Project To Revitalize Fair Oaks Boulevard In Carmichael Kicks Off

CARMICHAEL (CBS13) - Carmichael is trying to revitalize its city by turning Fair Oaks Boulevard into a Main Street.

If you take a look around this stretch of Fair Oaks Boulevard, it certainly doesn't feel like a traditional Main Street. There's lots of traffic lights, plenty of strip malls and few pedestrians.

Over the next couple of years, though, that's all about to change.

Ask three people, what Carmichael's Main Street is and you might get three different answers.

"Marconi . No, Watt."

"There is a Carmichael Street over there, but it's not really Main-ish."

"Oh, Fair Oaks Boulevard, undoubtedly."

Well -- a mile-and-a-half stretch of Fair Oaks Boulevard between Kenneth and Engle is getting a major facelift.

Think Main Street USA instead of strip mall central. It's a project to create a shopper-friendly downtown district, and it finally broke ground Wednesday.

Phase 1 calls for street improvements at Fair Oaks and Marconi allowing easier access for pedestrians and bicyclists.

"There's certain parts there's like no room for the bicycles at all," said bicyclist Megan Everheart.

There's very little space outside Frank's Flower Shop. So little, pedestrians coming from the south have to step onto the street to get back onto the sidewalk.

"They're just jaywalking all the time," owner Frank Papadopolous said. "They did almost get hit a couple times. Thank god they didn't, but it is pretty hard."

Frank hopes improvements mean increased foot traffic that leads to more business.

Residents CBS13 talked to like the project overall, but Kurt Amschler just has one condition.

"The key for me is, is it still drivable because oftentimes they go to the other extreme and choke off your ability to drive through it," he said.

Carmichael recently celebrated its 100-year anniversary and Sacramento County Supervisor Susan Peters on Wednesday joked it's taken about that long to get this project up and running.

Phase 1 isn't expected to be completed until 2014 and Phase 2 is still in the design stages.