Dick Hagerty: Former mayor has thoughts about future

Last week I had lunch with Carol Whiteside and, as usual, the former Modesto mayor was abuzz with ideas and suggestions about ways to better our community.

We started out with a discussion about the new proposed Stanislaus County courthouse, and she immediately brushed off comments concerning the Ninth Street location.

“That decision is made and settled. No point in debating the location, rather it is time to move on to more important things,” she began. Her first concern is that special attention should be paid to the theme and the architectural statement which the courthouse will portray.

“We certainly do not need a gray block building to celebrate the entrance to our city,” she declared.

Clearly there is no intention to construct a block building, but Whiteside’s point was obvious: Our city needs and deserves a building that will be a downtown landmark for the ages.

Her second concern is what will be done with the I Street block where the present courthouse sits. “Everyone needs to come together alongside the county and acquire that block for the greater good of our downtown community. Once the aged jail and the old courthouse are removed, a community downtown park would be a great attribute.”

Taking that a step further, she noted that with some creative planning, an underground parking structure would be possible.

“Think of it as our own San Francisco-style Union Square,” she added.

Finally she noted that downtown Modesto has no overall thematic consistency.

“Drive around downtown,” she declared. “You will see a half-dozen different styles of street lights, signage is not consistent, curbs and sidewalks have no common thread. And I am not talking about an architectural theme, just more attention to those common elements which our city can control.”

Later, in talking to retired downtown planner Mike Herrero, he said: “We do have an adopted common downtown theme. We just do not have redevelopment funds to implement them and must wait for any proposed development to construct these elements. Lacking funds for an overall retrofit, it will be a long time in coming before we see these changes adopted.”

Whiteside’s final thoughts were related to planning in general.

“It takes at least 10 years to make anything significant happen,” she said. “Look at Village I. Even with all of its problems, it was still many years in the making, and I am concerned that right now I do not see much long-range planning going on in our city.”

California Strategies, Whiteside’s statewide planning think tank where she is a principal, says: “Few people, if any, have more knowledge of, and experience in, the Central Valley’s business, policy, planning and land use issues than Carol Whiteside. This expertise consistently proves valuable, not just to California Strategies clients with interests in the Central Valley, but also those desiring expert assistance in all matters of governance.”

And so it goes with 90 minutes of nonstop discussions over lunch with a former mayor who is still a significant player in our community. I am already on her waiting list for the next opportunity to talk through the future of our fair city.

This story was originally published May 9, 2015 at 10:13 PM with the headline "Dick Hagerty: Former mayor has thoughts about future."