City leaders are looking at enhancing the Brookhurst Street corridor in Anaheim, home of the recently designated Little Arabia, with possibilities ranging from new signs and street enhancements to hosting cultural events.
City-hired consultants have presented the City Council with ideas they’ve been looking at for months after doing outreach in the community, with the goal of beautifying the area and celebrating its uniqueness as a home to multiple cultures.
The suggestions from the consultants included more branding for the area, food festivals, making the street safer for cyclists and pedestrians and considering making the Little Arabia designation include a larger area.
Branding ideas for the area include a sign on the 5 Freeway, street banners or a monument to let people know they are in Little Arabia/the Brookhurst Street corridor area. The part of Brookhurst Street being looked at is a 3.5-mile stretch of road from the 91 Freeway to Katella Avenue.
Gaurav Srivastava, a representative from the planning firm Dudek, who did the study, said while most of the businesses self-identify as Arab, Middle Eastern, or North African, there are other businesses that aren’t and have adopted the identity to cater to a broader clientele. Srivastava said there are only a handful of places in the nation that can identify as a clustering of Arabic businesses and cultural institutions.
Srivastava recommended the city make it easy for night markets to be held in parking lots in Little Arabia and host a Brookhurst food festival.
“During the months of Ramadan, there are spontaneous organic evening events where members of the community break their fast,” he said. “These are often communal events that are hosted in parking lots that function as night markets.”
As for street improvements, the consultants said Anaheim should explore a Brookhurst Street Master Plan. Brookhurst could benefit from having a median on the road through the entire corridor, pedestrian…
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