La Habra Boulevard Corridor

Background
Beginning in 2003, the five North Orange County Cities (NOCC) of Brea, Fullerton, La Habra, Placentia and Yorba Linda undertook a cooperative effort to define a vision for transit in North Orange County. The project has received grant funding from Compass Blueprint, the Reduce Orange County Congestion (ROCC) program, and the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) Go Local program to explore opportunities for transit-oriented development around an emerging high-capacity transit system.

Summary
The La Habra Boulevard Corridor was once the commercial center for the City of La Habra, but now suffers from the type of disinvestment that is unfortunately common in the region's strip commercial corridors. The existing strip retail along La Habra Boulevard competes with strip retail along Whittier, Harbor, and Beach Boulevards to the north, east, and west. These competing corridors carry more traffic and their shopping more convenient than centers along La Habra Boulevard. In order for La Habra Boulevard to be successful, the corridor must offer a unique experience that the other corridors lack; it must become a destination where people want to go to spend their time.

The project report provides design concepts and policy recommendations for the City of La Habra to use in future planning efforts related to improving the economic performance, functionality, and identity of the La Habra Boulevard corridor. The recommendations report presents:

• Current conditions of the La Habra Boulevard corridor and the neighborhoods that surround it;
• A set of guiding principles for land use concepts and policy recommendations;
• Streetscape, circulation, and land use concepts for the demonstration project study area;
• Development scenarios for a typical block along the corridor;
• Next steps for guiding future changes along the corridor.