Few cities have as much to work with as we do. We are the gateway to the Santa Cruz wine country, home of Hakone Estate, Montalvo and the Mountain Winery, and still have our main shopping area called a quaint Village.

What did we do last year to revitalize the Village? Vice Mayor Norman Kline suggested that we put together a Village Façade Improvement Program to provide matching funds to property owners for things like new awnings, paint, etc. I think the matching program has definitely improved the visual appeal of the Village. The Village Gardeners have made the Village more colorful and attractive with plants, and the Boy Scouts refinished all the benches on Big Basin Way.

We also looked at establishing a redevelopment agency but found we did not qualify even though we share many of the same challenges as other cities. The criteria for redevelopment changed in 1994 and we simply don't meet them.

So what can we do to revitalize the Village? Revitalization can include many different elements—physical improvements, changes to Village ordinances, special events, etc. Here are a few of our plans:

* We have dusted off the old Saratoga Village Plan from 1988 and found much of it was not fully implemented even though it contains many great ideas. We have formed a task force to update the plan and look at options that can help Village businesses.

* We are looking at our parking restrictions to see if they are overly prohibitive to new and expanding businesses. For example, a new coffee shop in the Village could require as many as 26 parking spaces when the same shop in Los Gatos would need only six. I don't know about each of you, but I frequent the Village twice a day and I have never had to look for a parking space for more than five minutes. My experience is backed up by a study we conducted that showed extra parking capacity exists.

* Caltrans is relinquishing the sidewalks and giving us $741,000 toward making the sidewalks safer and more attractive. We'll need more than that amount and will have to figure out how to come up with the rest of the needed funds.

* We are inviting businesses into the Village. You may or may not agree with the Starbucks decision. Like most of the council, you may be loyal to other coffee shops in the Village and not Starbucks. What most people don't realize is that many businesses look at our area and our median income (seventh highest in the United States according to Money Magazine ) and they become interested in the Village. Jamba Juice, for example, has looked at the Village, checked out the foot traffic and has decided the Village is too big a risk. If we said "no" to Starbucks, would Saratoga then be seen as unfriendly to business as well?

So how can each of us help bring new businesses into the Village? Send an e-mail to Vice Mayor Norman Kline at kline@caspr.com or to me at kk2king@saratoga.ca.us stating what businesses or restaurants you might support in our Village and how often. Be practical—a hardware store, drugstore and other businesses that need large spaces are not going to be interested in our small buildings.

More information about the city's Village Revitalization efforts can be found at www.saratoga.ca.us.

Kathleen King is the mayor of Saratoga.