Westminster wants to revitalize the Little Saigon area into an international cultural destination.
The first step to achieving that? Manage the traffic and parking on one of Orange County’s busiest streets, Bolsa Avenue.
City staffers have proposed converting the thoroughfare from a six-lane to a four-lane roadway within the Little Saigon area from Magnolia Street to Brookhurst Street. About 33,000 motorists use Bolsa Avenue daily — which runs from Midway City to Seal Beach — to feed into major freeways like the 405 and don’t spend time in the Little Saigon area, city staffers said during a recent City Council meeting.
And that contradicts the vision for the area, staffers said.
“Little Saigon is and has been a cultural and historical destination,” said Mayor Chi Charlie Nguyen. “We’d like to revitalize the area to ensure our small business community continues to succeed while making Little Saigon a true tourist destination.”
In 2020, Westminster hired consultant Streetsense to develop the Little Saigon Blueprint which provided a framework to revitalize the area, improving the commercial façade and encouraging business development, said City Manager Christine Cordon.
Under that blueprint, converting the six-lane roadway to four lanes would result in 450 new curbside parking spaces and sidewalks for pedestrians, according to the city. Instead of passing through Little Saigon, people will instead stop to enjoy the shops and eateries lining the streets envisioned for the Bolsa Avenue Corridor, city staffers said.
In addition, Nguyen said, there would be more space for business development.
“This proven land use strategy is implemented across the country and has resulted in economic development revitalization,” Nguyen said. “More restaurants, housing and other commercial opportunities will come. Little Saigon will become a more welcoming and walkable tourist attraction.”
Given that Bolsa Avenue is regarded as a “Major Arterial Highway” per the Master Plan of Arterial Highways for Orange County, all proposed changes have to go through the Orange County Transportation Authority.
“The Orange County Transportation Authority has not received communication from the city about this proposal. We are happy to work with the city on the proposal if and when it is submitted,” OCTA said in a statement.
That master plan dates back almost 70 years and is vital to reducing traffic congestion and ensuring safe, efficient travel within Westminster and other cities in the county, according to OCTA.
To make a change to the master plan and Bolsa Avenue, Westminster has to submit a letter to OCTA with the proposed change along with a traffic study that analyzes how the change will affect traffic flow and with input from neighboring cities that might be affected by this proposed change.
Westminster staffers said they will begin the process to get OCTA approval. The next step, they said, is to retain the services of a transportation consultant as well as bring on board an urban design consultant.
Neighboring Garden Grove will not be affected by the proposed road change, said its city manager, Lisa Kim. The revitalization efforts in Little Saigon in Westminster, Kim said, would have a “positive impact on businesses in Garden Grove.”
“As Little Saigon is already known as an Orange County foodie destination for visitors and tourists, it is likely that many first and second-generation owned businesses in the surrounding area will benefit from an increase in foot traffic, thereby spurring opportunities for local investments and job creation,” Kim said.
In Westminster’s plans to make Little Saigon a cultural tourist destination, city staffers are also working with developer Frank Jao to build a parking structure at the Asian Garden Mall.
“We have been trying to work with the city for two years just to get a preliminary approval (for the parking structure), and we are still at it,” Jao said.
A prominent businessman in Little Saigon, Jao said Westminster’s vision for the Little Saigon area is “good,” and he is hopeful the plans will be brought to fruition.
“There were so many plans that have never been carried out,” Jao said.
Westminster’s vision to convert Bolsa Avenue into a bustling tourist destination is not new. Previous councils unveiled plans for the areas, including in 2012, 2017 and 2018, but those fell through.
Those plans did not materialize, Cordon said, because “redevelopment agency funds dried out.”
And even though the Little Saigon Blueprint was unveiled in 2020, Cordon said, the pandemic plus the “financial circumstances of the city” meant Westminster did not immediately move on some of the initiatives outlined in the plan.
The timeline for the narrowing of Bolsa Avenue is not definite, she said, and it could change depending on multiple factors, including finances and the OCTA approval process.
“A lot of resources are tied (up) in other economic development processes and day-to-day operations,” said Cordon.
