Cal Poly students to present design concepts for Riverside Area development
Riverside urban design concept plans developed after surveys
–City planning students from Cal Poly are working with the City of Paso Robles to present design concepts for the Riverside Area on Tuesday, Dec. 13, at 5 p.m. The meeting will be held at the Paso Robles City Council Chambers/City Hall, located at 1000 Spring Street. The public is invited to come comment on these possible futures.
They are working on detailed analysis of two surveys, one that was held online and one that students completed doing face to face interviews.
Online community survey: 78 respondents
Participants:
• 42-percent from East of 101
• 20-percent from West of 101
• 30-percent elsewhere
• 46-percent were in the 46 to 75 age group
They came to the project:
• 78-percent said they came to the area to use services
• 60-percent to eat and shop there
• 36-percent said they visited the area often
• 91-percent predominately visited by car
• 45-percent felt it was easy to get to the area
The greatest dissatisfaction:
• 72-percent said their greatest dissatisfaction with the area was aesthetics
• 62-percent said there needed to be more places to relax and socialize
• 61-percent would like a place to shop
What would enhance the area most?:
• 29-percent said places to stop and relax
• 25-percent said restaurants
• 23-percent said trees along sidewalks
Student Interviews of community members: 74 respondents
Participants:
• 40-percent were from East of 101
• 19-percent were from West
• 34-percent were from elsewhere
• 40-percent were in the 46 to 75 age group
• 39-percent were 26-45
They came to the project:
• 42-percent came into the area to use services
• 37-percent to eat
• 34-percent to shop there
•32-percent said they visited the area occasionally
• 25-percent everyday
•93-percent by car
•67-percent felt it was easy to get to the area
The greatest dissatisfaction:
• 56-percent said lack of places to shop
• 54-percent said lack of placed to eat
• 50-percent said sidewalk conditions
What would enhance the area most?:
• 41-percent said restaurants
• 36-percent said places to stop and relax
• 34-percent said more parking
The students have responded in their designs to these and other findings of the surveys.
Led by professors Hemalata Dandekar and Vicente del Rio, with the approval of the City of Paso Robles’s Community Development Department, the students will develop an integrated concept plan for this area which, although in a prime location with various important businesses, still needs to realize its full potential. Currently the area is poorly integrated to the rest of the city, lacks in accessibility and walkability, contains several underutilized parcels, and presents a strong barrier to the river. Recognizing that existing land uses are important to the city’s economy, the students will study ways to exploit the area’s full potential in relation to the city’s overall vision and projected growth. The class will come up with design ideas on how to invest in that area, complement the downtown activities, serve the adjacent neighborhoods, and connect to the river corridor and open spaces.
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