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Banning Storefront Facades, Redevelopment:
A New Downtown
by Dean Gray, August 24, 2008
Banning, CA - “Our downtown plan was provided by the American Institute of
Architects, Inland Empire Chapter,” said Jack Holden, Executive Director of the
Banning Chamber of Commerce. “There were a series of town hall meetings
with the community and merchants. In the end there were four distinctive styles
to choose from. Nothing looks the same.”
“The redevelopment plan was provided free of cost to the city of Banning,”
added Duane Burk, Director of Public Works.
Volunteers from the chamber were busy setting up for their Thursday street fair
across from the civic center parking lot. Next week construction begins to
transform the parking lot into an art park. It all proudly points to Banning's
stunning progress as independent businesses are filling the downtown with a
thriving merchant presence.
Merchants interviewed expressed satisfaction with the work going on, saying
construction did not interrupt their business. Instead, they looked forward to the
storefront enhancement. The money the construction workers spend is an
added bonus.
“It's taken us five years to get this far,” said Holden. “The storefront
improvement program has really helped our merchants. Of course not
everyone sees it that way. But we've come a long ways since we started and
we're better off compared to doing nothing”
Holden explained Banning's smaller merchants don't compete head to head
with big-box retailers like Home Depot and WalMart that built warehouse
operations in neighboring Beaumont. “That's not what Banning is all about.
Banning is different. We have a downtown. Beaumont doesn't,” he said.
The determined sound and fury of construction buzzes all over the Banning
downtown. It's not just on main street but on side streets too. The results of an
aggressive redevelopment program providing new storefronts and seismic
retrofits to old buildings are making an old downtown come alive where once
empty storefronts reigned supreme.
A smart redevelopment action plan keeps existing businesses in operation by
working construction around them. New buildings fit in unobtrusively next to the
old. New storefronts, covering the old, are suggestive of several styles, creating
an attractive mix of visual appeal that makes walking downtown a pleasant
experience.
The Inland California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects led what is
known as the Ramsey Street Charette to develop the masterplan on May 1,
2004. The workshop brought together City residents, staff, and community
leaders to discuss ideas and visions for the Ramsey Street corridor between
8th Street and Hargrave.
The workshop was a collaborative session in which a group of designers
worked with the community in developing a solution to a design problem. This
involved stakeholders participating in the development of ideas, with intense
meetings to promote joint ownership of solutions. The group addressed the
following list of goals:
Three teams were formed that created concepts for defining the Downtown
area, generating ideas for vacant land and the consolidation of smaller parcels
to facilitate master planning, and creating street beautification standards.
The Downtown Design Standards and Downtown Streetscape programs are
outgrowths of the community workshop.
Banning business and the community benefited by wise use of limited funding,
creatively using the free services of architecture professionals, integrating the
enduring participation of the residents and following through with the plan. The
cost of the Desert Valley Star Downtown Banning Redevelopment Field Trip did
not exceed $40, counting the gas and the Chinese lunch for three.
A New Downtown
by Dean Gray, August 24, 2008
Banning, CA - “Our downtown plan was provided by the American Institute of
Architects, Inland Empire Chapter,” said Jack Holden, Executive Director of the
Banning Chamber of Commerce. “There were a series of town hall meetings
with the community and merchants. In the end there were four distinctive styles
to choose from. Nothing looks the same.”
“The redevelopment plan was provided free of cost to the city of Banning,”
added Duane Burk, Director of Public Works.
Volunteers from the chamber were busy setting up for their Thursday street fair
across from the civic center parking lot. Next week construction begins to
transform the parking lot into an art park. It all proudly points to Banning's
stunning progress as independent businesses are filling the downtown with a
thriving merchant presence.
Merchants interviewed expressed satisfaction with the work going on, saying
construction did not interrupt their business. Instead, they looked forward to the
storefront enhancement. The money the construction workers spend is an
added bonus.
“It's taken us five years to get this far,” said Holden. “The storefront
improvement program has really helped our merchants. Of course not
everyone sees it that way. But we've come a long ways since we started and
we're better off compared to doing nothing”
Holden explained Banning's smaller merchants don't compete head to head
with big-box retailers like Home Depot and WalMart that built warehouse
operations in neighboring Beaumont. “That's not what Banning is all about.
