Comments on: The Fulton Corridor Charrette: Conspiracy or Crack-up?

By: Kathryn Barnes

Kathryn Barnes — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:41:19 +0000

I think that you have a very good point that the charrette was just a formality and not there to really get ideas from people. Who really knows though? It is hard to tell the true beliefs about the reasons for why things are done the way that they are. It seems that they really need to focus on the changes that they really do want to happen to the Fulton Mall. In my opinion, they need to make changes to the mall to make sure that it is going to keep going. Without changes, it could close within the next few years. It is important, like you said, that they need to figure out if they are willing to make changes to keep it open, or if they want to let it fall through and use the ideas to start up a new mall in a different location. With all of the ideas, they could come up with a better mall that could bring in more revenue and help with the economy. This could be true or they simply could make changes to the ways that the Fulton Mall functions. All in all the changes that they make could either help the mall or make no difference at all.

By: Kathryn Barnes

Kathryn Barnes — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 21:24:28 +0000

This article hit right on the money. I totally agree with you. When you were talking about taking the ideas of the people rather than the officials who were supposed to figure it out. I think that the reason that they did this was so that if the idea didn’t work, they were able to blame it on the people rather than have the blame on themselves. I think that this was bad on their part because they should take responsibility and figure out the correct way that the mall should run. It is a good idea to get the opinions of the people but in the end, these ideas should be considered and used to help figure out a definite fix to the apparent “problem”. If this is done, then the blame cannot go to anyone because the fault lies with reality, not the ideas. Not every idea will work, and the only way to figure out if it will work is to try it out.
In another idea that you had, I saw that you said that “culturally, Fresno is really all about cars, as transport, means of self-definition, status symbols”. This idea just stuck out to me. I personally think that it is sad that that is one thing that is used as a means of “self-definition”. I wish that this isn’t a reality, but I really think that you nailed it. If you don’t have a car, to society, it means that you are not wealthy. Depending on what car you drive also shows you which economic class you are a part of. It is hard to fight the fact that our society uses material items to judge the economic status of people.

By: Nicole Amaral

Nicole Amaral — Fri, 20 May 2011 04:56:40 +0000

I have lived in fresno my whole life and not once has it been excitement for me to even attempt to go down there. I feel like that is everyone’s response to having to go down town. Some of the concerns are that It is dangerous, that its dirty, there are too many “odd” people walking around. Which in case there are. The city has been trying for years to get it picked back up. The Fulton Mall is no different. People cringe when they have to walk through that place. This is a really sad issue. There are many different cities that have “downtowns” and they are absolutley stunning. The fulton mall has all of the tall old buildings thats surround it, that are architecually gorgeous and eye pleasing. They have the Bank Ballroom right there has well , where they hold many private and high end events, and its a shame that people have to walk through the “mess” just to get there. With the new baseball field, I think it has helped the anxiety people have when they have to go down there, but it still is a scary place. Even though they could put a lot of money for imporvement, the movement of fresno has migrated North and that is where all the expansion is. There is people that live in North fresno who say they won’t even go south of shaw because it is too scary. There is no amount of money that is going to change the entire route to actually get to the folton mall to make people actually want to go. Case in point, because its just too far from where they live. The only houses and communities that are near there, are there to stay. There are no new developements around in that area, , all those houses are there to stay. If you go South of downtown Fresno, you come to the “westside” where there is on;y one minor developement in the works, and they went bankrupt. The Town just South of downtown, is where I live called Easton. Its a small farming community, and the people in easton intend to keep it that way. They refuse to put in a water system, so their farmland doesn’t get over taken like most of what has happened in North fresno and Clovis. To put money into the Fulton Mall area, would be a wonderful idea. I love the old buildings and structures, but in the end result, fresno has just gone too far North, and Im afraid its not coming back.

By: Crystal Luera

Crystal Luera — Thu, 19 May 2011 04:28:12 +0000

I have only ever driven past the Fulton Mall, and never have walked through or visited the businesses but I have read and heard numerous controversies surround the Fulton Mall in downtown Fresno.
I constantly hear about the Fulton Mall is about the parking situation. Most people do not want to pay an extra fee to park their vehicle to browse through stores and businesses. If there is something they desperately need, or one thing they are set on getting then they will probably only be open to paying the parking fee. Other than that, people are not very accepting to pay for parking to just walk and browse through business or stores when they could do that for free at Fashion Fair or River Park. River Park and Fashion Fair have a variety of different stores and businesses, and do not charge for parking, compared to Fulton Mall this is one of the main pull factors for taking customers away from Fulton Mall. Especially in this economy, people are not willing to pay to park at Fulton Mall, which does not have a great reputation, when they could go to Fashion Fair, River Park and Sierra Vista without worrying about where to park and how much it costs. The appeal for Fulton Mall drops very significantly with this parking fee issue.
Trying to refurbish the Fulton Mall is a very touchy subject, because how does anyone know if it will be worth it, unless they abolish the parking fees. By having a company come in and do build their own vision of how the Fulton Mall area should be redone does not help the situation either, as it was stated in this report. The people of the community know what is best and what appeals to the residents of Fresno, not some company who has not even lived in Fresno. The people have the answers on how to revamp the Fulton Mall area, they are the consumers and the new designs need to be appealing to them. It is difficult to please everyone, and almost impossible to do so, but without even trying to consult with the local community is ridiculous. Even though not all the community will weigh in with their thought and opinions, most people would be eager to share and happy to know that they are part of the big decision. The community that will speak, will be able to share what they are looking for and what will drive them to visit and shop at the Fulton Mall, as opposed to driving out to Fashion Fair, Sierra Vista or even River Park.
We live in a very democratic society, and the people of the community should have a voice, even if a few of their ideas are used, that will be enough to satisfy their needs.

