Cal Neighbors

Telegraph Avenue is turning over a new leaf. Long known for its funky shops and unique personality, Telegraph Avenue had been slipping in appeal in recent years as several businesses closed and the number of visitors and customers declined. At the same time, complaints about hostile street behavior and crime became more frequent. When Cody's Books closed its doors in July 2006, it served as a catalyst for the area's landlords and merchants to team with city officials and UC Berkeley representatives and devise a strategy to revitalize the struggling shopping district.

That effort kicked into high gear last year with a nine-point Telegraph Avenue economic assistance package approved by the City Council. The package, which

provided the district with $220,000 in 2006 and another $200,000 this year, has been used to fund a variety of improvements that are already yielding results.

To combat the area's crime and homeless issues, the city has increased its police presence and increased its social services and mental health outreach efforts. The university also increased its police patrols on the avenue, adding two more officers to work with city police.

In another joint effort, the city, the university and the Telegraph Business Improvement District (TBID) are providing money to help fund façade improvements by business owners. To attract new businesses, the city has agreed to streamline the process for obtaining commercial business permits. And to address the avenue's general appearance, the city has provided a dedicated street-cleaning machine and agreed to evaluate adding more lighting. "We're seeing more attention being paid to Telegraph, and that's a good thing," said Craig Becker, owner of Caffe Mediterraneum.

Broadening appeal
In addition, a new marketing campaign designed to showcase Telegraph Avenue positions the shopping district as the "Gateway to Planet Berkeley." The campaign, which was spearheaded by the university's community relations office and drew on marketing experts across the campus, made its debut last year with a new website (www.telegraphlive.com), poster calendars and brochures.

With a combined student, faculty and staff population of nearly 53,000, UC Berkeley is a major audience for Telegraph Avenue. Added to that are the thousands of fans who attend Cal football games and athletic events and the countless visitors who take campus tours or attend performances or other happenings on campus.

"The avenue is the gateway to the campus, and its economic vitality is very important to all of us," noted Irene Hegarty, UC Berkeley's director of community relations.

As a first step, TBID has targeted campus events, such as the annual August "Caltopia" for new students, as opportunities to distribute its marketing materials and spread the word about Telegraph's many shops, services and restaurants.

Beyond that, TBID is evaluating the kinds of businesses it wants to woo to the area to meet shoppers' needs. "Our group is working very hard to create a vibrant mix of businesses to provide unique shopping, restaurants, nightlife and services," said John Lineweaver, chairman of the board of directors for TBID. With the help of UC Berkeley staff, the group hopes to expand the merchant base to appeal to UC students, staff, and faculty; neighborhood residents; regional visitors and tourists.

The changing face of Telegraph
Already, several new businesses have come to the area. Peet's Coffee opened in late 2006, and Chipotle Mexican Grill followed in early 2007. By summer, a new Walgreens and Fred's Market will both be in place.

Meanwhile, existing businesses will soon be able to apply for façade improvement grants of up to $10,000, which can be used to pay for up to half of the costs for new lighting, paint, awnings or other exterior needs.

"The efforts so far preserve the uniqueness of the neighborhood," said Doris Moskowitz, the owner of Moe's Books, which has been on Telegraph since 1959. "I feel much more confident saying to people, 'Come down [to Telegraph]; it's a great experience."