Banning is different. We have a downtown. Beaumont doesn't,” he said.
The determined sound and fury of construction buzzes all over the Banning
downtown. It's not just on main street but on side streets too. The results of an
aggressive redevelopment program providing new storefronts and seismic
retrofits to old buildings are making an old downtown come alive where once
empty storefronts reigned supreme.
A smart redevelopment action plan keeps existing businesses in operation by
working construction around them. New buildings fit in unobtrusively next to the
old. New storefronts, covering the old, are suggestive of several styles, creating
an attractive mix of visual appeal that makes walking downtown a pleasant
experience.
The Inland California Chapter of the American Institute of Architects led what is
known as the Ramsey Street Charette to develop the masterplan on May 1,
2004. The workshop brought together City residents, staff, and community
leaders to discuss ideas and visions for the Ramsey Street corridor between
8th Street and Hargrave.
The workshop was a collaborative session in which a group of designers
worked with the community in developing a solution to a design problem. This
involved stakeholders participating in the development of ideas, with intense
meetings to promote joint ownership of solutions. The group addressed the
following list of goals:
- Enhance the physical appeal and attractiveness of the Downtown area
- Make Downtown Banning a destination point
- Promote a safe, family-friendly atmosphere and activities
- Create an environment that will retain and attract business
Three teams were formed that created concepts for defining the Downtown
area, generating ideas for vacant land and the consolidation of smaller parcels
to facilitate master planning, and creating street beautification standards.
The Downtown Design Standards and Downtown Streetscape programs are
outgrowths of the community workshop.
Banning business and the community benefited by wise use of limited funding,
creatively using the free services of architecture professionals, integrating the
enduring participation of the residents and following through with the plan. The
cost of the Desert Valley Star Downtown Banning Redevelopment Field Trip did
not exceed $40, counting the gas and the Chinese lunch for three.
The Ranch Adobe
architectural style is
characterized by strong
massing, simple shapes,
bent roof lines, white
plaster, mudded tiled
roofs and wrought iron.
architectural style is
characterized by strong
massing, simple shapes,
bent roof lines, white
plaster, mudded tiled
roofs and wrought iron.
The Craftsman
architectural style
maintains low pitched
roofs, large eaves, stone
wainscot, exposed
timber, porches, wood
siding, jewel tone colors,
tapered columns and
double columns.
architectural style
maintains low pitched
roofs, large eaves, stone
wainscot, exposed
timber, porches, wood
siding, jewel tone colors,
tapered columns and
double columns.
The California Mission
architectural style
contains strong massing,
colonnades, arches,
white plaster, pitched
mudded tiled roofs,
wrought iron, exposed
ridge rafters, and
recessed windows.
Towers are often used as
focal points of the
architecture.
architectural style
contains strong massing,
colonnades, arches,
white plaster, pitched
mudded tiled roofs,
wrought iron, exposed
ridge rafters, and
recessed windows.
Towers are often used as
focal points of the
architecture.
| 3 Styles to Choose From |
Banning's free downtown masterplan looks
surprisingly like Desert Hot Springs downtown
masterplan costing the city $500,000
surprisingly like Desert Hot Springs downtown
masterplan costing the city $500,000
Jack Holden, Executive Director of the
Banning Chamber of Commerce with Duane
Burk, Director of Public Works are proud of
progress and see the big picture.
Banning Chamber of Commerce with Duane
Burk, Director of Public Works are proud of
progress and see the big picture.
Children enjoying a fountain in
the civic center on the city's
main street and across the street
from what will soon be the city
"Art Park,"
the civic center on the city's
main street and across the street
from what will soon be the city
"Art Park,"
| A NEW BANNING TAKES SHAPE (more pics) PHOTO ESSAY OF PROGRESS |
| A NEW BANNING TAKES SHAPE (more pics) PHOTO ESSAY OF PROGRESS |
| A NEW BANNING TAKES SHAPE (more pics) PHOTO ESSAY OF PROGRESS |