History

History

Fulton Avenue is centrally located in the heart of Sacramento County and the heart of the greater Sacramento Region. It is an area that was originally crossed by the Pony Express and has a rich historical significance. In recent times it has served as the premier location for automotive retail and is famous for a wide variety of restaurants and fine dining. At the north end of Fulton Avenue is the championship 36-hole Haggin Oaks Golf Course. In the center of the district, at the northeast corner of Fulton Avenue and Marconi Avenue is the newly renovated Town & County Village. Just west of Fulton Avenue, on Arden Way, is our region’s most successful and largest shopping center, Arden Fair Mall. On the south end of Fulton Avenue are several of Sacramento’s finest neighborhoods.

Fulton Avenue is readily accessible to all visitors and shoppers. The Capitol City Freeway forms Fulton’s north boundary and has a “Fulton Avenue” exit. In addition the freeway has exits at Arden, El Camino and Marconi Avenues, all of which connect directly to Fulton Avenue.

Despite all of Fulton Avenue’s strengths, some have suggested that outside visitors have difficulty distinguishing Fulton Avenue and its amenities from other commercial corridors. Part of the current effort by the Fulton Avenue Association (FAA) is an attempt to distinguish Fulton Avenue and make it one of the most attractive shopping areas in the greater Sacramento region. This management district plan, and the creation of a unified organization with a secure funding mechanism, provides another critical step in achieving the vision developed by the Fulton Avenue business and property owners.

Meetings with FAA, Property Owners, & Stakeholders

Initial Meetings with FAA

Several meetings of property owners and business owners were held in mid-1996 to discuss organizing and developing a unified approach to enhancing Fulton Avenue. These meetings led to the creation of the Fulton Avenue Vision Study, completed in May 1997. The Vision Study was a comprehensive review of the existing conditions on Fulton and provided a menu of options for the group to consider. After several public meetings, the business owners and property owners chose to formally organize themselves and pursue a management district for Fulton Avenue.

In mid-1997, the Board of Directors of FAA met with Downtown Resources to explore a Management District on Fulton Avenue. In several meetings, FAA and its consultants discussed the benefits of Management Districts and the effort necessary to create one on Fulton Avenue. Further meetings were held with representatives from the County Board of Supervisors and other representatives from the County of Sacramento. County Supervisor Muriel Johnson personally dedicated significant time and effort to assist the group and pledged support and cooperation from the County. All parties agreed that the creation of a public-private partnership in the form of a management district was the preferred course of action and that efforts should commence immediately.

Soon after these meetings, The Fulton Avenue Association (FAA) was incorporated and began taking the leadership role in efforts to enhance and improve Fulton Avenue. FAA is responsible for retaining Downtown Resources to assist with these efforts and develop this management district plan. FAA’s mission is to protect investments in the area and provide a clean, safe, and attractive shopping and business environment.

Focus Group Meetings

In February, 1998 a number of Focus Group meetings were held with property owners, business owners, and other stakeholders. The attendees represented both large and small properties on Fulton Avenue and accounted for a significant portion of the assessed value of properties within the proposed district. In February and March, 1998 a number of additional individual meetings were held to further refine the needs and desires of property owners and business owners on Fulton Avenue.

The purpose of the Focus Group meetings and the individual meetings was to present information on Management Districts, and elicit property owners’ and business owners’ interests and/or concerns about Fulton Avenue. The collection of information included surveys and discussions of business issues.

In all of these Groups, planning and physical development was identified as the highest priority. When asked how limited resources should be allocated, most property owner and business owner groups selected landscaping, economic development, and marketing and promotions. Several respondents also suggested that increased security is an important service consideration. The following is a chart of the responses to surveys distributed to property owners and business owners. The priority ranked as number “1” is the most important, and the priority ranked as “10” is the least important.

The specific service proposals in this plan reflect the priorities as set by the Fulton Avenue property and business owners.

Fulton Avenue Association Boundaries

The Fulton Avenue Management District will initially deliver services along Fulton Avenue between the Capitol City Freeway (Business 80) and Arden Way, with properties up the major cross streets. The service area includes approximately 230 properties, and approximately 130 property owners.

If you have a question about whether or not your property is within the boundaries of the Fulton Avenue Association, please call our office at 978-1288.

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