Local Teamwork Maintains the Beauty and Vibrancy of Downtown Lafayette

Lafayette, Calif. – The City of Lafayette works in partnership with downtown property owners, businesses, and the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce to create and maintain a vibrant, engaging, and event-rich downtown. While the City maintains the public spaces downtown, the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce provides the fun and entertainment, supported by the City’s public works crew and police as well as some annual funding for the Chamber itself.

Downtown Lafayette’s tree-lined streets also host a long list of events including:

The Lafayette Art & Wine Festival, one of the largest annual festivals in Contra Costa County. This year the event will take place on September 21 and 22, drawing an estimated 85,000 people over two days to stroll among the booths of arts and handmade crafts, enjoying foods from local restaurants, food vendors, food trucks, quality wines and microbrews, and continuous music from four stages.

On Sunday, October 20, more fun comes as the Lafayette Chamber and the City present the Lafayette Res (Res stands for Reservoir) Run for Education. The Run has three lengths: 5k, 10k, and 2 miles on race day as well as a virtual option, the Reservoir Challenge. The event proceeds support Lafayette’s public schools and the programs and services of the Chamber.

Other major downtown events include Trick or Treat Street in October, It’s A Wonderful Life in Lafayette holiday celebration in December, the Taste of Lafayette Restaurant Stroll in May, Community Day and the Earth Day Festival in the Spring, and the Rock the Plaza Concert Series on Fridays in June.

In addition to the special events, Downtown Lafayette’s dining scene attracts both residents and many out-of-towners to enjoy the local “foodie” scene. “One of the things that draws residents and visitors to Lafayette’s downtown is our restaurant row featuring a wide variety of restaurants from coffee shops and quick bites, to elegant dining experiences,” the City Manager continues. “Downtown Lafayette also boasts charming locally-owned stores that provide unique gifts as well as professional services,” adds Sara Regan, Executive Director of the Lafayette Chamber of Commerce.

While property owners in the Commercial Core (that runs roughly from Oakwood Athletic Club to the Lafayette Hotel & Spa) pay an annual maintenance assessment for City services, those funds are not enough to maintain Lafayette’s Downtown.

The City allocates $240,000 from the General Fund each year for the upkeep and beautification of the Commercial Core as well as the street banner program and support for Chamber events that support the Downtown.

Tracy Robinson, Lafayette’s Administrative Services Director, explains, “In recent years, the prices of everything have all risen due to inflation, and the available City revenues for the Core Area have not kept up with expenses to maintain it.”

The deficit in funding Downtown Commercial Core maintenance is part of the City of Lafayette’s current budget challenges. Starting next fiscal year, Lafayette’s General Fund budget is projected to have a deficit of more than $2M annually.

Without additional revenue, the City Council will have to make budgeting decisions about which programs and services to reduce or eliminate. Therefore, the City Council has placed a funding measure on the November 5th ballot asking Lafayette voters to consider a 1/2% increase in the local sales tax rate for a seven-year period.

If approved by Lafayette voters, Measure H would generate approximately $2.4 million annually, which the City projects is enough to maintain the current level of City services being provided to residents and businesses. More information about Measure H is available on the City of Lafayette’s website at www.lovelafayette.org/MeasureH, or by email at lafayettelistens@lovelafayette.org.