[MUSIC]
NARRATOR: SUBURBAN LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA HAD BEEN IN DECLINE FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS.
RESIDENTS WANTED TO SEE CHANGES TO THE DILAPIDATED DOWNTOWN WITH ITS VACANT STORE FRONTS AND
LIMITED HOUSING OPTIONS. Shirley Griffiths/ Owner, Panache Salon: We
needed a new look, we needed a new feel. Our town was run down and it was time to update
it. Brian Ludicke/ Lancaster Planning Director:
We said, we're going to go out to the community and outreach into them and say, what is it
that you want to see in your downtown. NARRATOR: WORKING CLOSELY WITH RESIDENTS AND
BUSINESS OWNERS, THE CITY’S PLAN TO REDESIGN LANCASTER BOULEVARD REVIVED THE AREA AS A
SAFE, CULTURAL AND COMMERCIAL CENTER, TURNING IT FROM A BUSY FOUR-LANE STREET INTO -- “THE
BOULEVARD”. Shirley: Before, there was a lot of empty
spaces on our boulevard. There was parking lots or things that hadn't been, you know,
rundown buildings and what-have-you. So people would drive by at 60 miles an hour.
Brian: The first thing that we knew we had to do in the design of the street was to slow
the traffic down. And what that meant was narrowing the travel lane. One of the important
features is making sure that there's parking that’s available close to the retail businesses.
Doing the ramblas design allowed us to do that. That ramblas also serves another important
function. It can actually be used for community events.
Shirley: It slowed everybody down. So now they'll park once, get out, walk the streets,
and see what else is available to them other than just driving by as a street thoroughfare.
Rena Patel/ Owner, Graphic Experience: The foot traffic is phenomenal. You can do your
dry cleaning, your banking, your medical, your dental, all in this area. People milling
downtown, to especially all the great events that the city puts on, that's our time to
shine and and have people notice us. NARRATOR: THE NEW WALKABLE, BIKEABLE, 2-LANE
STREET IS NOW FLANKED BY MIXED INCOME AND SENIOR CITIZEN APARTMENT BUILDINGS, PLUS A
NEARBY PARK AND COMMUTER TRAIN STATION. WITH EVERYTHING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, THE BOULEVARD
IS ONCE AGAIN A POPULAR COMMUNITY MEETING PLACE.
Rena: One of the big key factors is the farmers market. The food booths, the vendors. That
typically feels like a small-town festival, and it truly feels like a community when that
happens. Darryl Holley/ Resident: I've never seen a
street set up like this. Out here on the boulevard, they've got pianos just set up in different
places. Random acts of music, and it's cool you know. A lot of times people stop and commend
me. One time I was sitting here, somebody came from the restaurant and just handed me
a five-dollar tip. I said, well cool. [laughs] THE BOULEVARD IS NOW “THE” DESTINATION
FOR SHOPPING, DINING, AND EVENTS, BRINGING LANCASTER’S RESIDENTS BACK TOGETHER AS A
COMMUNITY. [construction noise] THE REDEVELOPMENT HAS ALSO CREATED NEW BUSINESSES AND ALMOST
2000 NEW JOBS. Brian: Some of our more successful entrepreneurial
businesses that have gone in, we’ve had somewhere between 40 and 45 new ones locate
on the boulevard since the street was redone, have now become some of the flagship businesses
for downtown, the reasons that people actually come to this area.
Brian: And that's actually one of the great things about good urban design. It creates
that kind of place where people can run in to each other, meet each other, see each other,
and and you get a lot of great community benefit and interaction out of that.
[piano playing] Darryl: I like to come out here and just relax
and play the piano a little bit sometimes. I like the improvements they've made out here,
it's awesome. [piano playing]