FRESNO, CA--The Fulton Mall was once up for debate; many Fresnans were split on whether the improvement would bring more foot traffic to the downtown area.

Theory versus application has just begun; Downtown Fresno Partnership (DFP) interim president and CEO Craig Scharton is passing the baton to new president and CEO, James Cerracchio with a pretty good head start: The approximate 10-year debate to open up the streets of Fulton Mall was tackled by Scharton and his team of supporters, who were able to eventually sway the decision for streets to be created in the Fulton Mall area, (see video below.)

Cerrachio's task now is to make sure businesses continue to make residents downtown and flourish.

DFP, established on January 1, 2011 and was approved for renewal in 2015, is a private non-profit corporation made up of downtown property owners, providing resources and advocacy for those in the business community: it is defined as a Property-based Business Improvement District (PBID). California State Law defines PBIDs in the California Streets and Highways code 36600 as a property and business owner collaborative forming a partnership between the public and private sector, organized for the improvement of a specific commercial area.

Watch Thursday, April 26 video above for full 2018 report of the improvements of Fresno's downtown area, reported by ONME News.

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