Modesto increasing curb appeal along Tenth Street

The city is increasing the curb appeal along one downtown block with planter boxes with trees, decorative cement that looks like brick sidewalks, tables with umbrellas for outdoor dining, pedestals displaying public art and other improvements.

The roughly $200,000 project is on Tenth Street between J and I streets. Work recently started and is expected to be completed by the end of September. The project is a collaboration between the city and the Downtown Modesto Partnership.

Interim Deputy City Manager Brent Sinclair said the improvements are part of the city’s vision to redevelop Tenth Street from Modesto Centre Plaza to the Tuolumne River. He said the city plans to redevelop other blocks along Tenth Street and this is part of a larger effort to revitalize downtown.

“The goal is to create a vibrant place for people to enjoy and connect,” Sinclair said in an email. “As this occurs, it will stimulate private sector reinvestment and grow our downtown economy.”

He said some of the bigger pieces of redeveloping Tenth Street are falling into place. For instance, he said, construction should start within a couple of years on the new Stanislaus County Courthouse, with the facility opening in 2020. He added that a train station could also open that year. The station at first would be served by Altamont Corridor Express commuter trains.

The work on Tenth Street between J and I streets drew praise from two businesses along the block, and concern from a third.

Picasso’s Gourmet Deli & Art Cafe owner Jordi Camps called the project “fantastic,” though he questioned how much the project would help the businesses. Chartreuse Muse gallery manager Jennifer Price said: “We’re very excited about what they are doing. We are hoping it will draw people downtown.”

Piccadilly Deli owner Suzie Wirth acknowledged the project will result in a better-looking street but she did not think it would help business and does not like that the project results in fewer parking spots along the street. She also is concerned the street will become a magnet for the homeless.

“The homeless problem downtown ... it’s getting unmanageable,” she said.

This block of Tenth Street has 40 parking spaces but will lose 10 of them. The city is planting 15 Chinese pistache trees in planters along the curb, resulting in less parking. The city is using the planters because workers cannot dig very deep under the street because of the businesses’ basements underneath.

Sinclair said the planters will help slow traffic, while still keeping the street two lanes. He said a slower street is a safer street for cars and pedestrians. He added that the project’s benefits will outweigh the loss in parking.

“Obviously no one likes losing spaces in front of their building, however through this effort we will double, triple (or more) foot traffic and increase business,” he said in an email, and added, “Plus, the improvements will increase property values, marketability, aesthetics, etc.”

The Downtown Modesto Partnership is working on a study to better manage parking and free up prime parking spots during downtown’s peak hours. Sinclair said the study should be released within 60 days.

City officials say they are noticing more homeless people throughout Modesto and hope that long-term solutions come out of Stanislaus County’s Focus on Prevention effort on homelessness. The county is holding a summit Oct. 1 as part of the effort to find permanent solutions.

This story was originally published July 31, 2015 at 4:49 PM with the headline "Modesto increasing curb appeal along Tenth Street."