TUSTIN : City Given Old Town Revitalization Report

The City Council this week received a report on the possible revitalization of the Old Town area.

The report, compiled by a group of design professionals who volunteered their time to the city last September, explores and defines a “vision” of the Old Town area recommended by residents in a one-day workshop last March. The report suggests that Old Town carve its own economic niche by focusing on festival activities or creating a feature such as a Farmers Market that would help attract people to the area.

Old Town is the traditional center of Tustin and the original site of the town. Its boundaries are the Santa Ana Freeway to the south, Newport Avenue to the east, 1st Street to the north and the Costa Mesa Freeway to the west.

The area includes residential and commercial buildings, a church, the Tustin Unified School District headquarters, the city’s senior center and a park. City Hall is also in Old Town at the east end of 3rd Street.

Other suggestions for revitalizing the area included appointing a coordinator for the neighborhood, establishing an Old Town business association, expanding the Old Town designation to include the residential neighborhood to the west of B Street, and forming an Old Town neighborhood association.

“The essence is to try to understand the unique characteristics that are there and try to preserve them,” said Ronald Baers, co-chairman of the planning group that prepared the study.

Council members said they are prepared to support all of the report’s recommendations.