Public Gathering
It’s funny how, one by one, the advocates for the idiotic “Walk on Wilshire” determinedly reject common sense arguments against it’s continuance.
The concept has been a money loser for the City. Who cares?
Created and perpetuated by “economic development” City employees as make-work for themselves, the thing is an economic sinkhole, just like the rest of downtown Fullerton, while the City suffers from a massive tsunami of red ink. Who cares?
Only one restaurant has deemed it worthwhile to fully participate in this financial disaster. Who cares?
The rights and interests of business owners elsewhere on Wilshire Avenue have been intentionally denied. Who cares?
The ability of motorists to use a public street bought and paid for by the public has been denied them. Who cares?
At the July 16th City Council meeting we learned what was valuable according to the advocates of this moronic scheme. It wasn’t really about “economic development,” because there isn’t any. It was all about the squishy, feel-good goal of a communal gathering space, as if this silly, blocked off space provided any better communal experience than private dining on the inside of a restaurant, or on the sidewalk.
The fact the that the Fullerton Observer has dedicated itself to defending this ludicrous scheme should be sufficient evidence of its idiocy. The real goal of this gaggle is to deny auto access to a public street; it’s the first small step to a utopia where everybody is poor, riding bikes and wearing Mao jackets. But that’s too nutsy even for them to propound openly. So they advocate for a “public gathering space” even though the “Walk on Wilshire” is not really open to the general populace at all.
What these people don’t acknowledge is that there is already a large public space in downtown Fullerton.
It’s called the Downtown Plaza, an acre of open space that already exists, and that can be used without any cost for those interested in the orgasmic experience of New Urban public gathering. There’s even a little parklet across the way. Here it is:
There is absolutely nothing from keeping the City opening this huge space to public dining and permitting ALL the restaurants in Fullerton to cater their wares here directly, or through an on line application. There’s trees, green grass and blue sky overhead.
Of course this would require almost no City involvement, and no project our economic development employees could put on their time cards. It was built a long time ago and, except for a few events goes mostly unused. But there it is. String some solar light in the trees, put out some tables and you’re good to go. There’s even a handy parking structure across the street.
How about this as a “pilot” program: use the existing open space for that “al fresco” dining experience so beloved by Bruce Whitaker, and open up Wilshire Avenue to the people who want to drive on it, and for the businesses on Wilshire that need it for convenient access and parking.
Does this idea seem ridiculous? Why? At the very least it demonstrates the shallowness of the alleged arguments in favor of keeping Wilshire closed: the City doesn’t intelligently used the communal gathering space it already has.
And why not restrict outside dining to the sidewalks, where it belongs?
Our City staff, and at least two of our City Councilpersons, maybe three if you count Bruce Whitaker, would rather shut down a public street to our detriment, but to their benefit.
Al fresco! Al fresco!!!
The plaza just like the so-called Walk on Wilshire is empty most of time proving that the people of Fullerton don’t really support it, even if it’s wide-open and free.
The plaza in particular is a good example of a Redevelopment exercise in place making that creates dead zones.
The plaza works when it works, once a week for much of the year and on special occasions otherwise. The problem with it is that there aren’t any adjacent, or even nearby, businesses that can “activate,” as planners love to say, the plaza space most of the time. Instead, it sits empty, its hardscape creating a heat island. It does have some trees, but it isn’t a very attractive space on its own. One would think that residents of the apartments next to the plaza would use it, but they don’t seem to do so. It’s like a traditional village green, but without the green.
Exactly. Without programing it has no attraction for the public. A Redevelopment created dead zone. Not that much different from WoW, except already paid for.
Of course my post was tongue-in-cheek. I wasn’t sure if that would come through. My point was that we already have what is a true public gathering location downtown and it’s empty 90% of the time.
its not empty 90% of the time if you bothered to leave your house and go outside
Great. Then we don’t need Walk on the Wildside.
so we dont need WoW becuase this other place is empty 90% of the time, but when pointed out its not empty we still dont need WoW? Get your story straight cunt
Guess I hit a nerve, eh? Good. You might learn something if you screw up your brains tight enough.
The city is in denial that transients and druggies are all over downtown, so people don’t go out walking alone or to local restaurants.
The plaza is a dead zone–maybe the restaurants could serve up pasta or something on the weekend. Might entice the folks going out dancing/drinking to eat a little first.
I like it. Giant vats of spaghetti so that the Whitakers can dine al fresco. And drink fresca.
