The City of Pleasanton has long benefitted from its historic downtown, which contributes to the city's nationally recognized quality of life. Downtown Pleasanton is a charming district of business and residential properties located in a relatively small area in the southeast corner of the city, spreading on either side of Main Street and running roughly from just south of Del Valle Parkway to Bernal Avenue. Within the district, a variety of historic architectural styles are on display, including Art Deco, Colonial Revival, Craftsman, Italianate, Mission Revival, Moderne, Richardson Romanesque, and Victorian. The building styles that have been preserved downtown have created an attractive setting for community activities, public organizations, and lively businesses.

"Main Street is an economic revitalization program based on utilizing each downtown's historic buildings. There is no more cost-effective program of economic development of any kind in the United States today," according to PlaceEconomics, a private sector firm with over 30 years of experience in the economic impacts of historic preservation. "Since 1980, Main Street districts in more than 2000 communities have seen cumulative investment of $79 billion, 285,000 buildings rehabilitated, more than 640,000 net new jobs, and nearly 144,000 net new business. Many of these are small towns in rural America. This historic preservation-based program didn't ruin those towns; in many cases it literally saved them."

Other experts agree on the importance of a healthy downtown district. "A thriving downtown or neighborhood commercial district is a paramount component of each community's quality of life," according to California's Office of Historic Preservation, which oversees the California Main Street program, in which Pleasanton is an active member. "It provides a central gathering place for entertainment, civic life, and commerce. It supplies a focal point for community identity and pride. It offers a sense of place, connectivity, integration, and cohesion for residents. It attracts visitors and projects a healthy community image upon which industrial investors rely in part to make their location decisions. It provides small business ownership opportunities, jobs, retail sales, and property tax revenues."

Community Hub

While historic districts bring economic benefits, they provide additional value as well. According to Tom Mayes, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel at the National Trust for Historic Preservation and author of Why Old Places Matter, "Old places are deeply beneficial to people because of the way they give us a sense of continuity, identity, and belonging, because they inspire us with awe, beauty, and sacredness, because they tell us about history, ancestry, and learning, and because they foster healthy, sustainable communities."

The City of Pleasanton is one such community, with a historic downtown that acts as a vital community hub that helps the entire city as a whole. The nonprofit Pleasanton Downtown Association (PDA) traditionally supports the downtown area by planning special events and activities to draw visitors to the area from throughout the region. Supporting Downtown Pleasanton is good for the entire city, according to Bridget Karl, who became Executive Director of the PDA last year after working as the president and CEO of the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce in Los Angeles County. "Businesses should support downtown because we want to see a thriving economy," she says. "The benefits of supporting downtown do not stay downtown, they spread throughout the community."

Activities Galore

Downtown already offers many reasons to visit, including popular restaurants, shops, pubs, the Museum on Main, and weekly Pleasanton Farmers' Market, which is open every Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm all year around. The PDA and its partners have planned many additional reasons to visit over 2023. The fifth annual Bunny Hop Easter Egg Hunt, for example, returns on Saturday, April 8 between 10 am and noon. As usual participants will check in at the Museum on Main to obtain a Bunny Hop treasure map. Children under 10 will receive a goody bag, and the adults with them will receive a list of clues and locations that lead to treats offered throughout downtown at participating businesses.

In 2020, the City of Pleasanton and PDA worked with area businesses to develop the First Weekends on Main program in response to the pandemic. The program closes Main Street to vehicles, which allows pedestrians to explore downtown businesses and enjoy special programming over the weekend. This year's schedule runs from May to October. The first event is scheduled for Friday, May 6 at 4 pm and runs through Sunday, May 8 at 8 pm. Activities during the May First Weekend on Main include the Kentucky Derby Wine Stroll and Artists on Main, where art will be displayed and live artists will be working. Additional programming over the course of First Weekends on Main will be a mix of family friendly events during the day and adult-oriented fun, such as the wine stroll, during the evening, according to Gabrielle Welk, PDA Events Director.

Karl encourages business owners to consider supporting the PDA through sponsorships or in-kind donations. Welk notes that volunteers are a key component of the success of downtown programs. They help the PDA prepare before events, they ensure activities occur on the day of events, and they help break down structures and clean up after events. Volunteers are also needed to help the PDA with office work. "We are able to do what we do because of community support," notes Welk. "Any support that we can get, we appreciate."

For more information about the history of downtown Pleasanton, please visit the Museum on Main's website at www.museumonmain.org.

For more information about the Pleasanton Downtown Association, please visit www.pleasantondowntown.net.