Downtown neighborhood group meets with UCM chancellor

UC Merced Chancellor Dorothy Leland told members of the Downtown Neighborhood Association the campus is committed to boosting its relationship with the community and hopes to see the central neighborhood become a magnet for the arts and businesses.

Leland spoke to downtown residents and supporters during a gathering Wednesday evening at the home of Jill McLeod, the city’s newly appointed planning commissioner.

Leland said the university is eager to work with city leaders and community groups to enhance the downtown business district and residential neighborhoods. The school plans to base nearly 300 UC Merced employees at a downtown campus to be built on 18th Street, across from Merced City Hall, the DNA said in a statement released Friday.

Cindy Morse, president of the association, said the group, which was created last year by downtown residents to revitalize Merced’s central neighborhoods, has achieved key goals such as promoting safe access routes for bicycle and pedestrian traffic and retrieving tons of trash from the downtown area as part of the Merced Walks effort. DNA also successfully pushed for the downtown area to be grouped into one electoral district, rather than be split up, as the City Council moves toward a district representation system.

“We believe that our downtown neighborhoods belong to everyone,” Morse said. “Through advocacy, beautification and community engagement ... we can create and sustain a safe and vibrant city core.”

DNA is now working on a request to have the City Council grant honorary historic district status to the Ragsdale neighborhood east of G Street and south of Bear Creek, and to establish “Quiet Zones” along city railroad lines to reduce noise from train traffic through downtown. The group also plans to pressure the city to take action against absentee landlords who fail to properly maintain properties.

“We are committed to beautifying our neighborhood one home at a time,” she said. “We can no longer tolerate out-of-town landlords who have no commitment to our community beyond collecting rent money.”

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 7:02 PM with the headline "Downtown neighborhood group meets with UCM chancellor."