Street pole banners adorned with bright orange, green and blue butterflies and the words "reshape," "recreate" and "renew" line a stretch of Washington Boulevard, marking the area where city officials hope to transform a seemingly forgotten part of town into a vibrant commercial area.

The Culver City Redevelopment Agency has launched the three-phase West Washington Area Improvement Plan to spruce up a stretch of the boulevard, in hopes of making it more appealing to new businesses—and to help existing ones.

"The west part of Washington Boulevard had been neglected for a long time while other parts of the city had benefitted from public improvements, such as medians and landscaping," said Councilman Scott Malsin, who lives in the western part of town. "Frankly, I viewed that as an opportunity that had been missed for a very long time."

The project dates to 2007, when the city approved the installation of street medians, which will be filled with palm trees that will be lit at night.

The first phase of the project is under construction and runs along Washington Boulevard from Beethoven to Wade streets.

The city in June accepted a $266,277 bid from Land Form Landscape Construction for the work, which is expected to be completed in September. Construction on the second phase from Boise Avenue to Centinela Avenue has yet to begin, and a bid has been sent out for the third phase, which will focus on Wade Street to Boise Avenue.

This redevelopment strategy is a shift from the past, when the city would acquire property and then work with developers on major "catalytic projects," such as massive condominiums, which were expensive and riskier, Malsin said.  The councilman said he talked about this approach when running for the council in 2006 and again when he was re-elected this year.

"I looked at the success the city achieved in the downtown area in east Culver City," Malsin said. "I've always believed that it was a model that would work elsewhere in town."

The attention the area is getting already has lead to some tangible results. For example, the following upscale restaurants already have moved into or are committed to the area:

- Waterloo & City Restaurant and Lounge opened in May in a location that was formerly a diner.
- Pitfire Pizza opened its doors in February, bringing an upscale pizzeria to a site that used to be a Shakey's.
- A new restaurant by chef Roy Choi, named one of the best new chefs of 2010 by Food & Wine magazine, will be coming soon to the A-frame building near Waterloo & City.

The Washington Boulevard corridor features mostly small mom-and-pop shops, including liquor stores, dry cleaners and salons.

Joseph Centeno Jr., 78, owner of Best Quick Fix electronics repair on Washington Boulevard for the past 10 years, gave the improvement project a strong endorsement and said he hopes it will help businesses in the area.

"It's going to beautify the area," Centeno said. "It's going to be beautiful."

Neighborhood resident Richard Breen, 46, said he and his wife chose to move to the area because they felt they had a good nose for communities that were underdeveloped. He welcomed the city's moves.

"Just the pressure on Westside real estate, this was pretty obvious that it was going to turn around at some point," Breen said. "So, yeah, I'm pleased that it is happening."

Shawn Corrigan, 35, who also lives in the area, said he had some concerns about the improvement project. He worries that the neighborhood will become unaffordable for longtime residents.

"The little apartment buildings are disappearing, and you can't even get a one-bedroom apartment anymore," he said.

Corrigan said the area is losing its culture and history.

"It just doesn't fit to me," he said. "That's my opinion."

But Malsin believes the improvement project is the right way to go: "The risk is lower, the benefits are spread more broadly and the results are something that are pleasing to virtually everyone who is impacted by them."