Resident input sought as Huntington Beach dreams about visions of downtown
Downtown Huntington Beach features one of the longest piers in North America, almost as long as the love letter to surfing the downtown area writes.
The Surfers’ Walk of Fame and Surfing Hall of Fame are nestled at the beginning of Main Street. Go a couple of blocks further inland, and there is the International Surfing Museum. A statue of surfing pioneer Duke Kahanamoku is displayed prominently in Pierside Pavilion.
“I think we’re the Times Square of surfing, downtown Huntington Beach,” said Kelly Miller, president and chief executive of Visit Huntington Beach. “I’ve lived in a variety of small cities and there is soul-soothing feeling one gets when you’re in downtown Huntington Beach, particularly early in the morning or when the sun is setting.
“It’s a calmness, and very few places can promise that and deliver on that. I think as the world gets busier, it seems a little upside down right now, and I think downtown Huntington Beach gives people a respite from what’s happening around the world.”
But what other elements are people looking for downtown? As the city seeks to renovate Main Street and the surrounding blocks, how do residents want the hub of Surf City to look?
Those are the questions the city is seeking to answer this month, with community engagement sessions it is dubbing “Downtown Dreamin.’” Three sessions where residents are invited to share their downtown stories are scheduled for the next three Mondays — Sept. 12, 19 and 26 — at Main Street Library.
There will also be a pop-up booth at Surf City Nights on Tuesday, and two Main Street walkabouts scheduled for Wednesday. Preregistration is required for the sessions and walkabout.
Huntington Beach city manager Al Zelinka has seen this work for cities before. He gave the example of Enumclaw, Wash., which had a streetscape program based on storytelling. As examples, the structural part of the benches was designed by a local welder to emulate the structure of the flumes that carried the logs to the mills. Wind-driven bird whistles were attached to the lights.
The stories were captured on pieces of concrete inlay and inserted into the sidewalk.
When he worked in the private sector as a design consultant, Zelinka co-authored a report called “Placemaking on a Budget: Improving Small Towns, Neighborhoods and Downtowns Without Spending a Lot of Money.” He said the initial Downtown Dreamin’ session for Huntington Beach, which took place Aug. 29, was very productive.
“The community talked about things like, how can the tools that have been used over time to shape surfboards, how can they be incorporated into the design of fencing that goes around outdoor dining?” Zelinka said. “Or the tools that were used on oil derricks back in the day, how can those be incorporated? Can we figure out a design for the benches, so that the base of the benches reflects the old pier structure that used to exist before it collapsed? There were just so many examples.
“What the Downtown Dreamin’ is allowing to happen, naturally and authentically, is for the community to tell stories and then work together to figure out how those stories can be manifested in the downtown streetscape that will ultimately come to City Council for direction.”
In September 2021, the City Council received a presentation from staff regarding spending for downtown revitalization, using American Rescue Plan Act funds. About $1.75 million was identified for proposed funding.
Huntington Beach’s community development department is working with Studio One Eleven to explore different design elements for Main Street and the downtown area.
The city likely wants to build on its outdoor dining program that was necessitated during the coronavirus pandemic. The second block of Main Street remains closed to vehicular traffic, and the program has largely been lauded as a success.
The third block was also closed for a few months, but had complaints from owners as the businesses there are more mixed. It reopened in January 2021.
Ron Newman is an owner of Killarney’s, Baja Sharkeez and the recently opened Sandbar Cocina Y Tequila. All three establishments are located on the second block of Huntington Beach, where 18 of the 21 businesses are either restaurants or bars.
“Back from the early days, I think downtown has changed a lot,” Newman said. “You know, it was a little out of control back then. The great thing today is that between the Downtown Business Improvement District, the police and all of the businesses, everyone’s working very close together. If there’s a problem, we have meetings and come up with solutions. It’s much, much better.”
Newman said the outdoor dining has been positive for his businesses as well.
“People just love to sit outside,” he said. “It’s healthier, it’s fresher, it’s better to people-watch. I’d say about 20% of the people now won’t eat inside.”
Stuart Goldberg is the office manager for Innocean, an advertising agency which has been located at 5th Street and Pacific Coast Highway for about a decade. He’s also the vice president of the Downtown BID.
Innocean employees and clients alike are frequent visitors of the restaurants on Main Street and in the surrounding area.
“I think it would be nice if the downtown had a more consistent look,” said Goldberg, who lives within walking distance at Pacific City, the upscale mall and entertainment center south of Main Street. “It’s a little hodge-podge right now, as different businesses pitched their temporary tents and did what they needed to do to stay in business. But we know that the city’s going through the process of seeking input from the businesses and the public.
“Personally, or for Innocean, the walkability is important to us. Most of our employees park in the morning, and they’re walking to get lunch or enjoy the downtown area. They’re going to walk across the street for Happy Hour … so for us walkability is something I’d like to see continue or even go further in the future.”
Sandy Taylor, who owns the Model Citizen and Dash of Sass clothing boutiques on the third block of Main Street, said she has signed up for one of Wednesday’s walkabouts.
“I like this approach much better than the direction it was taking,” said Taylor, who has been a business owner downtown since 2006. “At least you feel like you have some input … We felt like we were out of the loop, so at least with this they’re bringing the businesses and community in.”
Taylor said she would like improved lighting downtown, as well as something in the post office area located at Main Street and Olive Avenue.
“It’s such a dead zone,” she said. “I’m hoping there’s some sort of activation that they can come up with that will drive people further down Main Street.”
Whatever changes and upgrades are made, Miller said that Huntington Beach’s history, from the surfing to the old Golden Bear nightclub, tells a compelling story.
“I think it’s really smart to have people tell their stories about downtown Huntington Beach, to capture those stories and find those nuggets of truth and opportunity that can then be used in design elements,” he said. “Downtown can then organically grow so that both residents and visitors find compelling reasons to go and hang out.”
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