By Fremont, located in the East Bay in Alameda County, is the 4th most populated city in the Bay Area with 213,000 residents. It is also California’s 5th largest city, encompassing 92 square miles. Situated at the gateway to Silicon Valley, Fremont plays an important role in the Bay Area.
Two very diverse yet impacting events are unfolding which can potentially reshape the complexion of this East Bay hub city:
1. BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) is extending its East Bay line further into the south end of the city, and
2. NUMMI (New United Motors Company), a joint venture car manufacturing company with Toyota and General Motors, will be shutting down its production in March 2010.
First, the long-awaited BART extension into the Warm Springs (south end) of the city is well under way and will provide even more access to the East Bay by those commuters currently living in the south end of Fremont, and also for those who live in the north part of Santa Clara County.
The closing of NUMMI, however, will have a major impact on the city, its residents and the local economy. Currently, approximately 4,500 employees will be affected once production stops in March 2010; in addition, it is estimated that thousands of other jobs will be lost from those companies who supply parts and services to the NUMMI plant not only in the Bay Area but nationwide.
The city of Fremont is already planning a multi-faceted program to mitigate the impact of the closing of NUMMI:
- Work will continue with all vested parties to insure that employees and suppliers have the necessary support services to assist them during this transition
- Develop a plan to transform the site to alternative uses
- Provide job seeker assistance to affected workers from all levels of government (local, state and federal).
The impact on Fremont‘s economy and housing market could be substantial.
