Let’s Talk Westside is just a week old but some ideas already are taking hold in the virtual town hall run by Noozhawk and the nonprofit Just Communities.

The online public-engagement forum aims to come up with ideas to improve and enhance Santa Barbara’s Westside as part of a larger THRIVE Westside initiative that includes a series of in-person meetings.

Residents and stakeholders on the Westside are invited to discuss the area’s strengths and weaknesses and transform those ideas into actionable strategies, said Jarrod Schwartz, Just Communities’ executive director.

“There’s a lot of consistency between the online and in-person dialogue,” Schwartz said. “Even some of the same ideas are coming up, which leads me to say that these ideas have a broad appeal and will have a deep impact.

“There’s a nice critical mass moving these things forward.”

A couple of those ideas include improving the Westside’s business and restaurant district and organizing a central gathering place.

“San Andres is actually a great street that could become an attractive destination for all of Santa Barbara,” user Micaela H wrote. “Adding attractive stores, a themed market (no flea markets) but, for example, art venues or community events would help. I would also like to see more attractive landscaping and lighting. Give smaller stores an incentive to open a new business on San Andres. Rebuild the little shopping area at the Micheltorena intersection.”

User Lucile R proposed a similar idea.

“It would be great to feel welcomed to the (Westside) as I crossed the Micheltorena bridge … maybe fixed-up fences, landscaping next to the sidewalk and newer/repainted signs and storefronts?“ she wrote.

As of late Saturday, Let’s Talk Westside had received nearly 1,000 unique visitors, about half of whom have registered to join the conversation, according to Noozhawk publisher Bill Macfadyen.

Those concerned about the Westside can voice their opinions at the Westside United Boys & Girls Club, 602 W. Anapamu St., at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

THRIVE Westside is also organizing a larger wrap-up session on Jan. 21. Community leaders and officials have been invited to discuss some of the most popular ideas and means to implementation.

“The goal is using the online and in-person dialogue to get as many people involved as we can, and ultimately bring everyone together so the conversation doesn’t stop with ideas and continues into planning and implementing them,” Schwartz said.

THRIVE Westside is a partnership of Harding University Partnership School, McKinley School, La Cumbre Junior High School, San Marcos High School, the Santa Barbara Unified School District, the James S. Bower Foundation, Just Communities, One Nation Foundation, the Orfalea Foundations and the Santa Barbara Foundation.

Lead sponsors of Let’s Talk Westside are MarBorg Industries, Wells Fargo, Southern California Gas Co. and Paul Cashman of State Farm Insurance.

Additional Let’s Talk Westside sponsors include the Academy of Koei-Kan Karate-Do, Business First Bank, El Zarape Mexican Food, Griffith & Thornburgh LLP, Meridian Group, Paper Moon Printing, ParentClick.com, Presidio Sports, Santa Barbara Community Housing Corp., Santa Barbara Home Improvement Center and the South Coast Community Youth Cultural Center.

» wmacfadyen@noozhawk.com of Noozhawk’s Let’s Talk Westside online public-engagement project.

» Click here for more information on Just Communities’ THRIVE Westside project.

» Click here for more information about THRIVE Santa Barbara County.

— Noozhawk business writer Alex Kacik can be reached at akacik@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.