More than a year after the San Fernando City Council approved a community outreach plan to receive feedback for a downtown master plan, the findings found in the first phase of the plan were presented to the local elected officials.
On Monday, Sept. 16, Dudek and other planning firms gave an overview of the feedback they received – through a multi-pronged approach that included phone calls, texts, emails, online surveys, a community event and the master plan’s website – from approximately 500 active participants.
What they learned from the community response is that there is a desire for more restaurants and entertainment venues, more investments in infrastructure and a perceived lack of community spaces and public parking in the area.
The analysis found that, in terms of infrastructure, the downtown area has “good bones” with walkable blocks that have an intimate, small-town feel. However, in addition to the lack of public spaces, there were not enough shade trees and landscaping. While there are some trees, most of them are young, small or incapable of producing much shade.
When asked specifically what the top priorities should be as Downtown San Fernando evolves over time, the top responses included more restaurants, retail businesses, parking, local business support and community events.
On the topic of parking, the analysis said there were just over 3,000 publicly available spaces: 37% were located in private lots, 35% were found on the street and 28% were found in city-owned facilities.
During the peak occupancy count – which was between 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Thursday – approximately 61% of the area’s spaces were occupied, meaning there were close to 1,200 empty spaces.
The subject of parking elicited different responses from the community during the public comments portion of the meeting. John Espinoza, a real estate agent in the City of San Fernando, said he sees the housing crisis every day, and that projects to build more parking lots take away opportunities to build more housing, leading to more people leaving the state.
“It’s not rich people that live in California – it’s the working-class people … that are affected by this,” Espinoza said. “Whenever people think of density, they think of massive apartments with thousands of units. There is something in the middle. [For example], building ADUs [accessory dwelling units] and building multi-family units with courtyards.”
Sonia Navarro, a City of San Fernando resident, said that areas outside the city are much denser, causing an increased reliance on vehicles and fewer available parking spaces. While younger generations want more walkable neighborhoods, she said, people with families are more dependent on cars for their daily needs.
“Unfortunately, that’s just the landscape of California,” Navarro said. “It’s frustrating to me because housing is expensive already. … I hope in the master plan you consider the needs of families and the cost of living.”
After the conclusion of the public hearing, the City Council adjourned the meeting. Discussion of the findings will continue on Oct. 7.
The analysis of Phase 1 of the downtown master plan is completed. The next phase will involve developing and testing different scenarios for the future of Downtown San Fernando.
To learn more about the downtown master plan and the analysis, go to https://www.sfdowntownmasterplan.com/.