Canoga Park Seeks ‘Main Street’ Status

State officials considering whether to certify Canoga Park as a Main Street city, which would bring technical help and resources to the community’s small businesses, met with local residents and officials Thursday.

Main Street, a nationwide nonprofit program, helps a community design its business district and organize its people, said Leslie Lambert, a project manager with the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency who also belongs to the local Main Street board of directors.

The program also helps an area promote and market itself, she said, but it doesn’t offer funds.

Getting certified is important to revitalizing the community’s commercial district, officials said during a meeting at the Canoga Park Community Center. About $13 million has been spent in the past five years to improve parts of the community, especially along the Sherman Way business district.

It is very likely Canoga Park will receive state certification in July, said Keith Kjelstrom, director of California Main Street, which is part of the California Trade and Commerce Agency in Sacramento.

If certified, Canoga Park would become the first Los Angeles Main Street community. Pacoima has also applied for certification and state officials plan to visit there in June. There are about 30 Main Street cities statewide and 1,500 across the nation.

Main Street’s three-member Sacramento staff suggest grant and foundation sources for funds, officials said. Getting Main Street status helps an area’s image, Lambert said. “It’s telling businesses there is a lot of money, effort and passion going into fixing this community,” she said.

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Despite improvements in Canoga Park’s commercial area, there are still high vacancy and tenant turnover rates, Lambert said, adding that the community needs more restaurants and antique stores.

“What you really need are more businesses that attract pedestrians,” she said.

Los Angeles City Councilwoman Laura Chick, who represented the area at the meeting, approached Main Street, and the City Council authorized $50,000 in federal block grant funds to hire an administrator who will run the program locally. Another $50,000 in matching funds is anticipated for the program from the same source.

“Trained experts will work with home-grown talent and energy,” Chick said. “It will bring a director on site and that, more than anything else, is the biggie.”

“We’ll attract people from outside the area and really show we have a community here, not just a spot on the map,” added Margaret Moore, a Woodland Hills resident.