Effective today, March 16, through Tuesday, March 31, 2020, most City facilities will be closed to the public, including the Development Services Center located at 39550 Liberty Street in Fremont. The Development Services Center is the City's one-stop shop for accepting, reviewing, and approving permit applications and construction documents for all types of projects.

The health and safety of the Fremont community is the City’s number one priority as we continue to monitor the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The City is implementing these temporary precautionary changes to non-essential City operations to protect City employees and the public who use City services by limiting person-to-person contact.

If you have scheduled business with the Development Services Center (building inspections, plan check appointments, etc.) you will be contacted by City staff. Staff will also be available by phone or email to provide assistance and answer questions. Please see the contact information below.

• Building Inspection: 510-494-4400 or bldinfo@fremont.gov
• Code Enforcement: 510-494-4430 or code_enf@fremont.gov
• Development Services Center: 510-494-4443 or dsc_recep@fremont.gov
• Housing: 510-494-4500 or housing@fremont.gov
• Planning: 510-494-4440 or planinfo@fremont.gov
• Plans and Permits: 510-494-4460 or bldinfo@fremont.gov
• Sustainability: sustainability@fremont.gov

Fremont homeowners are now eligible for up to $3,000 to make their houses less vulnerable to earthquake damage through Earthquake Brace + Bolt, a program jointly administered by the California Earthquake Authority (CEA) and the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES). The program offers eligible homeowners grant money to perform a seismic retrofit of their house. Homeowners can apply online. The application deadline is Thursday, March 19.

Since the program was founded in 2013, Earthquake Brace + Bolt grants have helped more than 9,000 homeowners retrofit their houses. Because older houses are more likely to slide off their foundation during an earthquake, a seismic retrofit braces the cripple walls, when present, and bolts the house to the foundation, making the house more resistant to earthquake damage.

More than 1.2 million houses in high-hazard areas are particularly vulnerable to earthquakes because of the type of construction, according to the CEA. These homes are typically built before 1980, are wood framed with a raised foundation, and may have a cripple wall in the crawl space under the house.

Apply now for Earthquake Brace + Bolt.

The City is helping to support vibrant districts in Fremont with a new sidewalk dining program for restaurants. This program makes it easier for restaurants to increase the number of tables they can serve at a time and will help create spaces where people want to spend time. The application process for sidewalk dining permits is now simpler and more cost-effective.

To learn more, please read Fremont Restaurants Take to the Streets, a blog post from our Economic Development Department. Also, keep an eye out for more restaurants in Fremont offering sidewalk dining!

Last month, the City celebrated another milestone for affordable housing, the groundbreaking of City Center Apartments in Central Fremont! Built in partnership with Abode Services, this development will provide 60 affordable rental apartment homes for veterans and others who have experienced homelessness.

City Center Apartments will be located at 38631 Fremont Boulevard near Country Drive. The complex will feature 30 studio homes, 29 one-bedroom units, and a 2-bedroom apartment in a fully ADA-accessible building on a 1-acre site. Residents will have access to on-site property management and social services, a large community room, a computer lab, secure bike parking, storage areas, and laundry facilities. The site’s amenities will include private courtyards, a sports court, and an enclosed animal activity area. The site is near several bus lines and shopping centers.

Construction of City Center Apartments is estimated to be complete in 2022. To receive information when the units become available, sign up for the City’s Affordable Housing Interest List.

For the second year in a row, Fremont has been recognized as a global leader on environmental action and transparency, achieving a place on CDP’s Cities A List for 2019.

CDP is a non-profit environmental disclosure platform that ranks cities from across the globe on how effectively they are managing, measuring, and tackling greenhouse gas emissions and adapting to climate risks. In their ranking, each city is awarded an "A" to "D" score.

Fremont has received an "A" score for developing robust climate change strategies, tracking and acting to limit and reduce emissions, assessing and mitigating climate risks, and transparently reporting this information in its 2019 disclosure to CDP.

Fremont is honored to make CDP’s A List and remains committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The City has adopted a resolution to achieve carbon neutrality by the year 2045 and is currently working on updating its Climate Action Plan to align with the new goal.

Find more information about Fremont's "A" score.

Calling all mural artists! The City is currently accepting proposals from artists to design and install a temporary mural at the temporary Housing Navigation Center (HNC) currently under construction in Fremont. The HNC is a response to the community’s growing homeless crisis and will provide a clean, safe, calm, and flexible environment that allows homeless persons to rebuild their lives and intensely focus on finding stable permanent housing. The mural should be positive in nature, inspire hope, and reflect the participants’ journey out of homelessness. For more information and to apply, interested artists can visit Fremont.gov/NavigationCenterArt. The application deadline is Wednesday, April 1.