Susan Robinson: Modesto has become drab, let’s add some color

Modesto won’t become an interesting place people want to visit unless the entire city develops some sort of character other than shabbiness. Improving downtown alone won’t do it. Has anyone else noticed the phenomenon of no color? Virtually every house and business is painted some shade of beige or gray. The few who do branch out unfortunately have chosen the colors of dried blood, urine or diarrhea. Surely we can do better.

I know paint and painters can be costly and this area is economically depressed. Can the city offer incentives for owners of homes or businesses to paint in a larger variety of colors? Can professional painters offer discounts if several homeowners in an area hire you? Homeowners, do you have architectural details going unnoticed because they are painted the same color as the house or trim? How about the front door? Can you paint it an interesting color?

Lawns are also becoming a problem with our new-normal drought conditions. Again, we could use help from the city to incentivize removing all or part of lawns and replacing them with low-water landscaping. Got ideas or photos? Share yours at the Facebook page Improve Modesto.

This story was originally published May 18, 2016 at 4:57 PM with the headline "Susan Robinson: Modesto has become drab, let’s add some color."