According to the city's economic development coordinator, Danielle Surdin, approximately 22 new shops were opened in the Village, replacing the 22 that went out of business or relocated within the past two years. She said that some of the buildings stayed vacant from five months to two years. In addition, close to 10 of the new businesses were service-oriented, leading to an overall decrease of close to $227,000 in sales tax revenue compared to 2001.

"Different businesses produce different sales tax," Surdin said. "Some retail shops generate more revenue than others. It depends on the products that are being sold."

In light of the economic plight, merchants in downtown Saratoga have experienced some small but nonetheless positive changes in the Village over the past
1 ¹/2 years. Thanks to the efforts of members of the Saratoga Business Development Council, benches and new trash receptacles were installed on the sidewalks and decorative tree-lighting services were restored to the original weeklong plan. However, merchants said that this is not enough to boost traffic and sales.

"The Village is a unique environment that is facing a lot of competition from Los Gatos and Santana Row. There's a lot that needs to be done to improve the area," said Councilman Norman Kline, who joins Vice Mayor Kathleen King on the ad hoc committee. The committee will also include up to five residents with business expertise, but, while there are potential candidates, committee members have not yet been determined.

According to feedback that King said she received, improving the downtown area is the second highest concern among residents—the first being park development.

"The Village is not a normal destination," said King. "It's off the beaten path."

King said there are several things to consider that may contribute to a more successful business climate, such as establishing some family-oriented, less-expensive restaurants where organizations such as large school groups can hold events, and also having a hardware store locate nearby.

A hardware store, a movie theater, a toy shop, two grocery stores, a couple of bakeries and a variety store—which sold an assortment of food and household items—were some of the main attractions resident Mike Fox Jr. remembers that created a lot of foot traffic 30 to 40 years ago.

"There's definitely a different feel about the Village now," said Fox, who expressed interest in serving on the committee. "It was more robust back then. Not only is there less of a variety in the types of businesses now, there is also a lack of community involvement among business owners."

Fox said he's glad that the city is finally taking a more proactive stance in improving the Village.

"Not many people have been paying attention to what's going on in the Village," Fox said. "The result is what we have now, which is an area where many of the businesses are struggling to survive."

Aside from helping to create a more diverse business atmosphere, he said that one of his goals is to "preserve the charm and historical nature of the buildings."

A better mix of businesses is what Kookie Fitzsimmons, owner of Corinthian Flowers on Big Basin Way, has been urging for the past 10 years. She said that the city should better regulate what types of businesses come to the downtown area.

The city took its first major step in regulating newcomers with a recent decision to place a moratorium on personal service-oriented businesses, such as day spas and nail salons, effective through October 2004.

"The city should have done this years ago," said Judy Coulter, owner of the UPS Store.

Coulter and her husband, Don, said they would also like to see more retail shops as neighbors, whether it be a franchise or an independently owned business.

According to the couple, who have been on Big Basin Way for more than 10 years, many attractive tenants were vying for a spot in the neighborhood such as The Gap, Starbucks and Trader Joe's, but all proposals were rejected by the city and some residents because they were not consistent with the Village's historical nature.

"It's unfortunate, because these could have done wonders to the area," Judy Coulter said.

Parking and more lighting were other areas of concern for the Coulters. "It would be nice to have some sort of parking structure," she said.

Don Coulter added that businesses end up suffering when people can't find places to park in such limited spaces and end up driving elsewhere for services.

He also said that more lighting is desperately needed, not only for safety reasons, but also to draw more eyes during after-business hours.

According to Kline, the ad hoc committee will also be looking into making streetscape and structural improvements as well as possibly forming a redevelopment agency. The city is in the process of obtaining ownership of the streets from Caltrans.

"The city will be able to make the area much more welcoming once it has the street," said King.