Fremont Mayor Urges Support for Local Businesses
Fremont Mayor Raj Salwan posted on social media about the importance of supporting local restaurants and small businesses. He emphasized the need to foster a thriving local economy to attract and retain desired businesses in the city.
- The City of Fremont's Economic Development team and the Fremont Chamber of Commerce organized the 3rd Annual Fremont Restaurant Week from March 21-30, 2025, to encourage patronage of local eateries. A previous Restaurant Week resulted in 95% of participating restaurants reporting increased foot traffic and revenue. - Fremont's downtown is undergoing significant development, with over $1 billion invested in new projects. This includes The Tolman, a mixed-use development with 240 residential units and 5,700 square feet of ground-floor commercial space that has begun leasing to new retail tenants. - In his June 2025 State of the City address, Mayor Salwan highlighted his vision for Fremont to be a leading Bay Area city on par with San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, citing significant economic progress and investment in workforce development. - The city actively fosters a tech ecosystem, particularly in the Innovation District in Warm Springs, which is home to major advanced manufacturing, clean technology, and high-tech companies such as Tesla, Seagate, and Lam Research. - Despite new growth, Fremont faces the same challenges as many cities, including the closure of large retail stores like Kohl's, which announced it would close its Pacific Commons store by April 2025. - A key part of Mayor Salwan's platform is economic prosperity and supporting small and local businesses to ensure they thrive. As a small business owner himself, his vision for Fremont includes making it an even better place to live, work, and play. - The City of Fremont provides resources for entrepreneurs through its Economic Development Department, which sponsors business workshops and connects owners with the Alameda County Small Business Development Center for no-cost expertise. - To increase vibrancy and attract people to commercial districts, downtown Fremont hosted 325 events that drew over 50,000 attendees, including a tree-lighting ceremony and the Burger & Brew Fest.
