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Consultants present five‑year action plan for Old Town La Verne; council receives report
Summary
Consultants from Community Strong Strategies presented a 5‑year action plan for Old Town La Verne focused on parking wayfinding, stronger University of La Verne engagement, public art and low‑cost 'easy wins.' Council accepted the report as a receiving file and discussed volunteer capacity, signage, and possible district expansion.
Consultants Nathan Olsh and Kelly Rankin presented a five‑year action plan for Old Town La Verne during the March 17 meeting, summarizing stakeholder outreach and recommending a phased approach to strengthen the downtown economy.
Key near‑term recommendations included improving parking wayfinding and signage, deploying low‑cost public‑art interventions (utility box murals, banners), and pursuing partnerships with the University of La Verne to attract students into downtown businesses. Olsh said Old Town has roughly $18,000 in BID revenue and recommended pursuing partnerships (Chamber, SBDC) or part‑time staff support to reduce volunteer burnout and expand marketing capacity.
"There is a massive opportunity with the university and the future Gold Line station," the consultant said, recommending low‑cost activations, improved wayfinding and events to increase foot traffic. (Nathan Olsh)
Longer‑term ideas included exploring expanded district boundaries or a PBID overlay to increase revenues, building an incubator program with the university and SBDC, piloting late‑evening events to support restaurants, and identifying capital projects and funding sources for gateways and wayfinding.
Council members praised the work and flagged next steps: coordination with the Chamber and community development staff on implementation, careful consideration before expanding assessment districts into residential areas, and attention to maintenance and long‑term funding for capital items such as lighting and planters.
The council received the report (no action required at this meeting) and directed staff to continue conversations with stakeholders to advance prioritized items.
