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

[ Return to Phase III Community Input ]