An impressive number of people showed up for the October 15 Council discussion of the future of the Walk on Wilshire (WOW). Equally impressive was the intensity of those who favored keeping this small open space: 200’ of a previously lightly used street. The speakers clearly cared about Fullerton and the future of the Fullerton Community. This discussion was about more than the closure of a half-block of a downtown street. It was about the vitality of the city and its community. It was about creating spaces where people can meet and interact.
While this discussion was about infrastructure, the broader picture was in the context of what actions the city could take to bring people together, especially in the central core: parks, parklets, walking and bicycling routes, events, including markets (the Thursday Market used to run through October, now it closes at the end of August), street fairs, concerts, bicycle rides, etc. The speakers wanted more spaces and events that would draw people to the center of the city; with more spaces would come more vitality and more business activity. The speakers acknowledged that WOW is not as vital as it could be, but it needs permanence before it can become the vital space it has the potential to be. This is just the first step.
Over 40 people spoke in favor of keeping and expanding WOW. (In addition, a group called Save Walk on Wilshire presented a petition signed by 65 business owners and 2000 other people, plus a 170-page document arguing for keeping WoW). Six or seven people spoke against it, most of whom claimed to be business or property owners, two of whom were Bushalas. Jack Dean – Nick Dunlap’s appointee to the Fiscal Sustainability Committee –argued that business owners should have more say about this street than residents, that the street belonged to the taxpayers (not the citizens, important difference), and that they wanted it back, ignoring the many taxpayers in the audience who did not want it back.
Interestingly, only one argued that the street was needed for traffic when he claimed it took him longer to get to the post office. There are many better alternatives, including the much faster Chapman and Commonwealth routes. Historically, there has been so little traffic on this street that the city does not even do traffic counts (or at least does not report them).
Further, except for one professor from CSUF, the discussion was almost data-free: no data on how much business has been hurt by the closure and no data on how much the trickle of cars past these businesses would help. If a coffee shop on Wilshire is not doing well, perhaps it is because there is much competition within a few blocks, not because cars cannot drive by. (It may also be hampered by the number of parking spaces on the street that are limited to 15 minutes, hardly enough time to drink a cup of coffee).
Why a few businesspeople are so adamant about opening the street is a puzzle. It would not seem that a few cars drifting past would make a difference in a business’s profitability, and the data is not there. Something else must be going on, but it is not clear what. One business owner said the closure affects his business. However, the business is not located on Wilshire, it does not use its Harbor Blvd entrance, the windows are blacked out and uninviting, and the name makes one think it is a Chinese food restaurant rather than a nightclub.
What the proponents of WoW are asking for is not to move backward; instead, they are asking to move forward, perhaps with a downtown visioning committee or a community building visioning committee. And not to kill the possibility of a more vital downtown and more vital community before it gets started.
In the face of a room full of WoW supporters plus the 2000 signature petition and written testimony from 65 businesses, the Council did what it does so often: punted. The WoW exists until January 31. In the meantime, Councilmember Jung requested that staff study the possibility of closing the entire block, a request that probably cannot be completed by the mid-January meeting and may be just a stalling measure as he is the incumbent. However, there will be an election before then, and the race in the 4th district could make all the difference. Interestingly, no candidate for that seat showed up for this meeting.
Other than the punting, the low point of the evening was when one speaker asked someone to wake up Whitaker.
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Categories: Community Voices, Downtown, Local Government, Local News
I don’t think I would characterize West Wilshire as “a previously lightly used street.” Lightly used compared to what? A residential avenue, which it mostly is except for downtown, or a major thoroughfare, which it crosses and parallels? If it’s so lightly used how have businesses managed to thrive there over the many decades?
The council has punted this item for years, not just during this election cycle. I found Mayor Pro tem Fred Jung’s compromise to be reasonable and accommodating, under the circumstances. Like Mr. Jung, I prefer careful planning and public participation over the haphazard unilateral actions that established the street closure in the first place.
Probably because people park somewhere else anyway. There was never a lot of parking there. Sometimes you could get lucky but it wasn’t worth the trouble. The city has made sure there is plenty of parking downtown. If there’s a problem it’s not a parking problem it’s a walking problem.
That does not seem to work well in Fullerton. The city is notorious for hiring consultants, not taking actions , and filing the plans away. Council spends the money and then are dubious about the results. Whitaker once went so far as to question the consultants ethics at a city council meeting.
Two points from someone (me) who had an office in Villa del Sol for a couple of decades might make is, that intersection was a hazard before West Wilshire was closed because there is no left turn lane into the Avenue and traffic was blocked if anyone wanted to turn left there. Also, that crosswalk that goes from the Villa entrance and crosses over to the alley was also a hazard, because not many would bother to stop for pedestrians.
Earlier this evening a truck was parked perpendicularly across the bicycle lane up against the bollards on the west side, blocking bicycle access to the dedicated bike lane.