foot traffic to the district are some of our major grocers, including Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods, Safeway, Raley’s, and an incoming Korean grocery store Mega Mart, which all have stores located in the heart of our Downtown District. These staple stores supply key employment opportunities, add to the area’s robust retail environment, and serve our diverse community.
Beyond our retailers, the Downtown District is also home to many of the area’s medical providers including Fremont Hospital, Kaiser Medical Center, and Washington Hospital, the latter of which will be designated by the Alameda County Emergency Medical Services Agency (ACEMSA) as the county’s fourth Level II Adult Trauma Center within the next five years.
Not only do these prominent establishments create opportunities for thousands of jobs within our Downtown District, but they also serve as a symbol of our City’s deep commitment to advancing the medical field, from manufacturing devices to establishing sustainable practices industry-wide.
By offering these key community resources, our Downtown District aims to be not just a local spot to explore some of Fremont’s unique offerings with friends, loved ones, and colleagues, but also an epicenter and one-stop-shop for all key community needs.
Looking Forward
Fremont’s Downtown District is bustling with opportunity. The district has substantially grown over the last few years, and with millions of dollars invested in improvement and construction projects, we do not see that momentum stopping anytime soon.
But don’t just take our word for it. Fremont is just one of only six Silicon Valley-based cities to have a designated federal Opportunity Zone, meaning that investors, developers, and property owners can receive federal tax incentives for qualifying long-term investments.
Already completed is a mixed-use project that will provide 11,000 square feet of new ground floor retail and amenity space, and more mixed-use projects are currently underway. In addition, Fore Development is in the process of leasing a 275-unit mixed-use project located near Walnut Plaza, and Fremont Bank is building its new six-story headquarters.
Needless to say, there’s quite the buzz going on in the Downtown District. Check out our City’s Downtown Community Plan from 2018 that outlines our cohesive vision for the Downtown District, and read our City Center Community Plan to see what we envision for the broader 430-acre City Center area.