to
return to Old Town Newhall, USA
By Carl Boyer, Mayor Of Newhall And Neighboring Communities.
Old Town Newhall Gazette, December 1996.
©1996, OLD TOWN NEWHALL, USA -- ALL
RIGHTS RESERVED.
Much has been said and written about downtown Newhall, which now stands at a critical juncture.
If things continue has they have for the past ten years, this area will continue to slip into decline. On the other hand, if real investment is made in the area, downtown Newhall could become Santa Clarita's crowning jewel.
Recent trends, as examined by Mundie and Associates in their market analysis of the area, published in April, 1995, indicate that all things being equal, people who live in downtown Newhall are considered most likely to shop for goods and services there.
"Things being equal" covers a wide variety of conditions, however, such as availability of desired goods and services in downtown Newhall, convenient transportation routes to the area, no competing stores or outlets between the place of residence and downtown Newhall, an attractive ambience, and so on.
At this time, downtown Newhall suffers from a lack of a focused identity, a lack of a core retail area, a large amount of space devoted to activities that do not attract frequent customers or pedestrians, and a lack of parking.
According to the market analysis, if downtown Newhall is perceived as being more attractive than competing areas, then people living in the primary market area -- the one-mile radius around the intersection of San Fernando Road and Lyons Avenue -- will be more likely to shop there, and people from beyond the primary market area may do some or all of their shopping there, as well.
If downtown Newhall is perceived as being less attractive, then fewer people in the primary market area and beyond will shop there, preferring to patronize other shopping areas instead. In other words, perception is reality.
In September of 1993, a Citizen Participation Program for downtown Newhall was completed and a report prepared by Jeff Oberdorfer and Associates. The program was conducted over a six-month period, and its goals were to involve the community in a public process to identify the special needs of downtown Newhall as a basis for beginning a more detailed planning process.
Other goals included: identifying community concerns and issues in the area; obtaining a consensus on issues; and publicizing the results of the participation process with recommendations on how to proceed with the next phase of the planning process.
Enter Michael Freedman and associates. In April, 1996, a comprehensive report was published by Freedman, Tung and Bottomley, urban design and town planners, in conjunction with Mundie and Associates, consultants in economics and land use.
After more than half a dozen community meetings, which aired on local public access television, the published report was presented to the City Council for consideration. In it were specific recommendations for resuscitating the ailing downtown Newhall area, complete with a plan for financing the programs and projects.
Freedman's proposed "Newhall Improvement Program" was divided into three parts: revitalization programs, capital improvement projects, and a financing strategy.
Revitalization programs include:
Recommended capital improvements include:
Rome was not built in a day, nor will all of downtown Newhall's needed improvements be completed tomorrow. However, the City Council has made downtown Newhall a high priority and has approved a first-phase capital improvement plan.
So how do we pay for all of this? The Freedman report outlines financing strategies for the revitalization of downtown Newhall. These include redevelopment, private investment, assessments, and federal monies.
A moderate redevelopment agency approach was selected by the City Council, along with some business investment as a means to finance the necessary area improvements. Redevelopment monies are derived from a portion of future tax revenues that hopefully increase as property values increase. With this approach, major improvements should be completed within 5-7 years.
If anything has become apparent as a result of the numerous meetings and reports, it is that we cannot sit back and do nothing in hopes that downtown Newhall will heal itself.
It is going to take the full support of the community to turn the tide on what could be Santa Clarita's crowning jewel. And the success of downtown Newhall revitalization will create the public support needed to work on Canyon Country and other areas in our city.
For more information, contact the City of Santa Clarita's Community Development Department at (805) 255-4330.