But this is Chico, too

Architect Paul Lieberum showed some of his slides of Chico as part of a presentation on the city’s archtecture, which was sponsored by the Chico Avenues Neighborhood Association.

One of his slides was of 1200 Park Avenue, a new three-story apartment complex for people 55 and older, across the street from the Jesus Center. The complex was partly financed by the city of Chico in an effort to provide affordable housing for older people and help revitalize the neighborhood.

Lieberum said he hopes the project sets a precedent for the transformation of Park Avenue.
He noted that the part of the complex facing Park is designed to blend in with businesses on that street, while the part facing Oakdale Street reflects the smaller scale of the residences on that block.

For the last three years the city has talked about turning the section of Park between Little Chico Creek and 22nd Street into a more pedestrian-friendly corridor that would knit the Barber neighborhood to the west and the Mulberry neighborhood to the east together.

The “vision” for this section of Park is for it to have both commercial and residential uses, some of them in the same building, with businesses on the ground floor and living space on the two floors above that.

Judging by how 1200 Park looks, I think the building has set a good precedent. This is yet another project that shows new buildings don’t have to be ugly and that three-story buildings along major thoroughfares don’t look out of place in Chico. It gives a sense of the potential of the street to become the showplace of the neighborhood. That would be a welcome change from the drab, rundown place it is now. This is Chico. A city that has produced a showplace street like The Esplanade is capable of improving Park Avenue.