The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Wyrick has bold plans for downtown area
By Cody Kraatz
Pride and the thrill of building from scratch drive Joel Wyrick, executive director of the Sunnyvale Downtown Association, which is in the midst of a major transformation.
The Town Center and Town and Country redevelopment projects are beginning to take concrete shape and a Business Improvement District fee on downtown businesses has made the SDA more sustainable.
Wyrick, who started in October, has big plans, but has hit some major bumps in the road.
He began planning his first new event, a St. Patrick's Day celebration with music, booths and beer on S. Murphy Avenue.
But he said the city is calling for too many police--a total of 16 if there are two beer stands--that could break the bank. The city offered a cheaper option if he doesn't sell alcohol, but he is counting on beer sales.
"We wouldn't make any money. It's just how much money would we lose," he said, although he said he expects to make about twice as much from sponsorships as from beer. The SDA depends on such events to support itself.
On Jan. 25, the Sunnyvale City Council decided not to pursue his request for $75,000 to put on Sunfest, a green-themed street fair he plans for Sept. 6 and 7. He asked for $196,000 at first, but scaled it back when the council members' jaws dropped.
"We couldn't put ourselves in the position to create funds for a specific event," said Mayor Tony Spitaleri. Instead, the council is set to consider a proposed budget in May that could include about $30,000 for community events that any group could apply for.
Wyrick isn't the sort to take no for an answer.
"[Sunfest] will be our flagship event. We're going to do it regardless," he said, declining to say how he would pay for it.
Set in the heart of the city's downtown on Sept. 6 and 7, Sunfest would feature well-known, environmentally conscious musicians who would take a substantial chunk of the festival's costs. The main goal is to bring foot traffic downtown.
"I don't care why you came. The goal would be educating people" on things like the harmfulness of bottled water, solar panels and yoga, he said. Recycled art, an organic farmers market and a e-waste and hazardous waste collection would round out the offerings.
Reinvention
When Wyrick heard about the Sunnyvale Downtown Association post, he leapt at it.
"That's an opportunity that I couldn't pass up. I've always found myself basically trying to reinvent myself," said Wyrick, 48. "I'm kind of insatiable that way."
Wyrick, who ran for the San Jose City Council's downtown District 3 in 2006, said he could would like to run the well-funded San Jose Downtown Association, but since that job is taken he's going to prove himself in Sunnyvale.
"Having this old and the new...this is going to be a very unique opportunity. I think that we will be a destination point," he said.
"If all goes according to plan, people are going to leave downtown San Jose and go to Sunnyvale. We need to understand that we are in competition with downtown San Jose and other things that are out there."
A former track and field athlete, Wyrick holds a 1978 high jump record at Mt. Pleasant High School and won an athletic scholarship to San Jose State University, where he majored in business.
He has always been self-employed, owning a restaurant and several other businesses in San Jose. He calls himself "a project kind of guy."
In addition to the now-infamous downtown San Jose Mardi Gras celebration, he started the SharkByte Art Project, a fundraiser for nonprofit groups and artists that placed 100 6-foot-long sharks decorated by area artists throughout downtown San Jose.
"He's got a great reputation for doing a lot of events," said Suzi Blackman, president and CEO of the Sunnyvale Chamber of Commerce, which works with businesses throughout the city, not just downtown.
"We really believe that anything that brings business to our community is a good thing, whether it's sponsored by us or not," she said.
SDA's role
Wyrick sees a disconnect between the millions of dollars that developers and the city are investing in downtown Sunnyvale and the $26,558 that the SDA collected in BID fees as of January.
He wants to know what the city sees as the SDA's role now and in the future, and he has his own ideas. They include:
Producing events that bring people downtown.
Actively addressing graffiti, street maintenance, crime and safety.
Advocating to steal such events as Cirque de Soleil from San Jose.
Helping real estate agents get vacant homes and businesses off the market.
He said that if the city thinks its Office of Economic Development should do all that, "then I'm not your guy."
The OED helps businesses--especially those involved in the downtown redevelopment--interact with various city departments and regulates the BID program.
Wyrick earned $10,500 in 2007 and plans to take a $24,000 salary for 2008. He would like $148,000 to pay his and several staff salaries, plus $12,000 per year to rent an office. The SDA was previously volunteer-run.
Wyrick said he doesn't need the money but isn't willing to do it for free, adding that he makes close to $100,000 as president and CEO of the Black Chamber of Silicon Valley, a post he continues to hold.
City leaders agree with Wyrick that promoting the downtown redevelopment is one of the most critical tasks before the city today.
Wyrick said he might leave his post if he can't meet his goals. His track record so far suggests that if he stays, he will continue to shake things up.