“You know how normally you have a desert, and in the desert you have a little oasis?” said Matt Henry, president of the Belle Haven Neighborhood Association. “With us, it’s just the exact opposite. We’re here in Silicon Valley, which is absolutely wonderful. But we’re the little small desert in the middle of something great.” Now, Facebook, the world’s largest social network, is moving in to the neighborhood.

Facebook has grown to more than 750 million active users and is on the verge of an initial public offering projected to value the company at $100 billion. After outgrowing its Palo Alto headquarters, the company is moving to Belle Haven, where it is creating a campus large enough to accommodate nearly 10,000 employees. The move is to be completed by the end of the year.

Residents of Belle Haven and its neighbor East Palo Alto, which is also entrenched in an urban malaise, hope Facebook’s arrival signals their long-awaited integration into the Silicon Valley economy. They picture the company’s wealth and dynamism spreading across the freeways, bringing better housing, services and schools.

“The table is being set for some really great things to happen,” said Charley Scandlyn, executive director of the Ravenswood Education Foundation, which aims to bring East Palo Alto schools up to the same standards as those in neighboring communities.

“The whole Facebook mission is about connecting people,” Mr. Scandlyn said. “Sometimes our kids in East Palo Alto don’t feel like they get to be a part of the good dreams in the world. Here is Facebook, that actually gets to live out its mission in its own neighborhood.”

It may not be that easy. Across the Bay Area, cities continue to hope that tech companies will provide the spark for a renaissance in low-income communities. Earlier this year, for example, San Francisco granted Twitter a six-year tax holiday to lure the company to the blighted mid-Market district.

But there is no conclusive evidence that the presence of a technology company can turn a neighborhood or a city around. Google’s hometown, Mountain View, still struggles to pay its bills and is threatening to lay off employees, despite the presence of several tech companies, including Google, with a combined value of well over $200 billion. Belle Haven’s hopeful uncertainty underscores the growing disconnect between a technology boom fueled by the explosive growth of social media companies and the continuing struggles of the communities in which those companies are located.

According to economists and public officials, the divide is related to the nature of the tech economy, much of which takes place in cyberspace, removed from the world of cash registers, low-income jobs and sales taxes. Companies like Google and Facebook pay property taxes, but cities draw little direct economic benefit from their core businesses. Their highly skilled, highly educated employees commute to lavish, insular campuses where most of their needs are met.

“A social networking company doesn’t have as much revenue-generating material,” said David Johnson, Menlo Park’s business development manager.

Still, Mr. Johnson said he was pleased to have found a company to fill the vacated one-million-square-foot property once occupied by Sun Microsystems.

“How can you not be excited about Facebook coming to town — it’s a potential game changer for that whole part of town,” Mr. Johnson said. “They are showing all indications of being a great corporate neighbor.”

Menlo Park officials said that as Facebook expanded, the city would have leverage to negotiate additional compensation. The site is currently zoned for 3,600 employees. Once Facebook outgrows that number, “the city will be looking for something in exchange,” said Justin Murphy, Menlo Park’s development manager.

In its recent approval of a hotel project, the city agreed to alter zoning requirements in exchange for a guarantee that the developer would spend $1.25 million on capital improvements and lock in the amount of revenue the city would receive from a hotel transient tax.

hadsrobinson@gmail.com

Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/12/us/12bcfacebook.html

The Summer Beats Concert Series at Alameda South Shore Center, the open-air retail destination on Alameda Island, CA is underway, attracting thousands of attendees since its July 2nd kick-off. Sponsored by real estate investment and management firm Jamestown, the concert series is part of a full program of free, family-friendly events to be held at the center this summer.

Taking place every Saturday through Labor Day, Summer Beats showcases many of the area’s most popular bands, with musical styles ranging from Alternative Rock to Zydeco.

Upcoming events certain to generate a high level of excitement and engagement include “Motown Dine Around,” featuring the classic sounds of Big City Revue and discounts offered by participating Alameda South Shore Center restaurants; “Flight Night,” an evening of wine tasting and music, with the Bay Area’s own Edgardo Candela; and “Summer Breeze Connection,” featuring beach activities including windsurfing and a charity paddle boat race, followed by the music of Fishbear.

“We think Alameda South Shore Center, with its picturesque setting along the San Francisco Bay, is the perfect venue for summer fun,” said Michael Phillips, Managing Director for Jamestown. “Also, equally important to providing entertainment, the Summer Beats Concert Series offers an opportunity to give back to the Alameda Island community.”

Benefiting the Alameda Education Foundation

One of the most highly anticipated programs of the Summer Beats lineup is the Young Songwriters Workshop Concert. Benefiting the Alameda Education Foundation (AEF), the program provides an extraordinary opportunity for young talent to collaborate with notable Bay Area musicians such as Grammy-award winner Calvin Kealooa, Preston Turner of Pure Ecstasy, and drummer D.C. Carter. On Saturday, August 27th, the aspiring songwriters and veteran musicians and will perform their collaborative work live. The free event kicks off AEF’s “Instrument Drop-Off Drive.” Last year, enough guitars were collected during the drive to start a musical program at Wood Middle School.

In addition, during all concerts, Alameda South Shore Center will serve as a drop-off point for the Alameda Education Foundation’s School Supply Drive, which helps hundreds of Alameda’s students in need. Peter’s Kettle Corn will have their tasty treats available for sale as a fundraiser to support the education foundation.

Poets Share the Stage

Summer Site Write poets selected by Alameda’s Poet Laureate Mary Rudge will also take to the stage throughout the summer-long series. Poetry enthusiasts, who toured Alameda South Shore Center and wrote about how the center inspired them, will read their work during concert intermissions. Poems will also be posted throughout the retail property and on the center’s Facebook page.

Summer Beats Concerts are held on Saturdays between 5 and 7 pm. The remaining lineup for 2001 includes the following performances:

Motown Dine Around

Saturday, July 16

Big City Revue (Motown)

Flight Night

Saturday, July 23

Edgardo Candela (Latin Jazz)

Summer Breeze Connection

Saturday, July 30

Fishbear (World Rock)

Blues Bazaar

Saturday, August 6

Papa’s Garage (Blues)

A-Town Hip Hop

Saturday, August 13

Bop City Pacific

GLEE Weekend

Saturday, August 20

Bay Area Girls (Glee Cover Band)    

Young Songwriters Workshop Concert

Saturday, August 27

DC Carter Project 7

Labor Day Weekend

Saturday, September 3

Rip Tides: 2pm – 4pm

Busta Groove: 5pm – 7pm

Jamestown acquired the 594,000-square-foot Bay Area outdoor mall (formerly known as Alameda Towne Centre) in January 2011. Capitalizing on the $85 million redevelopment effort the center’s previous owners initiated in 2002, Jamestown will continue to invest in Alameda South Shore Center’s image and infrastructure, with a primary focus on creating an enhanced customer experience for center guests.

Article source: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2011/07/15/prweb8647966.DTL