By: Ruth T

Ruth T — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:13:36 +0000

I moved to California when I was 12 and by that time the Fulton Mall was on the decline in popularity. My mother grew up down the 99 freeway near Bakersfield. She says that she remembers coming to Fresno and it was a special trip if they got to go to the Fulton Mall. I know that the one-way streets and parking do not make it an ideal spot to make people want to go there, but there are a lot of people who are interested in rejuvenating it. It sounds like some of those people showed up to the Fulton corridor charrette in hopes of being heard for ideas of how to restore it to its former glory. However, it also sounds like those same people’s voices were not heard and even discouraged from sharing their ideas. It sounds like the charrette was just held for formality and not to actually hear people’s ideas. If people are serious of about restoring Fulton Mall to what it was before its decline in popularity, it is going to take some creative thinking and the people who held the charrette missed out on just that.

By: Marisol Vera

Marisol Vera — Thu, 12 May 2011 13:34:51 +0000

It looks like the Fulton mall is an interesting and controversial subject. I don’t live in Fresno, so I don’t know much of the issues that relate the Fulton mall, but thanks to this site and the article post help me understand a little more about the problem. I have to say that I was at the Fulton mall about two years ago during the celebration of “Cinco de Mayo” a Mexican heritage celebration. I have to say that the Fulton mall was a great place to do this type of presentations. On the other hand, people from Fresno, I don’t think were all happy to go and celebrate their Mexican heritage and have to pay for parking in their own city where they live besides of whatever they want to buy they have to pay for parking. I can understand why people may not like to go to the Fulton mall because they don’t appreciate paying for parking. I live in Merced and when I want to go to the mall I don’t have to pay for parking. I can’t imagine if I had to pay, it could have been not very satisfactory. Further more, I could see that the Fulton mall needs a renovation for the public view, may be it will help attract more people to go and shop there. However, I think the problem goes beyond the mall looking nice. I think the mayor has to come to a decision, which reflect people’s needs and also that benefit our economy in addressing this issue of the Fulton mall.

By: HannahD

HannahD — Wed, 11 May 2011 06:54:20 +0000

I think that the downtown Fulton Mall should revitalize to generate more revenues. The parking fee is also an issue, which limits people from coming to visit the area. I believe that the parking situation should be changed. People should not have to make a payment to park and the city should build more parking space to make it easier for the public. It will bring more people to downtown and bring the businesses up. One good thing is the leaders of Fresno are aware of it. I believe that they can renovate the area even though it might take a long time.

By: StephanieA

StephanieA — Wed, 11 May 2011 06:47:18 +0000

In addition to my other posts, there is no doubt the city conspired to have the Fulton Mall with traffic roads. The charette process was disappointing to see little to none opinions taken into consideration before making a tremendous change. I do understand why opening roads to cars in the Fulton Mall is beneficial, but I do not think the Fulton Mall would be the same Fulton Mall as it once was before. I believe the Fulton Mall has its identity as a walking mall, and if the identity were no longer there, the mall would no longer be the same or bring in the same type of consumers. Tax payers dollars that will taken out by locals should go towards a more beneficial area different from making the mall open to vehicles. Funds can be allotted to different areas that need more revitalizing or trying to help the problems concerning downtown, such as the homeless issue or parking. Seeing how the Fulton Mall is one of the few cultural rich areas in Fresno that has survived many years of history with the public utilizing their resources in the walking mall, it should be kept to maintain its historic standing in Fresno.

By: StephanieA

StephanieA — Wed, 11 May 2011 06:03:17 +0000

I think the Fulton Mall is in the middle of chaos. There are many that believe there is no use to the mall, there are others that want to take away from the essence of the Fulton mall by making it car accessible. The plans the city has for the Fulton Mall should have the public’s intake because the public is using the facility. No one would know more the specifics details of what needs improvement or restoration to best benefit the business revenue and please the consumers. The city should promote and try to bring the public to use one of the most urban areas of Fresno. I believe the city of Fresno should try to find ways to attract more people to area such as the Fulton Mall. I think it would help the public know their city more in dept other than the usual places they are used too. For the most part, downtown needs more parking areas or structures for those who are trying to walk around the downtown area. Overall, the Fulton Mall does not need major improvement to draw more people into the area. There are a few things that would help the situation, but it is certainly that the Fulton Mall should stay a walking mall only.

By: JesusS

JesusS — Wed, 04 May 2011 20:39:56 +0000

Although I was born in Fresno I wasn’t raised here within the city for the most part. However, I do remember my parents coming to Fresno and spending some time in the Fullton Mall. I first generation Mexican-American and I vaguely remember visiting Fullton Mall in the early 90′s as kid with my parents. I remember their being cultural diversity mostly from a Mexican cultural perspective. My parents liked going there because they could shop for items they liked. From my memories it was populated on the days we went, which were usually Sundays.
Today, as I pass by the Fullton Mall I see it with a limited amount of people, almost like a “ghost town”. The argument is to whether allow traffic through the mall or not and whether that will give it a boost economically. There was a mention to how bigger city such as in San Fransisco there are traffic going through main retail centers such as in the financial district near Fisherman Wharf and other near by places. I was there this past Christmas and I have to say the intersections downtown did look very busy. My opinion is to allow traffic through the mall, therefore, there will be more exposure to the business in that area and increase spending among those establishments, hopefully, revitalizing downtown. How it looks right now, its seems like people only go to Fullton Mall if they know what it is being offered and if they know what to get. For those who haven’t been downtown and don’t know what offered then perhaps a drive through their might open their eyes and even make stop and purchase at one of those businesses. In conclusion, Fullton Mall needs greater exposure to the greater public, therefore, increasing area appeal and revenue.