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8.A. - Page 9 of 56 relevant and applicable to Redwood City's Downtown are included in Retail Work Program and the policy considerations (http://mainstreetmomence.com/Documents/20%201ngredients%20of/o20an%20Outstanding/ 20Downtown%20(1).Pdf. Recommendations: 1) Consider retaining a part-time retail broker on a consulting basis to market available retail spaces in the Downtown to desired tenants. The cities of Claremont, Yorba Linda and Chino Hills have utilized a retail broker because they have experienced difficulty attracting retailers. 2) Consider retaining a marketing consultant to work directly with Downtown retailers and restaurants on the best approaches to marketing and sales, specifically merchandising, customer service and growing the business' customer base. 3) Explore collaboration with Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA) and the Downtown Business Group for funding and implementation of these recommendations. 3. Identify vacant parcels in the Downtown District that are appropriate for hotels and actively promote them to developers/brokers representing hotels. Analysis: Successful downtowns are supported by workers, residents and visitors. Visitors help downtowns become a destination. Santana Row in San Jose has two hotels and a third is planned in the vicinity. The Sequoia Hotel, if redeveloped, will help strengthen Downtown Redwood City as a destination for visitors. Many cities commission hotel studies, usually undertaken by a national firm, to gather information and data of interest to hotels expanding in the area. Recommendations: 1) Consider commissioning a hotel study that assesses the current hotel market and identifies the types of hotels that are a fit for the Downtown and other areas of the City. 2) Reach out to specific hotels that may be attracted based on Redwood City's demographics. 3) The City -owned parking lot on Winslow may be an ideal hotel site. The City should consider pursuing a hotel development for that site based on an economic and demographic assessment of its desirability by hotel developers. The future of this lot should be studied during the review process of the potential redevelopment of the transit center, which may have an impact on its feasibility. In addition, other uses of this property should be considered through the planning process. 4) The economic development manager should contact hotel developers or hotel representatives in the area who are looking for hotel sites on the Peninsula to determine their level of interest in Downtown. The Downtown Precise Plan currently allows 200 pre - approved hotel rooms. 229