Results from Phase III Community Forums:

Association of Realtors - April 12, 2000

Our Slogan:
� Pride�Vision�Community
� A Place to Call Home
� A great place to live!

Our Image:
� Example of a "turnaround�pride, progressive, thriving
� Oil & Ag
� Big city conveniences with small town feel
� We care!

Our Reputation:
� Friendly - open to new people
� Safest place to raise children
� Low crime rate
� Variety of career opportunities
� Effective law enforcement

Business Environment:
� Technology replaces oil as major employer
� KCSOS -Greater Bakersfield - California's Education Headquarters/spills over into local schools as state's BEST!

Arts & Culture:
� Diversified music center not just country
� Broadway plays and musicals
� Opera House

Education:
� Students with high marks
� Lowest dropout rate in state
� Family involvement and value
� Charter schools
� One language
� Engineering classes

Heart of the City:
� Cultural diversity
� Downtown - Riverwalk with water in river 365 days with shops and restaurants
� New art museum
� Baseball stadium/entertainment center adjacent to the Garden with parking
� Nordstroms

Our Values:
� #1 Family
� Ethical positive business environment
� Churches - God
� Wholesome but, open-minded

Technology:
� Available
� Tech with/be oninternet - affordable
� Most homes have high speed internet access

Transportation:
� Bullet
� Complete freeway system
� New form of transporation (electric, or?)
� Downtown Trolley System
� 4 lanes to Taft

Biggest Changes:
� Highways to go somewhere
� Healthcare
� Retirement
� Trees
� 4 lanes for Hwy 46
� See Mountains!

Break Thrus:
� All cancers
� Implementation of circulation plan

Looking back I'm most proud of�
� Our growth
� Our leaders

What's our Vision for our Economy over the next 10-20 years?
� More technology companies open here
� Booming with unemployment @ 3-4%
� More specialty agricultural businesses - like "baby carrots" - tomatoes, garlic, almonds
� UC campus
� Effective transportation: freeways with landscaping maintained; air traffic; mass transit

What kind of Economic Development Initiatives do we want to create?
� Micro breweries
� Creation of mega industrial parks
� Bigger amusement and theme park
� IRS moved from DC to Bakersfield with all employees
� Large, integrated motor sports complex - testing, events - commence with no growth
� Good atmosphere for drive thru Bakersfield

What kind of jobs do we want to attract here over the next 10-20 years?
� High tech
� Medical - tops in field
� Engineering
� Specialized clinics like - Stanford, Scripps, etc
� Teaching
� Medical research
� Pharmaceutical manufacturing
� Distribution facilities
� World wide ag distribution
� Lots of diversity in jobs
� Use talent we have

Our Vision for Downtown:
� Improve Kern County Museum and make it a special place
� Mega Recreational Facilities near museum
� Industrial complex/park N of Museum
� Under pass at 24th & Oak - direct route to hospital and route to 99 North. Take congestion and delay out of Rosedale and freeway intersection
� Tunnel to F Street
� Under river to Select
� Green scaped cul-de-sacs to 24th - 21st one-way; 19th one-way
� Chester Ave. small unique shops
� Increased densification of commercial and housing downtown
� Gas Light District with horse and carriage - Better restaurants downtown around Riverwalk
� Riverwalk - trolley cars - closed off streets - outdoor recreation around Central Park
� Centennial Parkway along Truxtun with Horton Plaza type center
� Kern River Expressway connects to Centennial Parkway
� Baseball stadium at California and Union
� Horton Plaza type center on Truxtun
� California Ave. is landscape window to civic center
� Chester from Brundage to California is greenscaped to Civic Center\Re-energizing of neighborhoods
� Planned re-development streets, curvs, lighting, incentive to trash and rebuild W of Lakeview - Manufacturing jobs
� Landscape 58 and widen

In our Community's Future We Wanted and We Got�
� Landscaped medians
� More students @ Cal State
� Trash cans removed by owners - out of sight
� Higher test scores K-12
� Water in Kern River year 'round
� Engineering @ Cal State
� Better restaurants
� INS in Bakersfield
� Downtown elementary
� Green city with trees
� Trade billboards for trees
� More community recreational facilities
� World class air transportation
� Every neighborhood - safe
� Quality & sanctity of life!
� High level or % of home ownership
� Retirement community

In our Community' Future We Didn't Want and We Didn't Get�
� Gang activity
� Teen pregnanacy
� Poor air quality
� Freeway rage!
� Tiny lots for our homes

Metropolitan Bakersfield - 2010 General Planning Area
� Residential on East side
� Complete freeway to Lake Isabella
� Southeast: planned development streets-landscape - incentive to trash and rebuild
� South alignment Beltway to Taft Hwy.
� West beltway along Rudd Rd.
� Completion of 178, Truxtun, and 58 to tie in N of the Kern River and E along Stockdale Hwy to I 5
� Rosedale Hwy 6 lanes
� Agriculture outside the 2010 planning area
� City should buy Borba land for effluent water

Common Themes:
� Trees - landscaping
� Waterways
� Visual image
� Freeways - trannsportation
� Education
� High tech
� Safety for families
� Culture
� Quality of life
� Less shopping malls
� Recreation
� High paying jobs

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