FULLERTON : City OKs Changing Dirt Lot Into Plaza

The City Council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, voted unanimously this week to turn a downtown dirt lot into a plaza that could become a cultural and social center.

The city-owned lot, at 125 E. Wilshire Ave. next to the Fullerton Museum Center, is used for a weekly farmer’s market, the yearly street fair and other large downtown activities.

Redevelopment Director Gary Chalupsky said the market and fair will continue at the lot, but the property may be improved to allow other events.

As part of the improvement, the city is trying to swap land for a parcel owned by the First Christian Church of Fullerton next to the city-owned lot on Wilshire. If the parcels are traded, the city would have roughly 35,000 square feet of consolidated land to develop, Chalupsky said.

The council has not decided exactly what to do with the land, but Councilman A.B. (Buck) Catlin said he wanted something that would “get some activity here in the downtown.”

Councilman Don Bankhead said he envisioned a “central meeting area” that residents could use for a number of events.

The council also voted to have Chalupsky talk to two people interested in buying a 15,000-square-foot parcel owned by the city at 136 E. Wilshire that has long been undeveloped.

In other action, the council, acting as the Redevelopment Agency, voted 4-1 to spend up to $150,000 to have an independent consultant study the role of the train station in downtown traffic and commerce.

With more than 300,000 passengers yearly, the city’s train station has been rated the nation’s 23rd busiest, according to Chalupsky. Council members and residents agreed that the city should find a way to channel some of those passengers to local restaurants, stores and cultural centers.