Placentia business owners and residents are voicing their frustrations regarding the state of the city’s Old Town – and a lack of revitalization efforts, despite city officials planning overhauls years ago.  

These complaints come in the wake of ongoing dissatisfaction with the condition of the city’s roads, with infrastructure discussions dominating the conversation last year.

[Read: Placentia Officials Approve Street Repairs After Resident Complaints]

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In response to emailed questions, Mayor Kevin Kirwin said he will have more to say about the future of the old town after a May 6 study session on the issue.

The rest of the city council members did not respond to requests for comment.

The Old Town Revitalization Plan, adopted in 2017, includes initiatives to transform the area into a more pedestrian-friendly and draw in new business over the next 20 years. 

However, many residents say progress has been slower than anticipated. 

“Take inspiration from Old Town Orange, an area that has thrived by embracing its history while investing in its future,” David McNair, a longtime resident of Placentia, said at the April 1 council meeting. “Placentia has the same opportunity.”

“My concern as a resident that will be here probably the day I die is that it’s going to still look the same,” McNair said. 

On February 12, Broken Timbers Brewing Company hosted a meeting for Old Town merchants, business owners, neighbors and residents to hear from the city about the streetscape project, an improvement plan  featuring new street lighting, bike racks, planting of more trees and pavement reconsiderations.    

Heidi Mahnke, the owner of Broken Timbers Brewing Company, said the community wants to see Old Town Placentia revitalized.

“We have one of the last old towns in Orange County that hasn’t been updated,” Mahnke said at the April 1 council meeting. “Clearly, many people in Placentia want to see an energized, welcoming Old Town, not just us business owners.”

Mahnke stressed that an updated Old Town would benefit the entire city. 

“Taking away this project will perpetuate the negative reputation Placentia currently has and further detract people from coming here,” Mahnke said.

Other business owners, such as Cameron Irons, a commercial real estate broker, also raised concerns. 

Irons purchased his property in Old Town with the expectation that both the revitalization plan and the construction of the Metrolink Station and a new parking structure would bring significant change. 

Yet, despite approval from the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) for the station in 2016, there has been little progress.

“I thought this was the time something was really going to happen,” Irons said. “That was 10 years ago.”

The Metrolink project, costing the city $35 million, is aimed at boosting Old Town’s regional transportation needs but has yet to break ground. 

“I don’t see them wanting to come here still if we don’t get moving on our [Old Town],” McNair said.

City officials emphasized that before the streets can be improved, repairs are needed in other areas.

“The streets look so bad because we had a lot of work to do in those streets and we didn’t want to pave them if we’re going to cut them up again. So we’ve been investing a lot of infrastructure, between power, internet, sewer lines, you name it, down those streets,” Councilman Jeremy Yamaguchi said at the April 1 city council meeting.

He added that there may still be additional information about the old town revitalization plan to be gained during the upcoming May 6 study session.

“I think the long term plan five years ago was to get all the underground work done and pave it and make it look nice once we’re done. So that’s still my intention, unless the study session deters me otherwise,” said Yamaguchi.

City Councilman Chad Wanke said local business owners can help improve the quality of Old Town Placentia.

“There are a lot of things that you business owners and property owners can do” Wanke said. 

“We have a couple business owners and property owners that own property down in Old Town, and you can look at their buildings and see the buildings that have been renovated.” Wanke continued. “When property owners take responsibility and renovate the buildings, that’s what revitalizes an area.”

Yet business owners and residents say that lasting changes require more than just private matters, meaning there is a need for a broader city involvement. 

“We’ve seen other cities thrive by investing in their old towns,” McNair said. “It’s time for Placentia to do the same.” 

Correction: a previous version of this article stated the study session on old town would be on May 1. The study session will take place on May 6. We regret this error.