12-28-09 entertainment district

Our plan for the revitalization of downtown Fresno is to create an entertainment district that serves the entire Central San Joaquin Valley. Entertainment can range from live music, art galleries, theater, dining, nightclubs, film, coffeehouses, sports, festivals.


Downtown Fresno should have enough overlapping activity that it will support fun, interesting shops and be a place where people will live to be close to the action.


Entertainment districts are walkable. Walkable districts are between one-quarter of a mile in radius. This makes the Fulton Mall area ideal. It was the historical central gathering district for our region. It has millions of square feet of space that is already built.


It will be important for the entertainment district to offer a variety of activities that people can't get other places in the region. The combination of uses is also important. 10 ethnic restaurants are enough for a dining district. Old theaters that show cult classic movies, impendent films and film festivals differentiate them from the megaplex theaters that dominate suburbia. Rooftop bars take advantage of our beautiful summer evenings and liven up the night with music. Outdoor cafes add security by providing eyes on the street, plus give people-watching options (an activity that human beings love). A boutique hotel in an historic building would be an option that would appeal to many people who are not interested in the express hotels that are popping up everywhere.


There are 1.5 million people in Kings, Tulare, Madera and Fresno counties. For the entertainment district to work, it will need to draw people from the region on a regular enough basis to support businesses. The entertainment district will really be a sum of its parts. When we talk about revitalization, what we are really saying is that people will come and do more than one thing. Dinner and a show. Lunch and shopping. Club hopping. Sunday services followed by brunch.


There is no place that brings everyone together in the Central San Joaquin Valley. Downtown Fresno's entertainment district can serve as this place. I'm not sure that any other place really could.