
A community filled with historic charm and roots needs a major upgrade, something that has been in conversation between city officials and residents for decades.
Bakersfield City hosted an Old Town Kern Vision Plan workshop on January 23 and January 25. Through these two workshops, the community was able to share stories, advice, insight, and the needs that should be fulfilled in this area of Bakersfield. After the January 23 meeting, the community was invited to come back to see early architectural plans for the future in Old Town Kern.
“There are a lot of stories… it really does speak to how special and valuable this area is and why it’s so worth fighting for,” said Jason Cater, economic and community development manager. “We must fight for those dollars, public dollars, to invest in our neighborhood.”
Cater also shared that the workshops and plans that are being made are not just conversations and exercises, but action projects and proposals that they plan to bring to the City Council in order to secure funding.
Ucedrah Osby, founder and executive director of Community Interventions, an organization located in Old Town Kern, said there are great needs that have been in discussion for years with community members.
“To be able to have this conversation amongst the city government and all the other hands that are part of fundraising and uplifting our great needs… This is an exciting time,” said Osby.
Osby shared how Old Town Kern hasn’t received any investments in recent years, even though it used to be a thriving area that residents considered to be downtown. As the city grew and new things were built across the community, Old Town Kern didn’t get the maintenance needed to thrive and is currently in need of a huge investment to restore it.
“We’re talking about street lighting, green space, space for children… and small businesses. Increasing public safety, places to put trash, and just allowing the community to be vibrant in art and programming is going to increase the quality of life for the residents here,” Osby shared, just some of the needs that will help change the community.
Cater said that they are currently in a stage where, over the next six months, they will be envisioning what the next 25-30 years will look like in Old Town Kern– an area that has deep historical roots within Bakersfield and Kern County, with connections throughout town and neighborhoods that have developed into something special over the years.
With the new vision of Old Town Kern, they know that there needs to be concrete plans and action. Therefore, with the consultant team consisting of Adam Meleitzke, AICP for Kimley-Horn, and Chris Williams, Associate Principal, Director of Planning for TCA Architecture, the community was able to see their ideas sketched out and start to visualize what the potential is for the upcoming years as well as provide feedback on what is needed.
The initial plans so far include five major districts or changes: a Restaurant District, Industrial Improvements, Entertainment Space, Summer Depot, and a Gateway District.
For each district, there were clear plans that addressed what the community thought was needed, such as the Restaurant District expanding on already existing prominent establishments like Luigi’s Restaurant and Arizona Cafe into an area filled with local food options, as well as the Entertainment District, which will help keep visitors longer and give them reasons to return, with the development of a festival street, theaters, and performance spaces.
“In order for us to prevent these plans from collecting dust… it requires all of us in this room and lots of people within the community to speak up,” said Andrae Gonzales, Ward 2 Councilmember, as he said why the community showing up during budget season and attending city council meetings is important.
This is a project that has already started seeing some fruition in the immediate needs of the community, such as safety and security. The city has secured 1.3 million dollars in EOA grants, which has resulted in crime decreasing with the added security measures such as security cameras for small businesses.
Besides entertainment and preservation of history, the community shared that there is also a need for public parking, accessibility, and opportunities for seniors to still be able to walk around and stay healthy.
Horn and Williams will be laying out a roadmap that shows grant funding opportunities and community partnerships in order to see results. For more information on the timeline of the projects and financial plans, there will be another meeting in March for the community to share their stories as well as show the final project proposal. For those who were not able to attend the Old Town Kern Vision Plan workshops, you can submit ideas and proposals here: https://app.publiccoordinate.com/#/projects/OldTownKernVisionPlan/map