Contact: Richard Pearson, community development director and
transportation projects manager, City of Martinez; phone: (925)
372-3525; e-mail: rpearson@cityofmartinez.org
Located on the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area, the City
of Martinez has a quaint and charming downtown with a Main Street
and old brick buildings. However, in the 1990s, the downtown
area’s economic health was in danger. Both “anchor tenants”
(Contra Costa County offices and the Superior Courts) were
considering relocating, and no new businesses were moving in, no
housing was being built and old businesses were leaving.