The Fulton Mall: How do we fix it?
UPDATE: There was a strong turnout at last night’s Fulton Mall community meeting, an estimate of 400+, to hear about eight proposed plans. The picture above is the most drastic change — opening the mall to traffic and adding a street car. Other options ranged all the way to “do nothing.” If you weren’t there, here’s how you can catch up:
- Check out a PDF of the eight different plans.
- Read The Bee’s story on last night’s event.
- Hear from one local blogger about what was missing.
Any of the eight options get you excited? What do you like/dislike?
Remember, there are more sessions all week about the Fulton Corridor plan. Get all the info at fresnodowntownplans.com.
ORIGINAL POST: The local Internet community spends a lot of time at its keyboards debating the future of the Fulton Mall. Maybe it’s on a comment thread here or on a Facebook page or in a 7-way Twitter conversation or on Mindhub.
Despite the headline of this post, I don’t actually want you to answer how you would fix the Fulton Mall. Instead, I’d rather you head out tonight to what promises to be the most lively of the week-long public input sessions about the downtown revitalization. It’s titled “The Fulton Mall: How do we fix it?” So give your answer there.
The city, with the help of outside consultants, is hosting a different meeting each night this week about The Fulton Corridor Specific Plan — basically the rules by which downtown will run. The whole thing kicked off with a meeting on Saturday. Here are some notes from that.
Tonight’s session oughta be well attended, since the Fulton Mall is long a hot topic. So instead of debating here (again) whether to open the mall to traffic, go be part of a group of people having a healthy, in-person dialog. It runs 5-8 p.m. at downtown Holiday Inn, on the second floor.
Maybe one day, when the Fulton Mall is as awesome as we all hope it can be, you can say, “I contributed to that.” For now, you can get up to speed at fresnodowntownplans.com.
RELATED LINKS
- 100 attend first meeting on downtown Fresno [The Bee]
- Downtown Fresno: What is a Vibrant and Prosperous Downtown? [James Collier]
- Fulton Corridor charrette [Archop]
Responses to "The Fulton Mall: How do we fix it?"
After reading the comments over on The Bee’s Saturday recap, it’s important that those who think we’re just wasting money on consultants get off their couch and come to the meetings – otherwise, maybe we are. We don’t get opportunities for input like this very often.
HERE ARE MY PRO BONO CONSULATION FINDINGS, as a 25-year resident of Fresno.
Yes, some people will hate me for this:
We can drive through Fig Garden Village and the parking is free. We can drive through Sierra Vista and the parking is free. We can drive through Fashion Fair and the parking is free. And, we can drive through River Park, and there is no river, there is no park, but the parking is still free.
But, we can’t drive through Fulton Mall. And, even if we could, the parking is not free.
Are “we smarter than a fifth grader?” We love our cars and dislike paying for parking. Pure and simple.
Enough said. Open Fulton Mall to one-way vehicular traffic. And, allow parking for free for a minimum of three hours. Four is even better!
Peter, there’s free 30-minute parking on Kern Street, and you can drive both ways down it. Just curious – when was the last time you visited? (My point: free parking does not a destination make.)
In fact, I’d argue that people will pay for parking, if the destination is worth while. Say, while…ahem…stopping in for a class at their favorite university. I mean, that’s not free, is it? (Wait, why isn’t that free?!?)
If opening the Mall will bring substantial traffic, I’ll come out to help move the art. No matter what we do, though, I hope we don’t compare the area to any of those mentioned above – the Fulton corridor has a chance to be something much greater; something that increases density and supports local businesses, instead of contributing to sprawl and glamorizing big box retail.
See you tonight?
To be entirely truthful, the Fulton Mall does look like downtown Detroit. The entire Fulton Mall (all buildings on either side for the entire length of “the mall” should be torn down. You can’t fix a cancer with a band aid. Start anew.
What.
youre takin a big risk with these comments, the beehive buzzes angrily when you speak the truth
I personally hate the panhandling, and everyone else i know avoids the place mainly because if it, secondly the parking situation bites, open it up to free parking, then peole come back then start charging again is what i say
Dave, do you go to San Francisco? Does it bother you there?
I’m not trying to zing you. I’m just curious if you don’t mind it in other cities. And if so, why?
I agree with Peter. I also don’t go downtown because of the parking issue. If the parking were free then I might go if there were somewhere worth going.
So as of now 3 of your commenters are voting they don’t go downtown because of the parking. Interepret that however you want but that is reality.
James commented that there is free 30 minute parking on Kern. But hey guess what. No one knows about this free parking!
I work downtown, I have worked downtown for 2 years and even I didn’t know about this free parking that james mentioned.
Downtown is a money pit, how long have they tried to revive it? decades.
The city should instead focus on bringing more jobs and industry to Fresno.
El, what constitutes “somewhere worth going?” If you’re saying that such a place doesn’t exist, then *that* needs to be addressed before we even talk about parking. On that note, look for the stalls highlighted in green on Kern. They’re in front of Hotel Virginia.
As for jobs and industry – a vibrant downtown can be leveraged in not just bringing these here, but building them. Stucco suburbia isn’t so much of a selling point.
I knew about the free parking on Kern St. I know where you can park for free, if you don’t mind walking cause you can’t afford to pay for parking.
Funny thing, everyone talks about how they don’t pay for parking at River Park, etc. Yes you do, your parking fees are passed off to you in the goods that you buy.
