Walk On Wilshire Coming Back
Next Tuesday our City Council will once again address the issue of Walk on Wilshire, the bureaucrat-driven “pilot program” that closed off the 100 block of West Wilshire Avenue to street traffic so that three restaurants could set up shop in the middle of the street. The issue is whether to approve an extension of the idea. Pretty soon they’re going to drop the word “pilot” altogether, and we’ll know that City Hall has permanently squatted on the street.
As usual, the staff report is so poorly written that it takes some forensic work to figure it out.
So far the thing has cost ninety grand, but more “enhancements” are projected – another $80,000. Staff says lease revenue for the past 27 months is less than $36,000, but somehow will go up to $40K a year once two more users build their “parklets” – a silly phrase that has currency among urban “planners.” That remains to be seen, but any way you slice it, with ongoing maintenance costs it will be years before the City recoups its outlay – if it ever does. This concept seems to have eluded the crack minds of our “Economic Development” employees, and our City Council that steadfastly spends more to get less back. But that is the constant theme of Downtown Fullerton.
It’s funny how depriving the taxpaying citizens of their right to drive on a public street is seen as a good thing in some circles – cars bad, bad, bad; and the impact on other businesses on Wilshire Avenue isn’t taken into account at all. Some folks seem to think the experience is cosmopolitan, likening it to a veritable Parisian vacation, but failing to note the difference between a sidewalk café and putting tables out in the middle of a road closed for that purpose – something no Parisian citizen would tolerate for a second.
Even though the staff report says it awaits City Council guidance, it is replete with pro-street theft propaganda, including another one of those ginned up polls done by Kosmont whose previous efforts include this hot mess. And it gets even worse.
Staff is requesting an “Asssement” opportunity to locate other places in DTF to recreate the money loser on Wilshire, “vibrancy” sounding ever so much better than bureaucratic busywork and inconvenient street closings.
Well the die is already cast on this one. Zahra and Charles just ooze sanctimonious support for this hare-brained idea; and Bruce Whitaker is all in for it, too, for some nincompoop reason – maybe because his wife likes it. Nick Dunlap recused himself last time and may do so again. Or he may just go along with more staff-driven nonsense. Only Fred Jung seemed really opposed to this scheme, but he’s going to be in the minority.
You’re supposed to refer to it as WOW, as in wow, what an accomplishment.
The mentally challenged Observers just love them some WOW, due to its anti-motorist gesture, as if it would take a single car trip from happening.
Sadly, none of the councilpersons will ask about the return on this losing “investment.” Probably it will be hailed as a economic development triumph.
Yes. Another brilliant downtown Fullerton success story!!! Vibrant. The new term for barf, blast, booze bars.
You can bet they’ll close off the west end of that block too. Whitaker’s legacy. Dumbassery.
This is in the bag. The public will never get to use this street as a street again. Whitaker, Zahra and Charles. The Boutique Hotel Trio.
Bushali Brothers is opposed to this so in can’t happen.
Nick will defend his dad’s tenant. Zahra, Charles, and Bruce like anything stupid. They will all vote to keep it because the council sucks.
The Mayor didn’t recuse himself last go round. If I recall, he voted to keep it. Maybe it had something to do with his dad? Maybe not?
No, no one will ask a bout a cost analysis. That’s just not done in Fullerton. When your staff brings you a plate of shit, your job is to lap it up and ask for more.
The author of this post is correct. This stunt will NEVER pay for itself and nobody cares. It’s feelings that count and people eating dinner in the middle of the street makes some idiots feel good.
How funny. An assessment because of the stunning success.
And who the Hell authorized Kosmont parasites to do that poll? Our City Manager is a goddamn fool.
I prefer to refer to Levitt as a buffoon.
City Hall clamors
Foolish plans take shape quickly
Dollars fade to dust
Correction – foolish plans take a while to gestate then they are impossible to kill. Exhibit A for the prosecution: Walk on Wilshire. Exhibit B: the Trail to Nowhere.
Okay, how’s this:
The foolish brain storm
Then protracted gestation
A rock splits the sea
City Hall clamors
Foolish plans become zombies
Dollars fade to dust
Nice to continuation if outside activity after the dark JP123 & 123North facelift
Indeed carving out a small space downtown for outdoor dining is entirely about feelings. People feeling good sitting outside in a nice environment having a meal with friends.
The bureaucrats got something right. I mean it wasn’t novel, these things were showing all over the place, driven by the reality of a pandemic.
They hit on something that worked, creating a new feature downtown to provide some good feelings. Oh but everyone needs to answer to a cranky landlord and Fiends for Fullerton’s Failure. What rational metric would suffice since creating happiness is obviously irrelevant and trivial.
And no I doubt anyone is feeling deprived of their god given right to slightly less of a combinatorial explosion of ways to get to their destination. Everything is still connected to everything else even with the WoW.
No shame in fake concern trolling here. Oh no. “Street theft…” for fucks sake. Can you all even hear yourselves.
Put it on the sidewalk, asshole. Your brain is a combinatorial explosion of shitwater.
It’s a money loser and the City budget is bleeding red ink. Congrats on your diploma mill MBA. You qualify as a public agency “economic development” expert.
Stop pretending this is about balancing the accounts. Pick one angle and stick to it, otherwise you’re just throwing a bunch of shit at the wall to see what sticks.
Did the city steal a city street? If this makes sense to you, call the cops.
I wrote about the foolish waste of money because the staff report FINALLY makes the cost clear. It’s a money loser – just like so many other City Hall brainstorms over the years that just turned out to be make-work ideas for staff.
P.S. You are a fucking idiot. You really do qualify to be a City of Fullerton economic development expert. You have all the qualifications. Including a worthless degree from a diploma mill.
Hoogies reading comprehension is appallingly bad.
No, I earned my degrees, they did not come from “diploma mills.”
You might as well have graduated from the Phoenix University.
As I thought, you’re just making shit up.
It’s basically your whole thing.
Haha. Hooger. DeVry School grad. Parvum Cum Laude
Don’t try to talk sense with a senseless person. JRH lives in his tiny skull-sized kingdom. He holds court there regularly and he always wins because he is an insufferable twat who cannot get along with anyone other than himself.
JRH proves again that he is an insufferable twat who has no friends. He is the angriest elf.
Manatee.
Increased foot traffic, cap rate compression, and lease retention show the inherent value of building places to congregate. So for public entities, sacrificing a small fraction of leasable area for public space to revitalize a property and avoid obsolescence can be an incredible value-add strategy. Especially to downtown restaurants. Developers who have prioritized creating an experience for their tenants and residents have been able to sell their properties for a premium by building a community around their real estate. The new anchor tenant became shared public spaces and continues to be shared space, as much as you folks may disagree.
What in the bejeezus are you talking about?
Thanks for a fat paragraph of nonsense. Disagree? You can’t disagree with gibberish.
John Hoggerpussy is a lonely man who sits behind a computer all day and replies back to Russian troll bots who post on FFFF. He is a single, what they commonly refer to as an incel. Please do not aggravate his fragile personality because he just might take another shot at Trump. John, you are always right. You are a Casanova and most women or men who be lucky to have you. Your skills are mad level. Beta-bux my man. You are definitely Aspie!