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	Going Downtown ... in Elk Grove
	by Elliot Mulberg
	As we traveled to the east coast last spring we noticed every city or town had a downtown. Sometimes downtown was the area around city hall or the courthouse. Sometimes downtown became the central business district. The city of Sacramento has an undeniable downtown. It includes both city hall and the central business district. Elk Grove, true to its maverick nature has no defined downtown area. A number of options come to mind.
	At one time the central business district was what we now call Old Town, located on Main St, now Elk Grove Blvd. between the railroad tracks and Waterman Rd. This part of town not only had businesses and offices but was also the location for the first Elk Grove High School and the first public library in the area founded by Harriet Eddy. In addition the site of the present day Grange Hall was the headquarters of the Women's Christian Temperance Union in the 1920's. Back then old town included a butcher shop, lumber yard and hardware store. Today Old Town is in need of a facelift. As you may have read in the paper recently, the city is making an effort to implement a plan for the revitalization of Old Town. For now, Old Town is not downtown Elk Grove, but may lay claim to that title sometime in the future.
	In many cities downtown is centered around city hall. In Elk Grove city hall is located off either Laguna Springs or West Stockton Blvd. Neither street has the capacity to be considered a major arterial. The nearest commercial landmark is the Walmart shopping center located behind city hall. However the Elk Grove Chamber of Commerce and the Sacramento Bee have relocated to be near city hall. Perhaps the area around city hall represents a bold attempt to create a downtown area.
	Two other candidates do not yet exist, lying in undeveloped areas. One is Laguna Ridge, located west of Highway 99 extending south of Elk Grove Blvd between the freeway and Bruceville. Laguna Ridge is touted to be a showcase for the newly incorporated city. Plans for the area include a new city hall and a $50 million community center flanked by additional commercial development. The new city hall will be a stones throw from the Elk Grove Auto Mall and Starbucks. This area may at some point qualify as downtown Elk Grove due to the business activity and some civic activity. The only question is whether the city wants to be known by the auto mall or some other landmark.
	Another new "downtown" area could be the Elk Grove Promenade. The regional shopping center on Grantline and Highway 99 is supposed to be a mixed use development with apartments and an open air shopping mall. The shopping center will be a draw for shoppers from the south county and even as far as Stockton. In addition the shopping mall is likely to put pressure on the county to expand its urban services boundary, the current limit to urban development, since the mall is located at the southern edge. The mall offers a great opportunity for the city to expand to the south. History has shown that shopping malls of this magnitude have encouraged growth like the area around Sunrise Mall. The potential for a downtown Elk Grove at the Promenade is undeniable.
	Perhaps the most promising candidate for downtown is the intersection of Elk Grove Blvd and Elk Grove Florin Road. Within a block or two of that intersection we find many centers of activity, the headquarters of the Elk Grove Unified School District, including Kerr Middle School and Elk Grove High school, the headquarters of the Elk Grove Community Services District, the post office, the Senior Center of Elk Grove, the Elk Grove Branch of the Public Library, and Elk Grove Park. The area even includes a shopping center anchored by Bel Air, a few businesses, and a gas station. All that is really missing is City Hall. As this area includes both business and the headquarters of several civic institutions, this might be it, downtown Elk Grove.
	In reality downtown Elk Grove is up to city planners. There are many possibilities some existing some for the future. The real question is the image of Elk Grove. If we identify downtown by the location of city hall then we would identify Elk Grove with Walmart. If we look to the future city hall in Laguna Ridge we see Elk Grove as perhaps a big city based on the size of its civic area and closely identified with business. However that business is the used car business, perhaps not that desirable.
	If we define downtown as the central business district it is easy to be confused since the central business district is spread out over the entire city. Major shopping centers, and sometimes shopping centers inside of shopping centers can be found from Waterman to I-5. The Elk Grove Promenade by its shear size can redefine a central business district, but then Elk Grove would be defined by its many malls. Perhaps it would be known as the "malled city".
	The revitalization of Old Town once the business and civic center of the ranching community of Elk Grove has potential. However if we define downtown as a civic center and central business district we need to look at the intersection of Elk Grove Blvd. and Elk Grove Florin Rd. Maybe we can influence city planners to concentrate business and new services there.
	Elliot Mulberg is a long time Elk Grove resident and former member of the Franklin Laguna Area Community Planning Advisory Council.
	The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not represent those of the Elk Grove Insider or any other entity.
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