Ah, Yes. Fulton
Now that I’ve returned from my summer-long sojourn to the Midwest, my attention has turned to Fresno’s Next Big Thing: the re-opening of Fulton Street.
I’ve spent quite some time over the past few days, walking up and down what used to be the Fulton Mall and what — within days — will officially be re-christened — after 53 years — Fulton Street. And I must admit that I am impressed with a number of aspects of this downtown transformation project.
For one thing — and it’s quite a big thing, indeed — those statues and fountains that once graced the mall and which had fallen into rather sad states of disrepair and neglect are now restored and shiny and sparkling once again. It’s pleasant to see them fully functioning, with water burbling and bubbling in each and every fountain. And there are a couple of meandering “streams” that have been reconstructed and reconfigured to mirror those streams that used to flow along the old mall.
Additionally, new benches with nicely built backstops have been installed, new trees have been planted and some existing trees have been trimmed nicely to provide a shady walk along much of the new street.
Yes, the new Fulton Street — at least the mall-like sidewalks along each side and everything on those sidewalks — looks a whole lot better than the old Fulton Mall — especially during the latter years of the mall’s half-century of life. The only “downside” to the project is, frankly, Fulton Street itself. It’s simply a two-lane spread of asphalt with, yes, parking meters along its six-block length. Those parking meters are needed for city coffers but likely will prove to be off-putting for many people.
City officials and downtown boosters will be out in full force, of course, next Saturday, Oct. 21, when the street re-opening ceremony will take place. They have every right to be proud of what they have accomplished, and undoubtedly they will say that Fulton’s re-opening will spur much better days for downtrodden downtown.
Truly, I hope they are correct — but I think their hopes and wishes need to be tempered by certain undeniable realities. While the Fulton project certainly is a “positive,” it’s difficult to see how it will result in any kind of wholesale — or perhaps even partial — change in downtown’s fortunes anytime soon — or perhaps even longer-term. Anyone who claims that re-opening Fulton to traffic will automatically lure businesses and shoppers and visitors downtown again is delusional.
When you walk the length and breadth of the new street — as I have done in recent days — you will see a whole lot of vacant storefronts, storefronts that have iron bars in front of their windows and stores that sell cheaply made items. No doubt, there is a market for cheaply made items — and I am happy there is. But that market likely is not the type of folks downtown boosters hope the street will attract.
No, folks living north of Shaw Avenue in Fresno will not suddenly flock downtown so they can cruise the new Fulton Street. And they won’t be lured downtown by vacant buildings. To get them to come down, new businesses and new activities must be created to lure them. Will the new street attract those businesses and activities? And if so — what kind of new enterprises are we talking about? One hope is that restaurants and breweries will open downtown — but even if they do (and that’s a big “if”), will North Fresno residents for whom a trip south is considered a visit to a foreign land be attracted just by the prospect of a meal and a drink? No one knows, but downtown boosters are betting the house on this.
Oh, and there’s another nagging problem — one for which there is no easy solution. When and if those north-of-Shaw residents come downtown, how will they react to the sight of all those boarded-up buildings and to the sight of homeless people on or near Fulton? Is this the type of experience they will want to replicate, or will it turn into, for some, a one-and-done visit to the “new” old downtown?
Do not misunderstand: I am pleased that city officials (take a bow, former Mayor Ashley Swearengin) decided to “roll the dice” and tear out the fading and failed mall. As I’ve written before, doing “nothing” with Fulton was not an option. This particular “something” — tearing out the mall and opening Fulton to traffic — is not “the game-changer” for downtown, as some over-the-top boosters would have you believe — but it’s a decent project that at least provides new hope for a central core that desperately needs it.
So this is good-bye, Fulton Mall. I was there with you on that night 53 years ago when you were dedicated. Back then, I was a teenager who hoped you would help create a bright new future for “my” downtown — the one I visited often as I was growing up. And you did the best you could for a time, until Fresno residents decided they wanted to live and shop and play Up North. Through no fault of your own, Fulton Mall, you got left behind and inevitably faded from people’s thoughts. You’re about to disappear, forever, but some of us are lucky enough to have fond memories of you during your prime.
And now, Fulton Street, welcome. It’s your turn, and I wish you the best in your task of bringing new people and new energy to the city’s vital core. I hope it’s not an impossible dream, and I also hope that some day decades from now, those who attend your grand opening will remember it as the day downtown Fresno started coming back from the dead. Good luck with that.