The only reason restaurant chairs don’t fall into the potholes that plague much of Wilshire is that the Bicycle Boulevard part of the street was newly paved between Woods and Acacia as part of the project. The city then closed a block of Wilshire for outdoor dining and it took years to get a bike through lane installed.
Dysfunction alright. But hey, it’s not about practicality, it’s about feelings. And the feelings are that inconveniencing drivers is the first step in chain reaction.
Zahra and Charles and the Fullerton Observer are promoting this and recruiting public speakers; Whitaker is babbling about brining al fresco dining to Fullerton – surely the only Italian words he knows besides Lasorda and spaghetti.
Even Bruce Whitaker finally acknowledged that 100 W Wilshire wasn’t working as an outdoor dining plaza, in part because there isn’t enough foot traffic on the street to support it. Just watch, the proposed solution will be to build more high density residential buildings surrounding it, even though there are two there already.
Ha! That’s the Fullerton way. I have watched over the decades as City Hall kept plunking down and promising more prison blocks under the misguided idea that they were bringing a captive audience to “activate” the downtown they were so proud of having poured millions into.
Remember Amerige Court? I bet that’s still alive somewhere.
All four stories and 295 units of “Aplifi,” formerly known as the Red Oak project, got built. Where’s our Trader Joe’s
https://fullertonrag.com/2016/10/04/fullerton-planning-commissioner-maayn-johnson-uses-to-south-park-rationale-to-approve-development-on-600-block-of-west-commonwealth/
I want my Trader Joe’s!
You wait. Another cubicle laden block is coming to the corner of Lemon and Chapman. There’s a reason the City finally cleaned up ownership – 8 years after Redevelopment was supposed to be all cleaned up.
Its also inconveniencing the police to get thru to attend emergencies. Instead they have to go around.
no its not, show any evidence of this at all
come sit on my porch and count the police going down my street to get around!!! Ill bring the chips and salsa!
I’m not at all in favor of the closure of Wilshire, but at the same time the whole park al fresco idea is not the least bit feasible. Proper service and food delivery requires close proximity. A server can’t go walking down the block just to check if a table needs more water, condiments, extra sauce, etc.
I get food delivered to my house all the time. There won’t be any “servers” involved. Here’s a bag with your grub.
Sunlight warms our skin,
Laughter mingles with bird song
Meal shared with Ahmad
the police are a money loser for fullerton but we still give them most of our city budget
Your point is that the cops are expensive so we can afford to waste a small amount?
Supposedly the cops benefit EVERYBODY, not just a handful of loudmouth boohoos.
no the point is the cops waste far more money. Also i dont see the cops benefitting everyone, just ask the familes of the homeless they kill.
Youre the only loudmouth crybaby i see.
It’s hard to see what you real bitch is. Is it the cops or is it opening up Wilshire to the public again? Maybe both? So you may be the biggest loudmouth crybaby.
learn to speak english then come back and try your post again
Learn punctuation then come back and try your post again.
Wow the woke mob is trying to open up Wilshire, maybe they should just shut the fuck up
No, it’s the WoW mob.
” The real goal of this gaggle is to deny auto access to a public street; it’s the first small step to a utopia where everybody is poor, riding bikes and wearing Mao jackets.”
There it is. Dumbest thing I’ve heard today.
Haha! I won the contest: how long will it take Hoogerbooger to show up and say something pointless?
“everything I don’t like is communism” is just as toxic and empty headed as “everything I don’t like is fascism”
Lame.
No, you’re toxic. Angry manatee loser.
I had 5:35.
Let’s do what feels good and not think about logic or finances. Let’s go in debt. Doesn’t matter as long as we get what we want.
Who cares? WHO CARES?!
The taxpayers with common sense care. Zahra should not represent my district. We don’t need him, we need thinkers and financially responsible people.
BTW, John R. Hogerhuis, how about you add something insightful. The dumbest thing in the comments is your lack of wisdom. If you are not going to be insightful; you should really shut up. Even a fool, such as yourself, can seem wise when he shuts the fuck up.
What’s with all the pearl clutching over this portion of Wilshire?
What’s so “walk” about a street rented out to restaurants with tables and chairs in the middle? It’s actually less walkable because of the waiters blocking the sidewalk.
You park somewhere else and walk to get there. After that all the walking is done until you get up and walk back to your car. All the dimwitted proponents want you to think this some recreational activity. Nope. It’s a just a street closed to traffic to make things very inconvenient for the surrounding businesses.
It’s anti-business.
A street is a street.
Hell, even I know that.