Santa Clarita city staff members have a handful of ideas to pitch to the Santa Clarita City Council to give Main Street a slightly more inviting aesthetic, after a fire ravaged the 24000 block in the early morning hours of Aug. 24.
Since the incident, business owners have lamented a dropoff in customer traffic.
Proprietors there have mentioned that patrons now have fewer options, and the foot traffic they see is more sporadic. When things are busy, parking remains a challenge. There’s also been the occasional power outage, due to flareups.
And the location identified as the start of the fire, Gary’s Auto Collision, still “looks like a war zone,” according to Sherie Graham, owner of the Smokehouse on Main, which sits across the street from where Gary’s stood.
The auto shop is part of an active investigation by the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s Arson and Explosives Detail, which had not named any suspects or made an arrest as of Friday.
Following direction from the Aug. 25 Santa Clarita City Council meeting, however, city staffers have come up with a few suggestions they hope will help, particularly with the beautification and foot traffic concerns.
The ideas from city staff were listed in the agenda for Tuesday’s City Council meeting at City Hall.
Ways to help
The city’s economic development team has come up with a handful of ways to help, and is now seeking guidance from the City Council on which to pursue and how much to spend.
One of the first ideas the city listed was a $40,000 “Shop Local” campaign similar to what was proposed for businesses impacted by a recent closure on Bouquet Canyon Road.
The city’s proposal calls for a letter of agreement with the Old Town Newhall Association to provide the money for an OTNA-led campaign, which would collaborate with the city.
“OTNA’s established relationships with and representation of district businesses and ongoing role in promoting Old Town Newhall make it a natural partner to lead this effort,” according to an agenda report created by Tracy Sullivan of the City Manager’s Office. There’s currently about $150,000 in the account, according to the report.
A proposed 6-foot-tall community art wall would offer a wood-framed fence with paintable, exterior-grade panels. The 6-foot height offers space for art without becoming cost-prohibitive, according to the city’s report, which listed several options. A fence 300 feet in length would cost approximately $130,000; for 715 feet, along Main Street, Market Street and Railroad Avenue, the cost would be about $313,000.
Those estimates are contingent upon the property owner’s approval. Richard G. Stewart, who’s listed as the manager of Main Street LLC, which owns some of the affected properties, did not respond to a request for comment.
“If the property owner approval cannot be obtained and the wall must instead be located within the public right of way, the current estimates would not apply,” according to the report. “A right-of-way installation would require additional engineering and construction considerations and is anticipated to significantly increase project costs.”
In terms of the art itself, the proposal calls for the wall to be split into sections based on the number of artists selected.
As a means of an interim fix, the city has proposed holiday decorations for the green fence that currently lines the site of the fire.
The city also is looking at expanding Senses, outside events for Main Street, which cost about $20,000 each time for equipment, supplies and staff time. The cost would depend on how much the city wants to expand.
The report also mentions an update on fire-recovery efforts under way, which included help with finding a new home for productions that were taking place at The Main, the city-run public theater on Main Street, when the fire occurred. Sullivan did not respond to a request for comment Monday to discuss.
The City Council is scheduled to meet 6 p.m. Tuesday in the council chambers at City Hall, 23920 Valencia Blvd.
