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Opinion 8

The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Volume 112 Issue 14

Fox Theater at heart of future shopping zone JOSHUA JURADO Staff Writer

The Fullerton City Council approved a motion to sell city property near the Fox Theater to begin construction of a new dining and shopping center. On Tuesday, Nov. 15, the council voted unanimously to authorize the City Manager’s office to execute a disposition and development agreement with Frontier Real Estate Investments. This agreement would begin construction on three lots within the Fox Theater block on Harbor Boulevard. The center will accommodate new restaurants and a full production brewery featuring a tasting bar counter. The first lot, named the Triangle Parcel, sits on Ellis Place and Harbor Boulevard. The second lot is Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante, located at 550 N Harbor, and the third is a parking lot at the corner of Pomona and Chapman. The expected revenue of all three of these lots is almost $2.3 million. In addition to this agreement, the city council voted to abandon a portion of Ellis Place to help connect two lots and create a drive-in roundabout for the new dining center. It will no longer be a drive-through street once construction begins and will only be accessible on Pomona Avenue. The development of a parking structure was also approved on the Pomona and Chapman lot. In an item by the Redevelopment Agency that was earmarked in 1991,

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The new center will be located at Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Avenue and will include shopping and dining options.

the city set aside $6 million of its own money to construct a parking structure that will serve the Fox Theater and other nearby businesses if the developer operates and maintains the site.

“I’m very excited about this project coming to Fullerton. I think it is going to do a lot to activate this portion of Harbor Boulevard. I think it will be a great setting for our community to make memories for years to come,”

said council member Nick Dunlap. During the public comment section of the meeting, residents said that the land used for this project should go toward affordable housing. “We have lots of restaurants, we

have a brewery, but what we don’t have is housing in our community,” a Fullerton resident said. Residents were also concerned that the new center would not match the aesthetic of Fullerton’s historic downtown area, instead creating a more urban feeling. Mayor Pro Tem Bruce Whitaker said while he would like to see a coherent aesthetic, most developers appeal to a younger audience. He said this takes priority when considering customer frequency and traction. Council member Ahmad Zahra said he is confident that the developers will blend the aesthetic with the Fox Theatre in a way that enhances the look of Fullerton’s downtown. Another attraction in the shopping center will be the reopening of the Fox Theater, which has been closed since 1987. The theater is set to reopen May 28, 2025, marking its 100th anniversary since its opening. Earlier last month, the Fox Theater’s neighbor and Fullerton restaurant, Angelo’s and Vinci’s Ristorante, said it would be closing its doors for good and selling its building to Frontier Real Estate Investment. The restaurant opened its café in 1971 and its dine-in experience in 1992. Construction on these lots could start sometime next year and take up to 17 months. “The important thing is that that corner is re-energized, that it becomes a destination and that people gather there,” Whitaker said.

CSUF expands free internet CARLOS CORDOVA Staff Writer

Cal State Fullerton is increasing internet access for eligible students by providing them with a tablet that doubles as an internet hotspot for under $20 a year. Rommel Hidalgo, associate vice president for the Division of Information and Technology, said the Center for Equitable Digital Access has set up a station for Excess Telecom on the first floor of the Pollak Library. Excess Telecom is an internet service provider that is licensed through the Affordable Connectivity Program. David Ramos, an event manager for Excess Telecom, said the program started during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide internet access to those in need.

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“Since everything moved online, that's when we started to see a lot of students or people didn't have access to internet at home,” Ramos said. “This program was created to essentially bridge that digital divide and provide internet access to those who need it in order to do schoolwork, or their jobs or even in medical.” CSUF was introduced to Excess Telecom in a meeting held in October regarding the amount of students on campus that receive federal Pell Grants, which makes them eligible for this free internet program, Hidalgo said. “We have a lot of students that have Pell Grants, we needed to figure out what's the best way to communicate and market this to them,” Hidalgo said. “I'm thinking we have anywhere from 10,000 to 16,000 students that have received the federal Pell Grant.”

Ivy Mejia, a third-year psychology major at CSUF, heard about the program through an email from the university. She said that she has slow internet at home and sees this program as a huge benefit. “Everything today is digital and online and other people may think well, we didn't have internet access back in the days. But because we live in a contemporary or modern world where I feel it's necessary because some classes are online on Canvas,” Mejia said. Hidalgo said promoting the program made sense since the campus has the Center for Equitable Digital Access, which is already reaching out to students and letting them know what technologies are available. Ramos said that in order to receive the hotspot-enabled tablet, students need to provide documented proof of receiving the Pell Grant

JOSHUA JURADO / DAILY TITAN

Over 10,000 Cal State Fullerton students, including those who receive the Pell Grant, may be eligible to receive a tablet that provides them with free internet access.

or one of the other 20 government assistance programs and pay an $11 tax fee on the device, which they get to keep. The 20 federal or state programs

include Cal Grants, CalFresh, Medi-Cal, CalWORKS and more. The SEE DIGITAL