The Crescent City Downtown Specific Plan
Revitalizing Downtown
with a community based vision that builds upon existing strengths and capitalizes on opportunities for growth.
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Redevelopment Zone
A generation ago, major economic activities in Del Norte County included natural resource extraction, such as timber, fishing, and mining. Today, these industries are severely diminished, and the economy has shifted towards more service-based sectors. Tourism is now among the most important industry sectors in Crescent City, providing up to 20% of the total employment, as visitors from more congested urban areas travel to our community due to its smaller population density, long beaches, clean air, pristine rivers, Redwood forests, and extensive mountain trails.
Adding to the decline in more substantial paying jobs was the tsunami of 1964, which killed eleven people and devastated 29 city blocks. After the tsunami, the Army Corp of Engineers were called in and deemed most of downtown a disaster zone or, what was more acceptable at the time, a “redevelopment zone” giving traumatized locals few choices: rebuild up to present code without any financial assistance or sell it for market value. The local community had lost too much and needed help. Almost every structure in the “redevelopment zone” that embody the history and culture of the town was destroyed. The heart of the town was stripped and re-imagined by engineers with store frontages that could quickly be built up. Lost forever were the two- and three-story buildings with family apartments above the local mom and pop stores. The historical fishing village built with the context of the land would never return. Today, downtown is underutilized, lacks the desired level of vibrancy and charm that most visitors expect from a small-city’s downtown, is missing a sense of place, and has a high vacancy rate.
Project Area
Part of the Downtown Specific Plan will include defining what is "downtown". The map above illustrates what area will be considered with this plan and what area is being proposed as the downtown core.
Our Vision
The Crescent City Downtown Specific Plan aims to grow our local economy and improve the quality of life for our residents by creating a vibrant and thriving downtown. In this re-envisioned future, the City’s downtown serves as the community's "heart", from which its identity radiates, defining the social and cultural character of the City including the abundance of natural resources surrounding it.
our Planning process will include several key components
Collect and Analyze Data
Public Outreach/Visioning
Public Outreach/Visioning
Crandall Arambula will gather and assess data from a variety of sources, some of which include: market studies, transportation studies, and master plans such as the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), Economic Development Strategic Action Plan (EDSAP), Housing Element, and General Plan. They will also conduct base mapping of the downtown area, a retail market analysis, and a business inventory. This data will help identify the types of downtown retail, entertainment, specialty retail, or similar use gaps and niches that could potentially prosper in the downtown. They will conduct a housing market gap analysis, land use and regulation assessment, mobility/active transportation analysis, complete street analysis and parking analysis. This analysis will form the technical framework that will act as the foundation for the Downtown Specific Plan.
Public Outreach/Visioning
Public Outreach/Visioning
Public Outreach/Visioning
Crandall Arambula and City staff will conduct meaningful public engagement with a diverse cross-section of community members and coordinate with a steering committee of key business leaders and stakeholders to collect feedback on existing conditions and begin the visioning process. The objective of this phase will be to address the community needs, develop a ranking of goals, and determine what makes the City of Crescent City unique. These efforts will include hosting public workshops and focus group meetings to allow community input on the overall design and vision for downtown.
Concept Drawings
Public Outreach/Visioning
Implementation Plan
Informed by the community vision, Crandall Arambula and their team will set design guidelines for architecture, public spaces, streetscapes, signage, and landscaping to ensure a cohesive and appealing downtown atmosphere. The concept drawings will reflect the City’s unique character and future vision.
Implementation Plan
Implementation Plan
Crandall Arambula will identify a shortlist of no more than five projects that can establish sustained and significant early development momentum and generate an increased tax base. These projects will be refined and finalized with a ROI analysis. The final plan will include jargon-free descriptive text, rich illustrative plans, diagrams, tables, infographics, and 3-D perspective illustrations formatted as a coffee table book or 'pullout' document that can stand alone and be utilized for tenant and developer recruitment, advertising, and for grant application purposes. The final plan will also include funding strategies and identify key next steps for implementation.
Business Recruitment
Once the Downtown Specific Plan is complete, City staff will begin the business recruitment process.
Future Façade Improvement Program
City staff are working towards securing additional grant funding to launch a Façade Improvement Program to assist downtown businesses and property owners with bringing the vision to fruition, once the building standards have been established.
Building on the momentum.
With the Downtown Specific Plan, we hope to create a welcoming and pedestrian-friendly streetscape that seamlessly connects the new Beachfront Park amenities, Redwood Discovery Center/Visitor's Center, and Transit Center to our downtown businesses.
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