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Consultant says Old Town Temecula has ‘downtown’ character; recommends hotels, parking strategy and private‑sector leadership
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Summary
Kaiser Marston Associates presented a historical overview and market assessment, reporting growth in Old Town since prior studies and urging steps including hotel development, stronger private‑sector management (BID) and targeted parking strategies.
Kaiser Marston Associates told the Temecula City Council Oct. 14 that Old Town Temecula has evolved into a distinct downtown‑style district and recommended steps to build on recent gains, including attracting hotels to the core, adding market‑rate housing and creating a business improvement district to shift more day‑to‑day management to the private sector.
Paul Mara of Kaiser Marston, who led the earlier 1998 study and a 2015 update, summarized progress and outstanding opportunities. Mara said the city has added about 640,000 square feet of commercial space, 669 residential units and one small hotel with 54 rooms in the Old Town area since the original study. He described Old Town’s strengths as its historic character, dining and entertainment concentration, proximity to the wine country and recent public investments such as gateway arches, sidewalk enhancements, a museum and theater.
Mara urged the council to focus on three categories of action: infrastructure and amenities (improved public realm and parking), land uses and activities (diverse uses and more market‑rate housing in the district core) and leadership and vision (private‑sector participation through a business improvement district). He said parking management and locating hotel rooms inside the walkable core are “key tools to move them to the next step.”
Why it matters: Old Town’s performance affects tourism, downtown vitality and future land‑use choices. The consultant framed several development tools — parking strategy, private management, and targeted residential and hotel development — as levers to increase daytime and overnight activity.
Notable recommendations and observations from the presentation - Increase hotel presence in the walkable core to capture weekend and overnight stays. - Promote market‑rate housing and adaptive reuse inside the district to boost daily foot traffic. - Consider a business improvement district to fund ongoing programming, marketing and maintenance. - Adopt a coordinated parking management approach rather than only increasing supply.
The presentation drew no public comments during the meeting; council members thanked the consultants and said they would consider the recommendations as part of Old Town planning work.
Ending: Staff told the council the Old Town steering committee requested the update as context for future agenda items, including a forthcoming item on Old Town parking sensors.
