Fallbrook focuses on tourism

By: TOM PFINGSTEN - Staff Writer | Saturday, March 10, 2007 9:59 PM PST ∞

FALLBROOK ---- A network of welcome signs, a new library, and even a visitor's center are all part of a long-range plan that should make Fallbrook more visible and appealing to tourists, local officials said last week.

The plan has been crafted by a group of community leaders. It centers on a long-term goal to revitalize historical downtown Fallbrook, an area that runs along either side of Main Avenue from Elder to Ivy streets, said Honorary Mayor Rhonda Reinke.

Reinke has been a key player in the effort as head of the Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau.

The goal of the revitalization effort is to create a unified town core that would attract tourists with art, fine dining and shopping, while promoting the community's other attractions, such as golf and hiking trails, Reinke said.

The lead organization in the tourism push is the Fallbrook Village Association that runs the Art Center at Fallbrook. Other groups, such as the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce and the Visitors Bureau, are contributing time and money.

Vince Ross, president of the Village Association, said Thursday that his vision for the town is to preserve and enhance the small-town quality along Main that is hard to find in nearby towns that have sprung up in recent years.

"It seems to me that, since we are unique and do have an old Main Street, that would be something to preserve, instead of replace," Ross said. "Because I think that's the charm of our town."

Visitors center

The group hopes to create a visitors center on Pico Avenue and Alvarado Street that would be a central building where tourists would be able to pick up information on what to do in Fallbrook and would also provide public restrooms, officials said.

The two-story center would accompany a small "pocket" park on half the lot, and would be within two blocks of almost any location in downtown, Reinke said.

"Fallbrook is off the beaten path, so when people make their way into town, they need some area where they can go to get information about what they're looking for, whether it's trails or restaurants, or what have you," she said.

The small site is owned by the Fallbrook Gem & Mineral Society, whose museum is just east of the vacant lot.

Don McDougal, a business owner who has been part of the downtown revitalization effort, said that the first step may be to buy the property from the society and put a modular building there with landscaping, until enough money can be raised for a permanent structure.

That short-term solutions would cost about $250,000, McDougal estimated, while building the permanent visitors center would cost another $400,000.

Ross said it has not been determined how the visitors center would be paid for, but did not rule out the possibility that the Village Association could develop the site.

"We're used to doing some forms of development," he said. "It doesn't make any difference to us who does it, as long as we get a facility that's nice, and at a reasonable cost."

For now, the Village Square at Main and Alvarado is serving the role of a visitors center, offering a central meeting place and an information kiosk the visitors bureau keeps stocked with brochures, Reinke said.

New library

Plans to refurbish the town center also include a $5.4 million library that would be built next to the existing library at 124 S. Mission Road.

The 18,000 square foot library would be a few hundred feet away from the visitors center, providing another improvement to the downtown area, planners say.

Those who support the idea of building a library say it would be a large, multimedia facility that would contribute to the downtown area's revitalization.

In June 2006, a state bond measure that would have provided $600 million to library construction projects was defeated, ending hopes that the project would be fully funded as soon as this year.

The nonprofit group Friends of the Fallbrook Library has already raised about $2 million to build the library, and must raise several million more before construction can begin.

Signs, gateways and a logo

Another part of the plan has to do with welcoming visitors to Fallbrook with a series of "gateways"and pointing them in the right direction once they're here, Reinke said.

The gateways will include several "Welcome to Fallbrook" displays at key locations, such as Mission Road and Highway 76 in Bonsall, as well as near the Interstate 15 exits at Highway 76 and Mission Road.

"From the freeway, you'll see this big display that says, 'Fallbrook,' " Reinke said. "It's going to be big and they'll be well-maintained and landscaped, just very attractive."

The signs and gateways are being paid for by a $50,000 San Diego County grant that McDougal said will cover the design and initial installation. The full price tag hasn't been determined, he said.

"I really don't know what the final number is, because we're still working on the design," McDougal said. "My guess is it could be as much as $15,000 or $20,000 for each gateway, by the time you get the landscaping and lighting in place.

"(The gateways) need to be large enough to direct people into town, so they're going to be fairly substantial, and pretty expensive," he added.

McDougal said the rest of the gateways will be paid for through donations and fundraising.

Other signs, which will be installed sooner than the gateways, will guide visitors to key locations in downtown Fallbrook, Reinke said.

"We're only about 60 to 90 days from having some of our first signs placed," she said.

The company that will be making the signs, Motivational Systems Inc., of San Diego, also designed a logo for the Fallbrook Area Visitors Bureau that encourages tourists to "Find Fallbrook."

Reinke said the visitors bureau has developed a style guide establishing guidelines for businesses and those who wish to use the logo.

Other plans

In the long run, local officials would like to see some fundamental changes in the historical district, including a more pedestrian-friendly atmosphere and some residential space, Ross said.

"What we've hoped to do here is to conserve the small-scale village look and feel of the downtown business district," he said. "We're hoping in the future there will be residential development here, and there are some very tentative plans to do that."

He said new zoning may soon make it possible for downtown property owners to have a business and a residence on the same lot, a model that Ross said is used in many towns similar to Fallbrook.

Community leaders have also toyed with the idea of a hotel downtown.

In any case, Ross said, he sees the downtown district's art scene and its small-town aura playing key roles in keeping the economy strong by stimulating tourism.

Tourism's key role

While officials are working hard to bring more tourists to Fallbrook, Reinke said she does not think the town will ever be overrun by the visitors.

"There are things to do, but it is limited," she said, pointing out that tourists may also choose to visit the popular wine country in nearby Temecula. "We will be the little, tucked-away place where people can get away from the big city."

The former owner of a downtown clothing store, Reinke said tourism is essential to Fallbrook's economy.

"Businesses in town struggle to stay alive because this is such a small town," she said. "They depend not only on the locals to survive, but also on tourism, in order to grow or maintain their business."

In the end, she said, Fallbrook's rural character will stay intact, as it is a key part of what officials promote when they market the town's charms to tourists.

"We want the small-town atmosphere, but we also want to be able to help share all the things there are to do in Fallbrook," she said.

Contact staff writer Tom Pfingsten at (760) 731-5799 or tpfingsten@nctimes.com.

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