OPINIONS ARE SOUGHT ON LANCASTER'S FUTURE.

Byline: JIM SKEEN Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- The city will hold a series of public sessions this week to get residents involved in the revitalization of downtown.

On Thursday, the city will host a 5-kilometer downtown walk from noon to 2 p.m. to kick off what Lancaster officials are calling the ``downtown immersion.'' The walk is the first in a series of public opportunities to be held Thursday, Friday and Saturday to provide input to the redevelopment of downtown.

``We want to use this series of encounters to raise the awareness of downtown, to have citizens learn the history and identity of this area,'' City Manager Bob LaSala said. ``This isn't just about getting ideas, although that's what it looks like on the surface. This is about civic responsibility and ownership of their downtown.''

During the downtown walking tour, participants will have a chance to point out areas of concern and ideas for improvement. Particular attention will be given to unique features of downtown public spaces, pedestrian patterns, circulation, parking, neighborhood interfaces and architectural styles, city officials said.

Comfortable shoes and sunscreen are recommended. Water will be provided. Participants are asked to gather outside City Hall at 44933 Fern Ave.

Two other events are scheduled for Thursday. From 6:30 to 8 p.m., a community workshop titled ``Understanding Downtown Lancaster'' will be held in the council chambers at City Hall.

The session is intended to give residents a brief overview of the downtown project and will include a variety of interactive exercises that will help uncover the history of the area and identify the many assets and opportunities of downtown.

Capping Thursday's activities will be a downtown flashlight walk from 8 to 9 p.m., immediately after the workshop. Residents can join the downtown project team and sheriff's deputies on a walk through downtown to identify issues such as areas with poor lighting.

Walkers will gather outside council chambers. Flashlights will be provided.

On Friday, the city will be meeting with business and property owners from 8:00 to 9:30 a.m. at the Lancaster room of the Essex House and Convention Center, 44916 10th St. West.

Business and property owners will have a chance to meet the project team and to discuss their ideas, issues, and expectations for the plan, city officials said.

Also on Friday, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in council chambers will be a workshop called ``Main Street 101 and Virtual Tour of Downtowns.'' The workshop will go over the approach to downtown revitalization and will include a virtual tour of other downtown projects.

On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. a Downtown Design Charrette will be held in the Emergency Operations Center, EOC, of City Hall. The session will include a recap of information gleamed from the week's previous events and an opportunity for participants to work in small groups to develop various land use and design alternatives for downtown.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

A ``Youth Visioning Activity'' will be held from 10 a.m. to noon in the EOC. Local youths are invited to share their visions for the future of downtown. The youth designs and visions will be displayed at the open house that will follow the design event.

The open house, also to be held in the EOC, will run from 2 to 4 p.m. Concepts and designs created by participants will be on display.

Information about the public outreach effort can be found on the Web at celebratedowntownlancaster.info.

The city is investing $571,000 to prepare a plan and conduct the necessary environmental studies to revitalize Lancaster Boulevard and its surrounding areas between 10th Street West and Sierra Highway. It is expected to take about a year to prepare the plan.

The city hired RBF Consulting to lead the effort. The company is working on other planning efforts for the city, including the project to revitalize the areas immediately to the north and to the northeast of the downtown business district.

In decades past, Lancaster Boulevard was the focal point of the city. For most of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s it was about the only place to shop. But in the 1980s, the boulevard began losing businesses to new shopping centers and a couple of economic downturns.

The city invested millions in Lancaster Boulevard in the 1990s, building the Lancaster Performing Arts Center and Metrolink train station and facilitating the construction of a new county library and sheriff's station. Those buildings, along with the banks that have arrived in recent years, will be among the assets the plan can use in helping reshape the area, city officials said.

james.skeen(at)dailynews

[phone]