Karima Magazine Sep-Oct 2017

HOW DOWNTOWN
MODESTO
REINVENTED
BY ANGELA KARIM
11
N 2001, JOSH BRIDEGROOM, urban city planner
was tasked with a special project: re-inventing
downtown Modesto. “At the time, there were just a
lot of night clubs in downtown. Unfortunately, they
were associated with fights and there were patrol cars
everywhere when they were open. It wasn’t bidding
well with patrons or the business owners. So, I had
to work on relationships and develop a game plan,”
said Bridegroom.
First order of business: meeting with the CEO of
the Modesto Chamber of Commerce. “I needed to figure
out what worked and what didn’t,” said Bridegroom.
“That was my first step.” Bridegroom believed that he
could create a more urban feel, which patrons would be
excited to embrace, with the addition of functional art
bike corrals. He convinced the Modesto City Council and
the Modesto art museum to collaborate on this step.
To create ambiance on a budget and encourage
patrons to enjoy outdoor mingling, Bridegroom
purchased outdoor chairs and furniture to give out to
local eateries. “The tables and chairs set out definitely
invite people to sit and linger a while. The bike corrals
appealed to those wanting to come and not have to deal
with parking their car downtown,” said Bridegroom.
“It was a really inexpensive solution that helped
encourage people to come downtown.”
Property owners joined the mission and a
consultant was brought to advise on public safety
enhancements. In no time Bridegroom had put together
necessary bylaws and volunteers were tapped. And,
the spirit was catching as the local Orchard Supply
Hardware store sprang into action by supplying paint
required for the bike lanes and such.
Bridegroom, also aware of the general public’s
well-founded security concerns, still had pressing
problems to address. “We all knew that small time
offenders were being released and dropped off in
the middle of the night in downtown Modesto. And
understandably, patrons didn’t like being panhandled
or having to deal with people who have drug and/or
mental health issues.”
Bridegroom decided to hire five, non-armed
men as “safety staff.” Their job was to serve as guides,
and address panhandling and illegal activity. The safety
staff can be identified by their ever-present, brightly
colored uniforms. “People now feel like downtown
is better maintained. In addition to the safety staff,
an armed security firm was hired to monitor all
overnight activity. We wanted to ensure that no
vandalism was going to occur when venues were
closed,” said Bridegroom.
Bridegroom said that he and his team will
continue to manage social disruption together with the
County Office of Behavioral Health and the Modesto
Police Department. He feels as though it is pertinent
to community safety. In addition, his team felt that by
enhancing the lighting downtown, it would help foster a
sense of safety and dissuade any criminal activity.
After tackling issues with ambiance and
safety, Bridegroom still felt a piece of the puzzle was
missing, something to bring the community together.
He decided that a continual market offering an
evening of crafts, goods, and hot food would be a great
addition to downtown to encourage locals to come
out and play. The team created a family friendly
environment with designated areas for parking. The
downtown Modesto market happens every week from
June until October. “We have seen an uptick in traffic
due to the changes being made,” said Bridegroom.
In short, his plan was a success in a relatively