By Eva Xu
Staff Writer
The City Council’s Las Tunas Streetscaping project aims to encourage outdoor dining with grants for furniture and outside umbrellas. Fresh greenery, new trash cans, pots and replaced sidewalks are all planned renovations that contribute to the city’s vision.
City Council designated approximately three million dollars to enhance Las Tunas Drive on Oct. 12, 2023. The Las Tunas Streetscape Project plans to make essential upgrades, provide general landscaping improvements and enrich aesthetics and branding.
“With a project of this scale, we’re rolling it out thoughtfully and in stages to keep the momentum going and ensure every piece is installed with care,” project leader Scott Reimers said. “The Las Tunas Streetscape Update is a multi-faceted revitalization project designed to bring fresh energy to the city’s downtown.”
Since last year’s announcement, construction crews have redone and leveled street pavers to improve accessibility. These improvements were followed by repainting streetlights and traffic signals from green to black, matching the city logo. As a part of a sustainable infrastructure goal, the city has replaced over 200 streetlights, previously sodium vapor lights, with energy-efficient LEDs.
Landscaping changes coming this winter include brand-new pots, a manual irrigation system and fresh greenery. Updated street furniture will have a mid-century, minimalist and clean aesthetic to connect to past civic architecture. Changes also include new welcome signage and seasonal banners.
The improvements will primarily be on the length of Las Tunas Drive but also include public parking lots on parts of Temple City Boulevard.
“Many locals think of Las Tunas Drive as the heart of Temple City that gives our city its unique personality,” Reimers said. “Through this project, the city’s goal is to bring more life, activity and excitement to the area, creating a dynamic destination that truly stands out from nearby cities and celebrates our community’s identity.”
Local businesses along the drive can apply for three exterior improvement grants, which opened on June 24, 2024. These grants include new outside café furniture, pedestrian-oriented blade signs and canvas awnings. The city has set aside a total of $677,766 for these grants, aiming to help bring more pedestrian activity to the area.
Although the grant program has been off to a slower start, the project is encouraging more restaurants to apply and embrace the city’s vision of outside dining.
The plan also includes a utility box painting project aimed to highlight Temple City’s pride and spirit. Although the project will be headed by professional artists, the city hopes to incorporate youth participation.
“As someone who really loves art, I’ve seen painted boxes in other communities and I think they’re really pretty,” sophomore Bette Trinh said. “I’d love to paint one, and I think if we also paint some for our community that’d be very cool.”
Painting is set to start in early 2025. Students who are interested in helping artists paint or are curious about the business of becoming an artist can contact the city.
The Youth Committee plans to hold a walk down the affected streets to check on the new improvements.