In late September, the city of Fresno allowed the community to voice their vision on a variety of issues pertaining to the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan.

Both plans are broken up into six different phases. The first phase, Discovery, concluded in May 2010.

The second phase, Visioning and Design Workshop was designed to have the community participate and include their ideas on how to make downtown a better place.

Community members of all ages, including Fresno State students, were encouraged to voice their opinion since those students make up such a large part of the community.

The Tower District is an example of how such plans can help improve somewhat neglected parts of the city. In 1991, a similar plan was constructed to revitalize the Tower District.

The Tower District is now a popular place that boasts local artists, musicians and businesses. The hope is that the new plan for the Fulton Mall and surrounding areas will show similar, if not better, results.

The Visioning and Design Workshops took place during the week of Sept. 27 with two separate workshops each day. The first was an hour-long overview of the specific topic. The second was a three-hour workshop that allowed public input.

“I think improving the Fulton Mall area is a really good thing,” says Kristen Bergmann, a child development major. “I’ve lived [in Fresno] my whole life and that side of town hasn’t always been the best.”

The Fulton Mall, considered to be an historical asset to the city of Fresno, was the first topic discussed at the workshops.

The mall was built in 1964 and contains some of Fresno’s most historic buildings, as well as a world-class public art collection. In its prime, it served as a central shopping attraction.

Other topics discussed during the workshops were the downtown economy, its transportation, landscapes and open space. The widely talked of high-speed train system was also brought up.

Janine Dreifuss of San Diego planned to attend the event.

“I think it will be an asset to the community and people like me who don’t know this area all that well,” she said.

Both the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan consist of many specific city areas: the Central Business District, the Cultural Arts District, the South Stadium zone, Chinatown and the surrounding neighborhoods of Lowell, Jefferson, Southwest and Southeast.

In all, the combined plan areas comprise approximately 7,000 acres.

These two plans are common procedures of the land use law in California, as well as in Fresno. They are part of the city’s Downtown and Community Revitalization Department.

The department’s mission is to help transform downtown into a friendly community accessible to, and for, the public. They are also in charge of restoring historic neighborhoods and building and maintaining a strong local economy.

Three future phases in the Fulton Corridor project will take place this month. Unpacking, where ideas formed during the Visioning and Design phase are refined for city review, and the Specific Plan Preparation and Environmental Review, which will assess the exact construction logistics and the environmental impact of the developments, will be conducted to bring the project closer to its final adoption in June 2012.
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