I am curious, what major city with a downtown doesn’t have metered parking? Or parking lots? And do the meters and paid parking keep you from going to downtown in cities like San Fransisco? LA? Chicago? New York? St Louis?
no zing taken, Ive traveled all over the country due to work , major and minor cities alike, Yes there is panhandling everywhere but it seems many of the major cities have more of a police presence or simply just more people whereas many of the panhandlers do not get so agressive
I really cant pinpoint what it is about downtown and the panhandling, I went there twice in the past 2 weeks and the dudes asked for some changed and followed me and said some things under there breath because i didnt give them anything, I cant just give away money all the time to everyone that asks you know
I grew up going downtown all the time and really wish it could be what it once was, I really do, perhaps with all these meetings finally something can take shape
I don’t mind paying for parking in San Fransisco and LA because there are stores that I actually enjoy shopping in. As far as the panhandling goes, they aren’t that agressive there, and I agree, there is definately more of a police presence.
Economically speaking, who’s idea was it to hire outside Fresno a development team?
How does it make sense to a city in need of jobs to outsource a major one like this?
That’s the first problem. Hiring a team from Pasadena to fix a problem best solved by locals.
Let’s not even take account the ‘nothing to do in downtown’ factor.
Monorail
Parking is free after 6pm and downtown is still a ghost-town in the evening. It was also pointed out that the DTA has a parking validation program (which admitedly needs to be advertised better) that helps pay for parking during the day.
So is parking really the issue?
Call me cynical and a really awful person, but I think it’s hard to create a destination when there’s no demand.
This is how minor league baseball stadiums get built and never get paid for! There was plenty of sports options before. This is just forcing an issue and it probably won’t end well!
I hate to say it’s probably too late. The town sprawls for miles and miles in every direction, with no one really needing to leave their part of town.
Fresno needs a lot more than Fulton Mall.
I dont mind going down town and even paying for parking. The problem is there isnt any reason to go down town other than for federal or city business.
Bring something there worth going to and people will go. make people feel safe and they will go.
Has anyone gone to San Diego’s gaslamp district, its pretty dead during the day, but very lively at night. We need that kind of atmosphere down town. We have a lively down town during the day (business wise), but its dead after 5 pm.
Free parking would be nice and public transportation would be nice also. I do like the last concept proposal from the slide show though.
I agree with you. No needs to travel very far from where they live to get what they need. Down town needs to be different.
Open another casino. J/k. maybe not.
but that’s the thing, Fresnodude. I think there are already plenty of options for nightlife in Fresno. There’s hundreds of bars in this town! And there’s even the Tower District NEAR downtown, and that’s nothing but bars! I just don’t know what could be downtown that would fulfill a real need and isn’t offered elsewhere. People go there to work, and eat lunch during work, etc., because they can’t do that elsewhere.
If you want people to live there i think it’s going to need some of the big-box retail options so dreaded by the “creative” types, like CostCo and Target and grocery stores. and it’s going to need some attractive single-family homes. There, I said it!!! Multipurpose stuff works fine in an already bustling college town atmosphere, but I wouldn’t want to live above Aladdin bail bonds!!
Well, Chris, in case you’ve missed the last 20-30 years, Fresno is obviously incapable of fixing this problem itself.
I praise the city for reaching to outside consultants who are obviously a lot smarter than the people here.
That pdf was kind of weak. I think the consultants can do better than that as far as providing a more comprehensive vision of what each of the options would do and how they would look. There should also be a written portion that explains each option and the reasoning behind them. My vote is for either open cross streets or keep south/center closed. Reconnecting the grid is a very bad idea it would ruin the most unique feature of Downtown Fresno.
I dunno about the PDF or which of the whatnots I’d choose, but that picture up there sure looks awesome.
I couldn’t get the PDF to load, but that picture up there sure looks like Telegraph ave. in Berkeley. They could shut down the traffic on the couple of blocks for block parties, events and whatnot.
I don’t think the picture looks awesome. I think it looks generic and like something in Sacramento. Fresno should try to be better than Sacramento.
I think the picture up there is awesome!
I wish Fulton Mall could turn into a State Street similiar to Santa Barbara’s. That would be epic.
I read this as “I wish Fulton Mall could turn into Sesame Street” at first, and I was totally on board. Brownstones, Muppets living in garbage cans, little kids counting out loud for no reason at all — I can get behind that.
and katy perry’s juggs jiggling up and down the street. i can mos def get behind that, or in between!!
Parking is free at Manchester Mall, do you go there? Parking was free at granite park, how did that work out?
Cars are allowed everywhere else downtown. And yet the streets are even emptier and they have even less stores than Fulton Mall. Just visit Fulton St a block below or above the mall, parking, cars….and its much, much worse than the mall.
And last I checked, no, you cannot drive through fashion fair.
If you are interested in some views about Fulton from people who find themselves there regularly for work, for shopping, for community – please see this new website:
http://cicadakim.com/fultonmall/
Just another contribution to our city’s conversation.
I agree with you that Fulton Street should be restored by tearing out the cement paving that is the Fulton Mall, Peter, but you should know that there is no such thing as free parking. Business owners in suburban areas that provide “free” parking simply charge more for their goods and services. The land that parking spaces and parking lots use is costly real estate, after all.
Business owners in struggling urban centers like downtown Fresno, however, can’t easily afford to raise their prices to offer free parking, while city taxpayers shouldn’t have to bear the burden of offering it by building parking lots and garages, not to mention the loss of valuable land and buildings that this would cause through demolition and acquisition.
The goal here should be to encourage a dense, thriving downtown where people can live, work, play and walk, as well as drive if they wish, while those who don’t drive as much, or at all, should not have to pay for the parking of those who do.
For more on the hidden (exorbitant) costs of parking, check out this article from Los Angeles Magazine:
http://www.lamag.com/features/Story.aspx?ID=1568281