Uptown Workshop Summary

The Uptown Workshop was a resounding success with over 150 owners, residents, and stakeholders showing up at Georgia Brown Elementary School to help shape the future of Uptown and the Town Centre.

The consultant team presented the existing state of Uptown's buildings, streets, sidewalks, parks, and landscape and offered ideas for how to transform Uptown into a pedestrian-scaled neighborhood. You may download the Uptown Workshop PowerPoint as a PDF below. The consultant team than opened up the session to community input, receiving extremely informative and thoughtful comments from the community members in attendance.

Following is a summary of the community's input:

Comments During Public Workshop

1. Parks:
   
   1. Need more park space - for children and adults.
   2. Water conservation strategies should be employed - especially in regards to watering of public park lawn areas.
2. Sidewalks:
   
   1. Need improved sidewalks throughout (especially Vine Street).
   2. Sidewalks should be introduced along entire street or block, not incrementally on a property-by-property basis.
   3. Sidewalks should only be introduced within public right-of-way only (i.e. not on private property).
   4. Would like to see many more street trees.
3. Bike Lanes:
   
   1. Bike lanes should be introduced.
   2. Bike lanes need not be wide bike paths that are expensive to build (i.e. bike paths on existing streets should be sufficient).
4. Street and Transportation Improvements:
   
   1. The Spring Street off-ramp off of southbound Highway 101 is currently dangerous and needs improvement. Would like to see improvements occur sooner than later.
5. Traffic Calming:
   
   1. Vine Street needs stop signs
   2. Speed bumps should be introduced.
6. Buildings and Uses:
   
   1. There is a desperate need for Doctors' offices in Uptown.
   2. The existing motels along Spring Street should be renovated.
   3. There is a need for a community center.
   4. Would like to see a Latino market
   5. Will existing vacant lots or lots with condemned buildings be improved.
7. Oak Park Housing:
   
   1. Current units do not have enough bathrooms (typical configuration is 1 bathroom for 3 bedroom units)
   2. If Oak Park building program (unit count) expands, will that not mean something else will need to be taken away (i.e. larger buildings will result in less open space)?
   3. Security cameras should be introduced to improve security within Oak Park.
   4. Would like to see Laundromat introduced within Oak Park (otherwise clothing has to air dry and is susceptible to being stolen).
8. Cost:
   
   1. Where will money to pay for redevelopment and improvements come from?
9. Miscellaneous:
   
   1. Are there plans for mitigating the sulfur smell that currently exists behind City Hall?
   2. Would like design team to refer to previous design work (such as Cal Poly Master Plan).
   3. There are drainage back-ups, which create standing pools of water, which in turn breed mosquitoes. This needs immediate attention.

Comments after Public Workshop

1. Parks:
   
   1. Would like to see recreational fields capable of accommodating 6-8 soccer fields. Ideally, a tot lot would be provided adjacent to the recreational fields (current recreational fields are too small to accommodate youth soccer league games).
   2. Would like to see a skateboard park introduced within Uptown (currently many children ride their skateboards in the street where their safety is jeopardized by automobile traffic).
2. Street and Transportation Improvements:
   
   1. Would like to see more bridge connections across the freeway and river.
   2. Guardrails need to be installed along Highway 101 as it passes through Uptown (currently there is nothing to stop automobiles from running off freeway into adjacent homes).
   3. Better crossings need to be provided and holes in fence need to be repaired (Current pedestrian crossings of tracks are dangerous).
   4. More frequent bus service needs to be provided (currently does not run on Sundays).
3. Buildings and Uses:
   
   1. Schools are in need of seismic retrofitting.
4. Oak Park Housing:
   
   1. Would like to see townhouse units (i.e. not flats over flats).

   2. Many residences need repairs due to water and earthquake damage.
5. Inclusionary Housing:
   
   1. Need to provide inclusionary housing to insure redevelopment does not displace poor families who cannot afford more expensive replacement housing.

   2. Need to encourage landlords to accept Section 8 certificates.