Phase 1 of Downtown Vibrancy Plan in Salinas underway

UPDATE 8/7/2017 5:30 p.m.:

Downtown Salinas is getting a major facelift, as work on the long-awaited Downtown Vibrancy Plan finally gets underway.

The area that was once known as “Oldtown,” is rebranding itself as City Center. City leaders want to create an urban environment that includes housing, businesses and events, all safe and family friendly.

On Monday, KION asked locals what they wanted to see in a revamped downtown district.

Jose Morales of Prunedale said easier accessibility.

“You try to drive down, even without this (rolling parking closures) it’s hard to find parking,” Morales said.

Geneva Blumenthal of Salinas said it was people who make a downtown thrive.

“More festivals because that’s what will bring people back here,” Blumenthal said.

In 2015, the city adopted a Downtown Vibrancy Plan, encompassing the area between Salinas and Monterey Streets, south of Market Street. The idea is to create an environment where the city’s past and future came together for a mix of places to live, recreation, businesses and culture in a safe, family-friendly area.

Something that’s overdue.

“It talks about updating our 1985 street design,” said Don Reynolds, assistant director for the Salinas Public Works Department. “Keeping what we love like the light poles and the flowers and maybe changing out the planters and coming in with public arts and statuary and fountains and make our downtown a memorable place to be.”

Other major changes include turning one-way streets like Monterey, Main and Salinas into two-way roadways.

There’s also plans for more housing.

“We came forward with a housing marketing study that looked towards bringing several hundred houses per year as a result of development on those parking lots, at the same time accommodating parking for both housing and the downtown merchants. So that is really the biggest piece and that is how we’d make the downtown more vibrant is to have that 24-hour presence of more people living in our downtown,” Reynolds said.

Parking must still be figured out. The city is looking at where future parking structures could be built.

On Monday, the first phase of the plan began, with surveying crews identifying where utility lines are along the 100-300 blocks of Main Street. Those lines will be moved to a nearby alley. While they work, rolling parking closures are underway.

Groundbreaking for the project is set for next summer. The project will cost between $10-12 million, funded by voter-approved Measure X.

ORIGINAL POST:

The Salinas Downtown Vibrancy Plan is revamping Salinas City Center, the neighborhood formerly known as Oldtown.

Public work crews begin work on phase one of the Downtown Vibrancy Plan this week.

The Plan aims to transform the City Center into a safe place that is able to provide visitors and residents alike with arts and culture.

City Center and its current 1960 design are car oriented; however, the re-model that is part of the Plan should make the area more people friendly.

“[The Plan] talks about returning one way traffic to two way streets. It talks about updating the 1985 street design, keeping what we love like the light poles and flowers, and maybe changing out the planters and coming in with public arts, and statues, and fountains and making our downtown a memorable place to be,” said Don Reynolds, Assistant Director, Public Works Department.

Work in the area is currently taking place underground. Crews are moving utilities from Main Street into alleyways.

As a result, there will be rolling parking closures on Main Street this week.

The Public Works Department hopes to break ground by summer 2018.

KION’s Mariana Hicks has the story full story at 6 p.m.