Old Town To Get Facelift
amtrak, old town, revitalization, route 66,
Wanted: Development partners to work with Victorville to take advantage of Route 66’s rich history and transform Old Town into a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with retail shops and
new housing.
The main drag already gets plenty of auto traffic – it’s halfway between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
Mixed use is the city’s mantra, and it is using public money to stimulate development. As of June 2008, the city had spent at least $6 million to acquire what it hopes will be “catalytic sites” at the neighborhood’s southern and northern ends, says Collette Hanna, Victorville’s director of business development.
“There are so many things there. The street is on a slight incline, so you have a view of the mountains,” Hanna says. The city wants to target resources like the Route 66 Museum, the High Desert Center for the Arts and old buildings with interesting histories, such as the Green Spot Hotel, to help draw support. Using grant money, Victorville also offers rehab funds for owner-occupied homes, but the main idea is to create new development with retail outlets on the ground floor and housing above.
Story by Pamela Coyle
Photo by Ian Curcio
