Got ideas for making downtown Modesto better? Drop by Greens restaurant this week
People who care about downtown Modesto’s future can take part in brainstorming sessions this week.
It kicked off Monday evening with a general presentation on the master plan under way for the district. It will lay out prospects for housing, transportation, open space and related topics over 20 years.
The city and its consultant, Opticos Design of Berkeley, launched the effort in July. It is expected to take about a year.
Downtown lost its place as Modesto’s retail center decades ago, but it has continued to be home to local government, restaurants and entertainment. It has lagged behind many cities in building new housing, but recent plans could start to change that.
Modesto also will get a new courthouse, likely by 2023. And a refurbished train depot will serve the expanding Altamont Corridor Express to San Jose, as soon as 2021.
All of this week’s meetings — open to the public — will be at Greens on Tenth restaurant, 953 Tenth St. The schedule:
- Monday: General presentation and “exercise” for participants from 6 to 8 p.m.
- Tuesday: “Open studio” from 10 a.m. to noon. Brown-bag lunch session on economics from noon to 1 p.m. More open studio from 1 to 4 p.m. and from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Wednesday: Open studio from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Brown-bag sessions on mobility from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and on parking from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Open studio from 1:30 to 4 p.m. and from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. “Pinup/popup” session from 6 to 7:30 pm.
- Thursday: Open studio from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 2:30 pm.
- Friday: Closing presentation and breakout groups from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
