The city of Hayward is doing its part to revitalize downtown and recently spent millions to buy a movie theater.
Some say it’s a risky move. Others say it’s what downtown needs.
Hayward Mayor Mark Salinas doesn’t like the empty storefronts in the downtown.
“Like many downtowns across the state, we have empty buildings that are owned by people who may or may not live in the city, and who sit on them and don’t lease them. I don’t know what they wait for,” Salinas said.
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He said buildings usually stay vacant for a long time. That’s a big loss of tax revenue. They become vulnerable to graffiti and vandalism. Residents link it to crime.
When the downtown movie theater came up for sale, the city didn’t want it to end up the same. So, they bought it.
The goal is to turn downtown Hayward into an East Bay destination.
“The city has a very strong track record of turning out 10,000 to 15,000 people at all of our street parties in downtown,” Salinas said. “Clearly we see people in downtown wanting entertainment, retail and generally being part of a greater scene.”