California city Lancaster spent $11.5 million turning ugly five-lane road into ‘America’s best main street’ lined with pretty trees and parks that’s boosted local economy by $280 million

The city of Lancaster in California spent $11.5 million transforming its ugly five-lane boulevard into “America’s best Main Street,” boosting the local economy by $280 million, according to the California Redevelopment Association.

The nine-block street was once nothing more than a paved street lined by concrete buildings in the center of the Southern California city.

In the late 2000s, Lancaster was struggling with a housing shortage, an unemployment rate double the national average, and empty storefronts.

But now, the boulevard is lined with trees and booming local businesses, after an extensive eight-month renovation in 2010.

At the beginning of the east end of Main Street sits an idle F-4 Phantom supersonic aircraft on a concrete pedestal, honoring the aerospace legacy of the Mojave Desert.

From there, the road, renamed ‘The BLVD,’ splits into two lanes of slow-moving traffic under palm trees and past pedestrian-friendly sidewalks.

The central ‘rambla’ inspired by Barcelona’s esplanade helped prioritize pedestrians, which in turn increased the influx of local businesses.

‘Before, there were a lot of empty spaces on our boulevard and there were parking lots. Dilapidated buildings, what do you have? Then people would go by at 60 mph,” explained Shirley Griffiths, owner of Panache Salon. he told SF Gate.

“This slowed everyone down,” he explained.

In fact, after the renovation more than 40 new businesses sprang up along the boulevard.

These include an underground bowling alley, a tattoo parlor and a Mediterranean cafe.

“So now they’re going to park once, get out, walk the streets and see what else is available to them besides passing through a public road.”

According to SF Gate, the street is free of trash thanks to the team commissioned by the city.

The team starts cleaning at 9am every weekday and continues until 2:30pm.

‘Lancaster BLVD changed the way we think about boulevards. It also changed the way we think about parking,” Andrew Von Maur, a professor of architecture at Andrews University, told SF Gate.

The BLVD also borders a new city park, American Heroes Park, built as part of the renovation, as well as the Museum of Art and History, which has become a central cultural center for the area.

‘There wasn’t much; I only came here for my dentist,’ Emily Hernandez told the SF Gate about the road before the renovation.

‘But now it’s become something really fun to do. I like it a lot. It’s family oriented, it’s safer. And people drive slower.’

The BLVD increased the city’s tax revenue and property values ​​within two years of its completion, according to the renovation’s lead architects, Moule & Polyzoides Architects.

Despite the benefits, the boulevard has critics who argue that its beautification is a smokescreen for rising crime in the city.

Reported violent crimes have risen steadily over the past decade in Lancaster, up to 1,453 cases in 2022, nearly double the number reported in 2012, according to federal crime data.

“It’s a ghost town at night,” John Paul Gordon, a bank security guard on The BLVD, told the SF Gate.

‘People come here at night and it’s quite dangerous. They will rob you at the ATM.

“There are shootings, stabbings and homeless people jumping in front of cars,” Destiny Metter, who was born and raised in Lancaster, told SF Gate.

“The BLVD is more for the homeless,” added Carole Moore, who has lived locally since 2000.

‘They took charge. “They sleep on benches and charge their phones for free.”