“I don’t know how successful live/work is. Everyone is seeing that it really depends on location and surroundings and the synergy you can build on,” said John Godlewski, Fullerton’s director of community development.
One thing Godlewski has found in looking at the city’s live/work projects is it’s important to have a high density of similar complexes in an area so that the walking culture can really take hold.
Live/work developments are still in their infancy in Fullerton, and such a density has not yet been achieved, but it’s paramount to the eventual fulfillment of the city’s vision, Godlewski said.
For more than a year now, Costa Mesa has been trying to get developers to put in condominiums with businesses on the bottom floor, or similar projects in place of industrial buildings to revitalize the Westside. The first two projects in this vein were approved by the council earlier this summer, but neither has been built yet.
The city attributes the lull in developers taking advantage of the opportunities it is providing to the ailing housing market, but thinks an upturn in the economy will bring the project closer to fruition.
Some Fullerton officials say it’s imperative to choose the right types of businesses to put side-by-side with residential developments.
“A few of the business owners have struggled a little bit who have done retail stuff. A lot of the live/work makes more sense for people who aren’t relying so much on traffic and who have a core business,” said Fullerton Councilman Shawn Nelson.
