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Merchants, residents urge Placentia to restore Old Town streetscape funding
Summary
Merchants and residents told the council that Old Town Placentia has been neglected and urged the city to proceed with a planned streetscape project, citing safety, reputation and an estimated county funding pool they said must be used for Old Town.
Merchants and longtime residents used the public-comment period to press the council to move forward with the Old Town Streetscape project and with residential street repaving.
Heidi Monka, owner of Broken Timbers Brewing, said a streetscape update would make Old Town more welcoming, deter crime and attract visitors and new businesses. "If we work together to revitalize Old Town, we will make Placentia better for everybody," Monka told the council.
Several residents and business owners recounted missed opportunities and long delays. Alex Lopez and David McNair described stagnation in Old Town, called for investment similar to neighboring cities and said a revitalized downtown would encourage economic activity and safety.
Property-owner Cameron Irons told council he had bought and planned to renovate a building expecting transit-driven redevelopment; he warned that roughly $3,000,000 in county funding committed to Old Town is restricted to that purpose and urged the council to use it while available.
Councilmembers acknowledged those concerns and said Old Town had received substantial investment (parking, lighting and trees) and that some foundational underground work had been prioritized before paving. Councilmember Yamaguchi asked staff to address how Galaxy’s fuel proposal fits into the broader plan and noted that many Old Town concerns overlap with the CIP discussion later on the agenda.
Speakers and several council members said they want both public investment and private property improvements to make Old Town successful; staff did not announce a new allocation during public comment.
